Greg Oden

Oden was cleared by his doctor to expand his basketball activities, only for the Blazers medical staff to determine the next day that he did not have a high likelihood of returning to the court this season due to a setback with his injured knee. His return is indefinite.

Oden showed real improvement on the court last season before a broken kneecap ended his year prematurely, as he averaged 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 60.5 percent from the field. As usual, foul trouble limited his minutes (23:53 mpg), but if you prorate that production over even modest floor time (think 30-35 minutes per game), we're looking at a fantasy stud. Of course, foul problems are far from Oden's biggest concern, which is staying healthy. Since being taken with the No. 1 pick in 2007, Oden has missed a whopping 164 games over three seasons. It may simply be he's too big to play NBA basketball on a consistent basis. Further leg injuries would hardly surprise for someone who's 7-0, 285. Oden hopes to be ready for the start of the 2010-11 season, but it's no guarantee, and missing out on the preseason would further delay his development. Oden's offensive game remains extremely raw and unpolished, but he's a beast on the glass and is already one of the top shot blockers in the league. While it was over just a 21-game sample, it was also nice to see Oden really improve his free throw shooting (76.6%) last season. With LaMarcus Aldridge at power forward and the addition of Marcus Camby at center, Portland has a crowded frontcourt, especially once Joel Przybilla (knee) eventually returns. Whether it's to protect him from injuries, foul trouble or battling teammates for playing time, Oden's not going to suddenly see a huge jump in minutes this year. Still, he has upside as a boom-or-bust fantasy pick.

After spending the entire 2007-08 season rehabbing from microfracture surgery on his knee, Oden made his NBA debut last season. Injuries continued to be the story for Oden as he missed 21 games due to knee and foot problems. In the 61 games he played, Oden showed flashes of the talent he displayed during his lone season at Ohio State, averaging 8.9 points and 7.0 rebounds in only 21 minutes per game. Coach Nate McMillan opted to limit Oden’s minutes as a way to ease him into the rigors of a full NBA season, but the 21-year old also contributed to his lack of playing time by being extremely foul prone, committing 3.9 per game despite the brief stints. Defensively, Oden only managed to block 1.1 shots per game, but he routinely altered shots and should become one of the league’s premiere shot blockers once his game matures. Oden’s biggest struggle is with the speed of the NBA. He appeared hampered by his injuries and struggled to run the floor for extended periods of time. The good news is Oden had an injury-free offseason for the first time since being drafted and was able to train with the Blazers’ staff all summer. There’s still plenty of injury risk involved with Oden, but he should enter camp healthier than he’s been since joining the NBA. And, regardless of his struggles during his rookie campaign, Oden has the skill at both ends of the floor to be a dominant force in the league for years to come.

Oden is one of the most heralded incoming rookie centers in NBA history, and having to wait an extra year to see him in the NBA game due to a knee injury has only heightened the anticipation. Oden has the potential to be a game-changer, but the question is: will that impact translate to fantasy numbers? We say yes. Like Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard, Oden is an athletic wonder who combines power, quickness, and leaping ability in a package should create nightmares for opponents. Unlike Howard and Stoudemire, though, Oden is a legitimate back-to-the-basket center who is very comfortable using his 7-1, 270-pound frame to control the paint, particularly on defense. Oden’s knee injury remains a concern, but at press time, he hadn’t had a setback. Assuming he’s 100 percent healthy, Oden should be among the league leaders in rebounding and shot blocking even as a rookie. His offensive game is less polished, but with the dearth of true centers in the league Oden should be able to score at a high percentage from the paint.

Oden is one of the most heralded incoming rookie centers in NBA history, and he has the potential to be a game-changer. The question is: will that impact translate to fantasy numbers? We say yes. Like Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard, Oden is an athletic wonder that combines power, quickness, and leaping ability (38-inch vertical!) in a package that creates nightmares for opponents. Unlike Howard and Stoudemire, though, Oden is a legitimate back-to-the-basket center that is very comfortable using his 7-1, 260-pound frame to control the paint, particularly on defense. He has the potential to place among the league leaders in rebounding and shot-blocking, even as a rookie. His offensive game is less polished, but with the dearth of true centers in the league Oden should be able to score at a high percentage from the paint. Our concerns, and they are minor: foul trouble and injuries. Oden simply hasn’t defended skilled players anywhere near his own size, and until he learns some of the tricks NBA vets will use to get position or knock defenders off-balance, he’s likely to generate a lot of whistles. But that’s true of any rookie big man. On the injury front, Oden reportedly had an arthroscopic procedure to check out his sore right knee recently, but as of yet there’s no reason to suspect anything major is wrong. [Update: Oden's out for the year after underdoing microfracture surgery on his knee].