"I just want to get back,'' said Oden in his first public comments since he suffered a fractured left kneecap Dec. 5, resulting in recent surgery. "They say I'm out for the whole year, but my plan is to work really hard and you never know. Hopefully I don't have to [be sidelined all season]. I'm hoping things are way ahead of schedule and I can come back at the end of the year.''
While Oden is trying to return to the court as quickly as possible, agents Bill Duffy and Mike Conley are promising to oversee a thorough investigation to understand why the No. 1 pick of the 2007 draft has suffered two major knee injuries in three NBA seasons. Oden missed his entire rookie season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee. Last year he sat out 14 games after suffering a bone chip in his left knee.
"Mike and I are going to do a thorough analysis of every aspect of Greg's physiology,'' Duffy told SI.com Thursday. "That means there will be no stone unturned in terms of really understanding his body -- the balance of his body, the symmetry of his body, the strength of his bones. Every aspect as relates to nutrition, DNA, muscle mass, everything we can study, we're going to dig into at this point.''
Duffy said he and Conley will seek out the best medical and training advice "around the world.''
"He's working hard and doing everything that he's asked,'' said Duffy of Oden. "But we're going to take it to the next level.''
I just hope he doesn't come back to soon. Rather him wait until next year to give it another shot rather than take a chance on reinjuring the same injury. Of course it may not matter, but he's only 21, don't think he's turn 22 yet, so there is still a lot of time for him to get and stay healthy.
Oden hopes to return this season
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