Greg Oden Mourns What Could Have Been If His Blazers Stayed Healthy

Portland could have boasted three Hall of Famers during his era.

Sept 29, 2009; Tualatin, OR, USA; Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden (52) speaks with the media after workouts at the Blazers camp at their practice facility in Tualatin, OR. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-Imagn Images / Steve Dykes-Imagn Images

Oft-injured former Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden remains one of the great "what-ifs" in Portland big man lore, joining the legendary likes of Bill Walton (who, during his brief Blazers tenure, did enough to cement his status as a Hall of Famer) and Sam Bowie (who did not cement his status as a Hall of Famer after somehow being drafted ahead of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton in 1984).

During a new interview on "The OGs Show," alongside longtime Miami Heat swingman Mike Miller (although he was on the Memphis Grizzlies by the time Oden arrived on the Heat) and Oden's eventual Miami teammate Udonis Haslem, the 7-foot would-be superstar waxed rhapsodic about what might have been in Portland, had he and oft-injured former All-Star Portland shooting guard Brandon Roy stayed healthy along with a young LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge did stay healthy, and probably has enough accolades to be a Hall of Famer.

Greg Oden believes that a Big 3 of him, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Brandon Roy would’ve been special if they had all stayed healthy

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"You look at that team that they had in Portland," Miller said, "if you stay healthy – I mean, there's a lot of 'ifs,' but [if] you stay healthy, Brandon Roy stays healthy, LaMarcus Aldridge [who did mostly stay healthy - Ed.] is young...."

Roy, like Oden, had a far briefer career than his talent would seem to have warranted. He was a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Teamer during his brief tenure with Portland, from 2006-11. A lack of cartilage in his knees ultimately ended his NBA career. He retired ahead of the 2011-12 season, and was amnestied by the Trail Blazers. He attempted a comeback in 2012-13, but ultimately retired for good after requiring another year-ending knee surgery. He played just five games for Minnesota.

"Everybody go YouTube 'Brandon Roy's top 10 plays.' You will be f---ing amazed at what this man used to [do], and it was so easy to him. Literally they called him 'The Natural' 'cause everything just came easy to him. He just did everything on the court, and it was so easy to him," Oden added.

The Ohio State All-American was selected by Portland with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Constantly dogged by lower-body injuries, the former All-American Second Teamer, All-Big Ten First Teamer, Pete Newell Big Man Award winner, and NABC Defensive Player of the Year only appeared in the equivalent of a single season, 82 games, across his five seasons with Portland. He was waived in 2012, following three micro-fracture surgeries.

After not having played since the 2009-10 season, Oden did make an NBA return to a major contender, Miller and Haslem's Heat, in time for the 2013-14 season. He appeared in 23 games (six starts), averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 boards. Oden cameoed in just three games for Miami during the club's run to the 2014 NBA Finals, where the Heat fell in five games to the San Antonio Spurs. All told, Oden appeared in 105 contests (66 starts) across just three healthy seasons, averaging 8.0 points on 57.4 percent field goal shooting and 65.8 percent free throw shooting, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks a night.

The big man concluded his career abroad, playing for Chinese Basketball Association squad the Jiangsu Dragons in 2015-16.

Oden has totally reinvented himself in retirement. The big man currently serves as the Director of Basketball Operations for the Butler Bulldogs.

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