Sorry, I know this a basketball blog right before the Buckeyes’ biggest football game of the early season, but it is a big one.
It has been reported that former 68 year old freshman Greg Oden, who was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, will miss the entire 2007-2008 season after knee surgery.
Oden underwent exploratory surgery on his right knee On Thursday in Vancouver.
“Greg had an arthroscopy and a micro fracture surgery today,” said team physician Dr. Don Roberts, who performed the surgery. “He was found to have articular cartilage damage in his right knee. The area of injury was not large and we were able to treat it with micro fracture, which stimulates the growth of cartilage. There are things about this that are positive for Greg. First of all he is young. The area where the damage was is small and the rest of his knee looked normal. All those are good signs for a complete recovery from micro fracture surgery.”
Greg Oden will miss the rest of the Summer League in Las Vegas.
Oden will undergo a tonsillectomy Saturday at the Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Washington.
I can’t imagine how big Oden’s tonsils actually are, but it’s got to be close to a record. It’s going to take two or three weeks for the big man to recover.
“Greg felt that this was the right decision to make in the interests of his health, and we support that decision 100 percent,” Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said. “The sooner he gets the procedure done, the sooner he can get back on the court at full strength.”
In two games, Oden scored 18 points and committed 19 fouls. The Summer League rules allow a player 10 fouls before fouling out.
This means that the #1 draft pick will miss Sunday’s matchup with Seattle, who has the #2 draft pick in Kevin Durant.
Other Summer League Notes:
Daequan Cook struggled offensively in his second summer-league game in Pepsi Pro Summer League. Cook hit only two shots while taking 13 in the Miami Heat’s 73-65 loss to the New Jersey Nets. Cook finished with seven points and three rebounds. Cook hit two of eight three-point attempts and connected on one of his four shots from the free-throw line. The only positive was the work load, as Cook lead the team in minutes played; he played for over 35 minutes.
Ron Lewis saw his first action and while he started in the Houston Rockets 90 to 76 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, he was only in the game for less than 20 minutes. Fellow guard and draft pick Aaron Brooks (Oregon) stole the show and scored 21 points (8 assists) in over 31 minutes of playing time. Lewis scored five points, grabbed two rebounds and committed two turnovers. Lewis shot one of three from the floor, zero of two for three, three for four at the free-throw line.
Mike Conley Jr. and his Memphis Grizzles next game will be Thursday evening at 6pm EST against Cleveland. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein calls the battle between Kyle Lowry and Conley Jr. as the best of the summer league. he writes My favorite battle: Kyle Lowry vs. Mike Conley
“Lowry is ahead on points at present, but one interesting theory I’m stealing from an Eastern Conference personnel man is that these two could form Memphis’ answer to the T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon combination in Toronto. There will be nights, in other words, when you don’t know which guy is better until the game unfolds. Or perhaps new Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni will find a way to play them together.”
Posted on ESPN.com
Story from the Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers announced Monday that they have signed Greg Oden, the No. 1 overall pick in last week’s NBA draft.
In accordance with the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, Oden’s deal will be for two years, with team options for the third and fourth seasons. Oden will make $3.885 million as a rookie and $4.176 in Year 2. If they pick up the option in the third year, his salary will be $4.476 million.
Oden, a 7-foot center from Ohio State, signed his contract Sunday and immediately started working out with the other players on Portland’s summer league roster, impressing teammates with his powerful dunks and ability to block shots.
“One shot I couldn’t block, and he came over my shoulder and blocked it; I was amazed,” said power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 draft. “And he dunked everything around the rim.”
Oden, Aldridge and second-year guard Sergio Rodriguez headline Portland’s Las Vegas Summer League team, which opens its five-game schedule Friday against the Boston Celtics.
Monty Williams, the assistant coach who will run the team’s summer league entry, told The Oregonian newspaper that Oden will likely play up to 35 minutes in each of the first three games.
The Trail Blazers also signed second-round picks Josh McRoberts, the forward from Duke, and Florida guard Taurean Green.
Petteri Koponen, the Finnish point guard who was the final pick of the first round, signed a waiver that allows him to play in the summer league.
The Portland Trail Blazers made Greg Oden the first Ohio State Buckeye to be taken first overall in the NBA Draft and the first Buckeye to be drafted in the first round since 1992 (Jim Jackson). Thanks in large part to the new rule that forced high school seniors to play one year before being eligible for the draft, this was the first year for the rule.
Texas freshman Kevin Durant could only smile as Oden was selected first. Durant went second to the Seattle Supersonics and will forever be linked to Oden. Who will be better?
In college Durant averaged 25.8 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game. Oden averaged 15.7 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game and 3.3 blocks per game. In Oden’s defense, he was not 100% healthy this past season.
The Sonics were so confident in Durant that they traded away Ray Allen to the Boston Celtics.
Last night and into the morning ESPN claims that Greg Oden has been told that he will be the first pick selected first overall in the NBA Draft.
However, foxsports.com reports that the Portland Trail Blazers haven’t annoucned that yet.
