http://www.indy.com/posts/107600Oden works on another rehab
March 05, 2010 by Mike Wells | Star staff
Top pick in the 2007 NBA draft faces another knee injury, more questions of whether he will live up to expectations
PORTLAND, Ore. — Greg Oden slowly jogged on an anti-gravity treadmill earlier this week as his Portland Trail Blazers teammates wrapped up a morning practice session.
The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2007, Oden would rather be on the court slapping hands with his teammates and talking trash in practice.
He took a step in the right direction Wednesday when he ran on the treadmill for the first time since undergoing surgery in December to reattach his broken left kneecap.
“I’m all right, but it’s just tough,” Oden said. “I’m going through all this again. I’ve been through this before and I know I can come back from it, but it’s the fact that it happened again that’s making it tough.”
The 22-year-old former Lawrence North High School star added another sad chapter to his career when he broke his kneecap in a Dec. 5 game against Houston. Oden had jumped to contest a drive by Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks, then fell to the court in pain before he was carted off.
“When I jumped to block the shot, I looked down and saw that there was a hole in my knee,” said Oden, who has seen video of the play several times. “The feeling I get is that I wonder why did this happen to me again. What can I do to not make it happen again?”
Oden, a 7-footer, previously had microfracture surgery on his right knee, costing him his rookie season in 2007-08.
So far in three NBA seasons, he has played only 82 games, averaging 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
Oden was finally showing signs of being a force before the most recent injury. He was averaging nearly 16 points in the seven games before he was hurt.
“Sometimes in life you have to go through a situation like this, and he’s had to go through that,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said. “It’s another situation where injuries have taken him out. You try to look at the situation and handle it appropriately.”
Oden now practically lives in the weight room, working to strengthen his leg. It’s a long shot, but he hopes to return before the season ends.
“There’s a possibility,” he said. “I couldn’t give you an exact time, but I do know there’s a possibility.”
Oden knows his lack of time on the court, coupled with his being drafted No. 1 overall, makes him a target for criticism.
The shots come in faster and harder now that Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, the No. 2 pick in 2007, has become an All-Star.
Oden tries not to pay attention to his critics.
“I don’t really care (what people say),” he said as his facial expression turned serious. “I know what I’m capable of. I think I was on the brink of showing that before I got injured. All I can do is rehab and get myself back to where I need to be and continue to show I can do it.”
Oden had hoped he could focus on rehabbing while taking a college course at Portland State University and supporting his teammates. But his image took another hit when nude photos of him taken a year and a half ago surfaced on the Internet in January.
He called it an “unfortunate” incident and said his teammates now like to joke with him about it.
Through it all, Oden tries to stay upbeat, even as another NBA season unfolds without him.
“You have to be able to stay loose about everything that’s going on with my injury problems,” Oden said. “With this happening twice and the amount of time and games I have missed, the No. 1 pick pressure, it’s tough. You have to be able to look at yourself and have fun.”
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