Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 9:00 am  |  61 responses

Greg Oden’s Debut Didn’t Exactly Go According to Plan

by Marcel Mutoni

“Today Im excited. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this for a while…I’m healthy, my knee is good, I’m ready to go.”

Care to guess who said that, about two hours prior to game time last night? Oh, alright, I’ll tell you: It’s the same guy who, despite an incredible amount of hype, didn’t even finish the game. Greg Oden.

After getting wrestled to the floor by Andrew Bynum in the first half, Oden’s right ankle rolled in a way it’s not supposed to, and that was it for the first pick of the 2007 NBA Draft.

G.O. will undergo an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury.

Depending on the outcome, some Blazers fans might understandably feel the urge to approach the ledge, but it’s important to keep in mind one thing: This team should be used to playing without their injury-prone big man.

That helps, right? No? Very well, carry on then.

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  • Froggiestyle Posted: Oct.29 at 9:03 am
    Man I feel horrible for Oden. Whether or not this is a big injury poor kid is like soo in a hole and every time he doesn’t/can’t get up after a play the whole team has a collective mini-heart attack. I don’t wish injuries on anyone and admit I’d like to see him *play* at not 70 or 80 but 100% for at LEAST half a season. Poor guy – maybe he has brittle genes, who knows? Bounce back big guy.

  • Ken Posted: Oct.29 at 9:05 am
    I hope this kid isn’t like Bill Walton in terms of injury history.

  • Sesa Posted: Oct.29 at 9:06 am
    Still, he struggled mightyly on that game

  • justin Posted: Oct.29 at 9:07 am
    Greg Oden doesn’t have bones, he has fossils.

  • peteb80 Posted: Oct.29 at 9:08 am
    To me this doesn’t look like an “injury-prone guy” injury. Every athlete will have trouble after he violently bends his ankle/foot like that.

  • riggs Posted: Oct.29 at 9:15 am
    he is one of those dudes where you just want him to do good just to silence all the haters and doubters

  • Keith Posted: Oct.29 at 9:16 am
    Remember that contest you guys had about a year ago with under crown, where you had to stick the ball hog sticker on your backboard? Well i’ve been looking everywhere to get one of these stickers and I haven’t had any luck, I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction, or help me out.
    Thanks.

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.29 at 9:20 am
    I knew I shouldn’t have drafted him on my fantasy team.

  • Black Mamba Posted: Oct.29 at 9:22 am
    Bill Walton and Sam Bowie are questioning Oden’s injury status!!!

  • Boing Dynasty Posted: Oct.29 at 9:24 am
    Ken, hes on pace to be WAY worse then Walton on the injury front.

  • Not-so-average Joe Posted: Oct.29 at 9:30 am
    O dear

  • Black Mamba Posted: Oct.29 at 9:32 am
    Personally I would trade him for upcoming superstar, because Portland has Aldridge and I think he is better than Oden. Also the better 21 year old Bynum, pushed him around like he was Sam Bowie. I really feel Portland, should have took Durant, but lets see how the season plays out, but Oden has been hurt every year since college, 3 years in a row, you be the judge.

  • Justin Walsh Posted: Oct.29 at 9:42 am
    Greg Oden: The new sam bowie.

  • scott Posted: Oct.29 at 9:44 am
    Portland now wishes they drafted Durant.

  • Robert Posted: Oct.29 at 10:05 am
    The guy can’t just catch a break. In the meantime Greg should keep off singing “it’s gonna be me” on TMZ.

  • Makin Posted: Oct.29 at 10:09 am
    My man’s as brittle as T-mac’s back.

  • B. Long Posted: Oct.29 at 10:13 am
    Too early to give up on the guy, people. Not a good start though.

  • phil Posted: Oct.29 at 10:56 am
    They will be really kicking themselves when the see KD lighting it up this year.

  • Flash Posted: Oct.29 at 11:04 am
    GO is a bust if this happens to him every time he steps on court… he’s got weak ass legs

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.29 at 11:20 am
    I think Greg Oden, all things considering how bad his injury was, did all the right things on the court in yesterday’s game. Well, besides twisting his ankle and being out for months.

