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

[enepi]

Cavs need to take a flyer on him. If he doesnt make it, he doesnt. They now have 4 of the top 40 picks in this draft. Pick up Oden and see if they can strike gold. If they don't there are younger players going to be on the roster with those picks coming up. They need a sharp shooter, a center/power forward and quality depth. Anthony Davis will definitely be on the radar. If Greg could find a way to get healthy enough to play, the Cavs would be a great spot to fit in.

Since Oden has been waived by Portland he is a free agent now and he can go to any team he wants or that could be interested in him.

Not related to the draft whatsowever

The Suns doctors managed to recover Stoudemire from a knee microfracture and Grant Hill from his ankle perennial problems...maybe they can help Oden as well?

 

[Bestbuck36]

Since Oden has been waived by Portland he is a free agent now and he can go to any team he wants or that could be interested in him.

Not related to the draft whatsowever

The Suns doctors managed to recover Stoudemire from a knee microfracture and Grant Hill from his ankle perennial problems...maybe they can help Oden as well?

I didnt mean it to sound like Oden would be linked to the Cavs draft. I meant it would be in addition to the draft. My fault.

 

[Buckskin86]

Posted: Friday March 16, 2012
Agent: Oft-injured Oden committed to playing again

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Greg Oden shares the fans' disappointment in the way his career has gone.

The 7-foot center was limited to just 82 games by injuries after the Portland Trail Blazers took him over Kevin Durant with the first selection in the 2007 draft. Portland waived the former No. 1 overall pick Thursday after an injury-plagued five-year run in which he averaged just 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots. He recently underwent his third microfracture knee surgery, the second on his left knee, ending his season.

"He feels bad for Portland and the team, more than anything, more than he did for himself," Oden's agent, Mike Conley Sr., said Friday. "He felt he could have made an impact, and he knows they were counting on him."

Oden's knee problems have drawn comparisons to Sam Bowie, the injury-plagued post the Blazers took ahead of Michael Jordan in 1984. Bowie played in 76 games as a rookie but appeared in just 63 games over the next four seasons because of injuries. In all, he had five operations. That history has made Oden's situation a particularly sore topic for the Trail Blazers, who also have had to deal with Brandon Roy's premature retirement due to injury.

"It is kind of closing the chapter on Greg Oden," Blazers interim general manager Chad Buchanan said. "Between Brandon Roy, Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge, we had kind of built the team around those three. We've lost Brandon to retirement, and we've lost Greg to injury - and we have nothing to show for it. We don't have an asset, we don't have a draft pick, we don't have a player. And that's hard to come back from."

Oden isn't quite ready to give up yet. Conley says his client is recovering in his hometown of Indianapolis. Oden has been on crutches since the Feb. 20 procedure and is expected to remain on them for another five weeks.

He said Oden briefly contemplated ending his career.

"That at some point could become a reality, and you have no control over it, so you have to think about it," Conley said. "He's one of the strongest willed guys I know. He's come back from every injury he's had 100 percent before another one happened. It took a lot of focus and dedication to come back from these injuries, and he'll come back from this one. I have no doubt about that."

cont...

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/basketball/more/03/16/greg.oden.ap/index.html#ixzz1pK7rczVG

 

[Buckskin86]

Despite Setbacks, Oden Still Enjoying Life, Cheering for Ohio State
By Brandon Castel

INDIANAPOLIS ? Greg Oden?s hand looked even more enormous than I remembered as he reached out to shake my hand.

It was a d?j? vu moment, as if I had experienced that exact handshake before. It was also a strange moment, more like a dream. The last time I shook Oden?s hand was probably some point during the course of his one season at Ohio State. (It?s possible I have shaken his hand since then, because he has been at a number of OSU basketball games and he?s often around Columbus in the summer. I just don?t remember actually shaking that enormous hand.)

Oden was larger than life back then. The 7-footer from Indianapolis was like a mythical creature walking around Ohio State?s campus.

?It was kind of the last time where I felt like I was kind of a normal kid,? Oden said.

?Maybe I was doing a lot on the basketball court, but when I went to class and just being on campus, I was a normal guy. I definitely miss that.?

cont...

http://www.the-ozone.net/hoops/11-12Men/NCAA/oden.html

The Plight Of Greg Oden

March 21, 2012
Greg Oden never made any promises when he declared for early entry into the NBA after his freshman season at Ohio State. Still, when the dominating 7-0 center was chosen first overall in the 2007 draft, promise still followed him.

The Portland Trail Blazers nabbed him right away, bypassing talented Texas forward Kevin Durant in the process.

That move is now ridiculed in the Northwest and elsewhere, and Oden, who was released by the Blazers on March 15, now is often referred to as one of the biggest busts in the history of the NBA.

