-- Modified on 2/21/2012 4:01:54 PM
Oden of the Trailblazers had his 3rd microfracture surgery, 5th knee surgery overall and is, again, out for the season. In 5 NBA seasons, he has played a total of 82 games and has missed 3 full seasons. Sadly, I think this may be it for him. Just imagine the possibilities for Portland with a healthy Oden and Brandon Roy teaming with Gerald Wallace and LaMarcus Adlridge.
Trailblazers sure do seem to be jinxed when it comes to picking centers at or near the top of the draft. And the worst part is they took Oden and Bowie and could have had Kevin Durant and Michael Jordan. At least Walton led them to a title but even he had injury problems.
-- Modified on 2/21/2012 4:01:54 PM
Sabonis was one of the best passing big mken I've ever seen.
He is a free agent after this season but there will be some teams who might try to sign him for 2013 - 2014 season.
Micro fracture is a year plus recovery, fair to say 2012 - 2013 season is already lost for him.
Based on the info at the time, I believe Portland made the right decision taking Oden. Its easy to look back and say they should have drafted Durant. But Oden certainly looked like he was already going to be a dominant defensive standout (think Patrick Ewing out of Georgetown). Ultimately, you had to figure he would develop an offensive game which would have made him an annual all star. Its a shame injuries have robbed him of an NBA career. If/when he is finally cleared to play again, some team will give him a shot. As they say, you can't teach height...7 footers are always in high demand