The following are anagrams & supporting definitions of the man-child known as GREG ODEN.

1.        Green God = indicative of the Pacific Northwest’s RIP City (re)creator. Defined: The word green is closely related to the Old English verb growan, “to grow”. It is used to describe plants or the ocean.  In America, green is a slang term for money, among other things. Several colloquialisms have derived from these meanings, such as “green around the gills”, a phrase used to describe a person who looks ill.  Defined: God is most often conceived of as the creator and overseer of the universe.

2.        Green Dog = Ferocious pack hunter leader who is environmentally conscious- indicative of the Pacific Northwest vibe. Define: See aforementioned definition green. Defined: The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora.

3.        No Greed G.  This is slang for how unselfish Greg is as a player/person. Defined: No means no.  Defined: Greed is the selfish desire for or pursuit of money, wealth, power, food, or other possessions, especially when this denies the same goods to others. It is generally considered a vice, and is one of the seven deadly sins. Defined: “G” is short for "gangster." Used in greeting to a friend or associate.

4.        Drone Egg = the continuous sound of thumping a basketball into a spherical shape by Greg Oden when dunking.  Defined: A drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout much or all of a piece, sustained or repeated, and most often establishing a tonality upon which the rest of the piece is built.  Defined: The shape of an egg is an ovate spheroid with one end larger than the other end. The egg has cylindrical symmetry along the long axis.

5.        GO RED ne = Symbolizing Trail Blazer color as well as the blood of opposing players under the neon lights.  Defined: Go means to be habitually in a certain state or condition.  Defined: In human color psychology, RED is associated with heat, energy and blood, and emotions that stir the blood, including anger, passion, and love.  Defined: ne is the atomic symbol for Neon.  Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish glow...

6.        Deer Gog #### = Graceful running supervillian who leads team to 110 point average offensive output.  Defined: Deer is representative of a comparable animal’s grace in moving.  Defined: Gog is the name of several different fictional characters, all of which are supervillains and have been published by DC Comics.  The first version of Gog was known as William, the sole survivor of the Kansas disaster, and became a believer in Superman as a savior, even creating a church dedicated to his philosophy as he tried to find meaning in the cataclsym that had taken place. One day, Superman visited him and told him that he wasn’t the omnipotent, perfect being that William thought he was, shattering William's world view and mentally unbalancing him. When the Quintessence (Shazam, Ganthet, Zeus, Izaya, and the Phantom Stranger) invested him with a portion of their vast power, William, now known as Gog, went insane and blamed Superman for his misfortune, believing him to be the Anti-Christ who had allowed the Kansas disaster to take place to regain his standing in the world.  Using his newfound powers, Gog killed Superman. Unsatisfied by his victory, Gog went back in time one day, found Superman KOBE, and killed him again, repeating the process over and over, each time varying the means of Superman's death and absorbing portions of the slain Supermen's power.  Defined: The ASCII code for lowercase n is 110- representing the number of points the Blazers will average with Greg in the line-up.

7.        Geen Drog = a tall killer who murders or causes grievous bodily harm to opposing players.  Defined: Geen is a former nurse convicted of murdering two patients and causing grievous bodily harm to 15 others while working at Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire.  Defined: In etymology is a pole or stick.

8.        Negro GED = This is what opposing players will get when Oden sends an opposing player back to school for the first time.  The second time will be a diploma; the third a Bachelor of Science; the Fourth- a Masters; the fifth- a PHD and finally; Retirement.  Defined: Negro is a term referring to people of Black African ancestry. Prior to the shift in the lexicon of American and worldwide classification of race and ethnicity in the late 1960s, the appellation was accepted as a normal neutral formal term both by those of Black African descent as well as non-African blacks.  Although the term is considered archaic and is not even common as a racist slur. The term is still used in some contexts for historical reasons such as in the name of the United Negro College Fund. "Negro" means "black" in Spanish and Portuguese, and the French "noir" as well as the Italian "nero"- all of which derive from the (Latin: #### = "black"). In Italy the word "negro" is still used neutrally by many people.  Defined: General Educational Development (or GED) tests are a group of five tests which (when passed) certifies that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. To pass the GED Tests and earn a GED credential, test takers must score higher than 40 percent of graduating high school seniors nationwide. Some jurisdictions require that students pass additional tests, such as an English proficiency exam or civics test. 

