Still they would have been at least a solid contender for sure
Real-Human-1985
True
DueAcanthisitta7195
Without a doubt. I feel like they all complimented each other really well, too.
semepaau
Brandon Roy alone was already special. By the end of the 2000s, the greatest era of SG, two of them ruled the scene for years, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Finally there was one guy who most saw in him the potential to challenge them, and that was Brandon Roy.
LaMarcus Aldridge was not the most famous star, but he kept improving and became one of the absolute best PF in the league. He led the Blazers and pushed the 2011 Mavs to 6 games. His legendary series in 2014 vs the Rockets was never talked about enough.
Roy and Aldridge would be a great duo already. Now throw Greg Oden into the mix. Every fan base especially in the western conference thought they were going to be extraordinary.
And they STILL could get Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews, who were some of the best non-star players in their positions.
That was a lot of what-ifs, yes. But that tells how much potential they had.
Hiwo_Rldiq_Uit
Oden always reminded me of one of those athletes I used to run into as a track coach who, when they got running hard, they looked GREAT… but as soon as they slowed down to a jog or a walk their gait just looked outright painful.
I had a few guys who came out to run distance, and they just couldn’t handle even our low workload practices because at any pace lower than a sprint they went a lil duck foot or a lil pigeon-toed and the weird stress of a jogging pace with that kind of gait just resulted in constant strains and aggravations.
SolidCat1117
Oden alone would have been fantastic had he stayed healthy. He was a beast.
BlackMathNerd
When all 3 played it was money on the court
referee-superfan
He’s not wrong. This team thrown into the mix of spurs/celtics/heatles/mavs/lakers would’ve been awesome.
drjamima
I still remember hearing the Rose Garden buzz when Oden got the ball in the paint.
New_Essay_4869
Wouldve loved to see them vs Kobe, Gasol, Bynum
thirdc0ast
Between BRoy and Lillard the Blazers really killed us with those insane buzzer beaters lol
Still love both of em tho. BRoy’s PE Nikes (with the 7 on the side) were some of my favorite basketball shoes.
jaylesheep
He’s right
sonic_4
In an alternate timeline and one I would have liked to live in the Sonics big three of Durant/Westbrook/Harden battle these Blazers in the WCF.
PNWBuffalo
Blazers might be the most “what-if” team ever. I might be biased, but I think they’ve got a solid argument for it…
Johns_spagetti
he’s right
Belly_Laugher
I ain’t no Sam Bowie.
mavericksnipe
That team would have been so fun to watch
Whatever801
Probably true
TechnologyUnable8621
What’s crazy is this team likely would have included Damian Lillard as well. The blazers drafted Lillard with a pick they acquired from the nets in a trade for Gerald Wallace that happened in 2010 I believe.
Lillard, Aldridge, Roy, Oden. If healthy that team probably would have give the warriors dynasty a run for their money…
gilr0id
Yea, no doubt. Oden showed flashes of dominance and B Roy was that guy. Adding LMA to that would’ve been something to see.
Nabz23
yeah this is believable
RiversofJell0
I feel so bad for Oden. The dude seems like a genuinely good guy and dealt with a lot after his injuries. Imagine the mental toll it takes to be a guy that is projected to make millions of dollars to have that taken away because of an injury. Then get mocked for it. As a diehard Laker fan I loved Roy and how he could bring it against Kobe. He earned Kobe’s respect too. Would’ve loved to see that team be a powerhouse.
supermanx408
Even Kobe was amazed with how good Brandan Roy was when he faced him as a rookie.
Iskwal
We were robbed big time to not see this man play to his fullest potential.
itchypitbull
I couldn’t imagine anyone disagreeing with this take.
But then again there have been a lot of what ifs or if onlys in the NBA over the years
Bay2La19
Brother we all believe that
TheGreatMoistOne
They also had great role players in travis outlaw, rudy fernandez, channing frye, batum, steve blake, jerryd bayless, andre miller, marcus camby, patty mills, pryzbilla, webster (also injuries ruined him), anthony tolliver (stretch 4 before they became a huge thing) and ever juwan howard.
That team is honestly the biggest ‘what if’ team in the history of fucking basketball. RIP Roys knee’s and Odens body. That team ‘if’ healthy would have atleast made 3-4 conference finals (at minimum) in my mind.
HORSEthedude619
I think most people also believe that
jdslipknot
it really sucks what happened to Oden.
belizeanheat
People definitely forget how good Brandon Roy was
StargazerNCC82893
So does literally anyone who watched them play lol
Middle-Welder3931
There’s an alternate universe where Oden was part of the Team USA Avengers that just won gold in Paris, alongside Lebron, Steph, and his draft classmate KD.
And that makes me sad.
matthitsthetrails
Roy was one of the leagues biggest tragedies of injury
42 Comments
Uh, yeah that’s a fair take.
Any decent team with Oden would have been special. He was a monster, he was just also made of glass.
