September 10, 2007
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Trail Blazers center Greg Oden (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4243/;_ylt=AlepgCrQsv_cQ0QuYde3llGLvLYF), the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, will undergo exploratory arthroscopic surgery this week because of pain in his right knee.
An MRI taken last week showed Oden may have some cartilage problems, general manager Kevin Pritchard said Monday......

First tonsils, now knees and he hasn't even played one regular season game. Maybe the Pistons can trade for him and have Arnie fix him up. LOL

Oden to have arthroscopic knee surgery - NBA - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=As49OPj0vvph69YKAjuLWdO8vLYF?slug=ap-oden-kneesurgery&prov=ap&type=lgns)

:hoops:

Another trip to the Orthodontist?

this guys are all so messed up, that's crazy. Some time ago I read an article that said that there are tons of former athletes who can't even get out of bad before they received some medical treatment each morning (for instance Marc Girardelli, former skiing star)

this guys are all so messed up, that's crazy. Some time ago I read an article that said that there are tons of former athletes who can't even get out of bad before they received some medical treatment each morning (for instance Marc Girardelli, former skiing star)

Any idea where that article is, Ralphi? I could use it for a class I teach.

this guys are all so messed up, that's crazy. Some time ago I read an article that said that there are tons of former athletes who can't even get out of bad before they received some medical treatment each morning (for instance Marc Girardelli, former skiing star)

Jim Otto is another famous athlete from the prior generation who has had the same problem and worse for most of his life.



Otto punished his body greatly during his NFL career, resulting in nearly 40 surgeries, including 28 knee operations (nine of them during his playing career alone) and multiple joint replacements. His joints are riddled with arthritis, and he has debilitating back and neck problems.
One time, Otto nearly died on the operating table. He also fought off three life-threatening bouts of infections due to his artificial joints, and during one six-month stretch, was without a proper right knee joint because he had to wait for the infection to clear up before another artificial one could be implanted. Today, Otto is handicapped, but he says he wouldn't change a thing if given the opportunity to do it over again. It's detailed, proudly, in his book, "The Pain of Glory" (ISBN 1-58261-066-5 (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Booksources&isbn=1582610665)), published in 2000 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_in_sports).
Jim Otto had his right leg amputated on August 1, 2007.[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Otto#_note-0)


A real tragedy, but the fame and the money are in front of them and the long term affects to their body not even in their minds at the time that they are destroying their bodies.

I can't really say I fault them. Fame and money are very alluring when you are young, especially when you throw in the opposite gender adoration.

American football and hockey are the worst, especially football.

Jim Otto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Otto)

:hoops:

I hope the guy's not gonna fall apart before his career has even begun.

Oden is now expected to miss the entire season:

ESPN - Oden's rookie season likely lost after knee surgery - NBA (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3017538)


Celebrated Trail Blazers rookie center Greg Oden (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=4243), the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, will likely miss the 2007-2008 season after undergoing knee surgery Thursday, the team said.
"Greg had an arthroscopy and a microfracture surgery today," team physician Dr. Don Roberts, who preformed the surgery, said in a statement posted on the Trail Blazers' Web site. "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 microfracture, 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 microfracture surgery."


That really sucks. Someone should re-title this thread with the update.

That's really bad for the Portland. I wonder what do they think about trading Randolph now.

Sam Bowie anyone?

http://www.wrecktangle.net/images/s_bowie_i.jpg

I thought Portland would make the playoffs...scratch that.

What a bummer.

Is it possible that Stucky will end up being the best player from this draft in 4 years?

That's really bad for the Portland. I wonder what do they think about trading Randolph now.

Not necessarily.

Oden misses the entire year. The TB's finish with the worst record or near to it again this year, and unless they have traded away their first round pick, they could get another top 3 pick again this year.

That means that next year they would have two of the top picks in the country from the preceding two years.

Of course if you are a TB season ticket holder, they are thinking along with you that it is indeed a bummer.

:hoops:

The microfracture is tough to fully come back from. It is a bad sign that he has it after such little play.

The microfracture is tough to fully come back from. It is a bad sign that he has it after such little play.
I wonder what other players had the same type of the injury and how they came back.

Not necessarily.

Oden misses the entire year. The TB's finish with the worst record or near to it again this year, and unless they have traded away their first round pick, they could get another top 3 pick again this year.

That means that next year they would have two of the top picks in the country from the preceding two years.

Of course if you are a TB season ticket holder, they are thinking along with you that it is indeed a bummer.

:hoops:
I am looking at it from the perspective of the ticket holders and team trying to sell tickets. Who is going to go watch that team? Not may I assume.

