yeah oden never really had a chance, he had one leg shorter than the other. But I remember that feeling after winning the lottery, guy was considered a generational prospect. He was also out of shape when he initially returned. Then he got in shape and was looking like a game changer and then got hurt again and see ya. The guy that reminds me of him today actually is Zion. Just can’t stay on the court.
I believe he was also dealing with depression and drinking a lot of alcohol that first year he was out. Just brutal. That Ohio State team with him and Mike Conley Jr was awesome. If not for that stacked Florida team where Noah, Horford, & Brewer all returned in an era where everyone goes pro ASAP, they win that national championship.
And yeah, Zion has a little bit of that. Although a lot of that is brought on himself by being fat and out of shape. Charles Barkley always talks about Zion needing people in his life that Barkley had with Moses Malone when he called him fat & lazy as a young player, and it changed his career. But that's part of the problem with the NBA today. Zion has been a massive disappointment, and yet, New Orleans gave him power and influence in the organization and paid him max money because they pretty much had no choice and that's how teams operate with young talents like that.
Speaking of that Blazers era, I also LOVED Rudy Fernandez. I thought he was going to be a stud in the NBA. I'll always remember his performance vs team USA in the 2008 Gold Medal game, with this play blowing by Kobe & posterizing Dwight Howard always standing out: