As fans, we often toss around all-encompassing labels
to describe athletes.
Whether positive or negative,
we tend to run with the player's public perception
as facts set in stone,
often forgetting exactly how they got there.
These perceptions, either earned or not,
don't just happen overnight, though.
Players and coaches go through a journey of events
before we hit them with the label that can stick
even after they retire.
In the case of Greg Oden, he's consistently labeled
as one of the biggest busts in the history of the NBA.
It's a narrative that even Oden himself
has come to accept.
Athletes typically fit this description when they fail
to meet a certain level of expectations.
But Oden's case is unique.
To fully understand why Oden is perceived this way,
we have to remember his extreme potential,
how the NBA operated before he was drafted,
and distinguish why not all busts are the same.
It's impossible to reach this level of notoriety
that Oden has without first gaining hype.
If it weren't for an NBA rule change,
Oden would've been drafted number one overall
fresh outta high school.
Scouts regarded the towering center out of Indianapolis
with an extensive list of accolades
as the most dominant big man
to enter college in a generation.
It's high praise for such a young talent
but Oden reinforced the claim.
After just four games with the Ohio State Buckeyes,
Oden was being compared to NBA greats.
Journalists saw Oden as someone already fit for the pros.
Standing at seven feet tall,
Oden had unreal agility and quickness
for someone that large.
As a defender, his excellent instinctive timing allowed him
to swat balls into the crowd nightly
and rebound at a superb level.
On offense, Oden was extremely efficient around the rim
and bodied opponents in the paint.
He could get a basket whenever he pleased
but often deferred to his teammates, keeping them involved.
His selflessness led ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla
to say he was Bill Russell-like.
Yes, Bill Russell, the 11 time NBA champion
whose name Fraschilla didn't toss around lightly.
Oden was simply that good.
Oden had a marvelous freshman season leading his team
to an NCAA finals appearance where the Buckeyes lost
despite a monster performance from him.
Making opponents look like children all season
is how you put yourself in the conversation
for the first overall draft pick
ahead of National Player of the Year, Kevin Durant.
It wasn't a shock to anyone, even Durant,
who said he'd never seen anyone with the type of skillset
that Oden possessed.
Of course, the players themselves don't choose
where they're drafted.
And after having only a 5.3% chance
of winning the prized pick in 2007,
the Portland Trailblazers faced a tough dilemma.
Blazers fans had lived through the disastrous outcome
of the organization's top picks in the past,
especially with big men who struggled with injuries.
While becoming a legend in Portland,
Bill Walton struggled with lingering foot problems
throughout his career.
In 1984, the Blazers notoriously selected Sam Bowie,
one spot before famed Space Jam actor, Michael Jordan.
In the case of this particular large fella though,
Oden didn't have a severe injury history.
Even when he did have an issue with his wrist in college,
scouts believed the injury was a blessing in disguise.
Knee issues typically plague big men,
but if Oden were to be the guy for the Blazers,
Portland GM Kevin Pritchard did his due diligence
and found that Oden's test results were pristine.
To the delight of the Blazers fans who packed
out the Rose Garden chanting, "We want Oden"
during the draft, Portland got their guy.
The status of being selected number one overall
of course comes with immense pressure
but franchise altering big men don't grow on trees.
And in the league where titles were won by teams
who employ commanding large fellas,
Portland was prepared to groom Oden as the next dude.
The organization felt that Oden met the team's needs
over Durant's potential.
Portland already had two young promising prospects
in LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy.
And mixing in Oden's unique skillset was expected
to bolster their roster.
Oden strived to win a championship with Portland
but quickly learned you have
to take things a step at a time.
After fouling out in his summer league debut
and following it up by doing it again in his second outing,
Oden remembered some much needed advice from David Robinson
on how to navigate the difficulties of the NBA.
The former championship center told Oden
that patience was necessary.
But there's a drastic difference
in learning the patience it takes to transition to the NBA
versus not being able to play at all.
Oden experienced some swelling in his right knee
during training camp.
He went in for an exploratory procedure
that discovered a defect in the cartilage of his knee
which required microfracture surgery.
The operation abruptly
ended Oden's highly anticipated rookie season
before it began.
