C Greg Oden (All B1G, All-American, Defensive Player of the Year, Butler Assistant Coach)

[JCOSU86]

I don't know, if he isn't a "bust" I don't know who is.

I'll keep rooting for his success, however.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

We waited forever for Z... and he paid us dividends...

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

it's a shame to see such a talent battle with all these injuries.

it's a shame to see such a talent battle with all these injuries.

ECHO ... echo ... echo

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Perhaps a fresh start is in everyone's best interest. I will keep rooting for success.

Perhaps a fresh start is in everyone's best interest. I will keep rooting for success.

it's a shame to see such a talent battle with all these injuries.

it's a shame to see such a talent battle with all these injuries.

unfortunately, it's hard to imagine that a different location is going to help him to become less prone to injury. Maybe he should look to sign with Phoenix somehow. Shaq attributes their training staff to adding years on to his career.

unfortunately, it's hard to imagine that a different location is going to help him to become less prone to injury. Maybe he should look to sign with Phoenix somehow. Shaq attributes their training staff to adding years on to his career.

ECHO ... echo ... echo

 

[WolverineMike]

that's really weird..... but my posts definitely came first.


I don't think "bust" is the right word for Oden. He never really got a chance to show what he could do. When he was on the floor, he seemed to excel. He was pretty close to being dominant before his last injury, if I recall

 

[Meyer]

Lol wtf

 

[matt_thatsme]

that's really weird..... but my posts definitely came first.


I don't think "bust" is the right word for Oden. He never really got a chance to show what he could do. When he was on the floor, he seemed to excel. He was pretty close to being dominant before his last injury, if I recall

Sorry. I thought we were playing some nifty new game where we all copy and paste each others comments.

 

[buckiprof]

Lol wtf

(I see there were a couple that needed the dots connected for them)

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

ECHO ... echo ... echo

ECHO ... echo ... echo

those are all BKB accts .. including Mili and Katt.. Alzheimers kicking in...

 

[Buckskin86]

Greg Oden admits he is a long way from returning
Kurt Helin
Mar 15, 2011

Greg Oden is going to make another run at it.

Say what you want about him, it?s not lack of effort in rehab that has kept him off the court. But in a video interview at Blazers.com (via Eye on Basketball) Oden admitted that he is a long way from being back on the court right now.

?I?m nowhere near there. I mean I just started doing two-leg squats like two weeks ago. I?ve got like a month and a half of just doing that. Putting weight on one leg, that?s all I can really do right now.?

Oden will be one of the more interesting cases once the free agency period opens (after the lockout and in whatever form it exists under a new collective bargaining agreement). He is a restricted free agent now, meaning any team can make an offer but the Trail Blazers have the right to match.

On paper, and when he has played, he is what a lot of teams need ? a strong rebounding, shot blocking, good defensive presence in the paint who doesn?t shoot a lot but when he does shoots a high percentage. The problem is that after being the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 he has played just 82 games due to injury.

Quality big men are at such a premium that somebody is going to offer him a contract, although it will not be long and may be heavy on incentives.

Oden is not thinking about that, saying right now his lone goal is to get healthy.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/03/15/greg-oden-admits-he-is-a-long-way-from-returning/

 

[Buckskin86]

Canzano: Greg Oden, Blazers face decisions this summer
Published: Thursday, March 24, 2011
By John Canzano, The Oregonian

Bruce Ely, The Oregonian
Greg Oden (left) has spent more time on the bench than in uniform with the Trail Blazers, but he still would attract attention around the NBA if he became a free agent.

Greg Oden spent a fair portion of his Thursday morning on a treadmill at the Trail Blazers practice facility, with a towel around his neck, running.

He lifted weights. He stretched. He worked with enough vigor to make me think he still has a future in the NBA at a time when the Blazers lack front-court depth.

But I also couldn't help but wonder whether that future will be in Portland.

Basically, is this it?

I don't think it is. In fact, the Oden story feels half-finished. But I suspect this entire thing is going to hinge not upon his health, or role with the Blazers, but just how much he likes Portland.

More on that in a bit.

First, know Oden stayed late. His workout was extensive. Teammate Marcus Camby, who had terrific post players Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson to work with early in his own career, looked in at Oden and told me, "I've been here a year, right? And I really haven't had a chance to work out with Greg and play alongside him."

Therein lies the obvious issue. The not-so-obvious issue centers around Oden's expiring contract, his long-term plans, and the Blazers' master plan for his short-term future.

Those things, I'm not sure match up.

Consider that the Blazers did not extend Oden's contract. He became the first No. 1 overall NBA pick since Kwame Brown to not receive that extension. As a result, the Blazers have the period from the day after the last game of this year's NBA Finals to June 30 to make a one-year qualifying offer of $8.8 million to Oden.

