Indianapolis-product Greg Oden has struggled to see the NBA floor. The injury-riddled 7-foot center will undergo an arthroscopic procedure Friday in Vail, CO to remove debris from his right knee, the team announced Friday.
It will be Oden’s fourth knee surgery since being taken No. 1 in the 2007 NBA draft.
For a guy that had the chance to become the next great big man, this has to be extremely difficult. In five seasons, he has played just 82 games. Heck, he hasn’t seen the court in 26 months!
He has had microfracture surgery on his right knee, fractured his left patella, microfracture surgery on his left knee and now an arthroscopic cleanup on his right knee.
The continuous string of injuries has to bother the Trailblazers who passed on Kevin Durant for Oden. Durant has led Oklahoma City to the best record in the Western Conference and he is third in scoring, averaging 27 points per game.
Until his NBA career, Oden hasn’t suffered any notable injuries. In high school, while at Lawrence North, he didn’t miss one practice. During his one year at Ohio State, Oden fought through a ligament injury in his wrist and his Buckeye team lost to Florida in the national title game.
Before the 2011-12 season, Oden’s original contract was up and he opted to remain in Portland for about $1.5 million. At some point, maybe now, the Trailblazers have to give up and move on.