I don't have any hatred towards Oden, want anything bad to happen to him, or feel that he owes us something. But... I do believe that a lot of his problems were his own fault and bad decisions. I don't think he ever had a love for the game or a huge desire or drive to get back to the game. I don't get why people want to make excuses for him, using the whole "he was a 20-year-old with a lot of money" line. I think it's unfortunate that all that talent and those physical gifts didn't get paired with a strong mental approach, but I don't hate the guy.
Yep, i don't know why people still feel the need to defend him. Not saying you have to hate the guy, but it's just weird.
I don't know why people still feel the need to hate him. Not saying you have to defend the guy, but it's just weird. Neener.
It's because fans were so invested in oden. It's like when you break up with your gf and miss her down the road. Some guys just aren't good at ripping the bandaid off, even if your ex talks mad Shit about you. It's pathetic
What I find pathetic is people that are ignorant to the facts, yet feel justified to be a$$holes. Unless you've walked a mile in somebody's shoes you have no right to point the speck out in their eye.
Correct, the weight gain during his first rehab had NOTHING to do with underage drinking with his "uncle". First, it wasn't his uncle, it was an older cousin. Second, his cousin didn't move to Portland and in with Greg until his second season in Portland (the first season, he played). That's when the partying and heavy drinking started. Here's the relevant quotes: Even while adjusting to the change in culture, Greg successfully rehabbed his knee and played in 61 games the following season, averaging nine points and seven rebounds in 21.5 minutes. He wasn't dominating like he had in high school and college, but he provided enough highlights to make Blazers fans feel optimistic about the team's future. It seemed to me while watching Greg on TV that he would be able to recover from his surgery and in a few years' time could be one of the premier big men in the NBA. But after longing for a veteran role model the previous season, Greg got exactly what he wanted in his second year, only the results were disastrous. That's because it wasn't an NBA veteran who took Greg under his wing in his second season—it was his veteran cousin from the Air Force who moved into Greg's house in Portland. "If you know anything about guys in the Air Force," Greg explained, "it's that they drink a ton. My cousin got wrapped up in the NBA lifestyle and threw parties at my house all the time. So I got wrapped up in it too. When I played well, I'd drink to celebrate. And when I played poorly, I'd drink to forget. That second year in Portland I pretty much became an alcoholic." The alcohol likely contributed to later problems, but that 45 pound weight gain during his first rehab was due to mismanagement of the strength and conditioning staff - not heavy drinking with his "uncle". BNM
I put half the blame on nobody, its just fluke injuries to have 3 microfractures on ones knees. Theres plenty of people around that age binge drinking excessively that can stay healthy and active. Hey I and my friends were often partaking in more drinking then was good for us us in those years. Nobodies knees imploded because of it. I put 40% of the blame on Oden, yes he could've done more to stay in shape and to take rehab more seriously. He was weak mentally. Were there factors in a new city, being away from home, being away from family that contributed to his poor decisions? Yes! But people who are not mentally weak can overcome those struggles. I can't imagine Kobe, Jordan, Bird, David Robinson in a situation like that having such a pathetic mental makeup. I put 10% of the blame on the Blazers. The training staff was a joke, it should've been overhauled a decade earlier. It would've been a great training program for everyday people off the street or some college athletes. But when you have only a dozen multi-million dollar athletes as part of a billion dollar pro sports team they need the benefit of all the state of the art training and medical care. The Blazers failed Oden in this regard.
In Roy's case I put much more of the blame on the Blazers. Letting him play 7 days after meniscus surgery? Ignoring minutes restrictions? The Heat arn't doing that with Dwayne Wade, they pro-actively rest him and he's had many years of high level play after meniscus removal.
I lived literally 4 blocks away from Oden when he lived in Victoria Woods. It was well-known that he was partying, even some neighborhood teenagers used to go party at his house. You can spin all the excuses you want, but to think he wasn't partying his first year here is a falsehood. NOBODY puts on 45 lbs of pure muscle in one year. It's impossible, and the spin at the time was in part to deflect from Greg boozing it up.
What also amazes me is how Greg was able to put on 5 lbs in his chin by lifting weights to the point he put on 45 lbs in a matter of months.
So will he play tonight and is this the official thread to discuss it if he does? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Probably because his knees swelled to the size of grape fruits after he played 10 minutes in the last game.
