Oden Out For Season!

[duncan228]

My son is 6-ft tall at 12 years old and has grown 7.5 inches in the last 12 months. His knees give him grief all the time even though as a cyclist he has very well developed legs. Most players the size of Oden go through multiple rapid growth spurts like this at a young age, and I just don't think that particular joint handles heavy growth spurts that well. My $.02 for what it is worth...

I agree completely.

My 17 year old son is just over 6'7 and not done growing.

He's also had knee trouble, and you're right: Rapid growth spurts don't allow the body to "catch up" to support the growth as fast.

[T Park]

Sorry I forgets Amerikans fans consider catch ball jump dunk to be skill.

A, now the chinese are experts on athletics?


Im gonna resist....

[hater.]

There goes the blazers playoff dreams

[Kori Ellis]

Sorry I forgets Amerikans fans consider catch ball jump dunk to be skill.

This kind of nonsense has no place here. Go back to posting about "Billy" crying about every little thing.

[Kori Ellis]

What is up with all these players with significant articular cartilage damage at such a young age?

I wonder that too. The rash of players needing microfracture surgery in recent years is disheartening.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Grieving with Greg Oden

September 13, 2007 3:24 PM

My first thoughts:

* First of all, remember this: for you and me, the NBA is playland. Our entertainment. This might hurt YOU. But it's nothing, really. This is a blow to Greg Oden, who I have heard is really pretty down about the whole thing, as you'd expect. For us fans? This season will be surprisingly good. Just not as good as we had thought.

* Greg Oden is a nice guy, and this is a really hard day for him and his family. The funnest year of his life so far just became likely the worst. They still have the new salary, I guess, but not as much as they would have had: some of his endorsement deals are not signed, and could now be lost. Not to mention instead of blocking Shaquille O'Neal's shots, now he'll spend weeks on the couch fighting depression (every one I have ever known who was confined to a bed for a long time got depressed), followed by days and days riding stationary bikes. Be tough, young man. It'll get better.

* Praise be to Amare Stoudemire. And Zach Randolph. And Jason Kidd. And the many other players who have played well after microfracture knee surgery. The only downside of what we have learned from them: a year isn't really enough time to get back to top form, typically. (The team says full recovery typically takes six to twelve months. Name me a player who has played well six months after microfracture surgery.) I think it's good to plan on two years, and then be pleasantly surprised when it only takes 18 months.

* Yes, we all have to worry about his longevity. That's the worst thing to me. I have him pegged for 15 years of high-level contributions. I'm no doctor, but doesn't it feel like today a year or two came off both the beginning and the end of his career?

* Don't even talk to me about Sam Bowie.

* Resist the urge, Blazer fans, to feel all sorry for yourselves. This is not a cursed franchise. This is a young and promising franchise. If you ever start to feel blue, read Mike Barrett. He's a human Blazer happy pill, and I thank him for it every day.

* This has nothing to do with Kevin Durant either. Portland could have had him. You know what? One time when I was a kid, I almost got hit by a truck. But I didn't. Life goes on. Don't tally the things that almost happened. Oden and Durant were both amazingly good choices. The Blazers made a good pick. There's nothing to learn from second-guessing. And I'd way rather be a Portland fan than a Seattle fan, because they may have a player they're not so worried about, but we have a team that's certainly sticking around.

* UPDATE: The Steadman-Hawkins clinic runs a site about microfracture surgery that is full of information, including: "Patients must not resume sports that involve pivoting, cutting, and jumping for 4 to 6 months after a microfracture procedure."

* Thank goodness he's not still in college. Then who knows who would pay for all of this. I have heard from attorneys that those disability policies many top college athletes are covered by often won't pay out unless you're out for 18 months or more. The resources he has at his disposal --the teams and his own -- will make this easier. UPDATE: Along those same lines, did the Blazers MRI this knee before the draft?

* Wonder if this means he'll have a lot of time for his blog.

* Something I'm sure people will ask about at the press conference the Blazers are holding this afternoon: why the rush? You see he needs this surgery, and then you just do it? No shopping for the best surgeon? No second opinions? Also ... what happened to people with this problem before microfracture surgery?

* Excellent and apparently thorough list of players who have had microfracture surgery, and how productive they were before and after.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/...Greg-Oden.html

[ginobili fan]

muhahahahahaha all of this for this ha hahaha
Poo blazers...

[Spurs Brazil]

Damn, that sucks

[duncan228]

Thanks for the Abbott piece Johnny Blaze.

[Bruno]

Oden is still very young, with a good work ethic and it doesn't sound like that it was the worst case of microfracture surgery.
Even if microfacture surgeries are often career ending injuries, Oden seems to be in the less worst case scenario. He could be back at a level close to his best in a big year.

[timvp]

@ AggieHoopsFan. I thought the same thing.

I didn't even notice he changed my post.

But seriously, I didn't even think of that. Reality > Fantasy.

[atxrocker]

Oden seems to be in the less worst case scenario. He could be back at a level close to his best in a big year.

what exactly are you basing this off of?

[Bruno]

what exactly are you basing this off of?

What ?
That he is in the less worst case scenario or that eh could be back at a very good level in a big year ?

[2centsworth]

is there a chance this guy has old mans disease or giant disease like Andre the Giant?

I'm not joking either.

[duncan228]

It looks like there's going to be a press conference that you can watch on NBA.com.
4:30 EST (about 15 minutes from now.)

[degenerate_gambler]

he's already signed though isn't he?

so he still gets paid right?

[duncan228]

he's already signed though isn't he?

so he still gets paid right?

It appears so. At least he's got something...

From Henry Abbott's column, as posted by Johnny Blaze 47 earlier in this thread.

"Thank goodness he's not still in college. Then who knows who would pay for all of this. I have heard from attorneys that those disability policies many top college athletes are covered by often won't pay out unless you're out for 18 months or more. The resources he has at his disposal --the teams and his own -- will make this easier."

[T Park]

is there a chance this guy has old mans disease or giant disease like Andre the Giant?

is there an exam that you would have to perform for this disease, that would not otherwise show up on other tests?


Hopefully Shoogar can answer this inquiry.

[ducks]

I wonder that too. The rash of players needing microfracture surgery in recent years is disheartening.

is it they drink the protien drinks and bulk up to quickly?

[MoSpur]

Wow. I had a feeling it would turn out to be something like this. Poor guy. I feel bad.

[polandprzem]

Well it's not that bad of an surgery

[drmvp]

Greg Oden appears to be a great kid. Here's three cheers for a full and speedy recovery.

[tlongII]

I wonder that too. The rash of players needing microfracture surgery in recent years is disheartening.

I think it may have something to do with the number of games the talented kids play these days. They literally play all year now, between AAU teams and high school teams. Fortunately I think Greg should be able to completely recover.

[SRJ]

Question to duncan228 and sandman: How tall are you people? You've got a 6'7" 17 year old and a 6' 12 year old, respectively.

I'm pretty tall (6' 1 & 3/4"), but I didn't reach 6' until I was 15 and stopped growing (vertically) at 17. And when I was 18, 19, 20 I found that I was generally taller than most people I'd come across; today (I'm 32) I find that there are a lot more people that are my height and I encounter taller people fairly frequently.

What the is in our food these days?

[nfg3]

This really is disapointing since I was looking forward to him playing next season. Hopefully he will fully recover. Though I agree that this will probably mean another high/lottery pick next year.
He comes across as a good kid and it a shame that it had to happen. Better after the ink dries than before.