Much of the group think on the Blazer boards seems to be that we should give up on Oden. I disagree. He has already had one microfracture, and in fact all of his NBA career is post-microfracture. I believe that his microfractured knee hasn't given him any problems since the surgery, and team medical staff characterize that knee as stronger than before the surgery. So how has he performed in his time on the court, with one microfractured knee? Pretty outstanding, if you look at his advanced stats. The following summarizes Oden’s performance on the court to date: * Greg Oden is one of the two best players to come into the NBA in the last ten years according to comprehensive advanced statistics: PER and WS/48. (Hint: the other is LeBron). * Greg Oden’s second year advanced stats compare favorably with those of the all-time great centers of the last thirty years: Shaq, David Robinson, Hakeem (and Dwight Howard). * Greg Oden's rookie year rebounding compares well with the rookie years of some of the greatest rebounders of all time. * Greg Oden was a top five big man – or better – when he was on the court last year. * Greg Oden’s 2009-2010 advanced statistics compare well with those of three-time NBA all-star, two-time NBA defensive player of the year, three-time all-NBA team member Dwight Howard. See http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/9/12/1684146/greg-odens-on-court-performance Again, all of this happened after microfracture. Hopefully, today's surgery will go well, and Greg will fully recover, as he did with his other knee. I wish him the best!
His play, to me, has validated everything scouts saw in him. I'm just becoming dispirited about his ability to stay healthy. That said, a lot of that is emotion (frustration) and I still want the team to hang onto him just in case he ever does remain healthy.
Yeah, the question has NEVER been about his talent. Which is why I bristle when people say he's a bust... I think the term "bust" should be limited to those players who don't have the skill to play. Oden is obviously an extraordinary talent, but his body is not meant for the rigors of the NBA. He'd a fucking amazing wheelchair basketball player by nature of his soft hands and freakish height.
