I don’t talk about basketball too much on this blog, but every once in a while you get a story that transcends from the court to the hobby world. There has been good news like Brandon Jennings cruising to an improbably rookie of the year award and future All Star. There has been bad news as well, like Greg Odom.
In case you haven’t heard yet, Greg Odom will miss the remainder of this basketball season with a broken kneecap. Since he has come into the league in 2007 he has missed 99 games (not counting the 59 more he will be missing this year). That means he has played less than half the games since joining the league. Some can call it just bad luck but I think it’s not luck or coincidence.
Odom had a history of injuries dating back to his high school days. In 2007 the Blazers had the unique opportunity of drafting either Oden, a 7 foot behemoth whose talent had not even began to be tapped, or the next Jordan Kevin Durant. The Blazers had plenty of guards and forwards, they needed a center to bring it all together. It was Oden or trade down for Al Horford. In retrospect they should have traded down, but hindsight is always 20/20.
Instead the Blazers, who at the time were teeming with talent, could have selected Durant and traded for a second tier center with their bevy of talented forwards. That would have made sense to me. Unfortunately the Blazers got greedy, after landing LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy in the previous draft. They felt that if Oden could live up to his potential, they might have a juggernaut of a team for the next 5 years. Unfortunately it didn’t pan out that way.
At this point Oden is an albatross around the neck of the Trailblazers. He is a player that adds virtually nothing to the team but they can’t get rid of him for two reasons. First, they don’t want to admit they were wrong, especially since he hasn’t played a full season yet. Secondly, they will get almost nothing for him in a trade and to waive a former number one of his drafting team is almost unheard of. No, instead they are going to have to bring him back for another season and pray that he can make it to the trading deadline healthy so they can unload him for anything.
Oden’s cards have always required a premium to buy. Being a former number one overall pick can do that to your cards. The card pictured below is one of Oden’s most valuable cards. Tripled Threads 1/1 rookie card. It recently sold for $133. That might sound high, but Kevin Durant’s same card from the same set has gone as high as $900. Most Oden rookie cards can be had for $1 and most of his autographed cards are running between $10 – $20. I still think that is too high and as time goes on they will continue to decline. I do hope that Greg can turn it around but I am starting to have my doubts about his career. It’s tough to play when you are 7 feet tall and have two very bad knees.
Big tree fall down and go boom. Dude has history of injuries-not good. Dude hasn’t played a full season- not real promising. Hate to say but I think he’s done for. I could be wrong but he’s another NBA Top pick lost to the injury files.
Sigh.. Blazer fans are bummed. The Blazers passed up Jordan for Sam Bowie in the ’84 draft. That one gets my vote.
The thing is, at least Bowie played full seasons.
Oden is good just too many injuries imagine him on another team tank
I am going with Sam Bowie here as well. Bowie was big news and from an area near where I grew up and it was one of my first experiences with Hype. Oden is still really young (21) – since he didn’t finish college and could possibly still make a career out of this. hopefully for him and Portland he can put get a chance to play.
If we are going to talk #1 picks I am going to go with Kwame Brown as one of the biggest failures.
Bowie played almost one full season in his first with Portland and close to a second with NJ once injuries ruined his career. What about Larue Martin? What about Chris Washburn? Before anyone annoints Durant a second Jordan maybe he should win something.
Since people are throwing out Kwame and Bowie, I’ll go the opposite direction and mention Bill Walton. Blazers picked him #1 also and once he finally got healthy enough to play he was dynamite.
This is part of the Bill Walton Curse, Portland was 50-10 in 1978 when Walton hurt is foot. They shot up his foot with Cortisone for the 1978 playoffs and He did further Damage. He was never the same. In June 1984, they took Sam Bowie over Jordan and traded for Kiki Vandewghe giving up a couple of players that helped the Denver Nuggetts. They did not make a decent draft pick until 2006 with Roy and ALridge and the next year with Oden (The Father of THE MIGHTY THOR)
Michael Olowokandi was a #1 pick and look at what he’s done. Pervis Ellison wasn’t the greatest either.
It’s hard to call someone a bust. When Blazers selected Bowie over Jordan they already have Clyde Drexler from the draft the year before. Similar situation going with the Blazers as they already wealth of guards and needed a center they got what was thought to be one of the top at the time of the draft. If Blazers get top 3 pick they should immediately trade it.
I usually give a player four years before I call them a bust. Greg Oden still has time to get healthy and prove he is worth the pick.
I have to go with Michael Olowokandi or Kwame Brown as the biggest bust.
Just brainstorming here and I know it is not fair, but can Len Bias (drafted second overall) be considered the biggest bust in basketball because he never played in the NBA. If you’re not familiar with his tragic story, he died of a cocaine overdose days after he was drafted. He really had no one to blame but himself and he paid the ultimate price.
Larue Martin was the first overall pick in the 1972 draft and lasted 4 yyears in the NBA. He was healthy and his best averages where 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the 1974-1975 season. He was picked ahead of Bob McAdoo, Paul Westphal, and some guy named Erving. Chris Washburn lasted 2 years in the NBA never playing more then 37 games with his best averages of 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds coming in his rookie year. He was picked 3rd overall in the 1986 (maybe the worst draft class ever) behind Bias and ahead of Chuck Person, John Salley, Dennis rodman and Mark Price. Bowie, Oden, Kwame and the Candy Man look good compared to these guys. Walton won 2 championships.
I don’t think Oden is as young as stated… He looks like a 40 year old man. In college he looked like an old man running on tired old legs.
I love how you call him “Odom” throughout the entire article. LOL. That is how bad of a bust you are Mr. Oden! Nobody even knows your name. How about Kwame Brown or Michael Olowokandi…
Idiotic. How about the fact that no one on the Blazers can stay healthy? Why not blame your crap-ass teams strength and conditioning for the fact that Joel Pryzbilla and Brandon Roy can’t stay healthy also? High school players and eligible freshman should be given time…it doesn’t matter if they came out early. I bet you all thought Jermaine O’Neal was a bust…oh, he just had to get out of Portland. Portland’s front office is a bust. Oh yeah…I’m a San Antonio fan.