Oden impresses Blazers on and off court at workout

PORTLAND, Ore. — 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 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."

Said Allen: "Seeing Greg in person, it's not just his size, it's his amazing athleticism. You can see the potential there."

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, where they lost to two-time champion Florida. In the championship game, Oden had 25 points and 12 rebounds.

After his workout with Portland, Oden was asked whether he likened himself more to Shaquille O'Neal or Bill Russell. Without hesitation he answered, "Russell."

"Ten fingers, 11 rings," he explained.

Both funny and personable, the 19-year-old smiled broadly after jokingly telling reporters that he'd cry if he wasn't the top pick in the draft.

Oden says he and Durant are pals and trade text messages.

"We're pretty cool," he said. "This year we realized we were going to be connected for a long time."