Bust is a bad word to have trail you around for life. It’s tough to shake: only rare guys like Rodney Dangerfield can turn failure into gold. Greg Oden was the unanimous choice when he was drafted at #1 overall coming out of Ohio State in 2007. Alas, he went to Portland, where big men go to hurt their legs (Walton, Bowie). No one could call either those two a bust — even considering Bowie was drafted ahead of Michael Jordan. Oden, however, has been a sad story. The story can be succinctly summarized: seven knee surgeries, little impact.
Reports are that Oden will get a workout with the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets, trying to make a roster after being out of the league again last year. He last had a roster spot with the Miami Heat in 2014, after being out of the NBA for three years, but he couldn’t break through. Oden has played 105 regular season games in his entire career. He’s only 27 years old.
