It looks like Greg Oden’s time in Portland is drawing to a close. The trade deadline is approaching and the word is he’ll be packaged in a deal or outright released from his present contract, bringing an end to this era of great expectation with oh so much more exasperation. Leaving us only to imagine what could have been, and the legacy he’s left as the one time future of the franchise.
I can honestly say the opinion of most when conversing about Greg isn’t very positive, giving me to ponder, why? The many injuries and subsequent surgeries were beyond his control, and anyone who knows sports or anatomy can tell you when it comes to someone that size, there’s no guarantee in what to expect. With the exception of some photos of the big guy naked floating around the World Wide Web, his stay here in Portland was quiet at best. Again the question … why so much animosity towards the big guy? This led me to friends, family and peers for answers.
This is what was said.
Although no one thought of Greg as a bad person, many were disappointed and not just for what we received on the court. Some responded to his absence at games when he could of led in cheering our team on, or the lack of his presence during the offseason were he could of showed us who he truly was by thrusting himself into the community. Speaking to our youth about having dreams of big time success in sports and if that doesn’t work out, how important staying in school to get an education can be.
There were some that wondered how hard the gentle giant worked on his rehabilitation. Is the big man lazy? Did the extra weight he put on thinking it would strengthen the knee, somehow lead to the next injury? Questioning whether he may have pushed too hard wanting to get back on the court proving not only to himself but to the city and franchise that he was worthy of the number one pick that fateful night of June 28th, 2007 when another young man having a stellar career up to this point might have been a better choice.
One thought, although comical, what if Oden, after suffering these multiple injuries, was now complacent, only too happy cashing checks from one of the richest men on the planet!
Now that an end is coming to what should have been a promising story one thing is evident, we’ll never know the answer to these questions or if fans will ever hold Greg Oden in high regard. We can only hope that he can regain his health, wishing him the best in whatever lies ahead.
The one fear I have as we close the book on Greg Oden, this (young) man comes back to haunt us…
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