Spurs were open to offering Tim Duncan for Greg Oden?

http://hoopshype.com/rumors.htm


One source close to the team said general manager Kevin Pritchard was swayed toward Oden not only because of the Blazers' needs but also because nearly every GM inquired about making a deal for the right to choose Oden, including San Antonio, which was said to be open to offering Tim Duncan. If rivals were considering trading cornerstone players for Oden, it's hard to blame Pritchard for making that choice. SI.com


It appears as if Oden is a bust, the calamity of untimely injuries derailing his career before it even got started, the second coming of Sam Bowie, whose body betrayed him -- and the Blazers -- in the same fashion in the '80s. But the Blazers don't view Oden as the next Bowie, the player taken ahead of Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft, a time when Portland already had Clyde Drexler and did not want to duplicate the position. "We are not there yet," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "There is potential there. He's doing well right now. We got a year to get him stronger. We aren't giving up." SI.com


Not a surprising reaction given that McMillan swears that Oden was the correct choice at No. 1, even as he watches Durant blossom into one of the league's premier scorers and lead Oklahoma City into contention for home-court advantage in the playoffs. "Durant is playing great," McMillan said. "And I knew he would be a good player. But we had Brandon Roy. What we needed was a center. And Oden was the right pick. I've never felt [like we should have taken Durant]. Of course, he may lead the league in scoring, maybe this year, but I have never second-guessed. For me, at that time, it was looking at what we had and what we needed." That would seem to contradict the Bowie lesson, which spawned the advent of the draft paradigm "take the best player available." "It depends on who you ask," McMillan said. "I still feel we needed a center. And he is the center of the future. That type of guy doesn't come around a lot. And he was sitting right there for us. You do that." SI.com

i thought Oden was going to be russelleske after seeing him in college and a few high school games. He changed games with his defense. It's too bad I hope he gets healthy.