He is the tallest fan on his block. And it's absolutely killing him.
There isn't much for Greg Oden to be happy about these days. After undergoing season-ending microfracture surgery on his right knee in September, Oden, from the comforts of his suburban Portland home, has been forced to watch the team that drafted him stumble to an 0-3 start, all while the rookie spotlight shines on Kevin Durant in Seattle.
"Not being able to play, it hurts me, for real," Oden said. "It sucks. I can't do anything, that's the thing. I just have to sit back and think about it, and that's not easy."
There is little more that Oden can do. Each morning, Oden arrives at the Trail Blazers' training facility and reports directly to strength and conditioning coach Bobby Medina. While the rest of the team prepares for the next game, Oden is working his upper body and doing pool work to ensure that the cartilage in his surgically repaired knee heals properly. Come Thursday, when Oden will be allowed to walk without the use of crutches, he will begin riding the stationary bike and doing lower-body exercises.
"His rehab is going great," Medina said. "I see him getting back quicker than Zach [Randolph] or Darius [Miles]" from their microfracture surgeries.
That can't happen soon enough for Oden. While Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said he would like to get Oden running and warming up with the team "as soon as possible," Portland remains committed to keeping its celebrated draft pick on the sideline for the entire season. But the Blazers do want to see him on the sideline.
"We want him on the floor at practice," McMillan said. "We want him to be at games. We expect him to go on [road] trips."
For Oden, that's a start.
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Comments (10) Add A Comment
we should have chose Durant! all that pre-draft hype ............man!!!
silver & black
Vancouver , WA
Total Comments (2)
big guys are just freakin' injury prone.we should have taken durant.
silver & black
Vancouver , WA
Total Comments (2)
Add next year's high lottery pick to Roy and Oden... we could have quite a team pretty soon.
Steve1240
Yardley, PA
Total Comments (41)
Does anyone know: if Oden does not play at all tis year, is he eligible for Rookie of the Year next year?
Steve1240
Yardley, PA
Total Comments (41)
kind of like when David Robinson sat a year out inuured and the Spurs' terrible record netted them Tim Duncan....
mkl114
Los Angeles , CA
Total Comments (13)
I wouldnt want Durant in a Blazers uniform. Yeah, the guy is scoring close to 20pts a game but he is throwing the ball up 25 times a game. I would rather have someone who wont be stealing all the shots from Roy and Aldridge
BroncoUp
Vancouver , WA
Total Comments (155)
STEVE1240.... yes Oden would be eligible for ROY next year. Specially if he never plays a minute this year which it looks like it.
BroncoUp
Vancouver , WA
Total Comments (155)
I knew the Oden pick would not help the Blazers. I knew they were insane if they did not pick Durant. I knew I was right.
Lightyoshi
Total Comments (89)
Gotta love fair weather fans. Get a clue guys Portland NEEDS HELP IN THE MIDDLE. They have scorers in Aldridge, Roy, Jack (when he finds it again) and others. They didn't have a good combo presence in the middle that Oden represents. Come see me in 3 years after Oden plays for 2 and Durrant is wowwing them on a losing roster in OK City and the Blazers are going deep in the Western Conference playoffs in 2009.
PDXghostrider
Portland , OR
Total Comments (4)
Oden is lost for the year, yeah so what.!!! Just means they get another lottery pick to go with Oden and Roy. They will just have a nasty but younger trio in portland like they have in boston lol
buno67
Painesville , OH
Total Comments (19)
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