Oden (maybe) back this season?

[SpanishFly]

If he's medically cleared to play I don't see how you can stop him ... that doesn't mean I won't suck breath through my teeth every time he gets bumped or falls on the floor. I just hope he and his agents have followed through with their pledge to explore every option when it comes to finding out if there's something systemic at the heart of all these injuries he keeps racking up.

All I know is there is going to be some real squirming if he suffers yet another long term serious injury this season.

good point about the overall medical evaluation (outside of Blazer org) that he was going to get. Has anyone heard anything more on this?

 

[PtldPlatypus]

As an aside, Quick on the radio this morning: "Yeah, I saw Kerry's story about that, and I was surprised by it." Said he doesn't see the value of rushing Greg back. I wonder if his opinion on the matter prevented him from even inquiring about the possibility of a return, causing him to be scooped.

OK, Quick defenders and detractors--go!

 

[Nikolokolus]

As an aside, Quick on the radio this morning: "Yeah, I saw Kerry's story about that, and I was surprised by it." Said he doesn't see the value of rushing Greg back. I wonder if his opinion on the matter prevented him from even inquiring about the possibility of a return, causing him to be scooped.

OK, Quick defenders and detractors--go!

Well sure, you can only write about stuff if your instincts lead you to a topic. I sure as hell wouldn't have been wondering if GO is coming back this season.

 

[LittleAlex]

If he can play, he should play.

But only limited minutes and definitely not as a starter.

 

[Boob-No-More]

If he's medically cleared to play and in no pain, at the very least put him on the play-off roster. The emotional lift he will give his teammates and the crowd at the Rose Garden just sitting on the bench in uniform will help the team more than anything they would get out of Shavlik Randolph (or whoever 12th man is at that time).

If he's able to play, it will be a bonus on top of that. Just having an extra big body, let alone Greg Oden, would help our defense and rebounding - the two most important factors in winning in the post season (IMHO).

BNM

 

[hasoos]

Fuck. If God isn't qualified to say what kind of idea it is, what hope do we have?

It's not that God isn't qualified, he has just been too busy killing 10's of thousand of people in earthquakes and Tsunami's. Paying attention to a knee injury, paltry stuff.

 

[hasoos]

I don't think you ever stop a talented player from coming back if they are ready. The key is, will he be ready. If he is healed, he is healed, and you play him.

 

[noknobs]

I highly doubt Greg would be allowed to return "too early"; I think everyone is well aware of the consequences of doing otherwise. If he can play this year, why not? But regardless of when he comes back, I agree with those who've said he needs to wear knee-pads or knee-braces. Hell, even bubble-wrap is better than nothing. He needs to do that for the remainder of his career, if he wants a career.

 

[Minstrel]

If his knee is medically sound and in he's properly conditioned, he should play. Ultimately, he can only follow the best medical advice he can find. Holding out of games when fully healthy isn't going to improve his career.

 

[Idog1976]

Greg should have fake boobs implanted in his knees.

This is easily the best medical advice I've seen from a Blazers affiliated (Blazers fan) person.

 

[e_blazer]

I"m no doctor, but the 6-8 weeks for a broken bone like this to heal is consistent with everything I've heard or read. The end-of-season timetable for a return would be an additional 8 weeks or so beyond this initial healing period. There was no ligament damage and the patella is not a weight-bearing bone so, all in all, this doesn't seem out of the realm of the possible to me. The foot fractures that hit Webster and Outlaw take much longer because the affected bone has poor blood supply, from what I've read. If Greg wants to work his tail off to rehab his muscles and have a shot at being around for the playoffs, I say more power to him. He'll have to show that he's all the way back before the Blazers would risk putting him on the court.

 

[the ob]

he should not work out too much as it was his super strong muscles that snapped his knee cap last time.....

 

[Further]

Doesn't Denny Crane basically have that same joke in his sig?

i never read his sig. I just went and read it, and ya, it's basically the same joke. It's an old joke for sure.

 

[Further]

It's not that God isn't qualified, he has just been too busy killing 10's of thousand of people in earthquakes and Tsunami's. Paying attention to a knee injury, paltry stuff.

your close, but actually I have spent more time this week reviewing the contestants on American Idol.

 

[LameR]

Greg should have fake boobs implanted in his knees.

I hope I'm not the only one who recognized this.

That would make a lot of gay fish around here.

 

[drexlersdad]

when he is cleared, he should play. any other argument is illogical.

 

[mgb]

I hope I'm not the only one who recognized this.

That would make a lot of gay fish around here.

I'd be worried that Greg would be playing with them all the time and not playing basketball.

 

[mgb]

I agree, when he's healed let him play. If he's healed this season letting him play isn't rushing to let him play.

 

[Shooter]

That's such a bad idea.

I'm trying to figure out the caption under your picture of Portland.

"Combined population close connected . . ." ?

What the hell does that mean?

 

[RoyToy]

Chances are he won't be ready in time anyways, so this probably doesn't matter. Original diagnosis was basically 4 months, and that would be when the playoffs start, and at that point he'd be good for what...10min a game if you're lucky? He obviously won't be in basketball shape.

 

[Minstrel]

Chances are he won't be ready in time anyways, so this probably doesn't matter. Original diagnosis was basically 4 months, and that would be when the playoffs start, and at that point he'd be good for what...10min a game if you're lucky? He obviously won't be in basketball shape.

It's not clear that he won't be close to basketball shape. Some of that 4 month recovery time is weight training and exercising. It's not 4 months on crutches.

I don't think he'll be in peak condition by the end of it, but he could be capable of 20 MPG, which would still be a major boost.

 

[Boob-No-More]

It's not clear that he won't be close to basketball shape. Some of that 4 month recovery time is weight training and exercising. It's not 4 months on crutches.

I don't think he'll be in peak condition by the end of it, but he could be capable of 20 MPG, which would still be a major boost.

It sounds like he may be cleared for pool work as early as next week. I'm sure there will be a lot of cardio work as part of his rehab. And, let's face it, an out of shape, but otherwise healthy Greg Oden is better to have on the end of your bench than Shavlik Randolph in the best shape of his life.

BNM

 

[RoyToy]

Pool work doesn't mean anything, nor dos working in the weight room and cardio work. What matters is when he'll be cleared to play full contact 5v5. Anything less is just rehabilitation work.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Pool work doesn't mean anything, nor dos working in the weight room and cardio work. What matters is when he'll be cleared to play full contact 5v5. Anything less is just rehabilitation work.

That makes no sense. If he's cleared to run and jump, being cleared for full contact is a matter of semantics. If his bone is fully healed and he's strong enough to engage in full cardio and an exercise regimen one would assume his kneecap isn't at any risk of injury.

 

[Boob-No-More]

Pool work doesn't mean anything, nor dos working in the weight room and cardio work. What matters is when he'll be cleared to play full contact 5v5. Anything less is just rehabilitation work.

Cleared to play means just that - he's cleared to play.

I was referring to his conditioning. No, he won't be in full game shape the first day he's cleared, but he won't be a total couch potato either. Even if he's gassed after 5 minutes, I'd rather have him play that five minutes (if cleared to play) than not. And, the more he plays, the better shape he'll get into.

The play-offs are much more drawn out than the regular season. If he's cleared to play in time for the play-offs, we could see a much different Oden at the end of a first round series than at the beginning. Even if he's not in the best game shape, I'd still take him over anyone else who would get that 12 play-off roster spot.

BNM

 

[RoyToy]

And right now you'll be lucky if he's be cleared to play 5v5 full contact at the end of the season. The diagnosis was 8 weeks so that's when I assume he'll be able to get back to mainly basketball related workouts and not just cardio.

Once he is cleared for 5v5 full contact, he has to get his timing down again, he has to get in basketball shape again, hard cuts and all that stuff that goes with playing 5v5 full-court basketball. It's a big jump from just doing cardio and 2v2 half-court drills.

If it happens, cool, but I really wouldn't count on it.

 

[Boob-No-More]

And right now you'll be lucky if he's be cleared to play 5v5 full contact at the end of the season. The diagnosis was 8 weeks so that's when I assume he'll be able to get back to mainly basketball related workouts and not just cardio.

Once he is cleared for 5v5 full contact, he has to get his timing down again, he has to get in basketball shape again, hard cuts and all that stuff that goes with playing 5v5 full-court basketball. It's a big jump from just doing cardio and 2v2 half-court drills.

If it happens, cool, but I really wouldn't count on it.

All true, but he's already been out 5 weeks, even if it's another 8 weeks before he's cleared for 5-on-5 that still leaves him another 5 weeks to get in basketball shape by the start of the play-offs.

Not saying it will happen, but it's not impossible.

BNM

 

[RoyToy]

All true, but he's already been out 5 weeks, even if it's another 8 weeks before he's cleared for 5-on-5 that still leaves him another 5 weeks to get in basketball shape by the start of the play-offs.

Not saying it will happen, but it's not impossible.

BNM

Well the initial timeline was 8 weeks to heal, 8 weeks of rehabilitation.

Roberts inserted two screws into Oden’s left knee to reattach the patella and that bone now has to repair and bond itself. Pritchard said this typically takes two months. Through that process, in which Oden will be forced to do very little, he will experience muscular atrophy and it will take roughly two more months of rehabilitation to recover from that.

So about the middle of April I'm assuming is when he'll be able to do more than just rehabilitation work. It's not known if he'll be cleared to play 5v5 at this time, it's just the timeline for his knee to fully recover and be ready for more and I'm sure there are steps to take when he reaches this point.

The Blazers aren't going to put him on the court unless he's very close to 100%, and it seems likely he won't be 100% until next season.

 

[Boob-No-More]

The Blazers aren't going to put him on the court unless he's very close to 100%, and it seems likely he won't be 100% until next season.

100% healed or 100% in game shape?

I agree they won't let him near a court until he's 100% healed, but the only way to REALLY get into game shape is to play in the games. Even if he only plays a couple minutes a game in the play-offs, I think the experience he would gain would be valuable for his growth as a player.

Asuming we make the play-offs, of course.

P.S. I was off by a week. It's been 6 weeks (tomorrow) since the injury. 16 weeks (8 recovery + 8 rehab) would be March 27, which is three weeks before the play-offs start.

BNM

 

[RoyToy]

I would guess 100% healed with a lot of tests to make sure he'd be ready for NBA games. For instance he'd have to practice 5v5 full contact first before he plays in a game obviously.

As far as the math, I got about April 4th, which is still two weeks before the playoffs start, which is good news. He'd have to make some huge strides in those two weeks to prove he is ready for the playoffs I would imagine. After the 8 weeks of rehabilitation I'm not sure how the Blazers intend on taking it from there or how ready he'll be, so really it's just a guess. As we get closer to that date the more we'll know how it's going to be handled and what exactly he'll be able/allowed to do.