Chad Buchanan interview on Greg Oden via BE

[Mediocre Man]

http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/6/15/2225527/blazers-acting-gm-chad-buchanan-discusses-greg-oden

He really won't be ready until after the season starts.

 

[HailBlazers]

He really won't be ready until after the season starts.

No Surprise There. Gotta think:

We like Greg for us long term.

 

[Nikolokolus]

My memory is getting hazy ... he had his surgery before the season started last year right? And Chad is talking December? Oofda.

 

[Weav]

No, he had surgery in December 2010, IIRC

 

[Minstrel]

My memory is getting hazy ... he had his surgery before the season started last year right? And Chad is talking December? Oofda.

Didn't he have microfracture? I thought recovery on that was a year, with a year and a half being about when the player is back to 100% (Amare Stoudemire, as I recall, returned to play after about one year and then took a while to get back to full effectiveness).

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

It's pretty bad when you have to think really hard to remember his last injury. This all happened before pre-season, right?

 

[THE HCP]

How sad that we can't remember what the injury is or what kind of surgery our "franchise" center had!

 

[maxiep]

C'mon. Buchanan punted on the question.

He said he'd have to refer to the doctors. Much ado about nothing.

 

[RoyToy]

He had his surgery November 20, 2010

First time he had microfracture was in September 2007, and he didn't start his basketball related workouts until August, 2008, and that was just 2v2 stuff

 

[Mediocre Man]

Bill Duffy also with an interview about Greg.

http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/6/15/2225693/bda-president-bill-duffy-discusses-greg-oden

This jumped out at me

How to set value for Greg Oden?

Well, that's the mastery of the agency business I guess. Quite frankly, we haven't even thought about that. We don't want him thinking about that. We want him thinking about getting out on the court, we feel like he will have the opportunity before we have those discussions for him to establish what his value is. Not just with Portland but around the league. That will be a process. There's two aspects to that. There's how much the current team values you and how much the market is receptive to you. That will work itself out. It's not the focal point right now but it will be when we get to that process

 

[e_blazer]

From BE:

Does Greg Oden want to be in Portland?

The short answer to that is 'yes.' I think that Greg, from what I can gather, feels like there is unfinished business there. Absolutely loves the community, loves the chemistry of the team, he knows that there's a commitment there to excel.

 

[e_blazer]

It looks to me like this is all just positioning by both sides. They each know that Greg's going to end up with the Blazers next year, it's just a matter of how the process is worked out and how much money he gets. Buchanan certainly sounds like the decision's made. In the Oregonian article that came out today, he talks about how the Blazers are close to contending if all of the pieces get healthy. In this interview, he talks about the timeline for Greg's return and how they don't plan on rushing him back. Duffy, in this interview, and Conley the other day, let it be known that Greg wants to play in Portland and would be receptive to a multi-year deal. Sure, he rattles the sabers a bit saying that they'll entertain offers from around the league, but that's just to establish Greg's market value. The only question to me is whether the Blazers decide they don't want to risk free agency at all and step up with a maximum offer before the 30th or if they want to use the market to try to get Greg on the cheap.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Didn't he have microfracture? I thought recovery on that was a year, with a year and a half being about when the player is back to 100% (Amare Stoudemire, as I recall, returned to play after about one year and then took a while to get back to full effectiveness).

Mileage varies of course from patient to patient, but I seem to recall that some people recover enough to resume "normal" activities within around 6 months, but that it takes nearly a year+ to resume a level of performance approximating 100%.

This reference at least seems to support that. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007255.htm

 

[Nikolokolus]

How sad that we can't remember what the injury is or what kind of surgery our "franchise" center had!

I remember that he had (another) MF procedure, but the timelines and the details kind of get fuzzy when the last time you actually saw the guy on the court was ... what, December of 09 ... or something?

 

[THE HCP]

Right before he went down last time........[video=youtube;-Wwbn_cfpd0]

 

[maxiep]

Right before he went down last time........[video=youtube;-Wwbn_cfpd0]

Even though TOSU lost the game, Oden made both Noah and Horford his bitch.

 

[tlongII]

I predict he'll be in the starting lineup by next season's opener. Lockout.

 

[e_blazer]

Nice synopsis of the Blazers options relative to the Oden situation:

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/06/the_trail_blazers_options_with.html

 

[THE HCP]

Plain and simple. I say wait til after July 1st and see wait kind of offers he gets. Don't let him leave, just get him for the best price.

 

[julius]

Right before he went down last time........[video=youtube;-Wwbn_cfpd0]

Fuck it's depressing watching those highlight videos of Greg.

Dear Basketball Gods,

please let us have a few healthy seasons with Greg.

yours,

a fan.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Right before he went down last time........

Not to be picky, but actually that was the time before last. He was was just about done rehabbing that one when he "felt some soreness" in the OTHER knee and...
He hasn't been on a court since TWO injuries ago.

 

[THE HCP]

I just meant this was one of the last times he was on the court for us.

 

[Shooter]

He really won't be ready until after the season starts.

Oh, what the heck, let's just give him another year off.

 

[The Sebastian Express]

Yes, rehabbing is a year off.

Greg broke his patella the first week of December 09. He had microfracture surgery on November 17th 2010, I believe.

 

[HailBlazers]

Greg broke his patella the first week of December 09. He had microfracture surgery on November 17th 2010, I believe.

It's crazy to think how time flies and how long it's been since we've seem him on the court, seems like ages ago, heck everyone here can't even remember the details.

In the end I believe all things happen for a reason and it was good for the Team in the long-run for Greg to be out. Its exposed our weaknesses to ourselves, and it gave our players more space to grow. I believe we've learned some valuable lessons that will be instrumental to us when everyone finally comes together healthy for a run. Regardless of injuries were still very young.

 

[Nikolokolus]

"it was good for the Team in the long-run for Greg to be out,"

Ummm ... I'd love to see how you spin this into a positive.

"Its exposed our weaknesses to ourselves,"

Wait, you mean the lack of an inside presence? Yes that has been revealed

"It gave our players more room to grow,"

Right ... into that huge space vacated by our number 1 pick center.

"We've learned some valuable lessons that will be instrumental ..."

Sure, don't draft guys with medical red-flags into high lottery positions.

"... when everyone finally comes together healthy for a run. Regardless of injuries we're still very young."

Wait, what? You lost me there at the end.

 

[jlprk]

Why not make this simple? Sign a $100M contract for 12 years. One stipulation is that he never bother us again.

How is that different from what's going to happen, except for no token visits to Portland for the next 12 years?

 

[Rhal]

So depressing, Oden has so much potential and has had such bad luck with injuries. Will we ever see a healthy Oden on the court who knows? Nothing says he will be injured again and nothing says he won't. I want to get him locked up long term because he may be healthy and that risk (cuppuled with the fact we have no cap space at all and wont' for years) is well worth it if it pays off.