ESPN’s source is from ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher and foxsports’ source is Oden’s agent.
I think ESPN needs to clam down, but Oden should still be the first overall pick.
A ESPN report
Oden or Durant. Durant or Oden. Looks like we have an answer.
ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher reported on Wednesday night that Greg Oden’s camp has been notified by the Portland Trail Blazers that they will take him with the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft.
It was not an easy choice. Oden tested better at predraft camp; Kevin Durant had the sharper workout in Portland.
Dominant big men are usually impossible to pass up, and Oden could be a great one. He has been compared to Bill Russell for his rebounding and shot blocking, and he led Ohio State to the national championship game even while never at full strength after surgery on his right wrist.
“You can see why he’d be a No. 1 pick,” Durant told reporters. “I think he’s one of the best centers to come out of college. He’s quick and agile, he’s 7-feet, 250. I’ve never seen that in a center before.”
a FOXSPORTS.com report
Greg Oden to the Blazers? Maybe, but the team says there are no guarantees.
Oden’s agent and Portland’s general manager refuted an ESPN report Wednesday that said Oden’s camp had been informed the former Ohio State phenom will be the top pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft.
“We haven’t been told that,” Mike Conley, Sr. told The Oregonian late Wednesday night. “(ESPN) can have their opinion, but the Blazers haven’t told us anything.”
The Oregonian report said Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard was “emphatic” that the ESPN report was premature.
“Nobody has been promised or told anything. Nobody,” Pritchard told the paper.
Oden and Kevin Durant are all but assured to be the top two picks in the draft — the only question is in what order.
The NBA Draft will take place a week from today on June 28th. The coverage will start at 7:00 p.m. (eastern) on ESPN.
Normally, the Buckeyes are not known for producing NBA talent. In the last five drafts Ohio State has not had a single player taken in either the first or second rounds of the draft. Also, no Buckeye in the last 14 drafts has been taken in the first round.
This year’s draft is practically guaranteed to have the first ever Ohio State player to be taken first overall in Greg Oden. Another Buckeye, Mike Conley Jr., should be selected in the top ten. Also, Daequan Cook is expected to go in the first round while Ron Lewis might be picked in the second round.
The last first round pick from Ohio State was in 1992 when the Dallas Mavericks picked Jim Jackson fourth overall. The last Buckeye to be drafted was in 2001 when the Miami Heat took Ken Johnson 49th overall. Johnson played in only 16 games in his NBA career. In 2000, Ohio State had two players taken in the second round. Michael Redd was taken 43rd overall by the Milwaukee Bucks and now is an NBA all-star. Scoonie Penn was the second to last pick of that draft and couldn’t make the Atlanta Hawks roster.
NBA.com features a consensus mock draft that lists 16 different mock drafts from all over the Internet. In all 16 mock drafts, Greg Oden is listed as the first overall pick, which belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers. At worst Oden could end up being the second overall pick if Portland chooses Kevin Durant.
In the 16 mock drafts, Conley’s draft position ranges from third to 11th overall. The Atlanta Hawks hold the third and 11th picks in the first round. There is no chance that Atlanta will pass on Conley twice.
Many Buckeye fans question the choice Daequan Cook has made by leaving Ohio State for the NBA (see Should Daequan Cook Dip Out of NBA Draft?). According to the mock drafts (14 of 16 have listed picks past the top 14), Cook’s draft position ranges from 23rd overall to not being taken in the first round. Four mock drafts have Cook going to the New York Knicks (23rd overall). Other mock drafts have Cook going to Philadelphia (21st overall), Phoenix (24th and 29th overall), Utah (25th overall) and Houston (26th overall). Two mock drafts have Cook being passed over in the first round.
In my mind, Ron Lewis could be the steal of this draft. In Ohio State’s last 10 games (including the NCAA tournament) Lewis averaged 17 points a game. Also, he scored 27 points in the overtime win over Xavier in the NCAA tournament as well as 25 points in the one-point win over Tennessee in the Sweet 16. However, Lewis could be the steal of the draft because no one thinks that he will be drafted. Only five of the 16 mock drafts list a complete rundown of the second round and none of them have Lewis being selected.
ESPN.com lists 100 prospects in their draft database and Ivan Harris is not among them. There are only 60 picks in the draft.
Sorry, I know this a basketball blog right before the Buckeyes’ biggest football game of the early season, but it is a big one.
In accordance with the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, Oden’s deal will be for two years, with team options for the third and fourth seasons. Oden will make $3.885 million as a rookie and $4.176 in Year 2. If they pick up the option in the third year, his salary will be $4.476 million.
Dominant big men are usually impossible to pass up, and Oden could be a great one. He has been compared to Bill Russell for his rebounding and shot blocking, and he led Ohio State to the national championship game even while never at full strength after surgery on his right wrist.
In the 16 mock drafts, Conley’s draft position ranges from third to 11th overall. The Atlanta Hawks hold the third and 11th picks in the first round. There is no chance that Atlanta will pass on Conley twice.