  • nathan Posted: Oct.29 at 11:34 am
    a lot of people have injuries so far.
    yes as being a blazer fan i do have doubts about oden.
    but the team is young. just look at oden, look what he has done in his collage and high school. he looks like a dominate post player. but his offence is bad. we should play like the pistions. leave him in the backcourt.
    but did anyone see rudy?! he is an animal!!

  • Mendel Posted: Oct.29 at 11:35 am
    My heart goes out to him. I feel really bad for the kid. But, I can see already his career is finished in the NBA because he is a bittle as cornbread. Being seven foot is a freak of nature and not all these freaks are made for say athletics and especially the kind involved in the NBA. Sad but true. I truly wish its not the case and I’ll give him a prayer this evening. I could not wait for days to see him and Young Bynum go at it and catch Ariza dump one on Odens head.

  • nathan Posted: Oct.29 at 11:44 am
    but if you look at a bunch of all stars that didnt score in their first game. such as kobe etc.
    they are or have been great.
    his body is a dominate center. all he needs to do is drink 100 bottles of joint juice. haha.

  • JackBrown Posted: Oct.29 at 11:44 am
    Stop this at once.

  • Be A Real Fan Posted: Oct.29 at 11:46 am
    Greg Oden continued playing. The dude aint brittle, he’s just unlucky. Its just a sprained foot and he was playing hard last night. Probably too hard for it being the first game of the season against the reigning best team in the West. He should have cooled it. That’s not a brittle injury tho. Have you seen the size of his feet? How can you not injure those boats?

  • chris Posted: Oct.29 at 11:48 am
    Thats what they get for drafting a 50 year old.

  • RV Posted: Oct.29 at 11:54 am
    i give it 2 years before all these “i feel bad for him” and “i hope the best for him” comments turn into “he’s so damn overrated” and “he sucks”.

  • vmcb Posted: Oct.29 at 12:07 pm
    jesus. I hope this isn’t serious/not a sign of things to come.

  • Aristotle Posted: Oct.29 at 12:29 pm
    I’m guessing Ricky Davis will be laughing….

  • Aristotle Posted: Oct.29 at 12:34 pm
    Honestly the kid needs to do one thing…. With all this hype on him, it feels like he’s been jinxed. Everyone expects him to be like Olajuwon, Robinson, Ewing, all in one and in a championship from day one. Give the kid a break. Kid Oden…. the next time all these people expecting you to be this perfect centre after beign injured in your official rookie season,…. man, just grab them balls of yours and tell the fckrs to suck on these! Just go out and play your game. I pray that it’s not another bad injury and you come back and show them your real worth.

  • Dutch Rich Posted: Oct.29 at 12:36 pm
    That kid is in so much trouble it’s ridiculous. The D-league might be the only way to save his self esteem right now. Because when he gets to face TD hitting bank shots over him all night, or Amare and Dwight trying to embarrass him in the paint he will never recover.

  • SLAM ONLINE | » Worthy of Your Attention Posted: Oct.29 at 12:39 pm
    [...] Last night was, largely, for hype. Sure, basketball was played, but the evening was more about re-introducing the League’s biggest stars to the mass market, and wetting our appetites for the seven month-long marathon. Save for Blazers supporters, the night was a rousing success. [...]

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.29 at 12:48 pm
    This just in: Oden just told a reporter to suck his balls!

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.29 at 1:00 pm
    He needs to make it rain like Andrew so he can have better luck.

  • doyouwantmore Posted: Oct.29 at 1:01 pm
    Big guys who grow too fast because their Hypothalamic gland or whatever it’s called are always fragile. There’s always dissapointments every now and then because of too much hype and I guess we were due.

  • Diggy Posted: Oct.29 at 1:06 pm
    G.O. is gonna be alright. All rookies struggle in their first game. Give him a year to understand the pro game. You’ll see.

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.29 at 1:12 pm
    His hypothalamic gland is fragile?

  • G Diesel Posted: Oct.29 at 1:29 pm
    SAM mothereffin BOWIE!!!!!

  • Dma Posted: Oct.29 at 1:56 pm
    GO’s new nickname: The Big Hurt

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.29 at 2:00 pm
    I hate my hypothalmic gland. It always gets in the way.

