• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

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

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Availability of Trail Blazers' Greg Oden should become clearer Thursday
Published: Saturday, December 03, 2011
By Jason Quick, The Oregonian

10089267-large.jpg

Brent Wojahn/The Oregonian
Greg Oden, who missed all of last season, has not been cleared for basketball-related activity, but that could change at a doctor's appointment Thursday.

The Trail Blazers and other NBA suitors will get a much-anticipated update this week on the health of free agent center Greg Oden when he is examined by the doctor who performed his latest knee surgery.

Oden will be examined Thursday in Vail, Colo., by noted knee specialist Dr. Richard Steadman, who along with Blazers orthopedist Dr. Don Roberts performed microfracture surgery on Oden's left knee last November.

Oden has been running for about a month, but has not been cleared for full-contact activities that would occur in an NBA practice. Training camps open Friday, as does the league's free agent signing period. Oden has been tendered a one-year, $8.9 million qualifying offer by the Blazers, giving the team the right to match offers from other free agent suitors.

How much interest Oden receives from other teams figures to be impacted by Thursday's exam. So far, Oden's agents and Blazers personnel have glowed about Oden's progress, both physically and mentally.

"All reports so far have been positive," said Bill Duffy, who serves as Oden's agent along with Mike Conley Sr. "But there is still no timetable for his return. We'll see how his medical evaluation goes."

Blazers team president Larry Miller echoed Duffy's optimism, saying Oden appears to be on schedule for a January return to the court. Roberts has been the only Blazers employee to have contact with Oden during the lockout, and Miller said the Blazers doctor reported that Oden had a positive outlook.

"Greg is, from all indications, doing very well," Miller said. "His rehab is going great, the doctors are pleased with where he is, and mentally it sounds like Greg is in a good place."

Oden will fly to Portland after his Thursday appointment but he is not expected to be at the team's first workout Friday unless he inks a deal beforehand. Duffy last week said he had received "a lot of calls" from teams interested in Oden, but he emphasized that as his agent, he was not being aggressive in trying to find Oden a team.

"At this point, I think Greg's heart is in Portland," Duffy said.

Miller said the Blazers are considering several options with Oden, including a multiyear offer.

Oden, who turns 24 in January, has not played since December of 2009, when he fractured his left patella in a game against Houston.
Click to expand...

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/12/availability_of_trail_blazers.html
 
Upvote 0
Oden leaning toward re-signing with Blazers
By Marc J. Spears, Yahoo! Sports

Restricted free-agent center Greg Oden is leaning strongly toward re-signing with the Portland Trail Blazers, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Oden would sign a one-year, $8.8 million qualifying offer with the Blazers and become an unrestricted free agent after this season. The No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft has played just 82 games over four seasons because of injuries. The Blazers made the qualifying offer in June to ensure Oden was a restricted free agent.

Oden missed last season after having microfracture surgery on his left knee in November. The 23-year-old hasn?t played since December 2009 when he needed surgery to repair a fractured left kneecap. He was averaging 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks at the time of injury.

While there is no firm date for Oden?s return, his camp is optimistic he?ll be back playing in January.
Click to expand...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...F?slug=mc-spears_greg_oden_blazers_nba_120411
 
Upvote 0
Trail Blazers to rework Oden's $8.9M deal after setback

CBSSports.com wire reports

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Trail Blazers and Greg Oden agreed to a restructured one-year contract after the oft-injured center had another setback during his rehabilitation from microfracture surgery on his left knee.

The new contract was announced Friday after the Blazers opened training camp. A day earlier, Oden's agent reported the former No. 1 draft pick had agreed to the $8.9 million qualifying offer that Portland offered on June 29.

There had been speculation Oden might be able to play in late January, but Blazers acting general manager Chad Buchanan said a medical exam on Thursday led to some concerns.

"We're hopeful that Greg can get back out on the court this year -- maybe not quite as optimistic as we were before -- but we feel like Greg Oden is worth that risk for one more year," Buchanan said.

