I'm beginning to think that Greg Oden is not as great as we think he is. Amare Stoudamire and Chris Webber both had the surgery that he had and still had relative success after it but they are and were not quite the same. Amare is averaging about 23 points per game but before the injury he was having a breakout season with 26. I felt as though he was beginning to really evaluate his game even higher in the playoffs that year and perhaps come back the next year and lead the league in scoring.
The Blazers have had a long history of selecting major draft busts at center. I'll outline the centers below
LaRue Martin - 5.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1430 total points in 4 seasons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaRue_Martin
Bill Walton - 13.3 ppg, 6215 total points, 10.5 rpg
Was a draft bust in terms of injuries. Same could happen with Oden.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walton
Sam Bowie - 10.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5564 total points scored
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Bowie
Other Notable Draft Busts at Center (drafted high)
#32. Joe Smith - 11.9 ppg, 6.9, 9860 total points
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Smith_%28basketball%29
#0. Pervis Ellison - 9.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4869 total points scored
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pervis_Ellison
Chris Washburn - 3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 222 total points scored
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Washburn
Kent Benson - 9.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 6168 total points scored
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Benson
Richard Washington - 9.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3456 points total
Selected ahead of: Adrian Dantley (#6), Robert Parish (#8), Alex English (#23)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Washington
Rick Robey - Third Over all by the Indiana Pacers. We could have drafted Larry Bird that year. 7.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3723 total points scored
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Robey
Michael Olowokandi - 8.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4135 total points scored
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Olowokandi
To make this shorter I'll add a few more names without all the acess stuff: Kwame Brown, Darko Milicic, Marcus Fizer, Steve Stipanovich, Joe Barry Carroll, Jon Koncak, Nicoloz Tskitishvili, and Jonathan Bender.
I understand that many people here are fans of Greg Oden (As am I) because of his heritage but I simply don't see him being that explosive of a player. He has skills but even before the injury he was a tid bit inmobile at points. He'll probably have a career meered with knee injuries with a few good seasons here and there. I'm not sure if I am the first to point out the fact that he could be a draft bust.
The Blazers have had a long history of selecting major draft busts at center. I'll outline the centers below
LaRue Martin - 5.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1430 total points in 4 seasons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaRue_Martin
LaRue Martin (born March 30, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois) is retired American professional basketball player, widely considered to be the worst first overall draft pick in NBA history.[1] Martin was taken first overall out of Loyola University Chicago by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1972, drafted ahead of future Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving.
A 6-foot-11 center out of Loyola, LaRue Martin entered the NBA with much fanfare in 1972. Unfortunately, he never quite lived up to the hype, spending four seasons on the Portland Trail Blazers’ bench before retiring in 1976.
A 6-foot-11 center out of Loyola, LaRue Martin entered the NBA with much fanfare in 1972. Unfortunately, he never quite lived up to the hype, spending four seasons on the Portland Trail Blazers’ bench before retiring in 1976.
Was a draft bust in terms of injuries. Same could happen with Oden.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walton
Walton was drafted number one overall by the Portland Trail Blazers and was hailed as the savior of the franchise. His first two seasons were marred by injury (at different times he broke his nose, foot, wrist and leg) and the Blazers missed the playoffs both years. It was not until the 1976-77 season that he was healthy and, spurred by new head coach Jack Ramsay, the Trail Blazers became the Cinderella team of the NBA.
The following year, the Blazers won 50 of their first 60 games before Walton suffered a broken foot in what turned out to be the first in a string of foot and ankle injuries that cut short his career. During the off-season, Walton demanded to be traded, citing unethical and incompetent treatment of his and other players' injuries by the Blazers' front office. He did not get his wish and sat out the 1978-79 season in protest, signing with the San Diego Clippers when he became a free agent in 1979.