9.        Need Org “G” = symbolizes Greg Oden’s desire for organization amongst teammates/associates.  Defined: A human need can be defined either psychologically or objectively. These may be connected: the non-satisfaction of an objective need — the failure to "pay" a cost of being a human — is likely perceived by the needy as a "felt need." On the other hand, the specific manifestation of objective needs is defined by individual preferences and psychology: the need for food can appear in many different ways.  Defined: Org is The biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. Over 7 million articles in over 200 languages, and still growing.  Defined: See aforementioned definition.

10.     GORDEN e.g = symbolizes Greg Oden’s comedic prowess.  Example: ESPY’s  Defined: Gorden Fitzgerald Kaye (born 7 April 1941) is a BAFTA-nominated English comic actor.  Defined: E.g. stands for exempli gratia, which means “for example.”

The Enforcer, The Odenizer, The De-Bynumator and NEW HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF NBA CENTERRRRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ- GREG ODEN!!!!

The best way for the Portland Trail Blazers to live up to the hype is for Greg Oden to start strong.  This doesn't mean 38 minutes a game strong.  Heck- that might not mean 25 minutes a game during the 1st half of the season.  Oden needs to be the aggressive, agile, energetic, charismatic guy the moment he enters every game.  The Big Guy needs to strike fear in opposing teams.  Imagine a slightly toned down, non-swearing version of Kevin Garnett with an actual physique.  Imagine a "not in my house" look after each block.  Picture him looking mad as heck one second and then laughing like a kid after a ferocious put-back the next.  Every member of the NBA must fear being Odenized.

If you watched the summer league games, you saw our newest pick (Jerryd Bayless) play with an arrogance that just screamed, "I'm the best guy out here!"  The fans know it is summer league and not to read too much into that... BUT... Jerryd's ability to get to the hole and demeanor is what got Portland excited about him.  Greg is carrying the weight of being selected #1.  He is carrying the weight of a city that has embraced him- despite not playing a game yet.  He needs to step out and play like a guy in his second year.  We all know he has the talent.  We want that demeanor to come out that this is his job, his city and his statement that Portland is a force.  We want the big guy to match Jerryd's intensity or surpass it. 

We have Brandon (thank the Lord!).  LaMarcus is going to be huge (more thanks).  We are stacked from top to bottom.  Greg- we want you to be YOU!  Come hard- even if it's for 10 minutes a game.  We know the knee isn't 100%.  But when you enter- make it known.  Make the Laker Girls scared!  Let em' know that Lil Boy Bynum just doesn't match up (LaMarcus will take care of Pau).  Tear the rim down- laugh like a kid.  Be respectful and humble.  Grimace and snarl...  BE YOU!

Bring it Greg...  We are right behind you. 

The talent level of the Portland Trailblazers is exciting to Portland.  But Rip City is equally excited about the culture being built by Kevin Pritchard that represents our city.  We not only have talent- but good, humble, respectful young men who take pride in their responsibilities to the community.  Our role models are blossoming while doing it with their personalities.  Here are a few reasons why Portland loves it's team.

1.  Brandon Roy: 4 years in college.  Rookie of the Year.  Humble.  All-Star in year two.  Stood up to the last remaining thugs of Jailblazer land.  Undisputed Team Captain.  Clean cut.

2.  Steve Blake: 4 years in college.  Won National Championship.  Proclaims both he and wife LOVE Portland and never wanted to leave for short stints in Buck-Land and Denver.  Role Player.  Clean cut.

3.  Joel Pryzbilla: turned down larger money to stay in Portland.  Likes team chemistry.  Hard worker.  Also states he/wife love Portland.  Rebounds.  Clean cut.

4.  Martel Webster: homeboy from Seattle.  Improves every year.  Humble.  Waves at kids across the street at Club Sport from practice facility.  Competitive.  Explosive.  Clean cut.

5.  Travis Outlaw: Improves every year.  Freakish athleticism.  Defender.  Quiet and humble but killer instinct.  Takes criticism well.  Has a do what's right for team attitude (moving from PF to SF).  Likes to fish.  Clean cut.