Oden's condition wasn't the only health-related issue as the Blazers opened camp.

All-Star guard Brandon Roy unexpectedly informed the team Thursday night that he planned to retire because of ongoing issues with both of his knees. Then forward LaMarcus Aldridge underwent a heart procedure on Friday that will keep him out for up to two weeks.

The 7-foot Oden hasn't appeared in a game in two years. He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent following this season.

cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/16395807/portlands-oden-gets-new-deal-after-setback
 
Upvote 0
Chad Buchanan: Greg Oden Is "Taking The Next Step" In Rehab

Portland Trail Blazers Acting GM Chad Buchanan gave Brian Berger of 750 AM The Game an update on the rehabilitation progress of center Greg Oden. Audio here.
-----------------------
"Greg is kind of taking the next step in his rehab, doing some work out on the court. We're taking it very slow with Greg. We want to make sure that he's completely comfortable and confident in his knee before he steps back out there. We're being cautious with his return. Like I said, we want Greg to feel completely ready when he does get to the point where he's ready to step back out there again. But there's definitely some challenges ahead for Greg to get to that point. We're going to be by his side the whole way."

Could he return this year?

"I hope so. Nobody knows at this point. We're just going to follow what the doctors are telling Greg to do with his recovery. We hope so but there's no guarantees at this point."

Does he have a loyalty to the Blazers?

"Yeah, I think Greg is very appreciative of the commitment we've made to him over the years. He knows where we stand with him. Ultimately, at the end of the day, he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season and it's the right of every free agent to go search around and see what options are out there. I anticipate that he will do that. He knows where we stand with him and we've been by his side from day one. We hope to see him out there having success on the court again."
Click to expand...

http://www.blazersedge.com/2012/1/4/2682795/chad-buchanan-greg-oden-is-taking-the-next-step-in-rehab
 
Upvote 0
Mystery still clouds Oden?s Blazer status
How is the rehab on his injured knee going? Nobody wants to get into specifics
By Kerry Eggers
The Portland Tribune, Jan 12, 2012

Even with the Trail Blazers? strong start to the season, even with Brandon Roy?s retirement and LaMarcus Aldridge?s All-Star game bid and new blood in the form of Jamal Crawford, Kurt Thomas and Craig Smith, the question I get most concerning the local NBA contingent is this:

What?s going on with Greg Oden?

Portland?s 7-foot center continues with his recovery program following November 2010 microfracture surgery to his left knee.

Why he isn?t back by now remains a mystery.

When I approached the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft in the locker room before Sunday night?s game with Cleveland at the Rose Garden, he told me, ?I?m still not talking about it right now.?

Or about anything, I guess.

Since he flew to Vail, Colo., for a meeting with Dr. Richard Steadman ? the specialist who performed the surgery ? in early December and spoke with The Oregonian?s Jason Quick, Oden hasn?t done any media.

Team trainer Jay Jensen won?t talk about Oden, and interim general manager Chad Buchanan speaks only in vague terms about the oft-injured, oft-maligned would-be player.

I can?t get an answer as to what Steadman and the other medical people saw in Oden?s December MRI that was termed by team president Larry Miller a ?setback,? slowing his progress toward a return to on-court duty.

?It wasn?t as encouraging as we?d hoped,? is all Buchanan will say.

One report said the MRI showed a problem area in a non-weight-bearing ligament in the knee, but nobody with the club will confirm that. Oden evidently had no symptoms or anything to cause alarm. What, then, was it?

?I?d prefer not to talk about specifics,? Buchanan says politely.

Oden continues his daily rehab workouts as prescribed by Steadman at the Blazers? practice facility with Jensen and strength/conditioning coaches Bob Medina and Todd Forcier. Shooting, jumping, limited running. No three-on-three drills. No scrimmage sessions.

?Taking it slow is the best way to put it,? Buchanan says.
Click to expand...

http://portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=132631995590045300
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top