Hi, Captain Jack. My name is Jacob Greenberg, and I live and work in Seattle, Washington. I am your biggest fan, and I hope this letter finds you well.
I know you're a busy man, so I'll get right to it: please don't do what I know you're about to do. I'm begging you. Be a professional, Captain Jack. Keep it together.
A pretty quiet week in the Association. BG's historic dunk has dominated both the airwaves and the blogosphere, so I won't add to that clusterfuck.
Okay. Just one more time. In Slow-Mo.
Damn.
Anyways, on tap for this week: the saddest story in the world, quality basketball in the upper midwest, and the real play of the week. Hint: it doesn't involve Blake Griffin. Let's get to it.
1. Praying for the Big O to be the Big Z.
On Friday, in almost an afterthought, we learned that Blazers center Greg Oden underwent another knee surgery -- his fifth in four years -- today in Vail, Colorado. While this doesn't officially end Greg Oden's season, it does certainly represent yet another setback in an injury saga that is unfortunately well-known. The procedure cleared out debris in Greg Oden's right knee, which hadn't had issues since 2007. I am no doctor, but it seems like a bad sign if your "good" knee ("good", as in "no ligament tears in four years") is deteriorating due to the rigorous activity of...rehab. That, to me, seems like a case of knees that cannot handle the rigors of professional basketball. Of course, Oden has only played 82 games over the last four seasons, and hasn't played an NBA game since late 2009.
At this point, the Greg Oden saga has become the NBA's greatest tragedy; an issue that is increasingly difficult to discuss without feeling some sense of sadness. Even the most optimistic observers would have to admit that a third missed season -- which this surgery seems likely to do, given Oden's typically slow recovery from any medical procedure -- would all but put an end to Greg Oden's career. In some ways, it would be a relief. Finally, all parties could move on with their lives, much like Yao Ming and the Rockets have done since he retired this past summer due to recurring foot injuries. Greg would be able to reinvent himself in some other basketball-related capacity, and the Blazers could receive some measure of closure about the failed Roy-Oden project.
However, as with any Greg Oden story, it is incumbent upon the author to provide some sort of ray of sunshine; some chance that it could all be okay. So, in that vein, here's your Golden Calf: Zydrunas Ilgauskas. You see, most people forget that Big Z spent the first part of his career managing chronic foot and ankle injuries. Drafted 20th in 1996 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he missed his entire rookie season due to a broken foot. After playing well in his second season (his actual rookie season), he signed a 6-year, $70 million dollar extension with the Cavs. He rewarded the Cavs with five games over the next two seasons, due to surgeries on his feet and ankles. He started out strong with the Cavs in the 2000-2001 season, but then injured his foot again, and missed the rest of the season. Most people thought he would retire, but he came back the next season (backing up Chris Mihm), and played in 62 games, still missing 20 games due to ankle sprains and sore feet. However, by the 2002-2003 season -- his eighth season since getting drafted -- Ilgauskas was finally becoming Big Z. He averaged 17.2 points and 9 rebounds per game, and was an All-Star for the struggling Cavs. Big Z would go on to play in one more All-Star game in 2005, and more importantly, would stay healthy throughout the nine remaining years of his career, in which he would go to the NBA finals twice. Not too bad, considering the hell he went through in the first part of his career.
So, don't give up on Greg, yet. He's young. I do think he'll have good, productive years as an NBA center. At least, I hope so.
