PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, the former No. 1 draft pick whose short career has been marred by injuries, will have microfracture surgery on his left knee and will not play this season.
Oden hasn't played since last December because he needed surgery to repair a fractured left patella. The Blazers say this microfracture surgery, announced Wednesday night, will repair damaged cartilage and is unrelated to the patella injury.
Oden, the first name announced in the 2007 NBA draft, missed his rookie season because of microfracture surgery on his right knee.
He was having arguably the best season of his career when he broke his right kneecap during a game last December against the Houston Rockets. He was averaging 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks as a starter.
The 7-footer often has been compared to former Portland center Sam Bowie, whom the Blazers famously selected in front of Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft.
The Blazers picked Oden instead of Kevin Durant, who went to the Oklahoma City franchise and has blossomed into one of the NBA's best players.
It had been expected that Oden would play this season, but at the start of fall practice he said he wasn't close. When asked if he may return by Christmas, Oden shrugged his shoulders and threw up his hands.
The former Ohio State star has played just 82 games over parts of two seasons, averaging 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.
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