If you talk to almost anyone in sports medicine they'll tell you that this isn't a career ending injury. Its really not uncommon for bigs to bounce back from injuries and go on to have successful careers (Big Z in Cleaveland, Antonio McDyess etc.)

Then again, having a "wait and see" attitude isn't nearly as inflammatory so you probably wouldn't be interested in that kind of analysis.

I thought the paper said he collided with another player? Bashed knees of something?

Speaking of "bone-chillin'" I think Ms. Harding has better developed guns than the Ducks Jeff Maehl. But whereas Jeff helped the Ducks earn a Rose Bowl birth, Tanya didn't help Jeff Gillooly give birth to anything except a lawyer's dissolution of marriage fee. Thankfully.

Complex knee (patellar) fractures typically result from a collision with an extremely hard object under strong compressive forces. Think 300 lbs moving at high speed being slammed into floor directly on patella. Medical challenge is that most patellar fractures heal very slowly and a large percentage fail to re-fuse at all. Season ending for sure. Career ending highly likely.

Then again, having a "wait and see" attitude isn't nearly as inflammatory so you probably wouldn't be interested in that kind of analysis.

Thanks for the armchair medicine. This is Greg Oden. This is one in a long line of injuries. Now both knees are bad. As I say, there's a possibility that this is career-ending. I stand by that factual statement.

And you, sir or madam, have a nice afternoon in your troll hole.

he collided with another player? Bashed knees of something?

There was no contact with his knee whatsoever. And the collision, such as it was, was incidental contact at most, and with a much smaller player.

This was just a brittle bone giving out.

I think it's a little bit of a stretch to say that "there's a possibility that this is career-ending" is a factual statement. I suppose you're saying that there could be at least a .1% possibility, if not more, of his career being over and I guess that there is a "possibility" could be considered a factual statement. But it's not a very evaluative statement considering you aren't an orthopedist or a trainer, haven't examined him, and the physician that did has not said what his recovery may be. It's speculation more than fact. And that's fine, but why call it a factual statement?

But more importantly, it's a sad situation. He didn't do anything wrong and I don't know why people seem to have a strange sense of humor over something that looked painful physically and emotionally. Alright, I said my piece.

Who's laughing? But to me there is an inauspicious pattern going on here with this guy. Yeah, he'll recover from _this_ injury. Then what about the next? And the next? And the next?

A pattern. Sure. Hindsight says Durant is the better pick, no doubt about it. That was not the case in 2007 and anyone who says differently is mis-remembering to use a Roger Clemens word. I just find the speculation about his recovery, well, silly. One poster says it's "highly likely" his career is over. Another says it isn't.

Ken:

The speculation about his recovery is speculation indeed. But as my wife is a radiologist who has seen at least 5000 patellar fractures and their course, it is a fair statement to say that a large percentage of these cases fail to re-fuse properly. In an athlete who constantly places knees under heavy stress, the prognosis is, well, not great. I'm satisfied to leave it at that.

mrf

WHY WASN'T ODEN WEARING KNEE PADS?

Seriously, lots of great men his size wore knee pads regularly. Think Abdul-Jabar. Especially with his history of knee injuries.

Blame the trainers and coaching and medical for this one. If he had pads on, he wouldn't have fractured his patella in a collision.

Ted:

WHY CAN'T YOU READ?

There was no collision at all... pads wouldn't have made a lick of difference.

The problem is, he is 7 feet tall and 300 pounds. You know why you don't see people that size? Because it's not normal. Anywhere. In any situation. From an engineering standpoint, the human body wasn't designed for that, especially going full-tilt boogie running and jumping for hours a day.

I think Shaq is probably the only 7'+, 275+ player in the NBA who didn't have at least one major knee/foot issue in their career.

knee pads are just pads. they don't do anything other than cushion. oden didn't bang knees or hit anyone. he just jumped up and the patella snapped. for some reason, many big men have injuries early in their career and go on and have pretty good careers.

the biggest concern for big men isn't their knees, it's their feet. sometimes injuries just happen and last night is one of those things. probably his first non-contact injury of his life.

From an engineering standpoint insects larger than well, large bugs, are not possible. The ratio of strength of the exoskeleton to the weight of the organism for a 7 foot 300 lb insect far exceeds the point of failure. There are lots of examples of this phenomenon among humans as well. Examples include Sam Bowie, Bill Walton, and countless others who never achieved this level of notariety. Thank God however that Greg is not an insect. I hope he recovers and has many more seasons of successful basketball.

good analysis from Hollinger.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11262/not-again-oden-out-for-year

Hindsight says Durant is the better pick, no doubt about it. That was not the case in 2007 and anyone who says differently is mis-remembering to use a Roger Clemens word.

