Why does greg oden always get hurt

He recorded 13 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks just a few games later against the Heat. The big man was the only player in the NBA to average at least 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per 36 minutes during the season.

However, there was one major problem. When Aaron Brooks hit a floater over Oden's outstretched arms in a game against the Rockets on December 5th, he inadvertently injured the big man. Just 21 games into the season.

A fractured left patella kept him out for the remainder of what could have become his breakout season. In an injury that was unrelated to the patella he fractured in December of , Oden had another microfracture surgery in November of , one that ended his season before it even began.

However, he suffered a setback in the rehab process and restructured his contract as acting general manager Chad Buchanan had some concerns about Oden's ability to play. As reported by ESPN via the Associated Press , Buchanan said, " We're hopeful that Greg can get back out on the court this year—maybe not quite as optimistic as we were before—but we feel like Greg Oden is worth that risk for one more year.

The Blazers needed something to feel good about. After all, they'd dealt with the Oden setback, Roy retiring and Aldridge's unfortunate heart condition all in the same month. They deserved some good news. He had arthroscopic surgery on each knee during a three-week span in February of and the latter surgery turned into the third microfracture procedure of his career.

It's hard to put into words the heartbreak for everyone involved, but especially for Greg. He's a young man who has experienced a great number of physical challenges in his playing career and today is yet another significant setback for him.

We have a lot of empathy for Greg and his family during this difficult time. Buchanan also delivered another quote, one that somehow retained a sense of optimism:. Greg's still very young, in relative terms, for a professional basketball player. He's recovered from a couple of these before—his last two microfracture lesions have healed fine. So there's no reason to think he couldn't come back as long as he shows the work ethic and desire that he's had in the past to come back.

I think it's premature to speculate anything beyond that. The acting GM apparently didn't have too much confidence in his words, though. After spending the entirety of the campaign rehabbing his knees, Oden was finally healthy enough this summer to convince teams to give him a shot. We'll have a chance to find out now. The big man will attempt to get his career back on track with the Miami Heat, joining forces with Chris Bosh , LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as the reigning champions attempt to make it three in a row.

Oden's return has been a long time coming and signs have been surprisingly positive. Deshaun Thomas, is a former Buckeye himself, and presumably a little bit biased. Man, he looks unbelievable. He's running. He's lifting weights. You might be seeing a comeback. He looks like he's ready to go. He's running, getting in shape.

I'll tell you one thing. He also played in China last season. But since Oden was drafted No. And for that, many will see Oden as a bust. The criticism is unwarranted but Oden seems to have at least, come to grips with it. A tragic realization yet if it helps Oden move forward in life he is working to finish his degree at Ohio State , then more power to him.

There is more to life than basketball after all. By Ananth Pandian. People still want a piece of him. Right now, Oden said, he is in an amazing place in life, far from the desolate throes of alcoholism.

He and his wife, Sabrina, have a two-year-old daughter, Londyn. Oden has replaced nights out with nights in, chasing around a toddler who told him the other evening that if he didn't pick her up he would "get his ass spanked.

Londyn the sponge is why Oden is at Ohio State, the college he played basketball for his freshman year in Oden will walk across the stage at Ohio State on May 5 to get his diploma, a degree in sport industry, hoping for a career as a coach, wearing a gown he still needs to be sized for.

If it's too short, he doesn't care. How can I tell her go to school and get an education if I did not get one? More: Greg Oden: 'I'm still trying to figure out my life'. More: Greg Oden returns to Ohio State as student manager. Oden returned to Ohio State as a sophomore in fall to get a degree — after he tired of the liquor and the bathroom floor and moping inside a house.

He's like, 'Just come here to the gym, watch practice, be around guys,'" Oden said. For the past three years, Oden has been a student coach for the Buckeyes. It was a strange feeling, at first, to be back at this college 10 years later. Oden remembered the feeling of invincibility in as he embarked on an Ohio State basketball career. He had just led his Lawrence North High School team to three consecutive state championships.

He had been named IndyStar Mr. Basketball and had been showered with national accolades. Like: Greg Oden is the next Bill Russell. Some of Oden's best times came during that freshman year at Ohio State. He was the hero as Ohio State won He remained the hero as he led the Buckeyes past Memphis and Georgetown and on to the national championship game. There, Oden scored 25 points, had 12 rebounds and four blocks against Florida. Ohio State lost , but the NBA scouts had seen enough.

Professional basketball was ready for this phenom. At the end of the season, Matta declared that Oden "was going to be one of the greatest to ever play in the NBA. Drinking was a way of life for Oden long before he hit bottom in February of , on the bathroom floor. But he had once gone six months months sober, in , to "get perspective" after what he calls his "biggest regret" in life. As a free agent in August , Oden said, he felt lost.

He had known nothing but basketball his entire life.