  • RV Posted: Oct.29 at 2:04 pm
    i wish i had a crazy hypothalmic gland, all i get is IT band syndrome..

  • Ty Posted: Oct.29 at 2:13 pm
    ESPN Radio this morning mentioned just by looking at him you can tell he grew way too fast, is aging quickly too. Sad, but true…Portland was fooled by the “big man myth”. How many big men really work out from the 100′s drafted. It is a small mans game…draft guards (see Derrick Rose’s great rookie year to come).

  • Mendel Posted: Oct.29 at 2:38 pm
    @ TADne, I feel you

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.29 at 2:39 pm
    Ya’ll are funny. Oden, after messing up his shooting hand, learned to shoot with the left and was very good with it. The man can rebound, play defense, and is a good teammate. He has suffered some unfortunate injuries, but it is WAY too early to right him off as Brad Sellers.

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.29 at 2:40 pm
    *or WRITE him off

  • RV Posted: Oct.29 at 3:11 pm
    i never thought he moved too well, by the way most people talked about him I would have thought he moved simlarly to Garnett, but he’s kinda stiff, quicker than someone like Yao, but still looks like he doesn’t switch gears smoothly all the time.

  • Josh D Posted: Oct.29 at 3:36 pm
    I wonder if he’s ever going to be able to play a full game just once in his career

  • Dain Posted: Oct.29 at 4:32 pm
    I can’t believe so many people are calling him a bust already. How many of these heads even play bball? I know from playing for years and years that the old ankle roll happens all the time, possibly the most common injury. I’ve done it 4 times myself, this injury is just an annoyance not a reason for every one to make the f****** Bowie comparison.

  • N.Pawelczyk Posted: Oct.29 at 4:43 pm
    HA and they said he would be better then Durant! GO PISTONS

  • Jukai Posted: Oct.29 at 4:43 pm
    Dain: that’s a good point. Now, how many times have you had microfracture surgery?

  • N.Pawelczyk Posted: Oct.29 at 4:45 pm
    I have to agree with DAIN. He still has a HUGE career ahaid of him…Hell yea if you’ve hooped you most likly done it. It’ll be sore but he’ll be better in no time.

  • TADOne Posted: Oct.29 at 4:51 pm
    N.Pawelczyk: Just because you said “Go Pistons!” you are my new favorite poster.

  • RV Posted: Oct.29 at 4:52 pm
    The last time i did the ‘ol ankle roll, i sprained and dislocated my ankle and coudn’t run for over 2 months. The time before that, i walked it off and kept hooping. In other words, you never know how bad it really is until you’re examined. Look at Kobe’s injury, almost identical to Yao’s, but Kobe was back in a day and Yao missed like 4 months.

  • N.Pawelczyk Posted: Oct.29 at 5:00 pm
    YAO A BITCH….and TADOne….thanx….PISTONS ANYBODY

  • Moose Posted: Oct.29 at 6:04 pm
    Don’t kill the fantasy team, please . . .

  • Dacre Posted: Oct.29 at 6:41 pm
    I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT I WWAS RIGHT I WAS RIGHT

  • Dacre Posted: Oct.29 at 6:42 pm
    THAT CUT AND PASTE THING KIND OF CAME UNDONE THERE….. in any event…this is over….Greg, ya done!
    SAM BOWIE RETURNETH!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Dutch Rich Posted: Oct.29 at 6:57 pm
    13.0 MPG, 0.00 FT%, 5.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 2.00 TO, 2.00 PF, 0.0 PPG
    Well on pace for that ROY award

  • CP34MVP Posted: Oct.29 at 7:28 pm
    13.0 MPG, 0.00 FT%, 5.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 2.00 TO, 2.00 PF, 0.0 PPG
    Well on pace for that ROY award I AGREE RICH.. HE IS GONNA BE THIS YEAR’S ROY!

  • mike Posted: Oct.29 at 8:46 pm
    OUT 2-4 weeks

  • Mark Posted: Oct.29 at 10:20 pm
    I really hope this was an anomaly. How’d he stay relatively until the league?

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