Wow, Oden is just a fricking mess, has 3rd MF surgery

That's an even better fix.

 

The Blazers wouldn't have Greg with one of the best MF doctors in the world and Larry Miller by his side if they didn't want to resign him. The MF technology is pretty amazing, theoretically making the joint stronger than before, it's the same reason they chose to do it in 2007.

That said, an optimistic view is we can resign him cheaper than ever now.

 

Well, that's about the end of Oden. Best case scenario he's out another 12 months, but would anybody be surprised if he misses all of next season as well? He just moved to the top of the Biggest Bust Draft Pick in NBA History list, due to his injuries, and due to Kevin Durant being picked 2nd.

Most players can at least get through rehab without getting injured, but not Oden. I think we all knew in 2007, though, that MF isn't a permanent solution, and that the new cushioning that the blood gives in the knee weakens over time.

Fuck. I just feel bad for the guy, but selfishly, I feel worse for the Blazers fans and the Blazer organization. They've tried with the guy, but it just wasn't meant to be.

 

Re-sign him for what? So he can rehab all of the summer and next season, only to get injured again?

 

I do wonder what the ethics/rules regarding this are. If, for example, the Blazers had already decided they're not going to re-sign him for next season...are they still obligated to have him undergo the best and most expensive basketball-related surgery? I'd be surprised if they could have washed their hands of him while he was under contract to them.

That said, I actually think it's plausible that the Blazers might tender him a contract. It might not be anything more than a veteran's minimum "make good" deal, though. Essentially, "if you actually want to be here, we're willing to take basically a no-risk flier. If not, good luck on future projects."

 

He didn't get injured, he simply never healed. And now their going the extra mile to make him as close to 100% as technologically possible.

 

It would basically be a "we'll pay you to rehab here" contract at that point. He can probably get that same offer from better teams/organizations than Portland. I still think Mark Cuban could take a shot on him, and KP/Bird might see a benefit for Greg to be able to rehab in his home city for the veteran minimum, and then eventually play there with no expectations.

At this point, though, I think the odds of Oden becoming any sort of building block for a franchise are over.

 

Another way to look at that is that he's always injured, and incapable of healing.

 

That doesn't make sense.....If this is true, then what's stopping him from not healing with this latest surgery.... This is bizarre.

 

That definitely seems like the case...

 

If he does retire, how much has he made including this season?

 

Roughly $23 million.

 

Yeah, I don't think anyone's going to view him as a franchise building block. But as a low-risk flier, I think many teams would be somewhat interested. There are examples of players who overcame years of injury to put in some healthy stretches (Zydrunas Ilgauskas springs first to mind) and Oden certainly looked capable of playing basketball at a high level when able to take the court. Two types of players will get many chances: obviously talented players with injury issues and freakish athletes who haven't yet translated those gifts into NBA production.

 

I guess I was trying to say that money isn't going to be an issue for Oden deciding where he plays, if he plays again. Holding his Bird Rights is pretty much useless considering his base year contract is going to be small.

 

At this rate, Oden's never going to beat his high score on Dance dance revolution. But seriously, sad for Greg. This has to be one of the toughest mentally challenging situations to be in. If he is able to get through this and get back to the NBA, that would be quite the story. However, at this point, that just seems like fantasy land.

 

Crazy thing is that I completely forgot about his patella injury on the same knee.