Oden said he felt a sharp pain
while on vacation a month before the surgery
but kept it to himself
because he didn't think it was anything major
and didn't want to make any excuses so early in his career.
Following the surgery, Oden apologized profusely
to Pritchard for being hurt.
Only reassuring the GM of his character
and dedication to the organization.
Many highly touted rookies miss their first season
for various reasons.
But Oden was the first to ever miss an entire year
due to an injury.
It was unprecedented.
Oden sat and watched the '07-'08 Blazers finish the season
on the brink of the playoffs.
And mighta had a chance at making it had he played.
All Oden could do was focus on getting stronger
through his rehab.
And after spending a whole year grinding,
he was ready to make his debut the ensuing season.
At long last Oden had the opportunity
to prove his worth of a number one pick.
And it came against the defending
Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers.
But what was supposed to be a celebratory debut
ended in disaster.
Oden turned in an uninspiring performance
that was sadly cut short because of a foot injury.
Getting hurt in his first ever NBA game
on top of missing a season
only prompted more concern from the media.
When he returned after missing two weeks,
Oden played disjointed and inconsistent at times
but started to flash his potential
through impressive outings.
Despite dropping breakout performances,
the jury was still out on his play.
Even rapper Lil' Wayne said he felt like Oden
had something to prove before he escaped bust territory.
Weezy F Baby had spoken and the F stood for fraud.
While all the claims on Oden's talent
might have been premature,
it didn't help that he added more fuel to the fire.
One game before the All-Star break
where Oden was set to showcase his talents
in the Rising Stars game, he suffered another injury.
This time to his left knee.
Weighed down by injuries and expectations,
the typically joyful Oden appeared defeated.
He admitted that he hadn't fully recovered
from his first knee surgery.
And although he would miss time again,
he thought it would be beneficial
to step away from basketball for a moment.
For a player that the media was ready
to give up on so quickly taking time to clear his mind
seemed to do wonders for Oden
because he returned with newfound confidence.
As he worked his way back into the lineup,
his numbers weren't impressive,
but he was clearly improving as a player,
looking more comfortable each game.
Even starting to smile again.
Flashing a toothy grin may not seem like a big deal,
but Oden had been tough on himself all season
and was beginning to play like he didn't seem concerned
about how his knee would respond.
The dude was finally feeling good
and excited to hit the court.
The Blazers went on to lose against the Houston Rockets
in the first round of the playoffs
with Oden struggling in the series against Yao Ming,
but it only seemed to motivate him.
While Oden didn't finish
with the rookie season he envisioned,
he got to work immediately in the off season.
Oden slimmed down and focused on different parts of his game
in an effort to take that next step forward.
He was beginning to show true glimpses of his potential.
There's often a moment in a player's career
that you can identify as a turning point
of how we stamped them in history.
The guy that Portland passed on in 1984
has a ton of them to choose from
but there's no denying he's known as the G.O.A.T.
Oden had his moment, too.
But after it happened, he would no longer have the chance
to escape the bust label that followed him
since he entered the league.
On December 5th, 2009, in the first quarter of a matchup
against the Rockets, Oden collided with Aaron Brooks
and dropped to the floor, clutching his left knee.
The Rose Garden fell silent as the fans
watched their future franchise star grimace in pain,
holding the same knee he injured 10 months ago.
After 21 games on the season,
Oden fractured his patella
and needed another season ending surgery.
The seven foot gentle giant felt
like he disappointed his teammates once again
and apologized once he received his diagnosis.
Despite Oden's confidence that he'd return,
the sad reality was he'd never suit up for Portland again.
Over the next few years, Oden suffered a number of setbacks
leading to even more surgeries.
The Blazers released him in 2012.
Going from a top pick with mighty expectations
to being shelved for most of your career
altered how we perceived Oden coming into the NBA.
When Oden landed in Portland, fans were thrilled
about the potential trio of Oden, Roy, and Aldridge,
proclaiming the three would lead the franchise
to another championship.
The thought wasn't farfetched.
In the 62 games that the gifted trio played in together,
the team finished with an impressive 52 and 10 record.
Had they stayed healthy,
the Blazers could have been a legit title contender.
But during five years in Portland,
Oden played a total of 82 games.
