Sam Bowie was 21 also when he had his first major leg injury, correct? While it is only one injury, its a major one, that makes him more susceptible to injuries in the future. Whats to say that Randolph and Stoudemire don't have a second knee injury, and then become eternally injured? You have to have a first injury, and this is Oden's first. Oden has two legs of different lengths by a significant amount, therefore making one leg compensate more so for his body weight, making him more susceptible to injuries. Also, people are completely ignoring that he has a back problem. While these back problems don't hinder your play, they can definitely hinder you from actually playing in games. Look at Emeka Okafor, he's one of the best centers in the league when healthy, but he just can't. Then you have a guy like Ben Wallace, who had back problems spring up, he had his back injury spring up in the Pistons series, making him pretty much useless. </p>
I wouldn't feel good if I was a Blazers fan. Putting injuries aside, Oden never has seemed like that motivated of a player to be great. He isn't the type of guy that will be busting his ass at the practice center a week after getting eliminated from the playoffs like a Ben Gordon or Kobe Bryant. He doesn't seem to have that competitive edge for greatness. But when you look at the injuries also, knee and back problems....at 19! This guy is on track for being the worst case of injuries derailing a career, more so than Bowie.</p>