The Portland Trailblazers are often remembered for blundering during the 1984 NBA draft when they didn’t take Michael Jordan and went with Sam Bowie. Of course, we all know how these two players’ respective careers blew up. However, the Blazers’ draft woes would not end there 23 years later; they would come under scrutiny again for drafting Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Greg Oden could not play a full season in his entire career due to injuries, while Kevin Durant has become one of the best players in the league.
But is it really fair to judge Oden despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his career? If you could see it in college, Oden was a dominant force for the Ohio State Buckeyes during his only season with the school. He helped lead them to the 2007 NCAA Finals, where they lost to the Florida Gators. Oden was named an All-American by the Associated Press for his breakout season with the Buckeyes, and many hoped his success in college would translate to success in the NBA.
However, all of this speculation would be dashed as Oden would end up missing the entire 2007-2008 season due to microfracture surgery. He would return in time for the opening night of the 2008-2009 season, but left the game after 13 minutes due to injury. He would miss two weeks, but when he came back, he started showing glimpses of the game he had in college when he had games in which he scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
However, his first official NBA season would be shortened to just 61 games after he suffered a season-ending injury in a game against the Golden State Warriors. Oden would suit up again for the 2009-2010 season, but he would only get to play in 21 games after suffering another season that ended with a knee injury earlier in the season.
As you can see, injuries basically hampered Oden’s career and kept him from reaching his full potential. Some critics still like to criticize the Blazers organization for drafting him over Durant, but think about what might have been if he hadn’t been injured. If you think about it, it’s kind of unfair to judge Oden as a bust just because of his injuries.
Oden is currently a free agent, but has expressed that he is still looking to continue his playing career in the NBA. Several teams have already begun to express their interest in signing him in time for the 2013-2014 season. Hopefully, by then, we’ll get to see the Greg Oden most of us have been waiting for a long time.