Oden Out For Season!

[FromWayDowntown]

Here's hoping it all works out well for Greg Oden.

It sucks for NBA fans that he's having to go through this.

[duncan228]

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?

I was almost 6'2" at my tallest. (Back trouble, I'm not that tall anymore.) My husband is just 6'.
There's no one on either side of our families taller than 6'3".
Until my son.
We don't know where it came from but they told us from toddlerhood he'd be between 6'10" and 7'. They (Doctors) have told me I'm a tall mother and kids can get their height from the mother.

He wears an 18 shoe! He'll be 18 in January and there's no question he's still growing. Daily it feels like!

He was just over 6' at 10 years old, he tore a hamstring and after the commotion the doctor showed me his hip x-ray. He told me the plate in your hip doesn't close until you're done growing and at that time my son had a foot of growth room.

All we care about is that he's healthy, however tall he'll be, he'll be. We've run bloodwork all along to watch for anything out of whack, and he's fine. (Thank God.)
He's well pro portioned, he's all big. He carries it well, he doesn't slump.

[sandman]

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?

I am "only" 6'1" and really did all of my growing between 14-16 years of age. My wife if 5'9", but that is only slightly taller than average. Doctors put him at 6'4" to 6'5" when he is all said and done, but that was before he grew so much in the last year.

Maybe it is the food! While he has HUGE hands and feet, he is not bulky and at 140 lbs is long and lean. This may sound funny, but think about the body shape of Vinny Del Negro and that is what my son looks like. Now if I can only get him off the Cervelo and onto the basketball court...

[sandman]

I was almost 6'2" at my tallest. (Back trouble, I'm not that tall anymore.) My husband is just 6'.
There's no one on either side of our families taller than 6'3".
Until my son.
We don't know where it came from but they told us from toddlerhood he'd be between 6'10" and 7'. They (Doctors) have told me I'm a tall mother and kids can get their height from the mother.

He wears an 18 shoe! He'll be 18 in January and there's no question he's still growing. Daily it feels like!

He was just over 6' at 10 years old, he tore a hamstring and after the commotion the doctor showed me his hip x-ray. He told me the plate in your hip doesn't close until you're done growing and at that time my son had a foot of growth room.

All we care about is that he's healthy, however tall he'll be, he'll be. We've run bloodwork all along to watch for anything out of whack, and he's fine. (Thank God.)
He's well pro portioned, he's all big. He carries it well, he doesn't slump.

I joke with my son that he was the EXACT same length and weight as DRob when he was born. While he has been a grower since birth, it has always been proportional through the years. Then this last year happened and I started wondering if it was really a joke anymore.

Besides the knees, my son deals with syncope issues associated with the heavy growth spurts. Luckily it only affects him when he moves from a resting position (think powerful head rush). In the last month we have done EKG/EEG and MRI tests to make sure that nothing is wrong. Doc said his ticker was super healthy (outside of the temporary syncope issue) and that there were no abnormalities in the brain. Just blessed with big genes. While he may be bigger than the rest of us, he is normal for him.

I just had to get used to an 11-year old who had chest hair and wore a bigger shoe that I did!

[Kamnik]

My sympathies to Blazers fans.

[lefty]

So that means Portland will get the 2008 1st pick.... (or top 5 at least)

[duncan228]

I joke with my son that he was the EXACT same length and weight as DRob when he was born. While he has been a grower since birth, it has always been proportional through the years. Then this last year happened and I started wondering if it was really a joke anymore.

Besides the knees, my son deals with syncope issues associated with the heavy growth spurts. Luckily it only affects him when he moves from a resting position (think powerful head rush). In the last month we have done EKG/EEG and MRI tests to make sure that nothing is wrong. Doc said his ticker was super healthy (outside of the temporary syncope issue) and that there were no abnormalities in the brain. Just blessed with big genes. While he may be bigger than the rest of us, he is normal for him.

I just had to get used to an 11-year old who had chest hair and wore a bigger shoe that I did!

I'm glad he's okay. We haven't dealt with syncope issues.
It can be so scary when your child is different in any way from all the other kids.

My son has always taken his height in stride, it's how he is and how he's always been. As long as everything is okay my only other concern was how he carried himself. I've never let him slouch, it protects his back and keeps his head up. There's nothing wrong with being tall. And now it's even easy to find clothes and shoes thanks to the net! (Think bigfeet.com! )

[sandman]

So that means Portland will get the 2008 1st pick.... (or top 5 at least)

Houston Rockets: Sampson and Hakeem

Orlando Magic: Shaq and Penny

Not unprecendented, but yea, they will definitely get another high pick.

