Greg Oden’s rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers ended before it started when the 7-footer had knee surgery Thursday.
The former Indiana high school star who was the top pick in the June draft went in for an exploratory procedure on his right knee and ended up having microfracture surgery, which means he will sit out the season.
“Greg looked at me as he was coming out of his surgery, and he and his mom, Zoe, probably said ‘sorry’ 20 times,” Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard said.
“I could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. And as a leader and as leaders of this organization, my first thought was how lucky we were to have a guy that cares about the organization that much.”
Dr. Don Roberts performed the surgery to repair the damage, which Pritchard described as the size of a fingertip. Oden is expected to be on crutches for up to eight weeks. Full recovery likely will take six to 12 months, the team said.
“At this point in time, we don’t see him coming back this season,” Pritchard said.
The loss of Oden before the season was a blow to the organization. There was much fanfare when the Blazers got the first pick in the draft, and even more when the team chose Oden. He was Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in 2006 at Lawrence North, leading the team to three straight state titles.
