NBA : Oden works out solo for Trail Blazers
Greg Oden admitted he was out of breath after his workout Wednesday for the Portland Trail Blazers. By no means was the 7-foot draft prospect coasting in on his reputation.
“Really, I’m trying to sell them on me, not the other way around,” the forward from Ohio State said after a vigorous solo workout.
The Portland Trail Blazers have the No. 1 selection in the June 28 draft. Oden figures to be one of the top picks along with Kevin Durant, a forward out of Texas, who is scheduled to visit the Blazers on Friday.
“All I can do is be me,” Oden said.
A couple of dozen fans stood across the street from the Trail Blazers practice facility south of Portland hoping to catch a glimpse of the Big Man. The media turned out in droves.
Team owner Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, sat and watched the workout with general manager Kevin Pritchard. Several players, including Zach Randolph, Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, also looked on.
“What came out is that he’s a really good person who cared about how he did in the workout,” Pritchard said. “He’s a unique talent. To have an opportunity to get a kid like this is a great opportunity for this organization.”
“Seeing Greg in person, it’s not just his size, it’s his amazing athleticism,” Allen said. “You can see the potential there.”
Oden was scheduled to meet with team doctors later in the day.
After getting a late start in his freshman year at Ohio State because of a wrist injury, Oden led the Buckeyes in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (9.6) and topped the Big Ten in shooting percentage (.616).
The Buckeyes went 35-4 and won the Big Ten’s regular-season and tournament titles before advancing to their first national championship game since 1962, losing to two-time champion Florida. In the championship game, Oden had 25 points and 12 rebounds.
O’Malley leaves Wizards
Marketing whiz Susan O’Malley, the first and only female president of an NBA franchise, is leaving the Washington Wizards.
O’Malley has been president of the Wizards since 1991, earning a league-wide reputation for creative promotions that helped draw new fans to a team that had been struggling at the gate.
“Susan has been my right hand through the past 20 years and has helped guide the fortunes of our company,” Wizards owner Abe Pollin said. “She has simply been fantastic in every way, from the moment she came here to the present, and I will always be thankful for her guidance and leadership.”
Trying to find a niche in a Redskins-dominated city, O’Malley devised unusual season ticket packages and unique in-game promotions for the Wizards, who struggled in the standings for much of the 1990s.
“I thought if we did some creative things, whether it was a wedding at halftime, or shoot a basket to pay your taxes, we could get more fans to the game,” O’Malley told the Associated Press. “I just tried to break through the noise. I just tried to stand out.”
O’Malley also oversaw the business operations of the NHL’s Washington Capitals for four years until Pollin sold the team in 1999. Her contract with the Wizards expires June 30, but she said she will remain an adviser with the team through the 10th anniversary celebration of the Verizon Center in December.
Around the league
The Trail Blazers introduced former Nike executive Larry Miller as their new team president in charge of the business aspects of the franchise. Miller has spent the past 10 years at Nike, and most recently served as vice president and general manager of basketball, responsible for the shoe and apparel maker’s global basketball business. …Reggie Theus scored the first basket in the history of the Sacramento Kings nearly 22 years ago – and now the club has put the ball back in his hands. The Kings formally introduced Theus as the franchise’s 21st head coach at Arco Arena after signing him to a three-year deal. Theus vowed to return excitement and wins to a once-successful team that floundered last season. “I’ve come full circle. This is an amazing dream to be sitting here,” said Theus, who played three high-scoring seasons in Sacramento after the club’s move from Kansas City. Theus went 41-23 over the last two seasons at New Mexico State in his first significant head coaching job that didn’t take place on a Saturday-morning sitcom (“Hang Time”). Theus replaces Eric Musselman, who won 33 games in his only season with the Kings. … As far as Minnesota Timberwolves basketball boss Kevin McHale is concerned, any trade talk involving Kevin Garnett so far has been just that – talk. “Who knows what’s going to happen?” McHale said after the Wolves worked out college stars Jeff Green and Al Horford in preparation for next week’s draft. “But we’re not out there actively shopping Kevin Garnett around the NBA. I can tell you that much.” McHale was pressed on the topic a day after Danny Ainge told the Boston Herald that he has talked to McHale about Garnett. Garnett can opt out of his contract after next season, meaning the Timberwolves run the risk of losing him without compensation if they don’t trade him before then. … NBA player Stephen Jackson pleaded guilty to a felony count of criminal recklessness for firing a gun outside an Indianapolis strip club last fall and was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service. Misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct were dismissed as part of the agreement with prosecutors, and a judge added a year of probation to Jackson’s sentence. Jackson, whom the Indiana Pacers traded to Golden State in January, said after the brief court appearance that he would have done the community service anyway. “Community service has always been a part of my life,” he said.