Greg Oden walked into the Blazers locker room dressed in street clothes right before the All-Star break, talking about how he wasn’t going to make the trip back to Indiana with Portland set to face the Pacers.

You could tell he just didn’t want to deal with the media circus that awaited his first NBA homecoming.

New day. Different city. Same old beat writers and reporters asking the same tired questions.

How is the knee? How are you feeling? What are doing for your rehab?

Two seasons later, Greg Oden is all smiles. And even if his grin transforms to a mean mug every now and again on the floor (which is a good thing), it simply has to feel outstanding for Oden to be playing healthy and headstrong in Portland and loving playing basketball again.

"His whole demeanor has changed from last year," Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard recently said in a story running over at USA Today.

"What I love about him is he's engaged. He's a big part of the team and he contributes to a good atmosphere. He's interested in winning and being a part of something here."

It surely beats that ramshackle rookie year. There were even times last year where you had to question if the passion was there. But that was then. It’s as if that jovial kid Portland drafted back in 2007 from Ohio State finally made it to town with hopes in tow.

Who would have thunk it?

Many of us – writers and fans alike – wondered if this day would even come. Right now, Oden is easily a defensive threat, flashed glimpses of offensive greatness, and is shooting free-throws at a remarkable clip for a big man.

The wait is over....finally.

Update: The naysayers spoke their peace the past two seasons about Greg Oden. Now it's apparently time for those Oden comparisons to begin.

So who is the next Greg Oden?

Meet Hassan Whiteside - a 7'0 freshman at Marshall. He's currently reaping Oden-like praise. The true freshman tied a school record with nine blocked shots, falling one rejection short of a triple-double (14 points, 17 rebounds) against Ohio University. 

"I told our staff when I saw him on film, especially after the first half of the Lamar game, I mentioned to (assistant coach) Chris Holtmann that (Whiteside) might be the best defensive center I've seen on film or in person in the last few years in college," former Ohio State assistnat and current head coach at Ohio John Groce said.  "The guy I compared him to was Greg (Oden)."  

photo: nytimes

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