Greg Oden's latest injury: Everyone take a deep breath and calm down

When I first heard Oden was out due to injury once again, I wasn't going to touch on it. It was supposed to be a minor injury and honestly I have grown pretty tired of writing on the subject of Oden Owchies.

Then two things happened: Oden has been out longer than was initially thought and I have had to listen to morons call him Sam Bowie again. Both of these things are annoying.

To address the former, read Jason Quick's (secret cousin that won't acknowledge us, by the way) article, or be lazy and just read these excerpts:

"I just thought I would get some ice and get it over with," Oden said Tuesday. "It turned out to be bigger."

Or longer, to be more precise. Initially, Oden thought he would be back for the Blazers' first game after the All-Star Break. Now, there's no guarantee he will play again in February.

[Cut.]

Oden, meanwhile, offered a glimmer of hope on Tuesday.

"It's getting better, getting better," Oden said. "It's a lot better than a couple of days ago. But right now, I'm taking my time and gradually doing a little bit more."

The injury is not on the knee that was surgically repaired in September of 2007.

So while Oden is out longer than expected, there are reasons not to drag out those tired Bowie references (although I'm now convinced there is a certain percentage of fans that love to use these, and will do so every time Oden so much as sneezes). First, it is not on his surgically repaired knee. Second, it is a pretty minor deal and Greg is just waiting until all the pain is gone to hit the court again. That is the kind of level-headed long-term approach that is best for the team. (Third, um, Sam Bowie played 76 games in his rookie season. Moving on...)

Oden has shown he can produce. We have gone over what he does when he avoids foul trouble, something he will learn to do consistently. He also leads all rookies in double-doubles (16), in spite of playing in just 46 games. Stop the nonsense.

Oden might play, please remain calm

When Oden went down against the Lakers it sent many Blazer fans through a rang of emotions. I know I went from frustrated, to filled with rage, to depressed, to optimistic, to cynical (where I remain).

I have been hoping the Blazers would not throw Oden directly into the fire when he came back. I know he is on the All-Star Ballot and all, but it would be nice if the Blazers resisted bowing to the hype, I thought. He looked slow and uncomfortable even before his injury in in Los Angeles. I figured it would be helpful to work him in slowly next time. Bring him off the bench for 15-20 minutes and see if he can get comfortable. Start him off in an otherwise uninteresting game that avoids the scrutiny of a national audience. Let him get his wind and his bearings out there. We are supposedly focused on the long-term, you know?

Well I'm an idiot apparently, because Oden may play against Miami tonight. On ESPN, of course.

In other news, Brandon Roy hurt his back and is questionable. Maybe I should add trainer Jay Jensen to the new logo. Its November, sit them both.


***UPDATE

Yeah, Oden and Roy are both going to play. Think good thoughts.

That MoPed cost Monta Ellis $3 Million

News dropped that The Warriors will not be paying Monta Ellis while he rehabs from his moped accident:

The Warriors suspended the injured guard for 30 games without pay Saturday for violating his lucrative new contract by getting into a moped accident.

Ellis, who agreed to a six-year deal worth $66 million in July, severely sprained his ankle in a low-speed crash in late August. The suspension will cost the guard slightly less than $3 million.

Golden State Of Mind, feeling the pain, summed it up better than anyone:

6 years, $66 million, 1 stupid decision, 1 big lie, 1 more season down the drain.

For that $3 million Monta could have had this guy flown in to give private lessons, thus boosting his skills exponentially. He could have also built that guy a mansion, and a moped course made entirely of cotton candy where accidents would end in a delicious treat instead of ankle surgery. Perhaps that would have prevented anyone from ever discovering his secret and forbidden love affair with low powered motorized vehicles. We will never know.

The Blazers ARE NOT INJURY PRONE

With the recent spat of injuries, it appears that even the Pessimist's Preview failed capture the extent to which this team has a problem staying healthy. It is significant to note that the injury bug has spread well beyond the Foundation (Roy, Aldridge, Oden) and appears to be contaminating the rest of the squad; Blake with his hamstring, Frye with his ankle, Webster with his foot, Przybilla with his lungs, and now Fernandez with his ankle. Understandably, some fans are worried. I was terrified.

Then it hit me. A team can't possibly have this many injuries. It just doesn't happen. Clearly, there is something else going on. There is only one logical explanation.

These men are madly in love with trainer Jay Jenson. You can't blame them. The man has a sort of seductive gravity that pulls you in like the waves do a grain of sand. It should come as no surprise that people want to be around him by any means necessary. If I were a Blazer, I would probably fake both an injury and an interest in tennis to try to get as much face time with Jay as possible.

