You’ve probably already guessed it, but for clarity’s sake, Greg Oden, the Portland Trail Blazers center who seems to be constructed totally out of papier-mâché, will undergo season ending microfracture surgery on his left knee.
Oden, the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, missed the entire 2007-2008 season after having the same type of surgery on his right knee. He’s been on the shelf since December 2009, after fracturing the patella in his left knee in a game against the Houston Rockets.
From the Trail Blazers official website…
Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will undergo microfracture surgery on his left knee Friday and will miss the remainder of the 2010-11 season, the Trail Blazers announced this evening.
Dr. Richard Steadman will perform the surgery with assistance from Trail Blazers orthopedic surgeon Dr. Don Roberts at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo.
Oden, 22, has been sidelined since fracturing his left patella in a Dec. 5, 2009, game vs. Houston. A recent MRI showed damaged cartilage to the surface of his femur, and his current injury is unrelated to the fractured left patella.
Oden previously underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee Sept. 13, 2007.
He holds career NBA averages of 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.43 blocked shots in 82 games over parts of two seasons from 2008-09.
Sure, Greg Oden may be a 22-year-old man with a 43-year-old face, but it seems he’s got the body of a 76-year-old woman with osteoporosis. Still, I wish him the best of luck on returning to the court for next season, although that seems like a longshot at best.
