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Oden Paired With Russell In Marketing Deal With Topps
Oden, a possible No. 1 draft pick after leaving Ohio State following his freshman year, signed a three-year contract worth at least $3 million Tuesday to become a spokesman for Topps Co. His first deal? A card featuring him and Russell, the Boston Celtics Hall of Famer, on the 50th anniversary of the company's first basketball set. Like Russell, Oden is known for his ability to dominate a game on the defensive end with his rebounding and shot blocking. "Certainly there's been a lot of comparisons to Bill Russell, which we don't run away from," said Bill Sanders, a vice president for BDA Sports Management, which represents Oden. "I think that Greg has got a lot of that in him, but he's also got other skills in him that people don't necessarily associate with Bill Russell. Certainly he's honored to be mentioned in that kind of company. I think one of his goals is to accomplish a little bit of what Bill Russell did." NBA Draft, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Kansas' Rush Tears ACL
The school expects to see a final review of Rush's MRI Tuesday. The test results were sent to a Denver specialist over the weekend. An announcement is due Tuesday or early Wednesday from the school. Rush injured his ACL Thursday during a pickup game and then withdrew from the NBA draft Friday afternoon. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Prospects Skipping Out On NBA Predraft Camp
The purpose of the change was to convince players like Chandler, Byars and Hardin - and, quite frankly, players of a higher caliber than them - to join the field in search of guaranteed first-round money or a second-round shot. However, with the draft still over a month away, many agents feel their clients can either do enough impressing in postcamp private workouts or will be able to rely on their collegiate resumes in lieu of facing the Orlando competition. Check out RealGM.com's Post-Lottery Mock Draft (Second Round). Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback May 2007 Archive
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Greg Oden has been drafted by a trading card company, and will be on the same team as Bill Russell.
Kansas guard Brandon Rush tore his ACL in his right knee, meaning he may not play for the Jayhawks until December, a high-ranking Kansas source told ESPN.com Monday night.
No one was ever under the impression Greg Oden or Kevin Durant would play at this week's predraft camp. But fringe prospects like Wilson Chandler, Derrick Byars and DeVon Hardin skipping out, too?
Those looking for more marquee names when the camp opens Tuesday may still find players like Pitt's Aaron Gray and Boston College's Jared Dudley, but the turnout is clearly not what the league was looking for when it made a rule change this season prohibiting private team workouts before the start of the camp.