September 13, 2007

Greg Oden is out for the entire season.:

posted by lilnemo to basketball at 01:42 PM - 34 comments

Wow.

posted by bperk at 01:51 PM on September 13, 2007

Like I said, Danny Ainge is a genius.

posted by yerfatma at 02:06 PM on September 13, 2007

I hope this isn't the beginning of a career where everyone remarks, "He could have been one of the great ones. Too bad he was always injured."

posted by cabuki at 02:10 PM on September 13, 2007

Familyman post from May 23rd, Being from Indiana, I saw a lot of Oden playing. He is already prone to injury and fatigues easily, No one should be surprised. I think he's a good kid but I don't think his body is durable enough for the NBA. Because of his height and skills he hasn't had to be in great shape and unless he decides to make conditioning a priority he will keep having these injuries cause he is going to be getting knocked around by guys that are stronger than he is every night for 82 games. Knee problems this early in his career are not a good sign for a big man.

posted by Familyman at 02:12 PM on September 13, 2007

Well, its cartilage damage, and it required microfracture surgery. On its face it doesn't sound good, but it appears that atheletes are returning from the surgery with more frequency than before. Henry is right:

I think it's good to plan on two years, and then be pleasantly surprised when it only takes 18 months.
Let this be a lesson for all of us. Be wary of your couch.

posted by lilnemo at 02:25 PM on September 13, 2007

I guess you have to hope for an Amare Stoudemire type recovery, but it seems to take longer than a year to recover from microfracture surgery. Allen Houston is still recovering from his.

posted by bperk at 02:36 PM on September 13, 2007

Wow, we drafted another Sam Bowie. Except with this one we get only two summer league games before he breaks. Just think about the Blazer front office right now. Everyone walking around with question marks above thier heads. I wonder how he's feeling signing a nice big contract, telling the press he's happy for the time off, because he hasn't had a break in the last 2 years, basketball and more basketball. Well, Mr. Oden your going to getting a little more rest. Interesting that he's not really played since LV. Could there have been some prior physical concerns at the head office? Hope he heals well and starts taking his fitness a little more seriously.

posted by km2262 at 02:53 PM on September 13, 2007

What's he doing having the surgery in Vancouver? I would think that with the money he and the Blazers have that he'd have access to the best care the U S of A has to offer rather than having to go to Canada and their socialized medicine (though likely it was a private clinic of some sort, no queues jumped).

posted by gspm at 03:00 PM on September 13, 2007

What's he doing having the surgery in Vancouver? That's where the team doctor has his clinic.

posted by bperk at 03:12 PM on September 13, 2007

Interesting that he's not really played since LV.
Because he had his tonsils out. I'm pretty shocked that you guys are already passing judgement on a player who you've seen play roughly a single season of college basketball (if that). I will cop to not being overly impressed with Oden's "motor" on the court but I have no evidence to point to that shows he has a bad work ethic, bad training, or bad eating habits. And even if he did, how would that make him any different from 90% of the rookies entering the league? Hell, I'll take it a step further and play devil's advocate. What if Oden had been playing not only with a broken wrist, but also (unbeknownst to him) with this cartilage damage at Ohio State. Would you view him as any greater or less then?

posted by lilnemo at 03:23 PM on September 13, 2007

I would think that with the money he and the Blazers have that he'd have access to the best care the U S of A has to offer rather than having to go to Canada and their socialized medicine Vancouver is in Washington State. Right across the state line from Portland.

posted by THX-1138 at 03:51 PM on September 13, 2007

Vancouver is in Washington State. Right across the state line from Portland. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I thought Vancouver was in British Columbia, which is part of Canada, right?

posted by hawkguy at 04:21 PM on September 13, 2007

There are two Vancouvers.

posted by holden at 04:27 PM on September 13, 2007

There are two cities named Vancouver. Try living in London, Ontario. Hell, there are 15 different towns in the U.S.A. named London, let alone in South Africa, Belize, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, and apparently some place in England. On preview, holden is all over this.

posted by tommybiden at 04:33 PM on September 13, 2007

This really breaks my heart because Oden shows every sign of a kid who, at his young age, already gets it. I heard on the radio somewhere he's been seen tooling around Portland in a sweet ride. Seems he blew a big chunk of change on a brand new Ford Taurus and... Wait a minute, what? A Taurus? For a newly minted 19 year old NBA millionaire? Yep. It was big enough for him, comfortable, and got him where he needed to go. I call that a good sign. The good news for the Blazers long term is that they will undoubtedly be in the lottery again next year and then come roaring back in '08 with Oden and another high pick. Hang on Portland, this may be the best tragedy ever to befall you. And as for all you people sniping at him, ya'll need to back up off Greg Oden. He was the best player in college last year as a freshman. Perfect? No, but probably the best freshman I've seen since...well, really, I don't know. Better than Tim Duncan as a freshman. And Len Bias. And Jordan. Maybe the best college rookie I've seen since David Thompson came in as a sophmore.

