HoopsHype.com Rumors

Sam Amico: Word is, Magic were interested in signing Greg Oden. That's probably changed for the time being. Twitter

Orlando Magic, Free Agency, Greg Oden 

The 7-foot Oden is not considering retirement, and while it's possible he could play by the middle of next season, there is no timetable for his return. Oden, the top pick of the 2007 draft, is an unrestricted free agent and about seven NBA teams stay in contact with his representatives to monitor his progress, according to the sources. ESPN.com

Free Agency, Greg Oden 

In an effort to revive his NBA career, Greg Oden recently underwent the controversial knee procedure that superstars Kobe Bryant and New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez say took years of wear off their bodies, according to sources. ESPN.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Injuries, Greg Oden 

Oden, whose career with the Portland Trail Blazers was derailed by four knee surgeries, had the non-evasive procedure done in New York two weeks ago to accelerate the healing process on his left knee, which was operated on in February. "Greg had long planned to have this procedure done,'' one of the sources said. "He thought he'd wait until his knee was completely healed, but the doctor said Greg would get the greatest benefit by doing it now because it would help his recovery.'' ESPN.com

Portland Trail Blazers, Injuries, Greg Oden 

Greg Oden, 7-0, hasn’t played since 2009-10 and is recovering from his fifth knee surgery in five seasons. A Grantland.com story said that "right now" Oden's plan is to take next season off to rehab, then come back in 2013-14. But his agent, Mike Conley Sr., told us Oden is positioned be ready to play in December or January "as far as being effective and in shape" and will explore options in the coming months, with the possibility of joining a team next season. But nobody obviously can know for sure when he will be ready. Miami Herald

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Injuries, Greg Oden, Agents 

The Heat hasn’t called but “Greg has talked about Miami," Conley said. "He has interest. He’s not retiring.” Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, has played just 82 career games for Portland (which released him in March) and averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Miami Herald

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Injuries, Greg Oden, Agents 

Greg Oden, 7-0, hasn’t played since 2009-10 and is recovering from his fifth knee surgery in five seasons. A Grantland.com story said that "right now" Oden's plan is to take next season off to rehab, then come back in 2013-14. But his agent, Mike Conley Sr., told us Oden is positioned be ready to play in December or January "as far as being effective and in shape" and will explore options in the coming months, with the possibility of joining a team next season. But nobody obviously can know for sure when he will be ready. The Heat hasn’t called but “Greg has talked about Miami," Conley said. "He has interest. He’s not retiring.” Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, has played just 82 career games for Portland (which released him in March) and averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. Miami Herald

Miami Heat, Free Agency, Greg Oden 

Greg Oden said Portland is a tough place to be young, rich and African-American. Do you agree? Wesley Matthews: "I wouldn't say it's uncomfortable, I would say it's tough to be young and rich anywhere, especially when you don't come from it. Greg had a lot of pressure on him since he stepped on the basketball court. He was always the biggest guy on every team, on every court. He went to the Final Four, No. 1 pick, he had a lot of stuff going. He was in the public eye for such a long time. Now you throw money into the equation, fame into the equation. It's not easy. "A lot of people want this life but they really don't at the same time. They don't see -- it's not a pity thing... A lot of people want the money but they don't want what comes with it or they don't understand what comes with it. I'm not saying, 'Oh my God, it's such a terrible life, and what the Hell and this and that,' but Greg was under the spotlight from an early age." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Wesley Matthews, Greg Oden 

Mark Titus on Greg Oden interview: "For him, he admits that turning to alcohol wasn't the right decision. I admire him for wanting that in the article. When he brought it up, I said, 'Greg, I'm not going to put this in the article.' He said, 'No, I want it in there. I want people to know the struggle I had.' He did bring it upon himself but still it's something he had to work through and grow through. He's since become a better person and more mature. It shows the path that he takes. He's just a 19 year old kid, 20, 21, trying to figure out this lifestyle. It's easy to say, 'You should be different because you're an NBA player,' but in a lot of ways it doesn't work that way. If I was thrown into that same situation I don't know if he could handle it any better. I get the criticism, but being his friend obviously I'm a little biased." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden 

I think I played with 10 guys at Ohio State who are in the NBA so a lot of my former teammates and coach Matta at Ohio State talked to Greg a lot during that time. A lot of people said the same thing: he's down in the dumps, he's depressed, he just wasn't himself. The way he was coping with it was alcohol. It just had an adverse effect on him. Even in the summer he would come to Columbus, I think it was the summer after he had been hurt all year, after his rookie season, he lived in Columbus in the summer and he was that way too -- he's usually a laid back guy, doesn't like to go out, when he was at Ohio State he would sit in the dorm all night, wasn't the type to go out to party or anything. Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden 

