The Portland Trail Blazers fan base has been through a lot recently. Damian Lillard hasn't formally requested for a trade just yet, but his fealty to the franchise seems to be at the lowest point that it's ever been. But it's far from lowest point in their recent history.
Every Blazers fan remembers the true tragedy that was Greg Oden and Brandon Roy. Both players were franchise-changing talents that had multiple All-Star selections and a legitimate title window in their future. Instead, both players were robbed of the chance due to injuries that never fully healed.
In an appearance on Michael Porter Jr.'s Curious Mike program, Roy recently sat down and got to talking about the Blazers title team that never was when Greg Oden first joined as a rookie.
“I was like, man. I remember calling my dad and he was like, ‘how good is he?' And I was like, ‘oh, we can win a championship.' For the first time in my life, playing with him I was like we could win a championship. He was that good.”
“Now I'm not saying we could win it that year, but having him on the team we had everything we needed to win a championship because he filled a lot of those holes. Once he got comfortable in games, I was telling Nate [McMillan], ‘I'm kinda bored.' because Greg does so much.”
Greg Oden had microfracture surgery in 2007, the year the Blazers drafted him, so his true rookie season was in 2008-09. At that point Roy was already an All-Star, but even he realized that Oden was a different breed at the time. Even LaMarcus Aldridge, who was well on his way to future All-Star appearances, had to “figure out” how to play with such an imposing presence.
“Man, he makes the game so damn easy. Me and LaMarcus had to figure out how to play with him because even when he'd get post touches. They're doubling so we're more open and we're not used to being open.
The Blazers guard also definitively shattered Greg Oden's “bust” label. He was adamant that beyond the injuries, he was the furthest thing from a bust.
“He was a special player and I hate when people try to say “bust”. But if he was never injured, there's no way in hell he was a bust. He had Hall of Fame talent. I just wish the world would have got a chance to see that.
Greg Oden played in just 82 games for the Blazers, the equivalent of one entire NBA season, before moving on and eventually finding his way out of the league. He'll forever remain one of the biggest what-ifs not just for the franchise, but in NBA history as well.
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