Oden and Joel both practicing before the game and on the road trip

[Further]

from what I saw during the pregame, and from what was said by all the tv guys, it seems like both our bigs are moving well.

I was worried when I heard a few days ago that Oden participated in a 5 on 5, that there would be all sorts of swelling afterwards. However, the fact that Joel and Greg are already practicing again tells me that they are feeling pretty good right now.

This Blazer squad is playing pretty well right now, but it is obvious that they really need a deep post player since both LMA and Camby tend to play a few feet away from the basket. It looks to me, that Greg and Joel might be coming back sooner than I thought, and then the Blazers can take over the NBA.

 

[Natebishop3]

Yeah, but Greg said during the game tonight that there isn't a time-table, which still concerns me. He didn't seem super anxious to get back on the floor.

 

[Further]

Yeah, but Greg said during the game tonight that there isn't a time-table, which still concerns me. He didn't seem super anxious to get back on the floor.

that does not concern me at all. I am pretty sure that just as a precaution the Blazer brass has made it very well known to Oden that he is not to say there is a timetable. And to be honest, there really might not be one. He may be fine to join the team in 3 weeks (I just chose a time), and that might be what everyone is expecting, but with all the setbacks that have happened in the past, they might just not look at it or talk about it as a timetable, just what they hope happens.

 

[chris_in_pdx]

Yeah, but Greg said during the game tonight that there isn't a time-table, which still concerns me. He didn't seem super anxious to get back on the floor.

as GOD said above, I believe Greg has been directly told by management to not say anything other than the party line. Greg will be back when he's back.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Yeah, but Greg said during the game tonight that there isn't a time-table, which still concerns me. He didn't seem super anxious to get back on the floor.

The words don't really matter to me, but I think you're right that there's a degree of tentativeness. I suspect that he doesn't want to come back while he's still a little stiff and hurting (but not hurt) and struggle to produce, which is probably smart, because if he does come back and can't perform at a high level then there's going to be an avalanche of bust talk on the forums and in the general media.

My honest opinion? I think he's a little afraid of failing at this point -- and who can blame him.

 

[Boise Blazer]

The words don't really matter to me, but I think you're right that there's a degree of tentativeness. I suspect that he doesn't want to come back while he's still a little stiff and hurting (but not hurt) and struggle to produce, which is probably smart, because if he does come back and can't perform at a high level then there's going to be an avalanche of bust talk on the forums and in the general media.

My honest opinion? I think he's a little afraid of failing at this point -- and who can blame him.

I agree but I also think that confidence can be a tricky thing and work both ways. If he waits till he feels 100% and comes back and plays well early on then he will build on that confidence a lot quicker.

 

[Ed O]

Yeah, but Greg said during the game tonight that there isn't a time-table, which still concerns me. He didn't seem super anxious to get back on the floor.

I can't tell if you're being serious.

Are you being serious?

Ed O.

 

[BGrantFan]

as GOD said above, I believe Greg has been directly told by management to not say anything other than the party line. Greg will be back when he's back.

The lack of a timetable still seems odd to me. Are any goals or benchmarks being set for Greg's rehab? I can't blame the guy for seeming tentative or confused if he really does not have any sort of way to measure his progress.

 

[Pinwheel1]

The lack of a timetable still seems odd to me. Are any goals or benchmarks being set for Greg's rehab? I can't blame the guy for seeming tentative or confused if he really does not have any sort of way to measure his progress.

My guess is there is a time table. They just don't want to tell us in case it is not met. Because obvioulsy the first few have not been met and that never sits well with fans or the media.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Lack of a timetable takes pressure off Greg. I don't think that's a bad thing.

 

[BGrantFan]

Lack of a timetable takes pressure off Greg. I don't think that's a bad thing.

Perhaps. It could also backfire and lead to uncertainty and self-doubt in Greg's mind.

 

[hasoos]

Well I think the reality that Greg knows is, this is really his last chance. If he gets hurt again, he is most likely done in this league. So should he take his time? You bet he should. His whole career rides on it.

 

[MIXUM]

then is thats the case.... greg is done before he starts

I mean he will 150% be hurt again but the question will be.... how serious?

 

[Jayps15]

Well I think the reality that Greg knows is, this is really his last chance. If he gets hurt again, he is most likely done in this league. So should he take his time? You bet he should. His whole career rides on it.