6.  LaMarcus Aldridge: Humble and hard worker.  Comedian- expresses personality.  Dedicated.  Consummate teammate.  Competitive.  Improves every year.  HUGE in body and presence as a cornerstone of team for years to come.  Representing USA select team.  Clean cut.

7.  Greg Oden: Open to public.  Comedian.  Went back to school.  Worked hard despite set back.  Proclaims love of Portland.  Cares what fans think.  Makes statements and stands by them.  Talked politics gracefully.  #1 Draft Pick.  Will be cornerstone for years to come.  Part II of twin towers Jr.  Clean cut.

8.  Rudy Fernandez: Spaniard with shooting touch.  Takes less money to join Blazers.  Eager to prove he belongs.  Representing country in Olympics.  Wants to compete.  Clean cut.

9.  Jerryd Bayless: Plays with chip on his shoulder.  Has young Kobe/CP3 killer competitive attitude.  Is willing to fill role of point guard/combo (in that order).  Already defers to proven players on team.  Interviews well.  Excited about being in Portland.  MVP of summer league.  Fearless.  Game face.  Hates losing.  Member of USA Select Team.  Clean cut.

10.  Channing Frye: understands & supports culture and team chemistry.  Never bad mouthed Knicks even though he could have.  Plays role well.  competitive.  Happy to be in Portland.  Clean cut.

11.  Nicholas Batum: lanky young potential.  Humble.  Fundamentally sound and coachable.  Great long term project.  Clean cut.

12.  Ike Diogu: role player ready to prove himself.  Good locker room guy.  Wants to make most of opportunity.  Clean cut.

13.  Sergio Rodriguez: Perseveres through tough transition.  Plays behind starters.  Listens and learns.  Talked positively about Blazers to Rudy Fernandez- said, "You'll be treated fairly and given a chance to play..."  Clean cut.

14.  Coach Nate: Long time fixture in Pacific Northwest.  Understands people and basketball.  Considered a teacher, mentor, coach who cares about the outcome.  Focused on rebuilding quickly.  Turned down extension saying, "We haven't done anything yet."  Good with media.  Personable.  Family man.  Clean cut.

15.  Kevin Pritchard: creator of the Pritch-Slap.  Wheeler and Dealer.  Culture and talent a must.  Doesn't sacrifice by taking good players with character issues.  Great B-Ball mind.  Not afraid to make tough decisions.  Clean cut.

16.  Paul Allen: richest owner in the NBA. 

Clean cut team with good chemistry and a passion for their jobs and communities.  Always improving without sacrificing integrity.  Good decision makers.  David Stern must just love this team and what our management is doing.  The people of Portland do.  The rest of the NBA knows that the Blazers are building "Special".  We will continue to be patient and love our team as long as they continue down the path of ownership and responsibility.  Love the game- let it show.  Enjoy the ride and each other.  Respect your community.  Stay humble.  Maintain that killer instinct of Roy and Bayless on the court- while smiling off of it.  Hate losing.  Don't ever accept a locker room killer.  Do this...  and remember you will reap the riches of a long, happy, profitable career- no matter how big the market.  We want you to be successful the right way.  We live this way in Portland and will not settle for anything less.

Go Rip City- do your thing...

Portland Trailblazers are starting to resemble a young San Antonio Spurs.  Let's take a quick look...

Greg Oden/Tim Duncan

Rudy Fernandez/Manu Ginobli

Jerryd Bayless/Tony Parker

Brandon Roy/Michael Finley

LaMarcus Aldridge/Kurt Thomas

I actually like the Blazers starting five here.  Plus, the young guns are sporting Batum, Priz, Martel, Outlaw, Blake, Batum, Frye and potentially Sergio or Petteri Koponen (who I really hope makes the team).  He's a 6'5" point guard from Finland who is showing in summer league play.  Keep in mind that Raef LaFrentz's salary comes off the books and we are in line to get the best available veteran free agent next year.  This team is super talented and could contend the way San Antonio has in the next decade.  Kevin Pritchard is "Pritch-Slapping" every GM in the league with stunning moves and a huge amount of picks stockpiled for trade bait.  Nate is the perfect coach to keep the YOUNGEST TEAM in the NBA moving forward towards the Larry O'Brien Trophy.  Geez, I have goosebumps.

Let me know if you think the similarities are there or I'm just rusting in the Pacific Northwest.