So don't worry about these "injuries." They are simply man-crushes that will pass as the season moves along. Because while Jay Jenson may be a healer of wounds, he is also a breaker of hearts. After a few tear-filled nights and a week or so of R.E.M., these Blazers will be back in action.

Brandon Roy and his knee

Let me take you through the morning I had last Thursday. Walking down the street around 7:45 (I had to leave my Mom's basement early that day), I casually glimpse at the newspaper selling contraption on the corner:



I freeze and stare at that front page for another three to five minutes, giving my brain time to comprehend that what I am seeing is in fact real:



Reality grabbing hold, I feel some sort of sickness creeping in. More information, I need more information. I'll get that paper. I check my pockets...no loose change. Who carries coins around anymore? In Portland, even parking meters take credit cards. Stupid newspaper industry, you have earned your slow demise.

I quicken the pace and slide into a nearby local business known to have complimentary newspapers. I see a neatly placed Oregonian on the counter and swipe it, searching for the sports section. Flipping. Flipping. Flipping. Nothing. It isn't even eight in the morning and another concerned patron has already pilfered the sports section. Stupid literacy.

I'm running through the possible courses of action needed to get this precious information. Nearest computer? Probably the library. Could be worth the walk, although I know from experience that the only available terminal will be nestled in between the homeless guy trading stocks and the guy sneaking glimpses of porn. Nothing personal against either one of those guys, but one of them stinks and the other makes me nervous. I could get in the car and drive over an hour into the country. There, I will find the home of the only people I know with an Oregonian subscription, my parents.

Luckily a third option occurred to me that was much more convenient. I never thought I would say this, but thank God for sports radio. (Yes, I too just had that mini-vomit in my throat). I finally got the scoop, which you could check out here.

In the time between then and now, I have read and listened to company men and their friends rant about how there is nothing to be concerned about. These days, young players bounce back from knee surgery all the time, and Roy's was procedure was very successful and very minor.

I can't deny any of that, but don't insult me with that Pollyanna bullshit. The collective injury history of the core Blazer three is extensive and severe enough to be frightening.

• Greg Oden has yet to play an NBA game and has had wrist surgery and arthroscopic knee surgery. And you haven't forgotten those rumors of back problems have you?
• LaMarcus Aldridge has had shoulder and heart surgery. He missed some games last season due to ankle injury. Others were missed due to plantar flacitis in his foot. His toe gave him problems. Then there was that banged up knee. Oh yeah, before that there was the hip and knee. He also had that left heel injury that caused him to halt participating with the Team USA Select team in 2007.
• Brandon Roy has now had arthroscopic knee surgery. He had knee surgery in college. He also has that Talus bone thing and had the groin thing.

So are you really going to expect me to smile in agreement when you tell me that everything is just super fantastic? That having a collective injury history like this is nothing to be concerned about for players that are ages 20, 23, and 24?

These three are good human beings with great talent. The Blazers can be great with them. All I want is for us to be realistic. That means acknowledging that this dynasty is far from certain, and a significant contributor to that uncertainty is the prevalence of injuries in our young core. Hold your breath and hope everyone stays healthy enough, and stop swallowing the rosy goggled garbage.

Down Goes Roy: When it all falls down edition

And in case you somehow haven't heard, or have managed to successfully block from your memory (I envy you), Roy had arthroscopic knee surgery. Weeee!

Did you expect a post featuring me freaking out? A rant about how the foundation that this potential Blazer dynasty is built on consists of players with more than minor injuries in their collective past? Another metaphor about how this mansion being built is on quicksand? You will probably get it, but I'm going to try and chill out on this for the weekend. Hopefully by Monday I'll be able to type something coherent. Dammit. Hug me.

Blazers injury bug lashes out at DeceptivelyQuick

Oden's knee. Roy's heel. Today I learned that this injury plague is not limiting itself to Blazer players. None of us are safe, not even obscure sportsbloggers. This weekend, I contracted this. Just read the introduction paragraph, ya, things have not been good.

If I were Jordan, I might just score 47 against the Knicks in my condition. However, I am me, and will settle for a blogpost.



One update that won't gross you out is a new take on my creepy Pippen/Finnagler fantasy brought to you by BlueForest (somehow this had gone unnoticed by me until now):

"BlueForest said...
DQ, those ships could well wage a naval battle. If the Pippen GAMES do happen, one of them should be against Honka. Two years ago, when Rodman played one game for Torpan Pojat, it was against them. Ol' Dennis revealed a new side in his game by shooting 5/14 on THREE-POINTERS, but he could not run, jump or pick up a ball off the floor. I hope Pippen has a bit more left..."

Indeed, it seems the combination of former NBA greats and Finland can produce strange phenomenon. A potential Pippen v Finnagler showdown just got even better. Anybody have a hookup for Finnish airfare?