That summer he was out about every night and going to bars and doing all that. You kind of got the feeling that this isn't him. I heard that throughout the season from all sorts of my former teammates, that they saw Greg, that he's not himself, he's down in the dumps, he's not handling his friend's death well or the stuff that's going on in Portland well, you kind of feel for him. That's what I took away from his alcohol issue. He was depressed. I'm his friend and I'm biased but I took it like he's in a dark place and he is just having a terrible go at things right now versus he's a young athlete out partying trying to find girls and cause trouble. Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden 

What did Greg mean when he said that Portland isn't a great city for a young, black athlete? "Honestly I don't really know because I can't imagine what a good city would be to be in if you have a ton of money and you're famous and you're young. I don't know what city would be. I kind of looked at him like, 'What do you mean?' and he was like, 'That's all I'm going to say' but he had this look on his face like there was some deeper meaning. I've never been to Portland so I don't know what he was talking about. I don't know, maybe you guys can fill in the dots. I honestly have no idea and he didn't want to follow up on that. I don't know." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden 

Is he good with his money? Yeah he is. This is a funny story. After dinner, he drove me to his house and the car the valet brings up is a big van that he had kind of tricked out. It probably cost him like $18,000, like a normal economy van or something like that. He had the inside tricked out a little, nothing too crazy, it just had lights, some cool little CD player. I looked at him, like, 'Really?' He's like, 'Yeah, I don't want to waste my money on flashy cars.' Then he was like, 'But you know what? One week after I bought this van I found out Kevin Durant has had the exact same van for two years.' I just laughed at him. He's like, 'I can never get out of Kevin Durant's shadow' and he started rolling his eyes and laughing about it. He's good with his money. I think he'll be OK. Blazers Edge

Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Kevin Durant, Greg Oden 

There are interesting revelations. Remember the wrist injury that plagued him during his only season at Ohio State? Oden didn't get that playing basketball, as was originally reported, but rather in a fight with his brother Anthony. At one point in Portland, Oden sought the help of a psychologist, but ultimately grew to distrust him because he believed the man was sharing personal information with the Blazers. Two of Oden's closest allies -- his best friend and his cousin -- died abruptly years apart. Oregonian

Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden 

Joe Freeman: Oden's agent, Mike Conley, says #Blazers and Oden talked regularly and were always on same page to take as much time as needed during rehab. Twitter

Injuries, Greg Oden 

A Portland Trail Blazers spokesperson issued the following statement from president Larry Miller to a recent Grantland.com story that featured extensive comments from former Blazers center Greg Oden. "It’s easy to second guess all that factors into Greg Oden's career, but one thing we're certain of is that we took great care of Greg and always put his health and well being first. We were exceedingly patient and cautious with his return to the court in order that he would ultimately become the player we all dreamed he could be. "Unfortunately, things didn't turn out the way anyone would have liked., but we all have to turn the page now and move on. "We love Greg and always will. He's an outstanding young man and we wish him nothing but the best for the future." Blazers Edge

Portland Trail Blazers, Larry Miller, Injuries, Greg Oden 

Joe Freeman: Conley on #Blazers medical staff: "I felt they had his best interests at heart and I know Greg had a great relationship with Jay Jensen." Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers, Injuries, Greg Oden, Agents 

But after longing for a veteran role model the previous season, Greg got exactly what he wanted in his second year, only the results were disastrous. That's because it wasn't an NBA veteran who took Greg under his wing in his second season — it was his veteran cousin from the Air Force who moved into Greg's house in Portland. "If you know anything about guys in the Air Force," Greg explained, "it's that they drink a ton. My cousin got wrapped up in the NBA lifestyle and threw parties at my house all the time. So I got wrapped up in it too. When I played well, I'd drink to celebrate. And when I played poorly, I'd drink to forget. That second year in Portland I pretty much became an alcoholic." Grantland

Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden 

During the ensuing offseason, a much-needed period of self-reflection gave Greg the incentive to pull out of his rut. He stopped drinking, hired a chef to cook him healthy meals, and worked himself into the best shape of his life. Everything looked like it would pay off in the 2009-10 season — in his first 20 games, he averaged 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in less than 25 minutes a game. He was becoming the dominant center we had always expected him to be.2 And then this happened. Greg Oden hasn't played a single NBA minute since. Grantland

Portland Trail Blazers, Greg Oden 

"I'd be lying if I said that it didn't suck to see Durant doing so well," he said. "Only because every time he had a good game in those first few years, I knew I was going to get a bunch of crap from all of my haters. But that doesn't mean I dislike him as a person or anything like that. He's a good guy and one of the three best players in the league right now. The only reason it hurts to watch him play is because I know that if I got the chance to show what I've got, I could be making All-Star teams like he and Horford are, too. Grantland

Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Kevin Durant, Greg Oden