R.I.P Greg Oden.

[21_Blessings]

Dear Tlong:

This is your fault . You brought this upon your franchise. The basketball Gods do not look favorably on the thousands of shitty irrelevant Blazer threads you continually plague the internet with.

I'm disheartened. Really, it truly is a travesty. I was looking forward to Andrew Bynum destroying Oden in the regular season and then the playoffs.

You did this tlong. Time to atone for your sins you piece of garbage!

Now, let us praise Oden's very short and unremarkable career. We say goodbye as Greg now ascends to his next life as Sam Bowie 2.0.

with love and compassion and the memory of what could have been,

KD


http://theblackquarterback.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/kevin_durant_0628.jpg

[HarlemHeat37]

Classy move from a Laker fan, as usual..

Damn, that Gasol trade really gave Laker fans their swagger back..I remember how quiet they were during those dark years..

[HarlemHeat37]

I hope Bynum stays healthy btw, he seems like a good dude..

[DPG21920]

If Bynum goes down, the Lakers will still have the best team and my fantasy team will be in the crapper. Double Whammy.

[noob cake]

If Bynum goes down, the Lakers will still have the best team and my fantasy team will be in the crapper. Double Whammy.

...not if lets say Kobe goes down

[Ice009]

The light was shining before Gasol, kid.

lol you wouldn't have made it anywhere is 2008 with out that trade.

[DPG21920]

This is true Spurs fans and you need to get this fact straight going forward. The Lakers, before the Pau trade and just before Bynum went down, had the best record in the west.

[Ice009]

At that time our record was much better than your current record.

Everything has to be spelled out for you.

After Bynum went down you wouldn't have made it anywhere with out getting Gasol. You certainly wouldn't have finished with a better record that season either with out Bynum and getting Gasol to replace him for the rest of the season.

[Ice009]

This is true Spurs fans and you need to get this fact straight going forward. The Lakers, before the Pau trade and just before Bynum went down, had the best record in the west.

Of course I know that, but they wouldn't have finished with the best record with an injured Bynum and No Gasol.

[DPG21920]

Kobe would have carried us through the West. Again, you continue to remain dumb, and quite ignorant. A trade was happening regardless of whether it was Pau or someone else.

No. If Bynum went down, and Pau was not brought in, the Lakers would not have gone through the west. There is only a few players that could have come in that could make that statement true. I don't know who you are eluding to that would have come besides Pau.

[Ice009]

Kobe would have carried us through the West. Again, you continue to remain dumb, and quite ignorant. A trade was happening regardless of whether it was Pau or someone else.

You would not have finished with the best record.

If you want to keep saying you would have great. Keep going.

Another reason you needed that Gasol trade is because either Stern or the Lakers shit their pants when I team like Phoenix that owned the Lakers got Shaq. You needed more size to compete. Who knows if we didn't knock off Phoenix for you u might have been owned by them yet again.

[Ice009]

You do know the knee-jerk Snaq mistake came after THE GIFT?

Yeah I did and I just realized. Too late for the edit though. Oh well a small fuck up on my part, nothing that you guys don't do daily. If you faced Phoenix do you think you win that series? Phoenix just happened to get beat by a Spurs team that was healthy in that series. Phoenix to the Lakers back then was like Dallas is to us. I was actually looking forward to a Shaq Vs Kobe series.

[Xylus]

This is true Spurs fans and you need to get this fact straight going forward. The Lakers, before the Pau trade and just before Bynum went down, had the best record in the west.

I don't mean to nitpick, but the Suns had the best record in the West on the day of the Pau Gasol trade. The Lakers were 28-16, and the Spurs were 29-16. Not that it really matters, I'm just fact-checking. :toast

[sook]

Old men usually suffer from osteoporosis

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/old_oden.jpg

His retirement speech wasn't as good as jordan's though :lol

[Ice009]

I don't mean to nitpick, but the Suns had the best record in the West on the day of the Pau Gasol trade. The Lakers were 28-16, and the Spurs were 29-16. Not that it really matters, I'm just fact-checking. :toast

All the teams finished within a few games of each other. The is no way that the Lakers would have finished first with out getting Gasol and Bynum out is all I am saying.

btw do you think the Suns could have pushed LA that year if they met in the playoffs? I really thought that if the Spurs didn't get to the finals that Phoenix had the next best chance with LA third.

[Xylus]

The only ST poster douchier than lakaluva is 21_Abortions.

[DPG21920]

I don't mean to nitpick, but the Suns had the best record in the West on the day of the Pau Gasol trade. The Lakers were 28-16, and the Spurs were 29-16. Not that it really matters, I'm just fact-checking. :toast

When did the Pau trade happen? I was referring to the "day" Bynum went down. I think the Lakers had the best record at that point. Then between the Bynum injury and Pau trade, I think they slipped a little.

[Xylus]

When did the Pau trade happen? I was referring to the "day" Bynum went down. I think the Lakers had the best record at that point. Then between the Bynum injury and Pau trade, I think they slipped a little.

I'm a little too tired to do the research, but I know the Pau trade occurred on Feb. 1, 2008. I think the Lakers did have the 1-seed at one point before that, but the Suns had it for most of that early stretch.

[Xylus]

All the teams finished within a few games of each other. The is no way that the Lakers would have finished first with out getting Gasol and Bynum out is all I am saying.

btw do you think the Suns could have pushed LA that year if they met in the playoffs? I really thought that if the Spurs didn't get to the finals that Phoenix had the next best chance with LA third.

Had the Suns kept their original lineup, with Marion instead of Shaq, I think the Suns would have had a chance against the Lakers, in spite of the size difference. The Suns and Shaq were never a good fit, and were never destined to get very far in the playoffs.

[21_Blessings]

I'm a little too tired to do the research, but I know the Pau trade occurred on Feb. 1, 2008. I think the Lakers did have the 1-seed at one point before that, but the Suns had it for most of that early stretch.

The Lakers still had the 1 seed at one point and smashed the Suns. Bynum was improving game by game.

Point was Kobe + Healthy Bynum = top 3 seed in the West that year.

The days of calling the Gasol trade a robbery is over. Marc Gasol 15 and 10, Randolph 18, 10 (attained with the cap space cleared from Pau) and two first rounders. The Grizzlies had the worst record in the league the season before Pau was traded and he wanted out.

[Ice009]

Had the Suns kept their original lineup, with Marion instead of Shaq, I think the Suns would have had a chance against the Lakers, in spite of the size difference. The Suns and Shaq were never a good fit, and were never destined to get very far in the playoffs.

i think they had a chance.

That first game against the Spurs really fucked you up. If you played any other team in taht first round you might have rolled them.

[Flintstones32]

Who gives a shit how they would have done with or without that Gasol trade. Fact is they did the trade. That's the Laker team now. Man up and deal with it instead of complaining about it in every other damn thread about the Lakers.

[Ice009]

Who gives a shit how they would have done with or without that Gasol trade. Fact is they did the trade. That's the Laker team now. Man up and deal with it instead of complaining about it in every other damn thread about the Lakers.

Today is the first time I have complained about it in a long, long time.

Why don't you shut the fuck up instead of making stuff up about me going on about it in every thread.

Why don't you tell the Lakers fans to shut up about all the crap they are dribbling in every other thread ragging on the Spurs?

They are arrogant and unappreciative of what they got and act as if they gave Memphis legit players. Marc Gasol turned out way better than anyone expected. No one at the time knew he'd be any good at all in the NBA.

I haven't seen any Lakers fan admit they raped the Grizzles on that trade and came out like bandits, if they did please point me to where they said this.

[Chillen]

All I can say is that was so disheartening to see Oden blow out his knee like that. There goes the Blazers season, they can make the playoffs but no shot at the WCF at all. I hope Oden gets better and it is just awful that it happened like that, as a fan of NBA basketball it just hurts to see a guy go down like that, this could impact the rest of his NBA career.

[mavsfan1000]

It's just a laker fan being a douche. Nothing new here.

[Culburn369]

I haven't seen any Lakers fan admit they raped the Grizzles on that trade and came out like bandits, if they did please point me to where they said this.