What would that be in the last few years? Aldridge, Roy, Oden, Jack, McRoberts, Green.... not to mention picking up Frye. They have 8 guys on their roster with 2 or less years of experience.

[sandman]

I'm glad he's okay. We haven't dealt with syncope issues.
It can be so scary when your child is different in any way from all the other kids.

My son has always taken his height in stride, it's how he is and how he's always been. As long as everything is okay my only other concern was how he carried himself. I've never let him slouch, it protects his back and keeps his head up. There's nothing wrong with being tall. And now it's even easy to find clothes and shoes thanks to the net! (Think bigfeet.com! )

I think the only issue my son has with his "tallness" is when the older girls find out that he is only starting into the 7th grade!

[inconvertible]

oden=robinson(except for the microfracture surgery )

[lefty]

And Oden will be 55 next season

[DON VITO]

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.

It is not about height, it is about the individual. I am 6'8'' and have never had a problem and continue to play collegiate sports.

[ashbeeigh]

My condolences for the Blazers fans out there (tlong...).

As for this...

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

I'm not joking either.

It's a tumor on the pituitary gland that causes giantism. I'm sure he would know by now if he had it. He would be a lot bigger by now if he did...maybe like 7'8 or some outrageous height like that.

[duncan228]

It is not about height, it is about the individual. I am 6'8'' and have never had a problem and continue to play collegiate sports.

You're probably right.

But our experience with our son has been that he gets injured easily.
He's always been in sports, always stretched properly etc.
But his ligaments, joints, bones have always been "behind" his growth. Doctors have told us that when he's done growing he'll catch up, his bones will harden etc.

When did you hit 6'8"? Are you done growing? (Just curious, I don't find many guys my son's height.)

[IcemanCometh]

Looks like they shoulda picked Durant

[SequSpur]

Looks like they shoulda picked Durant

exactly.... oden was ty anyway... almost as overrated as matt bonner.

[Kori Ellis]

exactly.... oden was ty anyway... almost as overrated as matt bonner.

[Switchman]

I remember ESPN having a special a couple years ago talking about ~7 footers.

They said something about the majority of 7 footers in the world can barely even walk. What we see in the NBA are the super special ones (don't have the gland issue).


And for the record. The Blazers obviously are making this up just to get the #1 draft pick next year.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

. Now they will definitely make the playoffs in 2009.

[Brutalis]

What kind of is that? How many number one picks the Blazers trying to get?

[phxspurfan]

My condolences for the Blazers fans out there (tlong...).

As for this...


It's a tumor on the pituitary gland that causes giantism. I'm sure he would know by now if he had it. He would be a lot bigger by now if he did...maybe like 7'8 or some outrageous height like that.

Isn't Yao almost this size?



Anyway, I'm hoping that he recovers like Amare and shows the L what he can do ina year or two.

[exstatic]

2nd coming of sam bowie..



edit to add: that's too bad. was looking forward to seeing what he could do.

Actually the third Portland overall #1 big man with major health issues. Walton was a mess, too.

[diego]

i actually agree with ducks that the protein shakes + heavy weightlifting that is common in the US is a likely cause. A good friend of mine was short and skinny till about 12, then he started playing football and the coaches put him on a plan (then a university scholarship, etc). 6 years later i could barely recognize the guy, he was just massive, and sure enough he stopped playing ball after graduating and now can barely walk- its as if his bones cant handle all the extra weight, you stop doing the hardcore exercise for whatever reason, then the muscle atrophies, and little bones are left to carry more weight than they were "meant" to handle. hes torn three ligaments (on separate occasions) just trying to get back in shape. meanwhile Im still short and skinny, stopped playing sports regularly since age 15, and when i do muster the energy to play ball i have a hard time breathing (pack a day!) but thats it- and even at age 6 ive been pathetic in the flexibility department. go figure!

[exstatic]

Oooooo. Some teams saw this coming as a red flag...
cnnsi column

You may recall that 10 days before the draft last June we broke the news that some teams were concerned about Oden's physical status. One team in particular was worried about a number of problems.

"Our doctors saw some early signs of arthritis in his knees,'' an executive with that franchise recalled Thursday after news of Oden's microfracture had come out. "They were also really concerned with his hip and his back as well. The way they explained it, all of those problems are linked: The knee hurts because the back is doing this, and the back hurts because the hip is doing that. The doctors thought there was some inter-connectivity between each issue, so that basically his body was working against itself.''

[ashbeeigh]

Isn't Yao almost this size?

It really has nothing to do with size in the giant case. It's a specific tumor on the pituitary gland that causes the brain to pumps out excessives growth hormones. That's why even giants kleep growing as adults where normal people will stop growing. And if I remember correctly, Oden is at a prime age for growth, late teens to early 20s. It really sucks.