Well. Our worst fears about the Blazer admin's silence were realized as GO had microfracture surgery and will be out for the 07-08 season. There was so much build up, so much hype, with the pick. So much celebration, even sober people had hangovers. Jerseys bigger than buildings hung around downtown. We partied at Pioneer Square. Season tickets sold upwards of $2 million the day the pick was announced.
But the ensuing reaction and headlines around town since the announcement (finally) that Oden will not play even one game his rookie year are as over the top as the partying. "Gloom and doom hits PDX" Sadness, grief. Blazer nation on suicide watch.
I am here to tell you to get over yourselves. GO was not the second coming of Christ and his surgery is not the first sign of the end of the world. Really.
Dave from Blazer's Edge wrote an open letter to GO. He assured the 19 year old that his injury and inability to play right away will NOT mean Portlanders just will stay away in droves. Those types of fans are usually Laker fans. If the star is out, the Staples center is empty. Are Blazer fans that shallow ?
As Brandon Roy said on Courtside recently, GO is family. You don't desert family when the chips are down. You rally around him. Support and encourage him. Imagine how he feels. That's right. Some people saw banners hanging from the rafters, money signs in their eyes, and forgot that the "product" in this case is a 19 year old kid from out of town. And he and his mom, when he came out of surgery, said over and over to Nate and KP "we're so sorry, we're so sorry" as if his knee could have purposely messed itself up to keep Portlanders from their overhyped dreams of granduer. This is not about YOU, portland fans. It's about Greg Oden. Stop whining
and support your team, ALL of them. And let Greg do his rehab without the guilt trip.
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