I've admitted it previous, joyfully, many, many times. But, I'll refresh it this Sunday morn:::We got f'ked by the league & the Celtics many times and I'd bitch and everybody would just snicker & bellow and I'd be left standin' there with my dick in my hand. Finally we started doing the f'in with the Alcindor trade the Magic hit and the Worthy hit, and the Mychal Thompson hit, and the Kobe hit, and the clear out to get money to send for Daddy, and the Kings series when we played 6 on 5, and now the Gasol hit. I'm like that Malcolm X fellow: "by any means necessary."

[Indazone]

and just think how badass the Blazers would have been if they had taken Durant instead. LOL

[Culburn369]

and just think how badass the Blazers would have been if they had taken Durant instead. LOL

Durant looked pretty flustered with Artest sharin' his BVDs.

[LakeShow]

Who gives a shit how they would have done with or without that Gasol trade. Fact is they did the trade. That's the Laker team now. Man up and deal with it instead of complaining about it in every other damn thread about the Lakers.

:toast Post of the Year!

The only reason that you hear about it from them so much is because it's all they have. They're having a hard time dealing with irrelevancy. Forgive them. Doctors say its a 5 year whining process. We're in the 3rd season now. We have 2 more to go.

On topic, Hate to see Oden go down again. I hope everything goes well for him in his recovery.

[Biggems]

Bust

[Findog]

30 out of 30 GMs would've taken Oden over Durant. It was conventional wisdom at the time.

[dirk4mvp]

30 out of 30 GMs would've taken Oden over Durant. It was conventional wisdom at the time.

Nothing like 20/20 hindsight when everybody knows who ends up being the better pick.

[Findog]

Nothing like 20/20 hindsight when everybody knows who ends up being the better pick.

I think it's impossible to fault the Blazers for doing what everybody else would have in the same position.

[Unholy Turkey]

Sons Yao gives his regards

[21_Blessings]

30 out of 30 GMs would've taken Oden over Durant. It was conventional wisdom at the time.

I know Hollinger just said that in his little Portland piece but I'm calling complete bullshit.

The Durant hype was in full motion after his incredible college season. There was plenty of rumblings about KD being the better NBA player. Bill Simmons was far from unique in his opinion at the time.

And think about what you're saying here. Houston, LA and Orlando for sure would not have taken Greg Oden as the 1st pick in that draft.

Portland had just used a top 5 pick on Webster the year prior. Of course they're drafting Oden no question. That doesn't mean all 30 teams would.

[Findog]

And think about what you're saying here. Houston, LA and Orlando for sure would not have taken Greg Oden as the 1st pick in that draft.

Oden was being hyped as the next great franchise center. It's kind of a moot point since those teams had no chance in hell of being lottery teams. And I don't know why you lumped LA in with those two teams, since there's no way the Lakers would've passed on Oden because of Bynum....in 2007.

I see your point though, and I'll amend my statement to say that 28 out of 30 NBA teams would've taken Oden. For any lottery team in rebuilding mode that actually would've come into possession of the #1 pick, Oden would've been the safe, conventional pick.

[21_Blessings]

It's kind of a moot point since those teams had no chance in hell of being lottery teams. And I don't know why you lumped LA in with those two teams, since there's no way the Lakers would've passed on Oden because of Bynum....in 2007.

Yes they would have passed on Oden. I can guarantee you that.

The Lakers were in desperate need of a SF. And at the time Bynum looked like a much more polished player than Greg Oden and was only 4 months older.




I see your point though, and I'll amend my statement to say that 28 out of 30 NBA teams would've taken Oden. For any lottery team in rebuilding mode that actually would've come into possession of the #1 pick, Oden would've been the safe, conventional pick.

Again I don't agree at all. Durant's college season was legendary. Oden's was nothing spectacular for a center with his level of hype. Constant foul trouble the entire tournament. Horford even outplayed him the first time Oden played Florida.

[urunobili]

The light was shining before Gasol, kid.

http://www.my360.com.au/img/gallery/normal/NC32CRSK.jpg

[clambake]

i haven't seen tlong.

and the beavers lost, too.

anybody have any suicide reports?

