Since the infamous Sam Bowie draft pick over Michael Jordan in 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers have been cursed with injuries to star players.
It all started with Brandon Roy being drafted in 2006, and becoming Rookie of the Year. Roy became a huge part of the team and was on a roll to have a storybook NBA career until injuries forced him into retirement this season.
Then came another infamous draft pick when the Blazers had Greg Oden as the No. 1 overall pick over Kevin Durant in 2007. Since then, Oden has only played 82 games for his career and has missed several seasons due to knee injuries.
With that, the center out of Ohio State was waived on the day of the NBA trade deadline. Oden was re-signed this off-season in hopes that he would return this year until it was required that he would have surgery again.
Here's more from the report:
It remains to be seen whether Oden, because of his modest salary, is claimed on waivers even though he isn't expected to try to resume his career until well into the 2012-13 season.I really feel bad for Oden, as he was expected to have a solid career in the NBA based on the way he played.
When asked about Oden's future plans and whether he will be pressing to find a new team during free agency starting in July, agent Bill Duffy and Mike Conley Sr. said in a statement Thursday: "We will be in no rush. The first priority is Greg's health ... with no timeline."
Blazers interim GM Chad Buchanan, director of college scouting when Oden was drafted, told Portland reporters last month: "Looking back on it, I would still draft Greg. (With) hindsight, it's easy to make an assumption (now). ... You can't predict the injuries that would come. Going back on it, I wouldn't have changed anything in drafting Greg."
Just imagine what kind of team Portland could have had with Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Oden.
Josh has been writing since January 2009 and has founded the websites FootBasket, Hardcourt Mayhem, and Gridiron Mayhem. For a full bio, check out JoshDhani.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani
