Oden's Season Ended

For NBA fans who are anticipating to see probably the best rookie class in years, I'm sorry to say but the biggest fish in the ocean won't be playing this year. Yes, Greg Oden, the number 1 pick in this year's Draft Lottery won't be donning the Blazers jersey for at least one whole season. The Blazers, the NBA, and all the fans from around the World heard the news after Greg Oden had undergone knee surgery.

Now, NBA analysts are asking the question, "Is he the next Bill Russell, or the next Sam Bowie?" For young NBA fans who aren't familiar with this Portland nightmare, Sam Bowie was the first-round pick of the Blazers back in 1984, the second overall pick of the whole draft. Sam Bowie didn't turn to be the player the Blazers envisioned him to be because of chronic injuries. You may ask, "A lot of teams had similar high draft picks and disappointing careers, so what's the difference?" The difference is they could've gone with John Stockton, Michael Cage, Otis Thorpe, Charles Barkley, Sam Perkins, or the biggest difference...Michael Jordan. Why are all the NBA analysts dwelling on this? Because if Greg Oden would turn out to be another Sam Bowie, who was denied a good NBA career because of injuries, then maybe the Blazers again let slide a future Michael Jordan, who is arguably the best basketball player in history, in the form of Kevin Durant.

NBA fans all over the world are praying that the estimated time of Oden's return would shorten. We would all love to see if Oden could continue to dominate the game in a league with big boys, just as he did with the toddlers he played with in the NCAA. So if you're planning to watch the NBA this just because of Greg Oden, then I guess...SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!