Subscribe Feed (RSS)This is written by Will Carroll, whose work in basketball and baseball is always worth a read:
Many are also conjuring up images of Sam Bowie, but let’s be clear: Oden doesn’t have a chronic foot problem, the type that ended or altered the course of the careers of Walton and Bowie. This is closer to a simple ankle sprain, the single most common injury in the NBA, and one that happens most often when a player lands on another player’s foot, though many would guess it comes more from this type of thing. No one seems too panicked about the fortunes of Michael Redd, Peja Stojakovic or Carmelo Anthony, All-Star-level players currently out with ankle sprains of varying severity.
It’s difficult enough to project what a player will do over the course of a season, let alone a career. The pressure of being a number-one pick is one thing, but Oden is also considered the heir to the Big Man Throne held by Shaquille O’Neal for the past decade, reaching back to Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and George Mikan. Like Walton, he’s considered the savior of a franchise that’s been more known for arrests than wins. It may be that Oden never meets any of the lofty expectations put on him, but by calling him a bust after less than a full game and a fluky injury that could have happened to anyone who happened to land on another player’s foot, we’re doing ourselves more of a disservice than we are to Oden. He may end up being injury-prone, but as with everything else surrounding his NBA career, it’s just too early to know whether he’s the next Shaq or Wilt or the next Walton or Bowie.
In the end, this is one more pretty smart person telling us to just relax, have patience and not panic. You should check out the entire piece.
Tags: Basketball Prospectus, Bill Walton, Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, Sam Bowie, Will Carroll