If the Blazers make this offer, Oden becomes a restricted free agent this summer. He may field offers from other NBA teams, but the Blazers would have the right to match any offer and keep him.

If the Blazers don't make a qualifying offer before June 30, Oden would simply become an unrestricted free agent. He's free to leave. And that's that.

The Blazers maintain that they'll probably make that qualifying offer, as long as Oden's rehabilitation is progressing -- as they say it is. And they'd be wise to do so. But further, they'd be wise to attempt to turn the one-year deal into a multiyear contract, tacking on two or three seasons to Oden's deal.

Yes -- keep Oden.

Don't build the future around him, but view him as a start-up project that might just develop someday.

The Blazers have invested too much to give up totally on him. I fear Oden's not as happy in Portland as he'll publicly say. That a one-year deal in a potentially locked out NBA season would be a waste. And the last thing this franchise can withstand is having Oden get healthy, come back in 2011-12 and end up in, say, a Bulls uniform, winning titles in the most productive years of his career.

Not talking about operating from a position of fear and fret here. Just pointing out that the shrewd business move isn't to cut bait on a guy who hasn't paid off on the Blazers' initial investment but still has value on the open market.

Camby said that Oden has a "freakish" body. He meant that as a compliment to his blend of size and athleticism. "Only Dwight Howard is like that," Camby said. "Andrew Bynum is big, but he's not strong and bulked up like Greg."

Oden is 7 feet tall. He's mobile. He's a potential difference-maker on the defensive end of the floor. He's a true center in a league that doesn't have many.

Cont...

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/or...f/2011/03/canzano_greg_oden_blazers_face.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Recovering Oden aware of ?Sam Bowie talk?
By Marc J. Spears, Yahoo! Sports Apr 1

Greg Oden(notes) knows that he can?t dodge the Sam Bowie comparisons. Sitting at his home, the often-injured center acknowledged that before watching his Portland Trail Blazers play the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday evening.

Once Oden returns to play, as he strongly expects, will the free agent be helping the Blazers or another team?

Greg Oden has largely been a spectator since he was drafted in 2007. He's played in only 82 games in the NBA because of injuries.
(Noah Graham/Getty Images)

?Some people may think it?s best for me being out of [Portland], getting out of that mode of being injured or Sam Bowie talk,? Oden said. ?Some people are probably saying, ?You owe the Blazers for four years.?
More From Marc J. Spears

?I don?t know. For me, I just want to get out there and play. ? I just want to get on the court and compete because that?s something I?ve been missing the past two years.?

Big things were expected from Oden when the Blazers selected him as the first overall pick in the 2007 draft over Kevin Durant(notes). Injuries have derailed his promise, but Oden is just 23 years old, enough time to turn things around and distance himself from Bowie, the Trail Blazer best known as the man picked before Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft.

Oden hasn?t played since December of 2009, when he needed surgery to repair a fractured left patella. He was averaging 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks at the time of the injury. That setback came off the heels of a lost rookie season (right knee micro-fracture surgery) and a ?08-?09 season where he missed 21 games (foot, kneecap injuries).

He says his current rehab, from November?s micro-fracture surgery on his left knee, includes weightless squats, leg strength and balancing exercises, and cardio. The 7-footer, who has played in only 82 games in his career, hopes to get back on the floor to do light shooting without movement sometime later this month. He is ?aiming? for a complete return by November.

Oden misses the game. After watching his Blazers fall to the Hornets, he lingered on the night?s highlights, watching them three times along with other games.

?It?s kind of brought back the love of the game through humbling you,? Oden said of his injuries. ?You go out there and do it. Some people might not work as hard on their game. But when it?s taken away for two years that?s all you want to do is go back on the basketball court and do whatever you can.?

The projected NBA lockout could aid Oden?s hopes of getting a better contract as each passing day would give him more time to heal and get stronger before next season. Portland declined to offer Oden an extension prior to the season. The Blazers, however, have from the day the Finals end until June 30 to extend an $8.8 million qualifying offer. Oden said he and his agent, Bill Duffy, haven?t had recent contract talks with Portland.

Expect the Blazers to make a qualifying offer that would keep him from being snatched by another team and force him to be a restricted free agent if he declines, a source told Yahoo! Sports.

?Who wouldn?t want to play with those guys?? Oden said of the Blazers. ?Watching them, it?s definitely a fun atmosphere and it looks like they are having a good time. They?re still winning. That?s always a plus.?

Oden cannot accept or decline a qualifying offer until after the next collective bargaining agreement is in place. If there is a prolonged lockout and Oden regains his health, it will be interesting to see how much interest he could garner as a restricted free agent by declining the qualifying offer.

