Greg Oden, the oft-injured center for the Portland Trail Blazers, is injured again. Although his latest knee injury was supposed to heal up quickly, he’s still not back and now it’s been over three weeks.
Asked recently when he thought he’d be back, he hinted at the possibility of missing the rest of the season. His teammate Brandon Roy also hinted that Oden won’t be seen again for the rest of the 2009 NBA season.
In the fantasy world, this is obviously bad news for Oden owners. If you were holding out hope that he’d be able to come back and help …read more

1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
A lot of NBA scouts thought Derrick Rose may need a year or two before he was ready to shine in the NBA. They were wrong. This Bulls rookie point guard is already the best player on his team and he’ll be a top five fantasy point guard before too much longer.
2. OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
While the Grizzlies aren’t that good, OJ Mayo is putting on a show. He’s proving to be a very good scorer on the NBA level. Surprisingly his shooting percentages are healthy and he’s doing a good job of not turning the …read more

Using John Hollinger’s PER statistic, which undervalued players may become viable fantasy basketball players if their minutes increase? Here’s a look at a few fantasy basketball sleepers as indicated by PER:
Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
This one is rather obvious. Although the Blazers are purposely monitoring Greg Oden’s minutes, it’s no secret that he’s a stud in the making. Now would be a good time to buy low on Oden before he takes over the starting job and really explodes onto the scene. The only risk regarding Oden is an injury risk, although that risk is definitely worth the reward at …read more

Greg Oden on Friday finally had the type of Greg Oden game we’ve all been waiting for. After missing his entire rookie season, getting hurt in the first game of his second rookie season and then playing a mostly invisible first game after his return from injury, we got to see Oden’s potential.
Against the New Orleans Hornets, the Portland Trail Blazers center had 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots in 24 minutes of action. All things considered, it was a great game by Oden and puts him right back on the fantasy basketball radar for 2008.
If you are …read more

Less than three minutes into the first game of his rookie season, Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden landed wrong and injured his foot. Although he was able to play the rest of the first half, he couldn’t go in half number two. A later examine is calling it a sprained foot that will force him to miss 2-to-4 weeks of action.
This is obviously devastating news for Greg Oden fantasy owners. Injury had to be a concern during the fantasy draft and an injury in the first game is not something you wanted to hear. Even though the official prognosis …read more

Kevin Martin is having a very good preseason. In the video at the end of this entry, you can see Martin crossover Rudy Fernandez and then dunk on Greg Oden. The video is from a recent preseason game between the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers.
In preseason, Martin is averaging 20.5 points in only 26.3 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 60.9% from the floor, 37.5% from beyond the three-point arc and 88.6% from the free throw line.
If you are looking for a scorer on your fantasy basketball team, it’ll be tough to do much better than Martin. While …read more

LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers
Although Greg Oden is getting most of the publicity, LaMarcus Aldridge very well could be the better player during the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season. He’s a player that seems to be improving each time he steps out onto the court and could become a star in his third season.
Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
Most league pundits expect Michael Beasley to put up decent stats. But don’t forget that this sleeper was just a certified beast as a freshman in college. If he can adapt quickly to the NBA, he could end up the year as a top eight …read more

Greg Oden didn’t start his 2008 NBA training camp the way he wanted. According to a report on the internet, Oden tweaked his ankle on the first day of training camp. After walking around gingerly, Oden reportedly retreated to a stationary bike.
After missing all of last season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee, any injury knees for Oden has to make Portland Trail Blazers fans nervous. Although from all accounts this latest injury scare is minor, it is definitely noteworthy.
If Oden can remain healthy, he’ll start at center in what promises to be a much improved Trail Blazers team. …read more

5) Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers
Although it’s definitely a long shot, Rudy Fernandez has a chance to win the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year award. He’s the most hyped player coming from the NBA from Europe and showed in the Olympics that he has an immense amount of talent.
4) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
The number one pick of the 2008 NBA Draft doesn’t have the best chance of winning the award for the NBA’s best rookie. He’s playing on a team that has a lot of good players and he may not be forced into a large amount of minutes …read more

While Greg Oden hasn’t made any noise on an NBA court yet, he has been making noise off the court — literally. Check out this hilarious video of Greg Oden signing the N’Sync song “It’s Gotta Be Me”.
Oden has always been known as a clown and this video enforces that perception. It’s good to see Oden having fun but it will be better to see him playing basketball again. Fans of the Portland Trail Blazers have to be counting down the days until they get to see their 2007 NBA Draft first overall pick.
Here is the Greg …read more