While many speculated that Oden would retire
after Portland released him,
he was focused on getting healthy
and didn't care how the injuries affected his legacy.
He just wanted to hoop.
Oden got that second chance joining the Miami Heat
after taking a year off to regroup.
But he was never able to establish himself
as a consistent rotation player
and only appeared in what would be the final 23 games
of his NBA career.
Throughout all the injury riddled years,
journalists feverishly compared Oden's draft day
to Portland's dreadful past selection
of Sam Bowie over MJ.
Media members claimed that Portland was cursed.
People were talking about Oden more as an idea
than an actual individual.
The organization again valued need over potential talent
and feelings on the Oden pick were only amplified
by Durant continuing to grow
into one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA.
But is it fair to be considered a bust
if you never have the chance to perform?
Durant didn't think so
and rejected anyone calling Oden a bust
saying it's nonsense.
KD argued that Oden never got the chance to prove himself,
seeing Oden more as a human being who didn't get a fair shot
rather than just a commodity to a team.
It's a rare way to think considering how highly drafts picks
are valued, but life is a little deeper than basketball.
On the outside, it appeared that Oden had fully come
to terms with becoming the poster boy
for injury prone prospects.
But on the inside, Oden battled his own demons.
Through all the setbacks, Oden transformed
from an exuberant guy with a shining smile
to an introvert rarely giving insight into his life.
It wasn't until after Portland released him
that Oden fully opened up in a candid interview
with his friend and former Buckeye teammate, Mark Titus.
Oden truly valued his privacy
and many people weren't aware that he had entered the league
with a dark cloud already hanging over him.
At Ohio State, Oden's childhood friend died
in a car accident that left Oden shattered.
He went down a destructive path of drinking
and doing things he admitted he shouldn't be doing.
The added news of his first knee surgery
certainly didn't help.
Oden longed for a veteran presence in Portland
for support on navigating the NBA lifestyle
but felt like he was all alone.
Even when he was healthy,
Oden used drinking to celebrate the highs
and forget the lows.
Oden managed to pull himself out of his rut
and quit drinking in the off season
after his true rookie year.
But then that happened.
A month later, nude photos of Oden leaked online
leaving him so devastated that he locked himself
in his home for days and feared showing his face in public.
Oden turned to a sports psychologist for help.
And just as he was making strides
both mentally and physically,
the Blazers hired these same psychologists
before the new season began
leaving Oden suspicious of the team's true intentions.
Oden didn't only lose trust in the organization
but it impacted his health.
When the start of the 2010-11 season neared,
Oden believed he was making progress,
but didn't think his body was ready
to practice at full speed.
Feeling guilty that he missed so much time
during his first three seasons,
Oden admitted to rushing back to practice,
which wasn't a great plan.
Fast forward through another year of rehab
and Oden suffered another setback after again feeling
like he was forced to return to the court
before he was ready.
Oden didn't want to put the blame fully
on Portland's medical staff, but it's not the best look
for a franchise that was rumored
to be one of the league's worst
while simultaneously poorly handling the rehab
of another franchise star.
Look, none of this is to make excuses for Oden.
People handle death in different ways.
And Oden used drinking as a coping mechanism
to ease the pain of losing his childhood friend.
He made his decisions.
It's just tough not to wonder if things
could have gone differently if he'd landed with another team
and gotten the guidance he desperately searched for.
Or even someone to tell him to rest
until he was fully healthy.
While Oden was very aware
of all the claims calling him a bust
and the never ending comparison to Durant,
he never felt sorry for himself.
What bothered Oden the most
was never getting the real opportunity to prove his worth.
It hurt him so much because he felt
that if he had gotten that shot,
he would've been an All-Star, as well.
And hey, maybe that's just Oden believing in himself.
But in his last seven games before the injury
that finished his Blazer's career,
Oden was dropping impressive stat lines on limited minutes
including a 20 rebound performance.
Numbers don't lie.
So, while it's easy to call Oden the biggest bust
in the history of the NBA, consider the factors at play
for the others that bear that claim.
Whether it's being considered a bust because of poor play,
not panning out to the potential of a high draft pick,
or being classified as uncoachable,
Oden never got his real opportunity to prove us wrong.
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