Portland's Knees

Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden will need microfracture surgery on his left knee and will miss the remainder of the 2010-2011 NBA season. He missed his rookie season after surgery on his right knee; he played a total of only 82 games the following two seasons before breaking his left kneecap last December that has sidelined him since then. This was a crucial year for Oden, as his will become a restricted free agent next summer. If Portland will extend his contract is not even a question anymore, but if any team will sign him with those untrustworthy knees is the real question.

And this situation seems all too familiar to what makes Portland one of the laughingstock organizations of the league. In 1983, Portland selected Sam Bowie with its second overall draft pick before Michael Jordan, who was selected third by the Chicago Bulls. Jordan went on to become the greatest athlete of all time, whereas Bowie's career was plagued and marred with injuries. In 2007, Portland selected Oden with the number one overall draft pick over forward Kevin Durant, who is quickly blossoming into one of the greatest players we have today.

And to make matter worse, Portland's all-star guard Brandon Roy will miss the next two games with a sore left knee that has gotten worse and worse. During the first couple games of the season, we've seen Roy limp to the locker room during games, have his minutes severely limited, and be noticeably slower in his movement. It seems that Roy, who was arguably the third best shooting guard in the league today behind Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade, will never play at that all-star level, as sources directly related to his medical examinations say, "There's no real hope of improving [his knee]."

With Portland's cornerstone franchise player and future sensational talent both riddled with nagging injuries, their future doesn't look too bright.


- Leather Head