Greg Oden: An epilogue

If nothing else, Greg Oden's career has been good at putting Blazer fans through the emotional wringer.

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When the Trail Blazers won the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery, and essentially the rights to draft the coveted big man, it was absolute, pure joy in Portland.

We cheered. We danced in our living rooms. We held rallies in downtown Portland to welcome our newest hero and to celebrate the return of Rip City.

It marked the start of a new era, the beginning of great things for the franchise after years of disappointment.

After all this time, Oden was the final piece of the championship puzzle. This was our time.

We all eagerly awaited the future success that seemed just over the horizon.

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When Oden went down with season-ending surgery before his career even began, we were shocked. How could this have happened? Why now? What does this mean? Fans were in complete disbelief, and angry that all of our optimism would now have to be put on hold as the Blazers try to recover from such a devastating blow.

I remember pounding my fists and cursing. This was supposed to be the beginning of our glory days! It isn't fair to us, the fans! Why do we have to continually suffer?

We just finished going through years of mediocrity. When will this disappointment end?

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When Oden finally did make his debut in the fall of 2008, our anger turned to frustration.

Briefly during training camp, when it was announced that Oden would finally see the court, we were excited. Finally, it begins now.

But it was our expectations that were to blame when we were so bewildered by the start of Oden's playing career. He could barely run or jump, let alone execute a low-post move. He often looked lost on defense and tried to force things on offense.

This was not the same guy we drafted. We've waited this long, and this is what we get?

Sportswriters called his performance "underwhelming." And fans were left scratching their heads. Was this just the immediate byproduct of his surgery? Does he just need time to recover?

Will we ever see the real Greg Oden?

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When the fall of 2009 rolled around, fans were ready for anything from Oden.

And suddenly, that joy from 2007 had returned.

Oden was delivering on the basketball court. His points, blocks, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage were all up. Finally healthy, Oden was anxious to show the world what he could do on the basketball court.

For fans, it was a wake up call. This is why the Blazers drafted him, for performances like this. Coming off several injuries and seeing him make this improvement was a sign that he was just starting to tap into his potential as a powerful basketball player. Fans knew that he was only going to get better from here.

But the best laid plans...

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When a freak injury broke Oden's kneecap and forced him to miss the rest of the season, it was the moment Blazer fans stopped feeling sorry for themselves, and felt sorry for Oden.

We saw what he was capable of. We saw the hard work he put into his return to the court. This latest injury was not this kid's fault, and he did not deserve another setback in the face of all he had done.

Fans started to put aside their petty notions that their fandom was cursed, and faced the realization that this was a young kid going through about a traumatic of a career as you could ever imagine.

Seeing the work of the past months and his inspired early season play derailed like this, it made Oden human in our eyes. This was real. This wasn't TV, or NBA 2k9. This was our brother who was in pain.

Throughout Oden's early career and the injuries and surgeries that accompanied it, Blazer fans always had a sense of "Why us?"

This was the moment were we finally asked "why him?"

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But when it was announced that Oden would need season-ending surgery again, even before he came back from his previous season-ending surgery, Blazer fans didn't feel sadness.

We don't feel anger, frustration, confused, or scared.

We feel numb.

It's almost as if we have been desensitized to the injuries, the surgeries, the rehabilitation, the apologies, the promises, all of it.

Oden's status has always been the cloud over the Blazers. Sometimes we've seen dashes of sunlight. Other times, when it's rained, it's poured. But Blazer fans don't want to keep looking at the clouds anymore wondering if we're going to get a good day.

Oden's career has given us the highest of highs. I'll never forget the optimism and enthusiasm that followed Draft Day 2007, the feeling of hope. We'll always hand on to that moment.

Oden's career has given us the lowest of lows. Injury after injury after injury, never allowing Greg to fully show what he was capable of.

Greg, the team, the management and the fans all deserve better. Maybe in time, the memories won't seem so bad.

But as of right now, we just don't want it all anymore.

Oden's injury tells a different story this time around

In 2007, when I first saw the news that Greg Oden would miss his entire rookie season with a knee injury, I fell to the floor like I'd been shot.

I screamed.

I pounded my fists against the ground.

I cursed in front of my journalism professor.

In short, I was angry. Angry at the world, at the basketball gods, at everything.

I was angry at the thought of the Blazers' number 1 pick being a bust. Angry at the uncertain outlook the Blazers' season now had. Angry at the concept of a year full of "Sam Bowie" quips.

It was simply a searing, unrelenting anger at it all.

But last night, as I received the news that Greg Oden would miss the rest of the 2009-2010 season with a knee injury, I had a different reaction:

I sat quietly, hung my head, and felt nothing but emptiness.

There was no anger this time. Only a sense of unfairness, and sadness.

Man Blazer fans are feeling the same way right now. "How could this happen to Greg?" We're wondering. "After everything he's been through, after everything that has happened in the last 3 years, why? It's not fair, not fair at all."

Unlike what we felt two years ago, the emotions we're feeling now aren't anger, but regret that something so bad could happen to someone like Greg Oden. As bad as Blazer fans may feel about the ramifications on the team, fans are feeling even worse about how this could happen to Greg.

To me, those feelings - regret, sadness, sympathy - speak volumes about just how important Greg Oden is to the Portland Trail Blazers, and how much he means to us fans.

Two years ago we didn't know Greg Oden well, and when he was injured we quickly let anger flow through us, because that was all we had. It's easy to get angry over someone you don't know.

But in the time since then, we've gotten to know Oden. We saw his heart, strength, and determination in coming back from knee surgery. We saw his commitment to returning to the team and helping the Blazers get better. We saw him strive to improve his game. And we slowly saw his wonderful personality shine through again. With every step he took in his return, we saw the dedicated person that Oden is.

He earned a spot in the hearts of Blazer fans.

And that's what made it hurt so much to see him writing on the floor in pain Saturday night. Here was a young man who did everything right: he bided his time, waited his turn, worked hard every day, and was finally starting to reap the benefits of his long journey back. We were there along with him every step of the way, cheering him on and encouraging him, because, well, he's family now.

Seeing him clutch his knee in agony was one giant gut punch for Blazer fans.

My friend Alex called me shortly after it was announced that Oden would miss the rest of the season. We talked about how the Blazers will adjust and any moves they should make. Then he asked me whether I thought it would be wise to extend Oden's contract next year, considering his number of injuries.

I immediately answered yes.

The feelings that Blazer fans have right now after his injury prove that he is someone worth keeping around.

The fact that we can be so heartbroken over this, instead of feeling angry or jaded, shows that on some level we have acknowledged the tremendous strides Oden has made, and the great things that are still in store. We've seen Greg grow both in his game and personality, and we've seen the beginnings of a franchise cornerstone.

The situation is making us feel so empty because we know how great things are going to be. We've seen the first steps being made.

Right now it's a devastating setback, but Blazer fans know that Oden will be worth the wait ... again. It may kill us inside to not see him on the court this year, and we may be filled with doubt and uncertainty until he takes the court again, but there's a reason we're feeling sad instead of angry.

We've seen Greg Oden experience daunting obstacles before and emerge from them. We know he can do it again.

We're not angry that Oden will never enjoy amazing heights in his career - we're sad because he has to wait a little longer to reach them.