Where the blame lies
Why, oh, why did Greg Oden have to have serious knee surgery which at a minimum will keep him off the basketball court for a year? How could such a thing happen?
We offered several theories last night. But this evening as I read Howard Beck's story on this tragedy in today's New York Times, the cause became crystal clear:
In the short term... this is a devastating blow to a franchise seeking to rebuild its image and its competitive edge. The Blazers have not made the playoffs in four years, and their fan base has been eroded by player arrests and bad behavior.Crap! No wonder. The guy's an aerial tram.The roster has been purged of its most troublesome players, and Portland has assembled a corps of good players and good citizens, led by the rookie of the year Brandon Roy. But Oden, a 7-foot, 245-pound center, is the linchpin. (Emphasis added.)
| Posted at 10:39 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (7)
He's not sustainable, though.
Posted by Allan L. | September 15, 2007 1:25 AM
I hope they didn't disconnect his downspout.
Posted by Jack Bog | September 15, 2007 2:30 AM
OK, I confess, I am not a Blazer or any other sports fan. To me it really is mostly 'bread and circus' entertainment.
However I do have a totally replaced knee, due in large part to injuries suffered when I was only 21 which is way more years ago than I want to admit!
So being somewhat of an expert I will state that very few of these types of new procedures really work long term, and the poor kid will no doubt be limping around much longer than he will every play basketball, pro or otherwise. By the time he is 50 he will probably need a full replacement and believe me that is NOT something that is a recreational activity.
The up side is that the folks who do this stuff get better at it all the time and the recovery is better and faster, IF you don't get an infection or die from a blood clot.
I think the Blazer medical team probably messed up on this and the kid suffers.
Too bad, he should have stayed in school and gotten a degree for a job sitting down.
Posted by Anne K | September 15, 2007 7:59 AM
PS:
I forgot to mention that sometimes the latest surgical techniques of today are the mistakes for the future. I was a victim of that too!
All of us with "baseball stitches" on our knees in 1972 are replacement candidates or recipients today.
I hope Ogden will be OK, but I doubt it.
He has my condolences and sympathy.
Posted by Anne K | September 15, 2007 8:44 AM
Anne, you've got to look on the bright side.
After a M/C headon in '69 (left knee), a partial ACL tear (right knee) in '84 - (finished job in '87), two 'scopes, two ACL surgeries (second one to fix first one, heh), I'd have to say...
...better to have the imperfect surgical repairs than what I had before, thanks.
At 57 I can still walk for miles with no pain and bike, run (in a pinch), and dunk (on an 8' hoop). Ya just never know.
Plus, as a bonus, the graft from my left knee in my right knee makes it extremely easy to walk in circles.
Posted by rr | September 15, 2007 9:46 AM
I wish Mr. Oden all the best, a complete recovery and a long, happy career.
That said, if he is unable to play again, then I hope his example helps send a message to all the kids, parents, and coaches who think that sports makes learning optional.
Someone reported that Mr. Oden's favorite subject is math. I hope that, if his sports career ends early (or later), he takes up teaching math and joins the Algebra Project (algebra.org). I can't imagine a more powerful symbol that would do more to help focus poor kids on numeracy.
Posted by George Seldes | September 15, 2007 11:56 AM
Dear rr,
Yeah, I can do most all that stuff too, after a year of physical therapy and continuing excercise. And I too am now pain free most of the time. However, I do not make my living in professional athletics. Mr.Ogden, better find himself another career.
Congratulations, and I am glad you feel so good now.
Any type of knee injury and the necessary surgery just sucks.
Posted by Anne K | September 15, 2007 4:55 PM