Greg Oden has micro fracture surgery; likely to miss 2007-08 NBA season
Sep 13th, 2007 by Inside Hoops
An exploratory arthroscopic surgery performed on Greg Oden today revealed cartilage damage to the Portland Trail Blazers rookie¹s right knee. Oden is likely to miss the 2007-08 NBA season.
“Greg had an arthroscopy and a micro fracture surgery today,” said team physician Dr. Don Roberts, who preformed the surgery. “He was found to have articular cartilage damage in his right knee. The area of injury was not large and we were able to treat it with micro fracture, which stimulates the growth of cartilage. There are things about this that are positive for Greg.
First of all he is young. The area where the damage was is small and the rest of his knee looked normal. All those are good signs for a complete recovery from micro fracture surgery.”
Oden is expected to be on crutches for up to eight weeks. Recovery time from micro fracture surgery varies from person to person, but generally takes between six and 12 months for full recovery.
“Certainly this is a setback, but our future is still incredibly bright,” said Trail Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard. “Is it disappointing?
Yes. However, this is a great core of talent and players of strong character and will continue to be.”
Oden, the #1 pick in June¹s NBA Draft, averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds for Ohio State last season, leading the Buckeyes to the NCAA national championship game as a freshman.
“We know this discouraging news for all of our fans, however, the people of Portland are very enthusiastic and compassionate about their Trail Blazers and I know they will stand behind Greg and the team during his recovery,” said Trail Blazers President Larry Miller. “We believe our fans and sponsors are going to continue to support us because they know we¹re headed in the right direction.”
If Stern didn’t put in the “one year” rule and Oden was already in the NBA, perhaps they would have found it sooner, or the injury could hav been prevented. Reason #4080 why Stern has ruined the league.
I’m not sure the NBA wanted to find out about Oden. From everything I’ve watched regarding him from high school to now, no one wanted to see what was always there. I mean it isn’t like one leg being an inch longer than the other happened “after” they drafted him. In fact there are stories now saying that Oden has other physical problems such as bad ankles and a bulging disc in his back. If you look at game tape you will see that Oden was always clearly winded during games. The fact that he had a tonsillectomy could bear out that his stamina, or lack there of, was the product of an already severly challenged immune system. Think about it. How many 19 year old athletes do you know of that have no stamina, a weak immune system, a bum knee, a bulging disc and no tonscils? Oden was a train wreck that no one wanted to see coming.
Well first of all H, Stern has not ruined the league…Oden would have hurt whatever team drafted him, at least for this upcoming season. Everyone seems to look at the impact on players, but no one looks at what happens to the teams and the fans. Keeping players in college for at least a year matures and develops player so that they are ready to put on a show for the fans in the NBA. The more time they have to mature, the less chance that they are a fluke. It’s just that we have been blessed with an excellent crop of high school to pros players lately like lebron that we don’t see the flukes like Darko. A year has also helped several players to mature and prove themselves to teams (Carmelo, Bosh) It’s not like getting to the NBA, signing a big deal, then showing that you’re really a washed up 19 year old and walking away with a bag of cash is really a good thing for the league. That hurts teams AND fans and THAT will ruin the league.
As for Oden, I have one question, before the draft, teams run physicals….why didn’t Portland discover this before? I also heard rumors that he had a bulging disc and bad knees…how can that escape a physical? He had way too many problems to be cleared from a physical examination. If he was a train wreck, didn’t anybody see this? In reality, I think portland had some hints, but because of all the hype, they felt forced to take him. The possibility that in the long run, he might be like an abdul-jabbar or a bill russel. Passing on him, his injury, and his potential was perhaps Paul Allen’s greatest fear…like passing on Michael Jordan to get Sam Bowie in’84. Unfortunately, it might still end up like ’84 if Oden ends up to be a mediiocre big man saddled by injuries like Bowie or Pervis Ellison and Durant becomes a versatile swing man like (dare I say it?). Seattle was the real winner in the draft. They had no pressure. They just pick up “the other guy”. No expectations, no sweat! Nice and Easy for the Sonics.