Anne M. Peterson of the AP writes:
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)-Greg Oden announced his delayed arrival to the NBA with a dunk two minutes into the preseason.
Oden debuted to a standing ovation, as did the rest of the young Portland Trail Blazers, in a 110-81 exhibition victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Oden finished with 13 points in just under 20 minutes.
“The big fella is a beast, man,” teammate Brandon Roy said.
Oden was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, but his rookie season was postponed when he needed microfracture on his right knee. He was held out all of last season.
Except for two summer league games after he was drafted, Oden hasn’t played much since he averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds in his lone season at Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to the national championship game, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the loss to Florida.
Oden won the opening jump over Sacramento’s Mikki Moore. His dunk, two minutes into the game, was Portland’s first basket.
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