To be completely heartless about it...I suppose kids should know that when you stuff yourself with growth hormones in junior high to get the body of a 28-year by the time you're 18.....you've got the broken down body of 40 year old soon after......
Oden is a fairly decent kid but realistically I don't see him ever play a full season injury-free. He's missed extended periods of time from high school to college to the pros almost every year. He is just the very definition of injury-prone.
I've had a ton of respect for him since the NCAA finals. He played his heart out, he just didn't have as much talent around him (I've always maintained Conley was overrated, I wasn't proven wrong). Although I'm glad my Gators won, I kind of felt sorry for him because he was doing everything possible to win and his teammates didn't match his intensity. He's got a mature approach to the game, he just needs time. Hopefully the injury bug will get off his back after this season and he gets his chance. I'll never write off big men, it's too unpredictable. Big Z went through 3 rough seasons but he's been steady ever since. And I'm hoping Yao is past it too.
Chipped knee cap?? GAH, that sounds painful! He really is like Benjamin Button, whoever said that earlier....not only does he LOOK old, but he's got the BODY of an older person as well, with the brittle bones, and no cartilage by the time he's only 19-20. That must have hurt like crap when he continued to play on it in that game.
What are you basing this on? Roy is great with the ball and is good at getting others involved. Durant has a sweet jumper and is solid off the ball.
Oden has shown glimpses of what I think the Blazers hope he could become.A double double big man anchoring the team's defense with blocked shots and a touch of passion and excitement.Who knows; if he could stay healthy long enough and that's a HUGE IF he can be the big man they need to compete for titles in 3-5 years.
