Sports

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, November 21, 2008 NBA: Blazer's Oden does well in home debut Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Rose Garden fans got their first regular-season look at center Greg Oden, and he did not disappoint. The crowd was on its feet when Oden entered the game against the Chicago Bulls with under five minutes left in the first quarter. His "Thank You" was a two-handed dunk off a pass from Steve Blake moments later. The Blazers went on to win 116-74. Oden finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes. In six games this season -- he played 13 minutes in the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers but didn't score and sprained his ankle -- Oden is averaging 10 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game. That's plenty to be encouraged by, but Oden is still learning to play in real games with the Blazers -- and the Blazers are still learning to play with him. Nate McMillan's plan in playing Oden off the bench was to take some of the pressure off him and ease him into more minutes. Fellow center Joel Przybilla has been doing well in the starting role. He's averaging 6.4 points and 7.9 minutes. Against the Bulls, he had 14 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes. So a decision to move Oden to starter will be taken on a thoughtful, game-by-game basis. "I've always been a fan of Joel's. And right now, on the defensive end of the floor, he is really setting an example of what we want from (our centers)," McMillan said. "And Greg is able to look at Joel defensively and defend the pick-and-roll, rotate to the ball, and he's starting to pick that up. And with a combination of the two guys being out there with our group, we should be a better defensive team." Oden, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, did not play last season because of microfracture surgery. His delayed rookie season was derailed for a time after the sprained ankle in the opener. Wednesday night's game against the Bulls was Oden's first at home since the regular season got under way. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Emory’s owner fears fire was arson 2. Monroe honking case makes it to state Supreme Court 3. Vatican ponders the souls in space 4. 81 veterans' names, 81 meaningful lives honored in Snohomish 5. Hope dims that Olympics will boost region 6. Student hit in crosswalk to return 7. Smokey Point to celebrate end of roadwork 8. Death on Edmonds waterfront ruled a suicide 9. Help for young moms may continue 10. Semifinal slate sealed on ‘Dancing With Stars’ 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Bazaar Fever • Hawks proud of historic season • Olson always put Edmonds first • Honoring student veterans • ‘Wheedle' author comes to Lynnwood bookshop • Mavs build early lead en route to easy win • Prep football games of the week (state playoffs) • Tears of laughter, tears of grief • Death on Edmonds beach likely a suicide • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million