Thursday, November 18th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  71 responses

End of the Greg Oden Era in Portland?

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Long before last night’s devastating news, there were already clear signs that Greg Oden‘s future in Portland was less than assured.

During the emotional press conference, one couldn’t help but feel as though Blazers officials (despite their desperate, but ultimately failed attempts at optimism) were basically saying goodbye to the former #1 pick.

Oden, 22, is set to face his third season-ending surgery, and once his rehab concludes, the Blazers will need to make a difficult decision regarding his future. Some in the local media are pushing for the team to cut ties with him.

From the Oregonian:

I’m not sure that a Paul Allen-owned team will ever win a championship. But I’m convinced that what needs to be done here is obvious. Enough sitting around, waiting for Brandon Roy to be healthy and for Oden to make a miracle recovery.

It’s time to battle, not on the court, but in the front office via trade and free agency, where the Blazers have been a non-factor. It’s Cho-time. And it’s high time Allen proved that he’s willing to do what he needs to do to make the organization whole again. This Oden thing is done. Close the door. But I’m hopeful the Blazers know what needs to be done next.

It’s not a fun time to be a Blazers fan.

Greg Oden’s basketball career is at its crossroads, with no readily available answers or solutions to be found.

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  • lazaruz

    i love how people are making this sound like it’s oden’s fault. dude wants nothing more to play and without much of a taste of playing within the last 4 years i don’t want to imagine how he is going to cope with another rehab(without knowing what he’s training for).

  • tavoris

    Portland’s medical staff isn’t exactly known for keeping players healthy.
    I feel bad for the dude…go to Phoenix and rehab in the sun. It worked for Shaq and Grant.

  • The Philosopher

    Maybe he’ll go get a degree.

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    I told everyone that Kevin Durant was the number one pick. Imagine Roy and Durant on the same team together. Too bad the Blazers blazed another draft and will look back on it ten years from now and say what were we thinking. Greg is a BUST, not playing being hurt is a BUST to me. Also he was hurt in middle school, hurt in high school, hurt in college, so didn’t the Blazers think he would be hurt in the NBA playing better players. Blazers FAILED again and that is the reason the GM got fired. BOOK IT!!

  • 1977fan

    He needs to just go away. Im tired of herring about it. Poor Greg. How can you feel sorry for some one the just pocketed 5 mil. He might not be able to play pro ball anymore but he can do other things Right? Well maybe not Theres alway nude modeling right Greg? Don’t spend all your money In one place. Next time Portland might want to do a little more research on the players they draft. Can’t we trade the Blazers for an NFL francis?

  • http://gregoden.com Durantula

    Enough of the “Durant is a better pick than Oden” talk,Hasn’t it been OBVIOUS for a long time now? So i dont get why you guys are kicking a man and an organization while they are both down. Whats the point of all this hate? I don’t care if you hate the Blazers, but why the hell is any of this Oden’s fault? Is it his fault he truly believed he could work his ass off and be something in this league, only to have evrything come crashing down with more injuries in a few years than the average person will have in a lifetime? God bless Oden, and screw the haters

  • BostonBaller

    I hope Oden gets better and has a decent career. No hate on Portland just facts that they have maybe two of the worst drafts in sports history, non worse than the sam Bowie pick. injuries happen but GO admittedly did some dumb things in the past few years that hasn’t made him less of a target for ridicule. How many at The SlamDome predicted GO would get hurt running lapse or fade into obscurity? hhhmmm

  • Justin

    It’s hard to fault the actual drafting of both Sam Bowie and Greg Oden. When you look at their college careers and what the team needed at the time, they were the right picks. It’s always so easy to look back at it and criticize but that’s just idiots that don’t know what they’re talking about. Look at the ’83 draft. Portland already had Clyde Drexler. They didn’t need another shooting guard. Back then especially you always looked for big men first. Nobody can fault the Blazers for drafting Oden either. His potential was through the roof and it’s been unfortunate that he’s gotten injured the way he has but it was the right choice at the time

  • http://sdfjlkf.com Jukai

    Justin: From what I read, it was really clear that Sam Bowier was gonna be a disaster and Jordan was a world class talent. That was clear. The GO thing was a bit less cut and dry.

  • http://thephotoriot.com davidR

    sucks. some people’s bodies are more fragile than others. luck of the draw.
    but hey he’s only 22, maybe he can bounce back. definitely still has time

  • Justin

    Jordan wasn’t quite a world class talent at that point. If anyone had any remote idea Jordan would become the player he did, Portland takes him in a heartbeat and maybe looks to trade Drexler for a big man. Jordan might not become that player, at least not as quickly, under a different coach either. One of the things that Jordan always said about his development was the fact that his coach didn’t pull in the reins during his first couple years. Jordan was a very good player at UNC but Coach Smith always put emphasis on the team game and so Jordan’s talents or potential talent were not always on display. Portland decided they needed a big man and Bowie was the best one after Hakeem. Basketball teams always went for the bigs first

  • Juice69

    Excuse me Jordan was a world class talent….as a college player….the rule has always been draft the best player availble..when its your turn to draft…as far Greg Oden is concerned ..this guy can’t catch a break…SMH..

  • Mike from Spain

    Bring him to LA to keep Bynum company

  • L

    It is unfair to GO because he can’t do much about it but HE IS A BUST. Period. L

  • L

    Having said that, the guy earned 20 million dollars in four years to basically do nothing. I ain’t gonna cry for him. So many players get injured before getting paid and end up remaining in their poor conditions. L

  • tavoris

    @Juice-the Blazers already had Drexler, and most scouts at the time didn’t think Jordan’s ceiling was higher than that.

    Jordan was considered a pretty darn good college player, but wasn’t a sure thing as a pro. You have to realize how much Jordan revolutionized the pro game at the time. It was always a philosophy of “draft big”

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ niQ

    The Heat need a big man, maybe they can pursue Mr. Oden next year when/if he returns…

  • Lz – Cphfinest3

    Greg will always have that other popular career to fall back on *meat hits the ground*…

  • Justin

    Actually, EXCUSE me but he wasn’t a world class player YET. There were questions about his jump shot consistency for one thing. You’re not considered a world class player until you do something in the NBA, not college. That’s like saying Christian Laettner was a world class player coming out of Duke just because he was player of the year. How’d that turn out?

  • Ged23ai

    Greg oden has been unlucky end of story
    in my opinion he needs a new medical team i’m
    sure you’ll make a recovery.
    Hence the blog I think a new team could be a new start
    the wizard s or raptors or Detroit
    the best of luck mr oden. :)

  • Pingback: SLAM ONLINE | » Sam Bowie on Greg Oden: ‘I Feel So Bad for the Kid’

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