[Findog]

Yes they would have passed on Oden. I can guarantee you that.

The Lakers were in desperate need of a SF. And at the time Bynum looked like a much more polished player than Greg Oden and was only 4 months older.

What I remember most about that draft is that they were both considered Can't Miss prospects. I know Bill Simmons was slobbing Durant's knob nonstop, but he thought the Blazers couldn't go wrong either way - it's like choosing between a Ferrari or a Porsche. You can't blame the Blazers for taking Oden, it's just shitty luck that he is fragile and injury-prone. He had the one broken wrist in college, but that was considered a fluke injury.

[Findog]

Again I don't agree at all. Durant's college season was legendary. Oden's was nothing spectacular for a center with his level of hype. Constant foul trouble the entire tournament. Horford even outplayed him the first time Oden played Florida.

Oden was a freshman and Horford was a senior, right? Oden was getting drafted #1 because of his size, defensive acumen, and the projection that he hadn't even begun to fulfill his potential. It's easy to say now that he's Black Bill Walton, but it was hardly controversial or considered wrong to take him ahead of Durant. The Blazers would've made the more controversial pick at the time selecting Durant.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

30 out of 30 GMs would've taken Oden over Durant. It was conventional wisdom at the time.


This. Look at all the criticism Portland is getting for taking Oden over Durant, multiply that by 100 if they took Durant and he wound up being the bust.

Also, Oden fractured his patella due to a fluke play. That has nothing to do with being injury prone or a bust. He was having a great year before the injury, Portland had no way of knowing he'd fracture his patella 20 games into his 3rd NBA season when he was starting to consistantly produce, and neither does anyone on this board talking about how Durant would have been the better pick. Hopefully the guy makes a full recovery, it's disgusting to wish injury on someone just because of an obnoxious Blazers fan you've never met who posts on the same message board you do.

[21_Blessings]

What I remember most about that draft is that they were both considered Can't Miss prospects. I know Bill Simmons was slobbing Durant's knob nonstop, but he thought the Blazers couldn't go wrong either way - it's like choosing between a Ferrari or a Porsche. You can't blame the Blazers for taking Oden, it's just shitty luck that he is fragile and injury-prone. He had the one broken wrist in college, but that was considered a fluke injury.

Oden went from Lebron levels of hype in Highschool to "eh I guess he probably goes number 1 because he's a true center but this Durant kid looks better when you watch them play".

I'm just taking issue with the 30 teams would have drafted him over Durant claim. Hollinger was just being a Portland homer. I know the pick made sense for the Blazers because they had Roy and were still waiting on Webster.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Constant foul trouble the entire tournament. Horford even outplayed him the first time Oden played Florida.


You know that was Oden's 5th career college game right?

[pauls931]

It's a gamble portland had to take. When you draft the right center, you can build a dynasty that lasts a long time.

Wilt, Russell, Kareem, Shaq, Duncan (I don't care, he's a center to me), Hakeem....

Of course you get fucked some times....

Olawakandi, Bowie, Kwame...

[21_Blessings]

You know that was Oden's 5th career college game right?

He was still outplayed by a smaller player. In fact Oden saw plenty of undersized guys that season and never really put up gaudy numbers.

Ohio State even won a couple tournament games with Oden planted on the bench for the majority of it due to foul trouble.

You guys can go search LG/Club Lakers circa 06/07 and read my posts about how much better Bynum looked compared to Oden at the time. Funny enough he still does.

Overall that entire lottery was pretty overrated. The media was predicting it to be "one of the best ever".

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

He was still outplayed by a smaller player. In fact Oden saw plenty of undersized guys that season and never really put up gaudy numbers.

Ohio State even won a couple tournament games with Oden planted on the bench for the majority of it due to foul trouble.

You guys can go search LG/Club Lakers circa 06 and read my posts about how much better Bynum looked compared to Oden at the time. Funny enoug he still does.

Overall that entire lottery was pretty overrated. I remember media was predicting it to be "one of the best ever".


