The Tragic (So Far) Career of Greg Oden
When Greg Oden crumpled in a heap in Portland over the weekend, his career arc to this point allowed everyone to diagnose the problem without the benefit of an X-Ray: it was his knee and it wasn't good news.
The team later confirmed that Oden would be out for the year, Oden's second major knee injury in three years since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft over Kevin Durant.
Because of their situations — Oden as young injury-prone big man, Durant as a sure-thing scoring machine on the perimeter — the two are often compared to perhaps the biggest draft folly of all-time, when Portland took Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan in 1984.
The comparison is silly for a few reasons: Bowie's injuries were chronic and a known commodity before the draft, Oden's were less so. And Durant's great, but is there anyone who thinks he'll hit that Jordan level? He's a tad below.
Oden's statistically had a good season and was showing improvement each game. It remains to be seen if he can get that production back. Here's a few recent draft picks who dealt with injuries early on and still went on to productive careers:
Amar'e Stoudemire: Had microfracture surgery and although it took him about two years to get fully healthy again, there's little, if any, remaining effects from the injury.
Kenyon Martin: Also had microfracture surgery, but also dealt with a broken leg in college. He's a productive player again, maybe a tad less explosive than his pre-injury version.
Antonio McDyess: He went from an above-the-rim player to a perimeter-oriented big man, but has become a very reliable role player late in his career, post catastrophic knee injuries.
Of course, there's also some cautionary tales:
Ed O'Bannon: Was drafted seventh overall despite a history of knee problems and never averaged more than six points per game as a pro.
Penny Hardaway: Knee injuries robbed him of his explosiveness and he never developed the perimeter or post game to make up for his lack of quickness post-injury.
LaPhonso Ellis: A tough, do-it-all forward pre-injury, Ellis became a much less explosive role player after.
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