Oden was on the verge of greatness

[Shooter]

This just hurts so bad I can't put it into words:

After a dedicated offseason in which he overhauled his body and mind, Oden had finally started to reveal signs of becoming the dominant player he was expected to become. Entering Saturday night, Oden was averaging 15.6 points in his last seven games, the most prolific stretch of his career.

He ranked fourth in the NBA in field-goal percentage (60.5), second in blocked shots (2.40) and had improved in virtually every statistical category since last season.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/12/greg_oden_carted_away_from_ros.html

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

We all want Greg to come back 100% but at some point you have to look at his situation with a business perspective - can you really look at him as a long-term building block?

IMO, you can't. This is his second major injury and both injuries happened w/no contact. He was leaping off the floor and his patella broke! And the first knee injury he doesn't even recall when/how it happened.

Before this happened he was on the verge of a breakout year. Already an unstoppable force on the block who wasn't even close to being a polished offensive player. For his sake I hope he just gets healthy. Forget about basketball, Greg, and just get healthy.

 

[Nikolokolus]

It's heartbreaking -- for him, the team, for fans -- there's just nothing else to say.

 

[Kaydow]

We all want Greg to come back 100% but at some point you have to look at his situation with a business perspective - can you really look at him as a long-term building block?

IMO, you can't. This is his second major injury and both injuries happened w/no contact. He was leaping off the floor and his patella broke! And the first knee injury he doesn't even recall when/how it happened.

Before this happened he was on the verge of a breakout year. Already an unstoppable force on the block who wasn't even close to being a polished offensive player. For his sake I hope he just gets healthy. Forget about basketball, Greg, and just get healthy.

My thoughts exactly. This wasn't some fluke injury where Corey Maggette decided to throw a chop block on him. I don't even understand what happened. You HAVE to move forward assuming Greg is not going to be part of our future.

 

[e_blazer]

This is his second major injury and both injuries happened w/no contact. He was leaping off the floor and his patella broke! And the first knee injury he doesn't even recall when/how it happened.

I haven't seen anything yet to directly support this assumption, but I'd be willing to bet that last night's injury had its roots in the chip that he suffered to the same kneecap last year. It will be very interesting to hear what the doctors have to say after surgery. Unless they find some major damage to ligaments that has not been reported so far, I don't think there's any reason to assume that Greg won't be able to come back at full strength next season. It sucks that he has to deal with this again and that it significantly delays his development as a player, but it's hardly time for doom and gloom about his future.

 

[Kaydow]

I haven't seen anything yet to directly support this assumption, but I'd be willing to bet that last night's injury had its roots in the chip that he suffered to the same kneecap last year. It will be very interesting to hear what the doctors have to say after surgery. Unless they find some major damage to ligaments that has not been reported so far, I don't think there's any reason to assume that Greg won't be able to come back at full strength next season. It sucks that he has to deal with this again and that it significantly delays his development as a player, but it's hardly time for doom and gloom about his future.[/QUOTE]

You can't be serious. What IS it time for?

How many times can the franchise overcome these injuries?

 

[e_blazer]

I'm absolutely serious. A broken kneecap sucks, but it's an injury that heals and isn't likely to reduce his abilities as an athlete. Assuming I'm correct about it being a direct result of last season's kneecap injury, then it's not as if it's some mysterious fragility on Greg's part. He's out this year and it sucks, but long term, I see no reason to think he's not going to be able to play again at a high level. Obviously, until the surgery is done and we get an update on what the doctors find, I'm very concerned, but I'm not jumping off bridges or the bandwagon.

Short term, I'd be willing to bet that the Blazers play better than they have been with Greg. I think a lot of the problems they were having were due to trying to increase Greg's role on offense. Now, the team will revert to last year's style of play. KP will need to dredge up another big man, but the season's not over. I don't see the Blazers as having much chance of getting beyond the first round of the playoffs this year, but I think they still make the playoffs.

 

[Shooter]

A broken kneecap sucks, but it's an injury that heals and isn't likely to reduce his abilities as an athlete. Assuming I'm correct about it being a direct result of last season's kneecap injury, then it's not as if it's some mysterious fragility on Greg's part.

Uh, that's exactly what it is. The guy is snakebit. How many examples of freakish injuries do you need before you realize this? I want to be as optimistic as the next guy, but I'm afraid Oden is just too fragile for the NBA. I wish him a long and healthy life, but I don't expect him to be a cornerstone of this franchise any more.

When it comes to centers, Portland is the unluckiest team in the NBA.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I found it eerie that it happened in the Bill Walton era uni's

 

[Entity]

It hurts.

 

[ucatchtrout]

[video=youtube;Ep8ewVzvld4]

[video=youtube;h3VCcwqsi5M]

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Why wasn't Oden wearing a heavy duty knee brace like Bynum? It only made sense. Great job, team docs.

 

[julius]

Why wasn't Oden wearing a heavy duty knee brace like Bynum? It only made sense. Great job, team docs.

why does it make sense? Bynum injured ligaments in his knee, Greg didn't. Greg had a bad kneecap bruise (which being the doctor I am, I bet was actually cracked and they didn't see it/look for it).

 

[julius]

Uh, that's exactly what it is. The guy is snakebit. How many examples of freakish injuries do you need before you realize this? I want to be as optimistic as the next guy, but I'm afraid Oden is just too fragile for the NBA. I wish him a long and healthy life, but I don't expect him to be a cornerstone of this franchise any more.

When it comes to centers, Portland is the unluckiest team in the NBA.

I agree with the last bit, but what "freakish" injuries has Greg had?