I actually agree with most of that. Bynum's 06/07 wasn't spectacular but he had plenty of bright moments. I agree that LA would have taken Kevin Durant, they had too much invested in Bynum to take Oden and as you said Bynum was still really young and it was only his 2nd year. At the same time, I never said otherwise.

My only point is that Portland shouldn't be criticized at all for that pick. He had a broken wrist in college, there's no possible way of knowing that translates to micro-fracture surgery and a broken patella. He was a perfect fit for that team. Aldridge could slide down to his natural position and utilize his mid range game, and Portland could build around what looked like a well balanced, talented core in Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Webster and Outlaw.

What I agree with most was how overrated the 2007 draft class, a.k.a. the 2nd coming of the 1996/2003 draft class was. Conley, Brewer, B. Wright, J. Wright, Jian Lian, and Law have all been complete top 15 busts, while Durant is the only player from that class who has shown enough to be considered a future all star.

[21_Blessings]

Also keep in mind only like 3 teams worked out Oden before the draft. I think quite a few more GMs would have warmed up to Durant over Oden if they had the to chance to see both in a closed workout setting. That's basically how Westbrook shot up to number 4 in 08 and Kobe avoided going higher back in 96 by refusing to workout with certain teams.

[Mori Chu]

Also, Oden fractured his patella due to a fluke play. That has nothing to do with being injury prone or a bust. If you get injured without even coming into contact with the other player, and if you will miss 2 out of your first 3 NBA seasons, doesn't that make you injury prone by definition? And if it looks increasingly unlikely that your NBA career won't amount to much of anything, doesn't that make you a bust by definition?

Nonetheless, you can defend why Portland made the pick. They didn't need Durant with Roy at the swing spot. It made sense for them. Who were they supposed to start if they had drafted Durant? Who handles the ball and takes the last shot? They would have had too many similar players and it would have been a bad fit.

But I also disagree with the "30 out of 30 teams would have taken Oden" statement. Yes, most of them would have, because of the dearth of franchise centers. But several would have gone Durant, I'm sure of it. Certainly any team that already had a dominant or solid big man would have given Durant the longer look.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

If you get injured without even coming into contact with the other player, and if you will miss 2 out of your first 3 NBA seasons, doesn't that make you injury prone by definition?


I never said he wasn't injury prone, I'm saying a broken patella doesn't mean you're injury prone. I highly doubt his patella breaks easier than most patellas.

[DJB]

The light was shining before Gasol, kid.

Sure it was.

[redzero]

I never said he wasn't injury prone, I'm saying a broken patella doesn't mean you're injury prone. I highly doubt his patella breaks easier than most patellas.

Apparently, it does.

[Sportcamper]

Dear Tlong…I have enjoyed your enthusiasms this season…I think Oden looked great all season & I was looking forward to Bynum/ Oden match ups…Here is to a speedy recovery…:toast

Your Pal Camper…

[tlongII]

Okay, this is an issue. No denying that. I'm starting to feel like we're cursed. However, I still think he'll be fine. I believe this was caused by the chipped knee cap he got when banging knees with Fisher last year. Fortunately there was no serious ligament damage so it's not like a recovery from MF surgery.

[ginobili's bald spot]

Okay, this is an issue. No denying that. I'm starting to feel like we're cursed. However, I still think he'll be fine. I believe this was caused by the chipped knee cap he got when banging knees with Fisher last year. Fortunately there was no serious ligament damage so it's not like a recovery from MF surgery.

Look who decided to come out of mourning. Welcome back old man.

[TheManFromAcme]

tlongII,,

.......we were wondering what happened to you.

We thought you pulled a :hang.

Sorry for Greg man.

[Culburn369]

Microfrature has a timer on it, t. Even good ones.

[lefty]

It's not like Oden has lost everything.

Put him in a suit and taddaa : the next Blazer coach

Well, at least he looks old enough

[duncan228]

Time to Lower Expectations for Oden (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-timetolowerexpectati&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews

I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad vibes or yell "fire" in a crowded internet. But unfortunately, the Greg Oden saga is over. After Saturday’s injury (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/46546/greg_oden_may_be_done_for_season_with_knee_injury_ _) and subsequent surgery, the point’s been made.

