NBA Exec. says Oden remains wildcard for next season
Health will continue to be a big question mark for Portland Trail Blazer center Greg Oden going into the next season after a reliable league source disclosed that the former Buckeyes star has been plagued
with various injuries since the seventh grade.
An NBA executive indicated that injury has been a yearly basis for Oden since he was in Junior High.
Oden, the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, missed numerous games in the past three years – including the entire 2007-2008 season – due to several injuries.
In three seasons, Oden underwent three major surgeries, including a career-threatening microfracture procedure before his rookie season.
The 2009-2010 NBA season was also another disappointing year for the young big man, who played really well before sustaining a fractured left patella in a regular-season game against the Houston Rockets
last December.
In 21 games last season, Oden was able to showcase both his offensive and defensive game, as he averaged 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in only 23.9 minutes per game.
This coming season, the executive predicted Oden to play less than 41 games mainly because of his vulnerability to injuries.
"Every single year of his life since seventh grade, he was either injured or interrupted significantly by an injury," the exec told RealGM basketball Wednesday. "His presence is a total wild card."
Veteran center Marcus Camby also expressed his concern about the rehabilitation of Oden from the injury.
Camby, who was acquired by the Blazers before February’s trade deadline, said he never had the chance to talk or even see Oden in team meetings this offseason.
However, Blazers general manager Rich Cho assured that Oden’s rehabilitation is on the right track and there’s nothing to be worry about.
Dubbed as the next dominant big man, Oden’s hype has certainly worn out due to his injuries and the fast development of batchmate Kevin Durant (the No.2 pick in 2007).
Still, the Blazers are optimistic Oden will eventually emerge as a great player. After all, Oden did set career highs in points (24) and rebounds (20) last season. Perhaps, it’s all a matter of time for
Oden to discover his potential and live up to his hype.
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