The microfracture is tough to fully come back from. It is a bad sign that he has it after such little play.
NBA.com The First Steps to Coming Back (http://www.nba.com/features/stoudemire_060713.html)


More than 15 NBA players have undergone microfracture surgery. Of course, there are the Allan Houstons and Jamal Mashburns, but microfracture is not a basketball death sentence. Several players have come back from the procedure to return to their previous form and produce in the NBA.

One of those success stories is Jason Kidd (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jason_kidd/index.html), who had microfracture surgery on his left knee in July of 2004. He missed the first 16 games of the '04-05 season, started slowly, but he played a full season in '05-06 and is back to being Mr. Triple-Double. Kidd led the league with eight this season, while only two other players (each more than nine years younger than him) recorded more than two.
And in case you forgot (or perhaps didn't even know), John Stockton had microfracture surgery way back in October of 1997. At the time, he was 35 years old. He came back to play 64 games that season and lead the Jazz to the NBA Finals. He played five more seasons after that, averaging 32.8 minutes and 8.2 assists per game post-surgery.
The most important factor in recovering from microfracture surgery is the rehabilition afterwards. Doctors stress a strictly-observed period of rest, followed by a gradual increase of activity. Players like Chris Webber (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/chris_webber/index.html) and Anfernee Hardaway believe that they didn't feel right until more than a year after the surgery. All eyes will be on Amare when he returns to the Phoenix lineup this fall. There will be people doubting him and there will be people rooting for him. He probably won't be the old Amare right away, but given time, he could be exactly what the Suns need to get over the top.

It looks like those are mostly smaller players. I wonder how big guys recover.

Deja vu with Sam Bowie is right, especially if 3 years from now Kevin Durant turns out to be the 21st century version Jordan or Magic.

In addition to Oden and Bowie, two of their previous top picks, Mychal Thompson and Bill Walton both had knee issues too. can't wait to hear Walton's spend on this.......well maybe I can.:)

As reported, Oden had arthroscopy and a micro fracture surgery this morning and will be out 6-12 months according the the news conference by the Blazers brass Nate McMillan and GM Kevin Prtchard. He had the dreaded articular cartilage damage in his right knee, but it wasn't career threatening.

Pritchard said that Oden apologized to him at least 20 times feeling that he had let the Blazers down.

T-Blazers have three 6/11 guys and 7'1 Joel Pryzbilla to rotate in the center position until they figure out who is best suited to fill Oden's shoes.

I think one of our members mentioned last spring that they thought Oden was older than 19!!! Looks like he/she may have hit the nail on the head with their astute observation. (It wasn't me. LOL)



Just this week on the telephone, there was an Eastern Conference executive studying Greg Oden (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4243/;_ylt=Au1krGEOeXHJM5mbXk2Bc9zTjdIF)’s pre-draft physical in his office. Even now, this report still didn’t look like the body of a 19-year old prospect, but that of an older, worn veteran.

“From our (trainers and doctors), there were red flags everywhere,” he said.

The executive started listing the troubled spots – the bulging disc in the back, wrists, the ankles, the hands, a right leg that was an inch longer than the left, and yes, the knees. He wasn’t alone. Several pulled files this week with news of impending knee surgery, and kept wondering if maybe the breakdown of his body was just a matter of time......

I have a sense that this whole thing could get real ugly before it is done. If Oden is in fact older than 19 can the TB's sue his agent? Would he be guilty of misrepresentation?

This could get ugly and very interesting before the story is put to bed.

Damaged goods? - NBA - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ArYCWMXs09fFOJW.n4ltFMI5nYcB?slug=aw-redflags091307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

:hoops:

Oden looks like a very very old LeBron James.

What if he just ages quickly?

Since he grew up in this country, it would be hard to fudge his age by more than a couple of years. They would have noticed in 1st grade if he would have been 12 for instance. So, even if his age is wrong, he would still be in his low 20's, which would not account for his body breaking down like this.

:)I think one of our members mentioned last spring that they thought Oden was older than 19!!! Looks like he/she may have hit the nail on the head with their astute observation. (It wasn't me. LOL)

I have a sense that this whole thing could get real ugly before it is done. If Oden is in fact older than 19 can the TB's sue his agent? Would he be guilty of misrepresentation?

This could get ugly and very interesting before the story is put to bed.

Damaged goods? - NBA - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ArYCWMXs09fFOJW.n4ltFMI5nYcB?slug=aw-redflags091307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

:hoops:

I am not saying he looks old, but I bet if I were to shave off my grey beard, let my hair grow, and stand next to him, I could possibly pass as his nephew or son and I am 52 years old:sssh:

On a serious note if he were really 30 years old, it would be one of the greatest hoax ever pulled off with both TBlazers and The Ohio State being duped. But medically speaking he could have degenerative gene that is causing the aging in his body as it relates to the way he looks and the medical issues....???:confused:

I think one of our members mentioned last spring that they thought Oden was older than 19!!! Looks like he/she may have hit the nail on the head with their astute observation. (It wasn't me. LOL)

I have a sense that this whole thing could get real ugly before it is done. If Oden is in fact older than 19 can the TB's sue his agent? Would he be guilty of misrepresentation?

