The only way it should be deemed successful is if the words that followed that statement were "turns out it was just bad gas".
Is it crazy to assume that he might come back and give us something? No. The idea that he can come back and "help us like we all assumed he would" is probably long gone.
He will play again. But he will get hurt again. The question is how much time there will be between the two all-too-certain events.
If he can return to "form" like he did with the first MF, he should be a fine player. I don't know if he can, but hopefully they'll figure out how to get him to stop getting injured. Now is the time to get the proper balance issues in check (if they haven't already).
No, the question is the extent of the injury. Every athlete gets hurt. It's the severity of the injury that makes it meaningful.
Oden's body of work: 2 seasons on the shelf. 1 "season" of 20 good games. 1 season of 60 inconsistent games. If his body is that broken down at 22, why would you assume he will get healthier as he gets older? That is very counter-intuitive.
The term "successful" surgery always cracks me up........... so it's a success if what...... he doesn't die on the table?
I'm very calm and at peace with this. Like you said, he's so young. As long as he wants it, I see him having 10 productive years in this league and I do NOT want to see him spend those years in another uniform. I'm perfectly happy to wait at this point and I'll wait if he gets hurt again. He should be able to put together 11/10/3 seasons for us and that will make me happy. Go Blazers
Grant Hill played only 131 games over 6 seasons. The last season, including this one, he has played all but one game. And he was a significant contributor for a team that reached the WCF.
Umm.... http://www.worldstaruncut.com/uncut/21691 (don't click if you don't want to see a wild Oden penis) Keeping in mind he's seven feet tall... yeah....
No. And Oden will probably never be Wilt Chamberlain, not that he ever was going to be. But Grant Hill is a very very effective player now. Remember the series he had against us last season? He was pretty incredible. Oden can still have an incredibly effective career too. 11/10/3, I'm thinking.