That's hardly the case. From the moment his pick was announced, he was an obvious injury risk. That was noted at the time on this very board, as the archives here will without doubt show. And his history with the team starts with an injury, in practice if I recall correctly.

I watched the beginning of the game again today on Comcast. Wow, was that a trip.
When Greg takes off his warm-up suit, you want to yell, "Don't go in. Don't do it." It's like seeing the Titanic leaving Southampton.
He was moving great. He looked happy and active.
The contact on the play was miniscule at best.
But there was one play a little before when Greg leaps to take a charge. He gets in place just outside the circle then this guy crashes into him.
Fittingly the refs called Greg for the foul even though he was in position.
That was the only real contact prior to the patella breaking up.
Last year, after the collision with the Golden State player where the knees connected, their guy was fine. Our guy was hurt.
That was almost a scientific experiment called, "Do you have the bone strength to play in the NBA?"
Look, maybe Greg will be back for those 10 championships Pritchard was talking about, but I can't think like that right now.
I am in "protective write off" mode. I don't want to be here, but I've got to shield my own emotions from this sort of thing.
If he does make it back and has a great career, I'll be extremely happy for him, but I can't think like that right now.

If Oden plays 20 straight regular season games in the NBA, ever again, I'll buy Bill and Ken dinner.

I'll listen to what the team orthopedist said after surgery today. No ligament damage, two screws inserted and he expects a full recovery. I understand the fusion someone referred to hasn't happened yet, but not being a doctor I will choose to listen to the team doctor for now.

As to the Durant issue and 2007, there were of course people who wanted Durant, but like Hollinger said, all 30 NBA GMs would've made the same pick. Perhaps that's a flaw in conventional wisdom, but for people to suggest that he was a health risk at the time of the DRAFT is not entirely accurate. He had one wrist injury in college. His knee injury occurred in September.

No ligament damage, two screws inserted and he expects a full recovery.

Yeah, but have a real career in the NBA with screws in one knee and microfracture aftermath on the other? Not a bet I'd make.

all 30 NBA GMs would've made the same pick.

Magic Johnson said at the time that Oden ran like a 40-year-old man. Some GMs were said to have the same misgivings. No one can say with certainty that a few of those GMs wouldn't have gone with Durant.

But what difference does it make now? The Blazers picked a bust in Oden, no matter how wise the choice seemed at the time. Roy and Aldridge were great picks, and so it's not as if anyone's accusing Pritchard of not being smart overall.

Two screws? How about a million-dollar titanium/gold mesh? As along as we're inside this knee, we've got to try upgrading it.

You're right, Jack. Can't go back now, I just won't give up on him. But I won't rely on him either.

"Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology ... better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster."

I hope so. But I don't think so.

Oden seems like a really nice guy but the writing is on the wall - dude is done. Fortunately, he's got millions of $ to take with him.

Watch the NBA.com clip posted on Jack's original post on this topic, you will see that Oden fractured his knee cap the moment he jumped to defend Aaron Brook's drive. There was no collision on the play. His knee just broke down the moment he jumped.

Lets not forget, Oden needed MICROFRACTURE SURGERY on his right knee during his rookie season at the age of 19. Normally, microfracture surgery via Chris Webber and Kevin Garnett is needed after 10+ years of starting every game and putting in 30+ minutes per game. Oden needed it after 1 year of college ball. That should have been a huge red light to Kevin Pritchard and the other 29 NBA GMs.

The 3rd or 4th poster on Hollinger's article concerning this is correct, "If all 30 NBA GMs would have chosen Oden, then all 30 NBA GMs should be fired."

Either Oden has some severe calcium deficiencies, weak genetics, or he was taking some good "stuff" in high school and college that has come back to reap what he sowed.

DG,

Ain't that a proverbial female dog? Oden can lay there wiping his tears with $100 dollar bills from his $21 million dollar contract, while if you or I get injured, we are basically "let go" as the polite term for being "fired" is called nowadays.

I cannot even conjure up crocodile tears for Oden. Like anyone else, we all know our physical capabilities and deficiencies better than anyone else, yet he chose to ride the hype, hide the knee injury from 1 year at Ohio State, give Portland fans false hope in being a championship team in 5 years, and is now crying his way to the bank with $21 million of Paul Allen's dollars.

"this isn't a career ending injury."

The guy's made of porcelain. Pritchard had better start shopping for an inside player/stopper and soon. Look at our options:
- Pryzbilla - You can reach your own conclusions on his effect as inside scorer
- Oden - 'Nuff said
- Aldridge - Doing his best to channel Rasheed and Uncle Cliff with the 20-foot jump shots

"for people to suggest that he was a health risk at the time of the DRAFT is not entirely accurate."

He never played one complete season of ball - ever. Don't forget college season is about half as long as the pros.