That Oden did nothing wrong on his own accord ? no arrests, no reports of him being a malcontent, no issues with coaches and teammates ? doesn?t seem to quell the critics? disgust. He has had knee injuries from the outset after missing part of his lone collegiate season because of wrist surgery, and therefore he has earned his spot on the NBA scrap heap.

Oden, in fact, has played in just 82 games with the Trail Blazers ? the equivalent of one full NBA season in nearly five. In that time, he averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots when not recovering from one of five procedures on his knees.

He recently underwent his third microfracture knee surgery, the second on his left knee, ending his season.

There were rumors that Oden was so depressed about being waived that he considered giving up the sport and announcing his retirement. His agent, Mike Conley Sr. ? father of Mike Conley Jr., Oden?s close friend and teammate at Indianapolis Lawrence North and Ohio State ? said the former All-American is working through his disappointment and doesn?t expect him to hang it up.

?That at some point could become a reality, and you have no control over it, so you have to think about it,? Conley Sr. told The Associated Press. ?He?s one of the strongest willed guys I know. He?s come back from every injury he?s had 100 percent before another one happened. It took a lot of focus and dedication to come back from these injuries, and he?ll come back from this one. I have no doubt about that.?

Conley Sr. also hinted that Oden, now a restricted free agent, is looking into joining the Indiana Pacers. But before just moving on, Oden has expressed his remorse for the situation.

?He feels bad for Portland and the team, more than anything, more than he did for himself,? Conley Sr. said. ?He felt he could have made an impact, and he knows they were counting on him.?

cont...

http://sportsrappup.com/sections/stories/12-03-21/The_Plight_Of_Greg_Oden.aspx

 

[Buckskin86]

Greg Oden
2006
Greg Oden arrived at Ohio State with high expectations after winning Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006. In this SI photo shoot, the center stands atop a miniature court.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mu...ps.classic.pics/content.14.html#ixzz1qVbdsi7I

 

[ScriptOhio]

Oden's agent explains client's behavior during last days as a Blazer

The Greg Oden era may be over in Portland but Oden's agent, Mike Conley, Sr., says don't be too quick to consider Oden's career to be over.
?Everyone is quick to talk bust, but put themselves in his shoes,? Conley told CSNNW.com. ?He has gone through a lot as a young man and he is continuing to work to get back. For him to come back is going to be a remarkable perseverance on his behalf.?

Having gone through five major knee operations, Conley says Oden's spirits are high and he's looking forward to getting back on the court and proving that he can still be a force in this league.

Which means, he's not thinking about calling it quits.
?No he's not retiring. The only way that would happen is if he was forced to and I don't see that happening,? Conley said. ?He's dedicated to making sure he's back on the court as soon as possible.?

It's been quite a while since Oden spoke to members of the media. When Oden was rehabbing at the Trail Blazers' practice facility, he would dodge the media and quickly head to the weight room where media members are prohibited.

Conley gives an explanation for Oden's avoidance.
?Greg didn't want to be a distraction,? Conley said. ?He didn't want all the attention to be on him during the season. That was his way of assisting the team.?

Besides the fact that Oden wasn't available to media, he seldom attended games. In fact, he was rarely in town.
Before Oden was waived by the Trail Blazers, CSNNW.com had learned in Indiana that Oden was putting his condo up for sale.

Conley spoke on that matter.
?I don't know for sure but it makes sense,? Conley said. ?His place in Portland is on the tenth floor and he would have go up two flights up stairs to get there. That just wasn't conducive to the condition he's in on two crutches. It just was a better situation for him to be home.?

In four seasons, Oden has played in only 82 career games. He's back in his hometown of Indiana and is still immobile on crutches. If rehabilitation goes as planned, he could be ready to play by early next year. The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers ? to name a few ? have been rumored to have interest in the unrestricted free agent big man.

Entire article: http://www.csnnw.com/pages/landingb...ents-disconnect-=1&blockID=683718&feedID=5212

 

[Buckskin86]

Oden on Oden
In a rare and candid interview, the former top pick in the NBA draft discusses his injury-plagued career
By Mark Titus on May 9, 2012

Greg: "So what is this article going to be about?"

Me: "Well, my goal is to humanize you and give people an idea of what the last five years have been like for you. You might not realize it, but you're one of the biggest enigmas in the NBA. Because of your injuries, most fans haven't seen you play. And since you never do interviews, they don't know anything about you off the court either."

Greg: "I know. And that's the way I like it."

It's hard to believe you could say this about a former no. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft who also had naked pictures of himself leaked onto the Internet, but Greg Oden is as private a person as I've ever known.

Our friendship dates back to the summer of 2001, when I joined Greg's AAU team shortly before we both entered eighth grade. My previous AAU team was comprised of a bunch of kids who were like me: upper middle class white guys from the Indianapolis suburbs. Greg's AAU team, on the other hand, was almost exclusively made up of black guys from the city. Because of this, as I entered the gym for my first practice, I felt as out of place as Christian Laettner on the Dream Team and wondered if I'd ever fit in. But it only took five minutes for this uneasiness to subside. Why? Because I realized that the tall, goofy-looking kid wearing Rec-Specs and shooting by himself on the side basket was just as shy as I was.

