Greg Oden knows that he can’t dodge the Sam Bowie comparisons. Sitting at his home, the often-injured center acknowledged that before watching his Portland Trail Blazers play the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday evening.
Once Oden returns to play, as he strongly expects, will the free agent be helping the Blazers or another team?
Greg Oden has largely been a spectator since he was drafted in 2007. He's played in only 82 games in the NBA because of injuries.
(Noah Graham/Getty Images)
(Noah Graham/Getty Images)
“I don’t know. For me, I just want to get out there and play. … I just want to get on the court and compete because that’s something I’ve been missing the past two years.”
Big things were expected from Oden when the Blazers selected him as the first overall pick in the 2007 draft over Kevin Durant. Injuries have derailed his promise, but Oden is just 23 years old, enough time to turn things around and distance himself from Bowie, the Trail Blazer best known as the man picked before Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft.
Oden hasn’t played since December of 2009, when he needed surgery to repair a fractured left patella. He was averaging 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks at the time of the injury. That setback came off the heels of a lost rookie season (right knee micro-fracture surgery) and a ’08-’09 season where he missed 21 games (foot, kneecap injuries).
He says his current rehab, from November’s micro-fracture surgery on his left knee, includes weightless squats, leg strength and balancing exercises, and cardio. The 7-footer, who has played in only 82 games in his career, hopes to get back on the floor to do light shooting without movement sometime later this month. He is “aiming” for a complete return by November.
Oden misses the game. After watching his Blazers fall to the Hornets, he lingered on the night’s highlights, watching them three times along with other games.
“It’s kind of brought back the love of the game through humbling you,” Oden said of his injuries. “You go out there and do it. Some people might not work as hard on their game. But when it’s taken away for two years that’s all you want to do is go back on the basketball court and do whatever you can.”
The projected NBA lockout could aid Oden’s hopes of getting a better contract as each passing day would give him more time to heal and get stronger before next season. Portland declined to offer Oden an extension prior to the season. The Blazers, however, have from the day the Finals end until June 30 to extend an $8.8 million qualifying offer. Oden said he and his agent, Bill Duffy, haven’t had recent contract talks with Portland.
Expect the Blazers to make a qualifying offer that would keep him from being snatched by another team and force him to be a restricted free agent if he declines, a source told Yahoo! Sports.
December of 2009 was the last time Greg Oden played in an NBA game. He suffered a fractured left patella in this incident.
(Cameron Browne/Getty Images)
(Cameron Browne/Getty Images)
Oden cannot accept or decline a qualifying offer until after the next collective bargaining agreement is in place. If there is a prolonged lockout and Oden regains his health, it will be interesting to see how much interest he could garner as a restricted free agent by declining the qualifying offer.
“This year being my contract year, it’s definitely hard on me and my future,” Oden said. “Right now, I can’t control it. All I can do is get my body to where it needs to be and be ready when the time comes.”
As for the Bowie talk, only a healthy and productive Oden can end that.
Original Source: Greg Oden On the come back
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