To say that Greg Oden has had a tumultuous start to his pro career would be putting it very lightly. Highly touted out of Ohio State, Oden had huge expectations from day one. Playing with one hand for a good portion of his freshman year in Columbus, he was hubbed as the next best big man. That was a lot of pressure to put on a guy who can barely create his own shot. He missed his entire rookie season due to microfracture surgery, then somehow managed to miraculously appear in 61 games the following year. Last season, Oden broke his right kneecap in December and missed a significant portion of the season as a result. As camps open up, Oden’s timetable for his return is still a big question mark.
At this juncture, we do know this much: he won’t be around for preseason or the start of the regular season. Speculation right now is that he may not even be on the floor until 2011. The injury that he sustained is a serious one and you hate to see that happen to anyone. Due to extended time on the shelf during his relatively short career, Oden has become somewhat of a distant memory. I can honestly say that he doesn’t cross my mind that often. I’ve become conditioned to not seeing him on the floor.
For a guy of his size and age, you definitely can’t rush him back too soon. That’s the last thing you want to do. He has missed just about as many games as he has played in his career, so you may as well keep him out until he’s really ready to go. The Blazers still managed to boast an impressive 50 – 32 record last year even with Oden in street clothes for a good portion of the season, so they’ve learned how to manage without him.
In a perfect world, Greg Oden should’ve been in Turkey this summer playing for Team USA, anchoring their frontline. He was supposed to lead the next new crop of talented big men in the NBA. Instead, his Yao Ming-esque repeated injuries to his lower extremities leaves many wondering how the Blazers could’ve passed on reigning scoring champ, Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft. Oden was averaging 11.7 points and 8.8 rebounds before his injury last year and many thought that he had finally arrived. With no timetable for his return, Blazers faithful are simply hoping for his healthy arrival this upcoming season – whenever that may be.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
