When the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Greg Oden first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft, team leaders assumed they were getting a franchise-changing center who would cornerstone the franchise for seasons to come. Instead, Portland’s top pick returned a player who couldn’t stay on the court due to injuries, and whose performance on the court was limited even when he could manage to play. Oden’s NBA career definitely left fans wanting more, especially after a promising prep career and an NCAA championship run as a star freshman at Ohio State. Oden took it a step further when he told ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that “I’ll be remembered as the biggest bust in NBA history.”
FILE – In this Sept. 30, 2013, file photo, Miami Heat player Greg Oden poses for photos during the team’s media day in Miami. FILE – In this March 24, 2014, file photo, Miami Heat center Greg Oden shoots a free throw during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Miami. Oden told ESPN in an interview published online Nov. 11, 2016 that he’ll go down as the “biggest bust in NBA history.” (AP Photo/J Pat Carter, File)
While Oden didn’t have the standout professional career that many projected that he would, labeling himself “the biggest bust” could be a stretch. Perry Green and Stephen D. Riley of the AFRO Sports Desk debate whether or not Oden has a case.
Riley: Oden went too far with his statement—I wouldn’t consider him anywhere close to the biggest bust in NBA history. It’s hard for me to critique players who are frequently injured. If you’re talented enough to play, but just can’t because of injury or other circumstances, then you’re not a bust to me. If a player is drafted high enough to be a franchise-savior and that player just absolutely stinks, then that’s a flat out bust to me. Oden was a beast at Ohio State and nearly averaged a double-double in his second season in the league. The talent was there—he just couldn’t stay healthy.
Green: It doesn’t matter if a player isn’t good or is injured; either way they’re not helping the franchise that drafted them, which makes them a bust. The fact that Oden was chosen just ahead of Kevin Durant definitely makes him one of the biggest busts in NBA history. Before entering the league, Oden was billed as the next Bill Russell. The expectations and projections were off the chart for the big man coming into the draft. There was talk before Oden’s freshman season that the Boston Celtics would tank the season just to have a shot at landing him. Yet, he was drafted ahead of the future MVP Durant and did absolutely nothing for Portland or Miami during his stints with those teams. I agree with Oden that he was a bust, but I still wouldn’t put him as the biggest bust ever. There’s still Kwame Brown, who was picked first overall in the 2001 draft by the Washington Wizards. They made him the first player to be taken No. 1 overall straight out of high school, and he never lived up to the hype. There’s also former Trail Blazer Sam Bowie, who was picked No. 2 overall in the 1984 draft, one pick ahead of the great Michael Jordan. Bowie had a decent career, but never came close to the legacy that Jordan created.
Riley: I don’t see how you blame Oden for injuries. And it isn’t like Durant has a string of championships to his name, so I can’t see how Oden going in front of him is such a horrible blunder. Had it been LeBron James, Michael Jordan or Tim Duncan, that’s a different discussion. An MVP award and some scoring titles haven’t equaled a championship for Durant, so what has Portland really missed out on? Saying someone is the biggest bust in NBA history is a strong statement that stretches across decades. A lot of players could probably challenge for the title, but Oden wouldn’t be the first name on my list.
Green: Even once you get past Durant, Al Horford and Mike Conley were taken later in that same draft, along with a host of other role players and all-stars. The 2007 draft was stocked with big-name talent. Some players are drafted just to fill roles, but Oden was supposed to reorganize Portland’s entire franchise and turn them into instant contenders. It never panned out and all of Oden’s potential was lost due to bad feet and knees. It was a colossal let-down for the Trail Blazers, and we never saw the next Bill Russell. If the man himself is saying that he’s the biggest bust in NBA history, which speaks volumes. I don’t agree with him being the No. 1 bust, but I can see him as the third biggest bust ever behind Brown and Bowie.
