The impact of Greg Oden losing his rookie season will have a big impact not only on the Portland Trailblazers and their fans, but also on the fantasy basketball scene. How does his injury impact his UPBA future?
In looking at the upcoming UPBA draft my expectations were that Oden would be drafted somewhere around picks #10 – #15. I didn’t see him going any earlier just because of the better fantasy options ahead of him. I also think that his constant opponent in debates, Kevin Durant, would have been taking before him in this years UPBA draft. Now that Oden is sidelined for the year where does he get drafted? Or does he get drafted at all?
My view is, if healthy Oden would have been a No. 1 center option in the UPBA and a keeper next year based on the fact that teams will keep two players after 2007/2008 year. I now see Oden not being drafted in the UPBA draft. That raises the question of when will someone pick him up during the season. If a team does it too early they will essentially be playing with one less man against the rest of the teams in the league, (the switch to daily changes during the week allows teams to use their entire bench) but if you wait too long some other team will probably pick him up. It will be a calculated risk for any GM, but a risk that could pay big dividends in the future. The question now is, does anyone have the guts to take Oden in the draft and hold onto him all year? We’ll find out Oct.14th, 2007.
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