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 lead your team to victory, that hope seems to be dying. In dynasty leagues, Oden’s value might have hit another new low.

It’s too early to call Oden a bust but he’s definitely looking like a candidate. He missed his whole first season after a knee injury. Get hurt in the first game this season. And is now hurt again and may be out for the season.

Dynasty owners also have to start wondering whether Oden will be able to mentally tackle this challenge. His NBA career has started off very bumpy. Not only do we not know if his body will hold up, we also have to wonder if his mind and spirit will hold up.

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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 ball over too much. Overall, Mayo is adjusting very quickly to the NBA level.

3. Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
The Heat coaching staff has been hard on Michael Beasley — benching him for poor play. But when he’s on the court, Beasley’s natural talent shines through. He can score and rebound effortlessly and he’s destined to get better as the season progresses.

4. Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
After a slow start to the season, Greg Oden is coming into his own. He’s still not starting but that is only a matter of time. Once he does, he’ll be a double-double machine for the next 15 years — as long as he stays healthy.

5. Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers
Rudy Fernandez is the Blazers’ energy player off the bench. For your fantasy team, Fernandez can do a little bit of everything. If his minutes go up, he could really turn into a fantasy force by the end of his rookie campaign.

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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 this point.

Ryan Anderson, New Jersey Nets
No one is really talking about Ryan Anderson. If you think of Nets bigman rookies, you are going to think of Brook Lopez first. However, if you look at the stats, Anderson is producing quite nicely. Once the Nets really start losing and start trying to get as many ping pong balls as possible, expect Anderson to get plenty of minutes.

Brandan Wright, Golden State Warriors
Brandan Wright had very good per minutes stats as a rookie. His per minute stats are even better as a sophomore. Although the Warriors have some good bigman options, Wright could eventually find himself in the starting lineup. This becomes even more likely if the Warriors are able to find a trade partner to ship out Al Harrington.

Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers
Although Marreese Speights doesn’t get many minutes, his PER statistic makes him look like a potential fantasy basketball sleeper. The problem for Speights will be minutes. Playing behind Elton Brand, there won’t be many minutes at power forward for the Sixers. If there is an injury on the Sixers frontline, picking up Speights would be the smart move.

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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 worried about his mobility or his athleticism, check out the Greg Oden video at the end of this entry. As you can see in the video, he’s still explosive and has the potential to be a dominant defensive center.

Fantasy basketball-wise, Oden’s games in upcoming weeks will likely be hit or miss. The biggest reason being that he’s coming off the bench behind Joel Przybilla. Although he will undoubtedly reclaim the starting spot at some time, there are hints out of Portland that they may ease him back into the spotlight via a bench role.

If you can trade low for Oden, do so now. If he starts playing big minutes, he’s a double-double with 2+ blocks per game waiting to happen.

Here is the Greg Oden video of a huge block against the Hornets:

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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 has him possible back in as quickly as 14 days, that is doubtful. Since the Blazers have so much invested in him and he is such an injury risk, the team will likely keep him out for at least a month — if not longer.

While he’s out, you may consider picking up Joel Przybilla. He’s not a great fantasy player but he’s had his moments when given ample playing time. He can rebound, block shots and usually shoots for a high percentage. If he’s going to play 30+ minutes while Oden is out, he’s worth rostering until Oden proves he can stay on an NBA court.

In dynasty leagues, Oden owners are hurting even more. It was easy to call last season’s microfracture surgery a fluke. But now two years in a row? (Well, three if you count his one season at Ohio State.) Your best bet as an Oden dynasty league owner is to see if anyone is willing to buy high but more realistically, you might as well hold onto Oden and hope that he can get on the court eventually and up his value.

Speaking of dynasty leagues … do you want to join a dynasty league? We are looking for an owner.

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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 his all-around game isn’t fabulous, he has the potential offensively to be in the top handful of scorers. He mixes a good outside shot with a crafty driving ability that lands him on the free throw line quite often.

While the Kings will probably be a bad team, Martin looks like he’ll be a fantasy stud. Here’s the Kevin Martin video of him flummoxing the duo of Rudy Fernandez and Greg Oden:

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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 power forward in fantasy basketball.

Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats
Emeka Okafor is coming off of a season to forget. His progress seemed to stall and he just wasn’t as good as he was in previous years. With Larry Brown now in the fold to push him on a consistent basis, look for Okafor’s production to rise across the board.

Jermaine O’Neal, Toronto Raptors
Over the last few years, Jermaine O’Neal has been been slowed significantly by injuries and a bad environment. Now that he’s in a new situation, there’s a chance that he could return to his former self and be a fantasy basketball game changer.

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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. Many NBA pundits are saying Portland could very likely make the 2008 NBA playoffs. While that may be aiming a bit high, there’s no denying the talent Oden possesses and the young talent on the Blazers on a whole.

Here is a Greg Oden highlight video that helps explain why Oden is considered a can’t-miss NBA star:

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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 in his first season.

3) OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
If there is one thing OJ Mayo can do it is score the basketball. And since Rookie of the Year voting a lot of times comes down to scoring average, Mayo has a decent shot to take home the award.

2) Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
Michael Beasley can score and rebound at a very high level. If he gets enough touches in the Miami Heat offense, he could run away with this award. However, with Dwyane Wade needing a lot of shots, Beasley might have to defer in his rookie season.

1) Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
After missing his entire first season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee, Greg Oden is back and is eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. He’s one of the best center prospects to come out in a while and he’ll be in the spotlight all season long.

Can Derrick Rose surprise many and take home the ROY award?

Photo: Newscom

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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 Oden N’Sync video where he sings “It’s Gotta Be Me”:

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