I doubt that, even if he suffers another season ending injury if he wants to come back and is physically able to play there's no doubt in my mind some team would take the chance on him.

 

[mook]

Lack of a timetable takes pressure off Greg. I don't think that's a bad thing.

Personally, I think it's lack of a public timetable. I think management and the doctors and maybe even Greg have a pretty good idea internally about when they expect him to return. But what's the benefit of making that private internal timetable public? I don't really see any. If he misses it, it'll be another "Greg Oden fails again!" story in the media. If he makes it or even beats it, nobody will care that the timetable existed all along because we're all just happy to see Oden. So there's really no upside to letting the world know when they hope to see him back.

 

[Jayps15]

Personally, I think it's lack of a public timetable. I think management and the doctors and maybe even Greg have a pretty good idea internally about when they expect him to return. But what's the benefit of making that private internal timetable public? I don't really see any. If he misses it, it'll be another "Greg Oden fails again!" story in the media. If he makes it or even beats it, nobody will care that the timetable existed all along because we're all just happy to see Oden. So there's really no upside to letting the world know when they hope to see him back.

I agree completely, fans have shown that they're gonna bitch timetable or not, so why put a schedule on it?

 

[hasoos]

I doubt that, even if he suffers another season ending injury if he wants to come back and is physically able to play there's no doubt in my mind some team would take the chance on him.

Maybe because he was a #1 pick. But in the past, I have seen a few centers who by the time they got through their 4th year really didn't play any minutes by that point due to injury, the league as a whole gives up on them. Robert Swift in Seattle comes to mind. Right now, Greg Oden's career is going just like Swifts did. Lots of promise. Never lived up to. Swift ended up giving up after 4 years of constant injuries.

I guess what I am saying is, if by the time his 4th year ends, if he still can't play significant minutes, then chances are, it's never going to happen. He isn't getting any younger. His ability to bounce back from injury is going to get worse every year.

 

[SnakeOiler]

then is thats the case.... greg is done before he starts

I mean he will 150% be hurt again but the question will be.... how serious?

Wow, your post makes no sense and is really difficult to read. Slow down, re-read, use a spell checker. Punctuation and grammar help too.

 

[Jayps15]

Maybe because he was a #1 pick. But in the past, I have seen a few centers who by the time they got through their 4th year really didn't play any minutes by that point due to injury, the league as a whole gives up on them. Robert Swift in Seattle comes to mind. Right now, Greg Oden's career is going just like Swifts did. Lots of promise. Never lived up to. Swift ended up giving up after 4 years of constant injuries.

I guess what I am saying is, if by the time his 4th year ends, if he still can't play significant minutes, then chances are, it's never going to happen. He isn't getting any younger. His ability to bounce back from injury is going to get worse every year.

All true, but Greg has shown a lot more ability and potential than someone like Swift and teams overpay for bigs with potential all the time. If the worst case scenario played out this year and he can't stay relatively healthy there's at least a handful of teams that would love to treat him like Houston is treating Yao for a minimum contract. If Greg suffers another significant injury this year I don't think him coming back will have anything to do with whether teams are interested, I think it would be more on whether or not Greg thinks it's the best thing for himself to keep trying.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I can't tell if you're being serious.

Are you being serious?

Ed O.

I think he is serious because that is what I got out of the interview.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

This idea about what benefit does it help to put a timetable on it?

Well what benefit is there to put a timetable on any player yet they always seem to do that. The franchise relies on fans, don't they have some kind of moral obligation to keep fans posted about players and when they think they will play.

Again, why put timetables on any injuries?

 

[blazedanugz]

for what its worth i have oden sitting on my bench for my fantasy team and his little side note says "blazers officials are aiming for a late november return." i dont know where they heard that but that would be pretty nice

 

[zeded]

This idea about what benefit does it help to put a timetable on it?

Well what benefit is there to put a timetable on any player yet they always seem to do that. The franchise relies on fans, don't they have some kind of moral obligation to keep fans posted about players and when they think they will play.

Again, why put timetables on any injuries?

Greg made it fairly clear (at least to me) in the interview last night that they didn't want to put a time on his return because if there was any hiccup in that agenda it would create a media hysteria that would become a distraction for the entire team. I was reading a bit between the lines, but that was my take.

