NewcastleKEG
02-06-2012, 11:39 PM
Oh boy. The Portland Trail Blazers (http://slam.sportsdirectinc.com/basketball/nba-teams.aspx?page=/data/nba/teams/team403993.html) recently conducted a test on center Greg Oden (http://slam.sportsdirectinc.com/basketball/nba-players.aspx?page=/data/nba/players/player732630.html)‘s knees, and once again they were hit with bad news. The verdict: Oden would have to undergo a “small” arthroscopic surgery, which was completed Friday and will keep him out indefinitely. From Oregon Live (http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/02/trail_blazers_center_greg_oden_to_undergo_yet_anot .html): “Oden had arthroscopic surgery Friday in Vail, Colo., to clear debris from his right knee, a minor procedure, but [acting GM Chad] Buchanan said his left knee might also have to be operated on in the next week. Buchanan also said a small blood clot near Oden’s left ankle was discovered in the pre-operation exam, but the clot has been treated and is of no concern. The Blazers would not say Oden is done for the season, saying only that he remains out ‘indefinitely.’ But with roughly 2 1/2 months left in the season, the 24-year-old once again looks closer to missing an entire season than he does to making a comeback. ‘That would be speculation at this point,’ Buchanan said about Oden missing the season. ‘We are going to continue to stand by and support Greg and listen to what the doctors have to say.’ This is the fourth knee surgery for Oden since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft. This is his fifth NBA season, but he has played in only two — recording 61 games in 2008-2009 and then 21 games in 2009-2010. Only one of his surgeries — a 2009 fractured left patella — was the result of an acute injury that happened while playing basketball. The team had hoped he would return this season, and extended an $8.9 million qualifying offer, which Oden accepted. However, after an exam in Colorado on the eve of training camp, the team deemed he had suffered a setback, and the Blazers and Oden’s representatives negotiated a reduced salary, reported to be around $1.5 million for this season.”