posted by gradioc at 05:08 PM on September 13, 2007

He was the best player in college last year as a freshman. I have to disagree gradioc. He was an animal, but he was drafted #1 not b/c he was the best player that year, but b/c of the combination of athleticism and the huge upside he brought to the table. He could (and still could) have been a true dominant center, which you don't see much of these days. His uniqueness was what made him so appealing as well as his skills. That said, there is still a difference between "future potential game changer," and "best college bball player that year." He wasn't the best player in college last year. Better than Tim Duncan as a freshman. And Len Bias. And Jordan. You gotta be kidding right?

posted by brainofdtrain at 05:23 PM on September 13, 2007

Such a letdown. I was pretty excited to see how Oden/Durant would this year.

posted by tron7 at 05:32 PM on September 13, 2007

Well to bad, Durant may get the rookie of the year award without to much trouble now. Just hope Oden doesn't become one of those well paid, for no play guys.

posted by robi8259 at 05:51 PM on September 13, 2007

Will Oden be eligible to win the rookie of the year award next year?

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:15 PM on September 13, 2007

I'm sure the NBA regrets scheduling Portland vs. Seattle on December 25th.

posted by Newbie Walker at 06:42 PM on September 13, 2007

I was really hoping Oden would come in and make an impact for whichever team chose him. When the Blazers picked him, I thought when was the last time they picked a big man in the first few picks.....Sam Bowie. I hope it is not a "Blazer curse" at work.

posted by urall cloolis at 08:23 PM on September 13, 2007

Can we forget about the Blazers for a sec? Ya, they will win it all. Seriously. OK? The Blazers have suffered the greatest disaster (considering it is unlikely he will make it a career, blowing his knee at 19 and all) since he must not be named who the celtics drafted and you know the rest... The soon to be Oklahona City Sonics are the biggest winners, as well as other teams in the West, since the Blazers will now be a contender-pretender, like Garnett's T-Wolves of the late 90's and early 00's.

posted by SFValley_Dude at 11:05 PM on September 13, 2007

Can we forget about the Blazers for a sec? Ya, they will win it all. Seriously. OK? The Blazers have suffered the greatest disaster (considering it is unlikely he will make it a career, blowing his knee at 19 and all) since he must not be named who the celtics drafted and you know the rest... The soon to be Oklahona City Sonics are the biggest winners, as well as other teams in the West, since the Blazers will now be a contender-pretender, like Garnett's T-Wolves of the late 90's and early 00's. What point are you trying to make? Maybe if you tried English instead of Valley it would help the rest of us. Greg Oden is the topic- why forget about him and his effect on the Blazers? Who said they were going to win it all? Who said he was done for his career? Are you speaking of Len Bias- if so why can we not mention his name? Are the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City? That is about the best I can decipher out of your post, of which little makes sense.

posted by urall cloolis at 11:37 PM on September 13, 2007

Another fine example of authentic frontier gibberish.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 04:25 AM on September 14, 2007

Can we forget about the Blazers for a sec? Ya, they will win it all. Seriously. OK? The Blazers have suffered the greatest disaster (considering it is unlikely he will make it a career, blowing his knee at 19 and all) since he must not be named who the celtics drafted and you know the rest You ask us to forget about the Blazers, then proceed to talk about the Blazers...Hmmm...okay.

posted by hawkguy at 08:52 AM on September 14, 2007

Sorry, I meant the Celtics, since they will win it all. We should forget about Danny Ainge. We should NOT forget about the Blazers. Since is something that will not be forgotten for the next 20 plus years, at least. They have fallen into a bottomless pit, and will probably not win a title this decade. he was a mjor upgrade from Sabonis in '99. However, they will have to wait. This could really ruin things for a while. I don't expect him to play more than a season there, since the contract was for two years. And yes, I was talking about Len Bias. I feel like 2007 in Portland is like 1986 in Boston. Only death and coke are not involved this time.

posted by SFValley_Dude at 11:08 AM on September 14, 2007

As an 10 year old in 1986 New England, I can aver that Greg Oden's microfracture surgery and its effects on a team that hasn't been successful since the mid '90s is very much like Len Bias dying. It's eerie.

posted by yerfatma at 12:05 PM on September 14, 2007

yerfatma, is that sarcasm? I can't tell, my sarcasmometer is in the shop.

posted by lilnemo at 12:34 PM on September 14, 2007

You'd better put a rush on that.

posted by yerfatma at 01:05 PM on September 14, 2007

[Portland] will probably not win a title this decade. Yea, and neither will the majority of NBA teams.

posted by jmd82 at 02:15 PM on September 14, 2007

You know who else won't win the NBA title for a decade? The New England Patriots. Yep. You can quote me. Can't suggest that this is good news for Oden, or it isn't a harbinger of trouble doen the road... But I wouldn't write off an injured 20 year old just yet. He's not done. He's the Head dude in Valhalla. I wouldn't count out a Norse God on a damn knee injury. I'm no mythologist, but I'm betting that's just not sound reasoning.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:50 PM on September 14, 2007

But you aren't counting Beta Ray Bulls out of the Central?

posted by yerfatma at 05:18 PM on September 14, 2007

I was aware of there being two Vancouvers but I guess I assumed that they would specify the smaller one if it wasn't the obvious one.

posted by gspm at 11:16 PM on September 14, 2007

These knee injury is obviously all Loki's fault.

posted by apoch at 10:16 AM on September 15, 2007

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