Since he was the only other introvert on the team, Greg and I immediately hit it off. On road trips, when the rest of our team would go out at night and do exactly what you would expect teenage boys who are visiting new cities to do, Greg and I would typically stay in our hotel room and watch TV, quote Will Ferrell movies, or discuss Laguna Beach. As we got older, I stopped growing, somehow became less athletic, and transformed into the scrub benchwarmer that I'm known for being today. Meanwhile, Greg ditched the Rec-Specs, figured out how to run without tripping over his own feet, and transformed into the best high school big man since Lew Alcindor. Yet despite the attention that accompanied being one of the most sought-after college recruits ever, Greg never really stopped being that goofy eighth grader who shied away from attention and just wanted to play ball.

cont....

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id...-overall-pick-greg-oden-injury-plagued-career

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

Wonder if Greg should consider Peter Wehling, molecular orthopedist, Duesseldorf Germany

He's the one that worked on Kobe and some other big name(s) went there... supposedly with great results

 

[Timmah]

Take your time rehabing this time Greg. Buckeye Nation still has your back! Best of luck,

Go Bucks!

 

[billmac91]

Wonder if Greg should consider Peter Wehling, molecular orthopedist, Duesseldorf Germany

He's the one that worked on Kobe and some other big name(s) went there... supposedly with great results

That guy is really special..he created the process of "spinning blood".

They withdraw the blood, spin it in a special machine, and the red blood cells end up with more oxygen in them. As you get older, your blood cells lose oxygen, and healing becomes more difficult.

In a sense, spinning the blood, gives you younger blood and your body recovers much faster and healthier.

It wouldn't be a bad idea for Greg, although 3 microfracture surgeries is probably impossible to come back from anyways. I don't see him in the NBA again truthfully, although I'd love to see it happen. Even if he could, I can't see him as any more than a 10-15 minute a night guy. His gift is his curse....the size he was born with, he doesn't hold naturally. Huge guys like Shaq, Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard..they all carried the weight and fit in their bodies. Greg was having leg surgeries when he was seven b/c his legs were different sizes.

It's too bad b/c he really is a great guy. He needs to write a book someday.

 

[southcampus]

Very good read! Grantland is one of my favorite journalistic outlets right now because of articles like this.

 

[Buckskin86]

Greg Oden, 7-0, hasn?t played since 2009-10 and is recovering from his fifth knee surgery in five seasons. A Grantland.com story said that "right now" Oden's plan is to take next season off to rehab, then come back in 2013-14. But his agent, Mike Conley Sr., told us Oden is positioned be ready to play in December or January "as far as being effective and in shape" and will explore options in the coming months, with the possibility of joining a team next season. But nobody obviously can know for sure when he will be ready.

The Heat hasn?t called but ?Greg has talked about Miami," Conley said. "He has interest. He?s not retiring.? Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, has played just 82 career games for Portland (which released him in March) and averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Whether the Heat takes a flyer on Oden or not ? and Miami has nothing to lose, really, if or when they ever deem him healthy - the bigger question is this: With limited financial resources, can Pat Riley significantly upgrade at center during the Big Three era?

It?s looking increasingly doubtful, and the most realistic option might be sticking with Bosh at center, where he was playing well. Keep in mind that Bosh seemed to genuinely embrace center before the injury: ?I?m a

no matter what. I?ve accepted it. Everyone can start calling me Big Fellow.?​

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...olphins-um-marlins-chatter.html#storylink=cpy​

 

[UpNorth_Buckeye]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7...-same-controversial-procedure-kobe-bryant-had

In an effort to revive his NBA career, Greg Oden recently underwent the controversial knee procedure that superstars Kobe Bryant and New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez say took years of wear off their bodies, according to sources.

Oden, whose career with the Portland Trail Blazers was derailed by four knee surgeries, had the non-evasive procedure done in New York two weeks ago to accelerate the healing process on his left knee, which was operated on in February.

 

[billmac91]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7...-same-controversial-procedure-kobe-bryant-had

Just a quick FYI on the procedure...

They withdraw your blood, and put it in a machine that "spins" the blood. By spinning it, the blood cells are infused with wore oxygen. As you age, your blood cells lose oxygen. Blood cells are more effective in healing processes when they have the optimal level of oxygen.

It's an interesting procedure, but it looks to have very real results. You're basically turning the clock back on your blood cells and give your body the recovery ability of a younger person.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Oden, whose career with the Portland Trail Blazers was derailed by four knee surgeries, had the non-evasive procedure done in New York two weeks ago to accelerate the healing process on his left knee, which was operated on in February.

It's non-invasive, dipshits...