A little while back Upper Deck announced they had signed Texas rookie Kevin Durant to an exclusive autograph and memorabilia contract for his rookie season. Today, Topps announced their countermove - signing Ohio State star and probable #1 pick center Greg Oden.

"I look forward to business partnerships with industry leading corporations and Topps is one of those companies," said Oden. "I can't wait to see my first Topps Rookie Card!"

As with Durant and Upper Deck, this represents the first endorsement deal signed by Oden. The deal grants Topps exclusives rights to use Oden's autograph and memorabilia on trading cards, as well as using his image on packaging and advertising. Topps will also take part in joint branding and marketing efforts, including the creation of Oden's official website.

"We are very excited to have one of the NBA's new stars on our team," said Warren Friss, Vice President-- General Manager, Topps Sports. "We believe Greg has a great future in the NBA ahead of him and we want to be his partner every step of the way."

"Greg and Topps compliment each other well," said Mike Conley, Sr. of BDA Sports Management. "Greg is a special young man with a successful career ahead of him and Topps is a class organization with a true vision for this partnership."

Collectors can get their first official Oden rookie card this August when Topps Basketball is released. This is Topps' 50th Anniversary basketball set and will see Oden and Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell as the primary pitchmen.

Oden joins Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade as Topps only basketball exclusive contracts. Other sports stars include baseball's Barry Bonds, David Wright, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Howard, and the late Mickey Mantle.

With Durant going with Upper Deck and Oden with Topps it shows once again how competitive the two companies are when it comes to signing rookies. Last year Topps signed top pick Andrea Bargnani and third pick Adam Morrison while Upper Deck laid claim to LaMarcus Aldridge and Tyrus Thomas.

It's also interesting to note that while the more misguided in the media seemed to proclaim that with Portland and Seattle claiming the top two picks in the NBA Draft Lottery last week - and ostensibly will choose Oden and Durant - the league would have difficulty marketing these two young stars in such small markets. Looks like Topps and Upper Deck would beg to differ, as they wasted no time in getting these two players under contract.

Of course, long-time readers of this column will find that as no surprise. Last year that exact issue was asked of both companies and both came back with the same response: Are you kidding?

The market a player is in has little to do with these kind of contracts, at least in this industry. Collectors will want the rookie cards, autographs, and memorabilia cards of the best rookies in the league, no matter where they play. If the best player in the league played in Topeka or Helena , New York or Los Angeles , collectors would clamor for them.

Topps and Upper Deck both understand this very well. If these two rivals can agree on that, how come the national media seems to have a different opinion every single year? If this was a bad business decision, it wouldn't happen. Both companies have been around long enough to know the difference between good and bad decisions for their market - and they didn't hesitate to make these deals.

That should tell you something.

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