The following year, the Blazers won 50 of their first 60 games before Walton suffered a broken foot in what turned out to be the first in a string of foot and ankle injuries that cut short his career. During the off-season, Walton demanded to be traded, citing unethical and incompetent treatment of his and other players' injuries by the Blazers' front office. He did not get his wish and sat out the 1978-79 season in protest, signing with the San Diego Clippers when he became a free agent in 1979.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Bowie
Samuel (Sam) Paul Bowie (born March 17, 1961, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association who is probably best known for being selected before Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft.[1] He was a 7'1", 235 lb center.
Sports Illustrated called Bowie the biggest NBA draft bust in a 2005 list, arguing that teams should not draft according to current need but to a player's potential.[4] Some past NBA critics have discussed, and would agree, that the label put on Bowie to be a "bust" is largely due to the fact that Jordan eventually had an amazing basketball career, and that at the time of the draft, Bowie was a logical pick on paper given that the Trail Blazers had just picked a shooting guard the previous year (Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler).
Sports Illustrated called Bowie the biggest NBA draft bust in a 2005 list, arguing that teams should not draft according to current need but to a player's potential.[4] Some past NBA critics have discussed, and would agree, that the label put on Bowie to be a "bust" is largely due to the fact that Jordan eventually had an amazing basketball career, and that at the time of the draft, Bowie was a logical pick on paper given that the Trail Blazers had just picked a shooting guard the previous year (Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler).
Other Notable Draft Busts at Center (drafted high)
#32. Joe Smith - 11.9 ppg, 6.9, 9860 total points
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Smith_%28basketball%29
Joseph Leynard Smith (born July 26, 1975, in Norfolk, Virginia) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA. His height is listed as 6'10".
Smith attended Maury High School and played at the University of Maryland. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the first overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1995-96 season.
Smith attended Maury High School and played at the University of Maryland. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the first overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1995-96 season.
#0. Pervis Ellison - 9.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4869 total points scored
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pervis_Ellison
Ellison was made the first overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. An injury kept him on the sidelines for 48 of 82 games of his rookie year, after which he was traded to the Washington Bullets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Washburn
Washburn left N.C. State after the 1985-86 season and was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 3rd overall pick of the 1986 NBA Draft.
Washburn was banned from the NBA for life in June 1989 after failing three drug tests in three years. By the mid-1990s, Washburn was still trying to scrape together a basketball career in various minor professional leagues.
Washburn was banned from the NBA for life in June 1989 after failing three drug tests in three years. By the mid-1990s, Washburn was still trying to scrape together a basketball career in various minor professional leagues.
Kent Benson - 9.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 6168 total points scored
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Benson
They were the last team to accomplish that in Division I Men's Basketball. After graduating from Indiana University in 1977, he was the number one draft pick of the 1977 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He spent 11 solid, but not particularly remarkable, seasons in the NBA
Selected ahead of: Adrian Dantley (#6), Robert Parish (#8), Alex English (#23)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Washington
One of John Wooden’s alumni from UCLA who didn’t achieve NBA expectations, Washington had a mediocre six season career. Washington’s first two NBA seasons showed promise, as he averaged roughly 13 points-per-game and 8.5 rebounds-per-game in those seasons. After those seasons, Washington’s career derailed and did not live up to the expectations and achievements of most UCLA alumni.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Robey
A 6'11" center from the University of Kentucky, Robey played eight seasons (1978-86) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and Phoenix Suns. He scored 3,723 points in his career and was a member of the 1981 Celtics championship team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Olowokandi
. His junior year, Olowokandi led his team to the NCAA Tournament, and after his senior year was drafted with the first overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.
To make this shorter I'll add a few more names without all the acess stuff: Kwame Brown, Darko Milicic, Marcus Fizer, Steve Stipanovich, Joe Barry Carroll, Jon Koncak, Nicoloz Tskitishvili, and Jonathan Bender.
I understand that many people here are fans of Greg Oden (As am I) because of his heritage but I simply don't see him being that explosive of a player. He has skills but even before the injury he was a tid bit inmobile at points. He'll probably have a career meered with knee injuries with a few good seasons here and there. I'm not sure if I am the first to point out the fact that he could be a draft bust.
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