Greg Oden was the number 1 draft pick in 2007. Oden is forgotten by many after injuries derailed his career. What he is known for now is being picked before Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant has had a far more successful career than Oden and that is why even the most casual of NBA fans call Oden a bust. While all these facts are known about Greg Oden he never really spoke on how his career unfolded.
In the past month or so Greg Oden has officially announced his retirement from professional basketball. After multiple injuries Oden was forced to step away from the game. Today Oden finally addressed the media about how his career went and how it will be perceived. He stated that he will go down as the biggest bust in NBA history. It is unbelievable to hear him come to grips with how his basketball career has panned out. He said that he would love to continue playing basketball, but his health prevents him. At 28 years old Greg Oden is officially beginning life after basketball. For comparison Kevin Durant is at the top of his game and is in serious position to win an NBA title. It truly is a tale of two stories.
Greg Oden could have been special in the NBA. He had all the physical tools to make him a great center. He performed extremely well at Ohio State and was a safer choice for Portland on draft night. Portland already had budding all-stars in Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. With no solid center on the roster adding Oden was a no-brainer. The team already had a good scoring wing player. By drafting Oden the Trail Blazers knew they could add a guy who will immediately impact the team. A trio of Roy, Aldridge, and Oden was supposed to be a super team in the near future. Each player was under 23 years old. Not to mention in 2008 the Trail Blazers drafted Nicolas Batum. Batum was the perfect pick for this team. He was a guy who shoot the ball and was a good scorer, but he was a role player. In his career so far he has averaged 11 points per game. He would have filled his role perfectly since the team had two scorers in Aldridge and Roy. And of course Oden would want to get touches on offense too. This group of guys never had the chance to reach their full potential due to injuries to Oden and Roy. Roy would be forced to retire early in 2011 and Oden only played 82 total games with the Blazers. This is what got this team a spot on my all time what-could-have-been teams. It is an unfortunate story, but all these players seem to be at peace now.
No comments:
Post a Comment