NBA Rumors: All Signs Point to Trail Blazers' Greg Oden Missing Another Season

Greg Oden suffered a setback in early December of last year from his microfracture surgery that he first underwent back in November of 2010.

Kerry Eggers, a reporter for The Portland Tribune, went in search of answers to a question every Trail Blazer fan wants to know.

When will the first overall pick in 2007 finally be back on the court?

First he went right to the source, asking Oden what the deal with his recovery was. The center tersely told him “I’m still not talking about it right now,” before the Blazers’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

Oden hasn’t said much of anything since he first learned of the setback after a meeting with Dr. Richard Steadman, the man who performed his surgery.

The only person who would talk to Eggers was interim GM Chad Buchanan.

Buchanan confirmed the medical staff determined that his MRI “wasn’t as encouraging as we’d hoped,” but said he’d “prefer not to talk about specifics.”

The reporter found that Oden is limited to just shooting, jumping and basic running in practice and isn’t allowed to participate in scrimmages or any other meaningful basketball drills.

At this point in time, it seems highly unlikely that Oden will see the court if the Blazers brass is staying tight-lipped and the big man is barely doing anything in practice.

They are fortunate that the beleaguered center was willing to agree to a $1.5 million contract for the season, far below the $9 million qualifying offer extended to him before this latest problem.

Oden has missed his entire rookie season in 2007-08, was held out for 21 games in 2008-09 and managed to play just 21 games in 2009-10 before fracturing a kneecap. That same knee underwent microfracture surgery that winter and he missed the entire 2010-11 season.

The man simply cannot stay healthy and if a time machine is undergoing development somewhere in the world, you can bet your bottom dollar that Blazers owner Paul Allen is investing in it so he can go back and draft Kevin Durant.

Do not expect to see Oden on the court in 2012 because of management’s caution and the center’s misfortune.