Players do set time tables, but not everyone is equal in the NBA. Some guys don't have the uber hyper attention so there isn't much interest if the time frame slides, some guys get a microscope shoved up their ass. Greg is the latter partly because he was the first pick with mega hype and partly because of his terrible injury record, so I totally understand his thinking. When it happens it happens, and I've no doubt it will happen, until then I'm happy with how things have started.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Greg made it fairly clear (at least to me) in the interview last night that they didn't want to put a time on his return because if there was any hiccup in that agenda it would create a media hysteria that would become a distraction for the entire team. I was reading a bit between the lines, but that was my take.

Players do set time tables, but not everyone is equal in the NBA. Some guys don't have the uber hyper attention so there isn't much interest if the time frame slides, some guys get a microscope shoved up their ass. Greg is the latter partly because he was the first pick with mega hype and partly because of his terrible injury record, so I totally understand his thinking. When it happens it happens, and I've no doubt it will happen, until then I'm happy with how things have started.

I understand the pressure of a timetable and I understand GO is in a unique enough postion that he can be the exception to the rule (most players have timetables when it comes to injuries).

There is also a rumor that GO and management have differnt timetables . . . which would also explain why no there is no official timetable. It's just all very wierd to me and can't remember the last time when the official statement about a player's injury is there is no timetable. But heck, I'm like everyone else and just waiting for Oden to get healthy and back on the court.

 

[mook]

Seems like I remember Arvydas having no timetable on some of his injuries. Seemed like you never knew if he was coming back in a week or if he was done for the season. Could be that his body was so fucked that it just wasn't predictable....

 

[Ed O]

I think he is serious because that is what I got out of the interview.

The lack of a publicly stated timetable doesn't seem to be relevant to me, and Oden saying, "We've got an internal schedule for my recovery that I'm not going to reveal" wouldn't be very smart...

As for being able to tell if Oden is excited to be back: does anyone really think they can figure out what he's thinking based on an interview like that?

Ed O.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

The lack of a publicly stated timetable doesn't seem to be relevant to me, and Oden saying, "We've got an internal schedule for my recovery that I'm not going to reveal" wouldn't be very smart...

As for being able to tell if Oden is excited to be back: does anyone really think they can figure out what he's thinking based on an interview like that?

Ed O.

Well if you have read almost every article there is on Oden, listened to his interviews for three years, observe his actions and demeanor for the past 3 years . . . and then listen to the interview. Yes I think Blazer fans can have a relatively informed guess as to what Oden is thinking.

I read a little more into not having a timetable than you do . . . but I get most don't think it is a big deal.

Overall, if I was ever going to try to guess what is going on in the mind of an athlete, I think getting the opinion of die hard fans is a good place to start. I'm guessing poeple on this board know a whole lot more about Oden and his personality than any other NBA fans and many national media writers.

 

[Ed O]

Overall, if I was ever going to try to guess what is going on in the mind of an athlete, I think getting the opinion of die hard fans is a good place to start. I'm guessing poeple on this board know a whole lot more about Oden and his personality than any other NBA fans and many national media writers.

I have little or no confidence in what people I know in real life are thinking. I can't imagine having confidence in thinking I know what Oden is feeling or thinking.

Ed O.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Speaking of the interview, did anyone find it strange that GO's advise last year to Griffin was to stay connected to the team while injured?

I mean staying connected with the team was not exactly Oden's high points last year.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

I have little or no confidence in what people I know in real life are thinking. I can't imagine having confidence in thinking I know what Oden is feeling or thinking.

Ed O.

I negotiate a lot for a living so I almost always have to guess what people are really thinking based on conversations with them.. I don't know if they are accurate reads, but I guess if you are doing it all the time, it starts to become second nature (to at least try and figure out if there is more there than what is being said) And I will say with confidence I do know what my sisters, mother and father are generally thinking and I'll extend that to my best friend (we have spent so many hours sharing thoughts, I know their thought processes . . . and they know mine)

With regards to Oden . . . just using everything I know about the guy to try and read through the lines. Obviously a very guarded interview, so you got try to read through the lines. But yeah just guessing based on what we know from 3 years as to what he says and what he does.