12/21/24
December 06, 2009
Greg Oden done for the season: Well, the injury bug has bitten Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden...again. The No.1 overall pick in the 2007 draft is out for the year after fracturing his left knee cap. So, in two seasons in the league, Oden will have played all of 21 games. Is he unlucky, or this generation's Sam Bowie?
posted by cletus7777 to basketball at 10:23 AM - 10 comments
Oden is in major physical trouble; two catastrophic injuries before he's even 25? 7 footers are structurally trouble at the best of times and he's already breaking down before he's even hit his prime. At least Yao got a few good years in before his body started to disintegrate.
He'll be one of those players who are effective enough to continue getting contracts, however won't be able to play a lot of minutes without his body betraying him. It's a shame, because he's got the skills and smarts to be a great #1 pick, however he's going to end up a role player due to his body. Dikembe or a more skilled Ratliff; there'll always be a place for him, but a limited one.
I'd love to be wrong but if I was the Blazers, I'd hope for a full season from him so I could deal him.
posted by dfleming at 01:10 PM on December 06, 2009
Um, Oden isn't even close to being as good as Sam Bowie was. Bowie was an effective centre who played decently and had a decent career - mostly in New Jersey (which I guess matters since he was drafted and most injured as a Blazer).
Oden hasn't done anything in the NBA. He's a much bigger bust at this point.
It just doesn't look good for Oden at all. He seems like a nice guy and a tantalizing talent, but these are two baaaaad injuries to have as dfleming says.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma City....
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:10 PM on December 06, 2009
I just want to know how the hell you fracture your kneecap. The only method I know involves a couple of big guys and an unpaid debt.
On second thought, I don't want to know. The thought makes me want to hurl.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:17 PM on December 06, 2009
The only method I know involves a couple of big guys and an unpaid debt.
It was actually one big guy! That's the NBA for ya; even the medium guys are like a mafiosa goon landing on you.
posted by dfleming at 08:08 PM on December 06, 2009
Weedy, you clearly are smoking something. Bowie was an OK player, but he had nowhere near the potential that Oden has/had. Plus, the thing that made Bowie such a bust was the fact that he was drafted ahead of Michael Jordan.
Oden thus far this season had been borderline dominant at times. And the thing that hurts so much as a fan is that he seems like such a good guy, one who cares so much for his team. He was slowly growing into a leadership position -- something Bowie never did.
A better analogy is Walton. While they had very different skill sets, and Walton was better than Oden, they both had the potential to be absolutely dominant big men. For a very brief time, Walton was. We may never know if Oden could have realized his potential.
posted by hercher at 10:55 PM on December 06, 2009
Sam Bowie, year 2 (injury shortened): 11.8ppg, 8.6rpg, 2.5bpg
Greg Oden, year 2 (injury shortened): 11.1ppg, 8.5rpg, 3.4bpg
Oden was also selected ahead of Kevin Durant, who is a 28ppg/7rpg scorer that could've been a Blazer. His success, like Jordan's, makes the selection of Oden more of a bust.
posted by dfleming at 11:21 PM on December 06, 2009
posted by dusted at 12:16 AM on December 07, 2009
This is a shame. Greg Oden was taking some stride into becoming a dominant player this year and now injured once again. I guess it's true that his legs cannot deal with his 7 foot frame and his body is giving out on him. He may not yet be 25 years old but he does look alot older, I wonder if that has something to do with it as well.
Here's to a speedy recovery and hopefully he can come back from this setback.
posted by BornIcon at 11:29 AM on December 07, 2009
Bowie, and Walton too. And with the premature post-career death of Duckworth, any future draftable big man who has a karmic and mystical affairs advisor is going to be told to head to the Russian Arctic League rather than report to the Blazers.