So what if this and the knee problems that caused him to miss his rookie year were flukes. I’ve never liked the whole "I can watch a man and predict his whole medical future" conceit, but the fact remains that, three years after the 2007 Draft, Kevin Durant is fast becoming one of the league’s best players and Oden is struggling to stay on the court. He’s made encouraging progress when he plays, but compared to what Durant’s done—and more importantly, what he’s allowed the Thunder to do—it’s peanuts.

Players develop at different rates; Oden was more always more raw, and missing a rookie year is a bad thing. I’m talking more about Greg Oden’s relevance to the league and maybe even the Blazers. Without making any predictions about his future health, I’ll still stand here and say that Oden now recedes from the New NBA until definitively proven otherwise.

It’s easy to see why the Blazers and the league were excited about Oden playing a major role in the future of the sport. He has all the physical gifts in the world, was a great quote when in a good mood and could’ve possibly been … well, Andrew Bynum, back before everyone realized what Bynum might become. Durant has a sense of humor, but he doesn’t fill up a room like Oden. If the NBA always needs personalities, or at least players not afraid to have them, Greg Oden was a gift from above.

And those Blazers. The plan was simple: Roy was a stud, Aldridge unpredictable but indispensable. Plug Oden in there, and there would be a triumvirate of guard/inside-outside forward/orthodox big man might to contend for a thousand years. Roy keeps exceeding all expectations, Aldridge has yet to truly come around–even adjusted for flightiness—but Oden was supposed to be a rock.

Sadly, just as the NBA needs to accept that it can’t count on Oden down the road, or at least do so without it coming off as cynical, exploitative or shallow, Pritchard’s future-world can no longer depend on a solid, fully-formed Greg Oden. He’s been downgraded to a project, taking longer than expected, developing good habits to go with the bad ones. If a player doesn’t immediately assert himself, he gets self-conscious, and then his game starts to unravel—or at least the mind starts to wander. That’s what’s happened to Oden, why his confidence and overall state-of-mind have suffered, and why it just doesn’t make sense to depend on him. For his sake and the team’s.

The Bynum question is an important one. After all, the Lakers center has dealt with his fair share of injuries. We’ve yet to see a full season of Bynum at full-strength, and his extension this past summer came largely on the assumption that things would eventually work out.

But for better for worse, Bynum just didn’t come into the league saddled with these same expectations. His team didn’t need him to star, which is why his sudden meteoric rise was just plain fun, not "about time." And as a young, still-developing seven-footer not quite at home in his body or getting all that much time to come into his own with all his parts in order, Andrew Bynum might be lagging in the same way Oden is—the same kind of slowing, not level.

The difference, though, is that the Lakers already have talent. They have a philosophy. For the NBA and the Blazers, Oden was supposed to furnish both. To continue to put that on him is just plain unfair.

[Universal]

Poor guy, he was playing real good bball...

[mookie2001]

stupid thread.

[mogrovejo]

Okay, this is an issue. No denying that. I'm starting to feel like we're cursed. However, I still think he'll be fine. I believe this was caused by the chipped knee cap he got when banging knees with Fisher last year.

Uh, no. That's crazy.



Fortunately there was no serious ligament damage so it's not like a recovery from MF surgery.

Yeps, out of the bad news this was an excellent one - no ligament or tendons damage. Had he ruptured his patellar tendon and I'd doubt we'd ever see Oden in a NBA court again (at least playing). An important factor still to be released is the type of fracture. Most probably it was a transverse fracture but the degree of displacement of fragments is something that may lead to a tougher healing process.



I never said he wasn't injury prone, I'm saying a broken patella doesn't mean you're injury prone. I highly doubt his patella breaks easier than most patellas.

Why? I think it's very probable it does. Patella fractures not caused by a direct mechanism are generally associated with some kind of primary condition: infections, poor metabolism, ACL surgeries, degenerative diseases or, as it was probably the case here, some underlying kinematic problem which leads to chronic stress. Most probably Oden has some kind of biomechanical problem when contracting his quadriceps on a jumping motion. The Blazers should seize the opportunity to conduct an exhaustive kinematics analysis of Oden.