Oden Slowly Emerging from His Cocoon

According to the media in Portland, Greg Oden is turning into something of a leader: “As a matter of fact, there was nothing gentle about Oden on Sunday. With a voice that was as loud, forceful and stern as ever before, and with animated body language that has rarely, if ever, been seen from him in a Blazers uniform, Oden on Sunday barked, ordered and inspired his teammates. ‘There was once in Toronto last year … but it was not like this,’ Brandon Roy emphatically said. ‘Tonight, he was more vocal than ever. It was great. It was step one. But we can keep building on that.’ Nobody is ready to declare Oden a leader yet. Not after one game. But what transpired here Sunday could be the start of the season’s most important development.”