?This year being my contract year, it?s definitely hard on me and my future,? Oden said. ?Right now, I can?t control it. All I can do is get my body to where it needs to be and be ready when the time comes.?

As for the Bowie talk, only a healthy and productive Oden can end that.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-oden_injury_return_sam_bowie_blazers040111

 

[Buckskin86]

NBA Saturday: Greg Oden's Slow Recovery
By: Alex Kennedy Last Updated: 4/9/11

Last night, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, but the evening's biggest storyline had nothing to do with the game. During the telecast, Greg Oden joined the Blazers' broadcast team to deliver a message to the fans in Portland.

"Tell them I'll be back soon," Oden said.

However, the message quickly turned sour when the center started discussing his rehabilitation process. After undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee back in November, Oden admitted that he still has a lot of work ahead of him.

"It's still really early in it," Oden said. "I'm still doing two-leg strength, body weight stuff. It's still pretty early, you know, I'm not really doing too much where I can really tell [how it's going]."

When asked when he would be able to resume basketball activities, Oden revealed that he may not be ready to play by the start of next season.

"Very far down the road," Oden said. "I can say over five months away. I won't start running until then."

If Oden can't even start running until September, there's a chance that he'll be sidelined to start next season, which puts a new wrinkle into his upcoming free agency.

The transition from contributor to spectator has been very difficult for Oden. He hasn't played since December of 2009 and the last time he was on the floor, he was alongside teammates such as Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, Juwan Howard and Martell Webster, all of whom have left Portland. After missing nearly a year and a half, Oden misses the competition.

"I wish I was out there," he said. "Every game, not just [against] the Lakers. Thinking about every play I watch, what I could have done out there and what I could have brought to the team if I was out there."

Even though his recovery is still in the early stages, Oden is looking forward to playing with Gerald Wallace when he's healthy. He believes that Wallace has given the Blazers new life and praises the veteran for his effort and energy.

"Yeah, you know, I talk to everybody about it, just the hustle he brings out there," Oden said. "He just plays harder than everybody else. It's definitely great to have somebody like that on your team, diving for loose balls, going out of bounds and making hustle plays."

The former number one overall pick wants to be on the floor making hustle plays, but he has to take his rehab one step at a time in order to avoid reinjuring his knee. Oden is only 23 years old so he still has plenty of time to put together a productive career, even if it means starting next season on the sideline to ensure his long-term health.

Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=19391#ixzz1J1j7rKu1

 

[Buckskin86]

Q: Do you have any regrets about drafting Greg Oden?

A: Look, anytime ... hindsight is 20/20. At the time I asked questions about Greg's knees and everything and they were in good shape when we drafted him. But it was a tough ... we had a lot of debates about Greg, Greg Oden versus Kevin Durant and in the end the basketball staff was very much in favor of Greg because if he hadn't had health problems he would have been a heck of a player for us and still could be. It was tough, but in retrospect you're always going to second-guess yourself when you have this amount of health problems. But hopefully, hopefully you try to be optimistic and say those are a thing of the past.

http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2011/04/paul_allen_interview_he_talks.html

 

[Buckskin86]

NBA At 2: The Oden Factor

By: Bill Ingram Last Updated: 4/21/11 12:59 PM ET | 4270 times read
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When the Portland Trail Blazers selected Greg Oden with the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, it was widely believed that he would be the final foundational piece to a team that would compete for championships for years to come. All-Star Brandon Roy was already turning heads and LaMarcus Aldridge was showing promise, as well. The Blazers had their big three and they were ready to make some serious noise in the Western Conference.

As we now know, that was not to be. Oden and Roy have battled major injuries, Roy is a shadow of the player he once was and Oden has many in Portland thinking back to another top pick whose injuries derailed the high hopes of Blazers fans. Sam Bowie never lived to expectations, and, unfortunately, Oden is headed down a similar path. Oden missed all of his rookie season following microfracture surgery on his right knee, and appeared in only 61 games the following year due to various injuries. He made it through just 21 games in 2009-10 before fracturing his left patella and missing the rest of the season.

He missed the entire 2010-11 season after having microfracture on his left knee.

Still, the Blazers remain hopeful that at some point Oden will be able to take the court once again, and that he can be the center solution that they, like so many other teams, have struggled to find.

"We're hoping that Greg can come back and be that for us," Blazers GM Rich Cho tells HOOPSWORLD. "I think if you can have a dominant center like Dwight Howard or Yao Ming before he got hurt or maybe Bynum or Greg Oden when he was healthy, it gives you a lot more of an advantage up front. There's not a lot of those guys around, so if you can find one it gives you more of an advantage."

Cont..

Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=19513#ixzz1KFiaPEoV