Can’t argue with him here
Could have challenged the Lakers one of those years in the late 2000s
Greg was drafted before KD. That’s how highly teams thought of him.
That college footage of him dominating with his strong hand in a cast is insane.
Brandon Roy was also super amazing.
LMA ended up with 7 all stars and 5 all NBAs and he was easily the 3rd best player out of the 3.
It’s a real shame we never got to see these guys play up to their potential, especially together.
I agree 1000% w/ Greg on that. That team whole & healthy wins at minimum 1 ring.
I believe it.
There’s an alternate timeline where the Blazers curse went to KD, and not Oden
[deleted]
Before anyone brings up the fake [50-12 record](https://new.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/eydm5k/oc_the_blazers_did_not_go_5012_with_odenlmaroy/) with all of them together I’ll note that’s a fake stat that somehow has been Mandela Effect’d into the truth for many people lol
Still they would have been at least a solid contender for sure
True
Without a doubt. I feel like they all complimented each other really well, too.
Brandon Roy alone was already special. By the end of the 2000s, the greatest era of SG, two of them ruled the scene for years, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Finally there was one guy who most saw in him the potential to challenge them, and that was Brandon Roy.
LaMarcus Aldridge was not the most famous star, but he kept improving and became one of the absolute best PF in the league. He led the Blazers and pushed the 2011 Mavs to 6 games. His legendary series in 2014 vs the Rockets was never talked about enough.
Roy and Aldridge would be a great duo already. Now throw Greg Oden into the mix. Every fan base especially in the western conference thought they were going to be extraordinary.
And they STILL could get Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews, who were some of the best non-star players in their positions.
That was a lot of what-ifs, yes. But that tells how much potential they had.
Oden always reminded me of one of those athletes I used to run into as a track coach who, when they got running hard, they looked GREAT… but as soon as they slowed down to a jog or a walk their gait just looked outright painful.
I had a few guys who came out to run distance, and they just couldn’t handle even our low workload practices because at any pace lower than a sprint they went a lil duck foot or a lil pigeon-toed and the weird stress of a jogging pace with that kind of gait just resulted in constant strains and aggravations.
Oden alone would have been fantastic had he stayed healthy. He was a beast.
When all 3 played it was money on the court
He’s not wrong. This team thrown into the mix of spurs/celtics/heatles/mavs/lakers would’ve been awesome.
I still remember hearing the Rose Garden buzz when Oden got the ball in the paint.
Wouldve loved to see them vs Kobe, Gasol, Bynum
Between BRoy and Lillard the Blazers really killed us with those insane buzzer beaters lol
Still love both of em tho. BRoy’s PE Nikes (with the 7 on the side) were some of my favorite basketball shoes.
He’s right
In an alternate timeline and one I would have liked to live in the Sonics big three of Durant/Westbrook/Harden battle these Blazers in the WCF.
Blazers might be the most “what-if” team ever. I might be biased, but I think they’ve got a solid argument for it…
he’s right
I ain’t no Sam Bowie.
That team would have been so fun to watch
Probably true
What’s crazy is this team likely would have included Damian Lillard as well. The blazers drafted Lillard with a pick they acquired from the nets in a trade for Gerald Wallace that happened in 2010 I believe.
Lillard, Aldridge, Roy, Oden. If healthy that team probably would have give the warriors dynasty a run for their money…
Yea, no doubt. Oden showed flashes of dominance and B Roy was that guy. Adding LMA to that would’ve been something to see.
yeah this is believable
I feel so bad for Oden. The dude seems like a genuinely good guy and dealt with a lot after his injuries. Imagine the mental toll it takes to be a guy that is projected to make millions of dollars to have that taken away because of an injury. Then get mocked for it. As a diehard Laker fan I loved Roy and how he could bring it against Kobe. He earned Kobe’s respect too. Would’ve loved to see that team be a powerhouse.
Even Kobe was amazed with how good Brandan Roy was when he faced him as a rookie.
We were robbed big time to not see this man play to his fullest potential.
I couldn’t imagine anyone disagreeing with this take.
But then again there have been a lot of what ifs or if onlys in the NBA over the years
Brother we all believe that
They also had great role players in travis outlaw, rudy fernandez, channing frye, batum, steve blake, jerryd bayless, andre miller, marcus camby, patty mills, pryzbilla, webster (also injuries ruined him), anthony tolliver (stretch 4 before they became a huge thing) and ever juwan howard.
That team is honestly the biggest ‘what if’ team in the history of fucking basketball. RIP Roys knee’s and Odens body. That team ‘if’ healthy would have atleast made 3-4 conference finals (at minimum) in my mind.
I think most people also believe that
it really sucks what happened to Oden.
People definitely forget how good Brandon Roy was
So does literally anyone who watched them play lol
There’s an alternate universe where Oden was part of the Team USA Avengers that just won gold in Paris, alongside Lebron, Steph, and his draft classmate KD.
And that makes me sad.
Roy was one of the leagues biggest tragedies of injury