The MF was overly cautious by the team, the wrist injury isn't a freak injury, and getting kneed in the knee by a metal brace isn't something one can control.

This might be the first "freak" injury, but I bet it'll boil down to the team not seeing the crack in knee the first time it happened against GS.

I think the team needs to spend some of Paul Allen's money on getting a better health staff, this has been a pretty sub-par past few years for them.

 

[Minstrel]

Until Oden suffers an injury that is generally believed to be recurring or ability-altering, I don't think the franchise should proceed as if Oden is irrelevant.

Yes, I can understand people looking at the bottom line of him having had a lot of injuries, and it's possible that they are more than bad luck, but as long as he remains the same talented athlete, I think he's still a cornerstone. Some injuries do change an athlete, but this one isn't expected to, from what I can tell.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Until Oden suffers an injury that is generally believed to be recurring or ability-altering, I don't think the franchise should proceed as if Oden is irrelevant.

Yes, I can understand people looking at the bottom line of him having had a lot of injuries, and it's possible that they are more than bad luck, but as long as he remains the same talented athlete, I think he's still a cornerstone. Some injuries do change an athlete, but this one isn't expected to, from what I can tell.

Availability has to be a major consideration when you call a player a "cornerstone." Missing what will amount to 180 out of 260 games (roughly) in three years is just too much. I'm not suggesting we cut him or get rid of him, but he's got to be seen as a secondary player at this point. You just can't build a team centered around him until you see 4 or maybe 5 years where he's able to stay healthy and miss no more than 10 or so games a season.

I still love Oden's upside, and I wish him a speedy recovery and I even hope KP extends him to a reasonable multi-year deal (like 5 million per for 5 years, with team options in years 4 and 5) and hopes he turns into something you can count on, but at this point the team is going to need to look for a third pillar somewhere else.

 

[Minstrel]

Availability has to be a major consideration when you call a player a "cornerstone." Missing what will amount to 180 out of 260 games (roughly) in three years is just too much.

Yes, I'm not saying that Oden has been a cornerstone so far. His availability isn't sufficient for that. The question is, what do we project forward? I'm not a doctor, so maybe there is medical justification for saying that a series of unconnected injuries (to different things) means the player is just "injury-prone" and will continue to pick up independent, unrelated injuries. However, I think that as long as the injuries aren't either chronic or ability-altering, this same type of unavailability shouldn't be assumed to be predictive. Sometimes it IS bad luck, even if that seems like a cop-out.

And the fact of the matter is, this core depends on Oden. Deciding he's a secondary player pretty much means "We've decided this core likely won't contend for a title." Getting one more star/superstar will be nearly impossible. Portland will be too good to have a top-five pick and superstars are almost never traded or let go through free agency. At this point, it has to be Oden. Or nothing (as far as championships go).

I don't think the team has much choice, unless they want to just resign themselves to being a good, not great, team for the duration of this core's run. Which is how most teams turn out. I'd rather gamble on Oden's injuries being bad luck rather than being indication that he's a "randon injury magnet" because that gamble at least gives Portland a chance at title contention. Taking that gamble means continuing to build as if Oden will be a full-time starter next season and beyond.

 

[LittleAlex]

This kick to the nuts was worse then any ball stomp since 2001.

 

[Stevenson]

Greg had a bad kneecap bruise (which being the doctor I am, I bet was actually cracked and they didn't see it/look for it).

What is your prognosis? I tore my acl in one knee, and my ankle on my other leg. The ankle injury healed fine, but the acl is still a problem. What is the deal with a patella break?

And what about him mentally? Will he always hold back now with a subconscious fear of getting hurt yet again?

We all feel so bad for him.

 

[alex42083]

Man.. this just gets more depressing.. I feel more and more sorry for Greg, and all he could think about when he was the ground was saying sorry to Brandon. G.O. doesn't deserve this, but will continue to get piled on by some folks and national people. This kid deserves better than this.

 

[ucatchtrout]

I agree with the last bit, but what "freakish" injuries has Greg had?

The MF was overly cautious by the team, the wrist injury isn't a freak injury, and getting kneed in the knee by a metal brace isn't something one can control.

This might be the first "freak" injury, but I bet it'll boil down to the team not seeing the crack in knee the first time it happened against GS.

I think the team needs to spend some of Paul Allen's money on getting a better health staff, this has been a pretty sub-par past few years for them.

I agree. Perhaps he should have had the surgery last year when he hurt it against GS.

Wendell Maxey has a blog about this very thing.
http://www.beyondthebeat.net/

Last season before the All-Star Game, Greg bumped his left knee with Cory Maggette at Golden State on February 13, 2009 causing Oden to miss three weeks due to a fractured knee cap. At that time, Portland opted for an MRI over surgery saying the left patella was chipped. They believed then any swelling or stiffness would eventually wane and surgery wasn't needed. Instead, Oden rested and returned to action with no major setbacks – that is until Saturday night against Houston.

Now this is beyond a major setback.

Could this really have been avoided with surgery to the left kneecap last year to simply go in and repair the chip?

Is it possible to have a chronically poor kneecap?

It's up for discussion at this point.

Early last March, Portland essentially admitted they shouldn’t have listed Oden's status as day-to-day. Team doctors and trainers knew then they were dealing with a potential long-term injury. And they were right.

Knowing this is the same knee that Oden suffered a chipped knee cap last February makes his broken kneecap now that much more devastating. It also makes the healing process even longer. Out for this season is one thing. Not knowing when he will return at all is even more concerning for Portland.