Oden, Durant, Yi take lumps in professional debuts

	Greg Oden finished with just six points and two rebounds in 20 minutes. AP
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LAS VEGAS -- Greg Oden got in foul trouble. Kevin Durant got swatted. Yi Jianlian got posterized.

The NBA's three most intriguing rookies made their pro debuts Friday night at the Las Vegas Summer League, and to say it was a learning experience would be like saying the weather outside the Thomas & Mack Center was a little warm.

But Oden (Blazers), Durant (Sonics) and Yi (Bucks -- at least for now) did OK overall -- considering the pressure on them was more intense than the 100-plus-degree temperatures that sizzled Sin City.

"There is a lot of pressure out there just because of who we are," Oden said. "It's a lot to try to live up to, but all you got to do is play basketball."

The NBA's newest stars did just that before a crowd of about 2,500 -- and several GMs and head coaches -- on the campus of UNLV. They were treated to a fun night despite Oden getting in early foul trouble and finishing with just six points and two rebounds in 20 minutes as his Blazers fell to the Celtics, 74-66.

Durant didn't fare a whole lot better, scoring a team-high 18 points but missing 12 of 17 shots while snaring just one rebound and zero assists in almost 30 minutes of his team's 77-66 loss to the Mavs.

But while most of the focus was on Oden and Durant, Yi and another top draft pick -- Mike Conley Jr. of Memphis -- might have been the best rookies on the night. Yi, who was selected No. 6 by the Bucks but reportedly does not want to play in Milwaukee and might request a trade, finished with 23 points and four boards in the Chinese national team's 86-77 loss to the Grizzlies. Conley, the No. 4 pick, had 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in the contest.

Yi also provided the most drama of the night, trading vicious dunks -- and glares -- with Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay.

But Oden's debut clearly was the main event, as the crowd swelled to capacity for his evening's game against the Celtics. The 7-footer from Ohio State got off to a decent start, rising high to block Gerald Green's shot in the lane. He quickly picked up three fouls in the first three minutes, however, and promptly got a seat on the bench despite the summer league having a 10-foul limit before disqualification.

When he returned, Oden began to show some flashes of why many consider him the next dominant big man. He drew a foul on a pretty baseline hook, then picked up a goaltending call when Celtics forward Leon Powe soared up to swat his hook in the lane. Oden then finally got a bucket to go down for real when he crammed home a two-handed dunk off an offensive rebound, drawing a foul on Powe in the process.

For the most part Oden looked comfortable in the NBA setting. He banged with Powe. He snuffed Boston's Gabe Pruitt on a drive in the lane. He ran the court well.