This could get ugly and very interesting before the story is put to bed.

Damaged goods? - NBA - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ArYCWMXs09fFOJW.n4ltFMI5nYcB?slug=aw-redflags091307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

:hoops:
Oden's body is clearly older than 19. Sometimes due to genetics that happens. I wonder how old greg's mother is. Just watching him play and hearing him talk (he doesn't sound like a 19 year old). I think age wise he is 19, but his mind and body is probably around 30.

If he were 30, that means that he would have been 17 in 1st grade. I'm pretty sure they would have noticed that one of the kids was 7'0", 250 lbs.

You can probably trace his yearbook photos back if you went to his school.

If he were 30, that means that he would have been 17 in 1st grade. I'm pretty sure they would have noticed that one of the kids was 7'0", 250 lbs.

You can probably trace his yearbook photos back if you went to his school.


I am not saying he is 30 years old, just that he is aging faster. He is a 19 year old man in a 30 year old body. Plently of people the aging trait.

I think the issue is that Oden looks old, and apparently has a worn body, as opposed to some kind of fraud dealing with his age.

It appears the Blazers bought damaged goods. Frankly, I would rather have Durant. That's a guy who will have a fast impact.

Oden may have that affliction that Abraham Lincoln had. He was exceptionally tall and physically fragile.

So, knowing what you know now (that he will miss a year and may have health problems going forward) what # would you have picked Oden in the draft?

An interesting point of view on the subject from Kiki Vandeweghe. He talks a bit about the various degrees of this type of surgery and some of the players that have had it done.

ESPN - Vandeweghe: Oden, Blazers must avoid perils of rushing back from microfracture surgery - NBA (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=vandeweghe_kiki&page=OdenSurgery/Kiki)

If he were 30, that means that he would have been 17 in 1st grade. I'm pretty sure they would have noticed that one of the kids was 7'0", 250 lbs.

You can probably trace his yearbook photos back if you went to his school.

Both Oden and I grew up in Buffalo and I can tell you from first hand experience that they don't notice anything in the Buffalo public school system!!! LOL



Oden lived in Buffalo, New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo%2C_New_York) until he was nine years old and then moved to Terre Haute, Indiana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terre_Haute%2C_Indiana),

Notice that the article doesn't say at what age he started school in Terre Haute. Knowing the Buffalo school system my guess is that they had to put him back about 3 to 4 grades when he started in the Terre Haute school system.

Greg Oden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Oden)

:hoops:

How weird is this: Both #1 picks for the NBA and NFL more than likely won't play at all in their rookie season (Russell MIGHT, but doubtable).

For a team that has been burned by the big man bad knee thing not once but twice already you know the blazers brass is seething on this. Greg Oden the cornerstone of a franchise cant miss once in a lifetime player misses, his first whole year. Wow did not see that one comin:sherlock:

Blazer fan in smiles after hearing about Mr Oden:nailbiting::lalala::smash: :frusty::doh::pray::reading::gaah::swear2::Cry::be er::pray::loser::hanged2:

This is a tough break for the youngster. The aging process is genetic and how you treat your body. The mental process is obvious, so usually this remains hidden.

Some realistic questions (if not originally asked) by the Blazer's staff:

How does his body react to constant stress?
How much recuperation does he need for continued activity and how does his mental makeup accept adaptation?
Are there any indications that past injuries have a distinct pattern showing any signs of muscular or skeletal susceptibilities?
How does his mental makeup react toward knowing the difference between pain and typical aches?
Did anyone look closely at the grandparents?The list can and should go on. You won't know (realistically) what type of player he will be until 2010.

KP - "Greg, we're going to take you #1"
GO - "Cool man."
KP - "Now there's just one thing left, we need to give your gran mama a physical"

The Darko pick doesn't look so bad in light of this development.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :tape:

KP - "Greg, we're going to take you #1"
GO - "Cool man."
KP - "Now there's just one thing left, we need to give your gran mama a physical"

LOL...just for reference: genetic characteristics which show dominant strains usually skip a generation.

From the guys: a frightening thought which might cause us to run in chaotic directions and away from the original choice.

From the ladies: "I was expecting a bit more."

Actually, i know a number of people were expecting something similar to happen to Lebron. he had so many endorsement deals beofre he even stepped on the floor. Dude is out for a whole season. That sucks. Hopefully it makes him that much hungrier next season. If the pressure of being the #1 pick crushes his confidence, then Portland will be in serious trouble.