Kevin Durant Feels For Greg Oden
BOSTON — Kevin Durant was tending to his own ailment Wednesday night when he learned of Greg Oden’s latest one.
And as he heard the news, Durant’s heart dropped like it has so many times since the two entered the NBA together in 2007.
“All I could do was pray for him,” said Durant, who sprained his left ankle Wednesday against Houston and could miss his first action of the season starting tonight at Boston.
“When I heard about it, I was shocked because he worked so hard to try to get back. To go through some unfortunate circumstances, to be hurt, I felt for him. So I just prayed for him. Hopefully everything goes well with him.”
Durant hasn’t spoken to Oden, the injury-plagued top pick who Portland plucked and left Durant to fall to the Oklahoma City franchise. The Thunder’s star said Friday he just wants to see Oden get well.
“I’m sure he’ll be back,” Durant said. “This is just a slight bump in the road. It happens. People go through adversity. He’s going to be fine. I hope and pray that he is and he gets back to full strength.”
Unlike the rest of the basketball world, Durant said his thoughts didn’t immediately drift back to draft night 2007 and the unavoidable question of ‘what if?’ when he heard Oden would miss the entire 2010-11 season — the second time in four years Oden will have missed an entire season because of rickety knees.
“Not at all,” Durant said. “I just think about his well-being. That’s selfish to think about myself when he’s hurt. Like I said, I feel for the team, for him, for his mom and his family. He’s been through so much as a player, getting hurt in college and then working so hard and playing so well to be the No. 1 pick, and then getting hurt before his rookie season and getting hurt his second year. That’s tough.”
Durant, though, did admit he still feels the connection to Oden, especially when his Thunder plays against Oden’s Blazers.
“Yeah. All the time,” Durant said. “Every time we play Portland I think about me and him and that debate that went on before the draft. I played against him three or four times. So I miss seeing him out on the floor. Because we became good friends because of that. I just wish him well. Hopefully he comes back quick.”
Oden, Durant said, still has plenty to offer.
“I hope people don’t give up on him, because when he’s playing he’s one helluva player,” Durant said. “When he gets back, I know he’s going to be ready to play.”
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A Case For Greg Oden In Oklahoma City
Allow me to steal a phrase from Russell Westbrook for this one.
“Why not?”
If you’re Thunder GM Sam Presti, why not go after Greg Oden in free agency next summer? Why not take a chance on the one-time center sensation whose promise has faded because of faulty knees?
It would only be the greatest low-risk, high-reward maneuver we’ve ever seen Presti pull. And there have been plenty, most of them beyond question of the high-reward variety. We saw it with the near signing of C.J. Miles and the eventually rescinded trade for Tyson Chandler. We saw it with the successful signing of Nenad Krstic and the completed trade for Thabo Sefolosha. And, most similarly, we saw it with the flyer Presti took on Shaun Livingston, who nearly four years after a near career-ending knee injury still is navigating his full-time comeback.
Oden, the Blazers announced Wednesday, will soon undergo his second microfracture surgery, this time on his left knee. He missed the entire 2007-08 season following the same procedure on his right knee. And suddenly, with this latest news, Oden’s days in Portland seem to be done.
The Blazers decided against offering Oden a contract extension prior to the Nov. 1 deadline, making him the first No. 1 overall pick since Kwame Brown who failed to receive a new deal following his rookie contract. Although Oden is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next summer, giving Portland the right to match any offer a team throws his way, there are already reports that the Blazers might decline to retain those rights. Which of course makes perfect sense. Former Thunder assistant general manager Rich Cho, the new GM of the Blazers, has no reason to keep Oden. His selection was on former Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard’s watch. Now, it seems the sooner Cho can wipe his hands of what’s become a sad, if not embarrassing, set of setbacks the better.
Oden will forever be known as the bust who was taken ahead of Thunder star Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft. But the longer Oden stays with the Blazers, the more that troublesome truth will define his career, while also hanging over the Portland franchise. It’s time both parties parted ways.
And what better place is there for Oden to escape Durant’s shadow than Oklahoma City? Rather than toil through life as the answer to a trivia question, Oden could redefine his career by joining forces with Durant and perhaps someday compete for championships alongside him.
