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Greg Oden's story isn't about basketball, for now

6
Great article on Oden by Henry Abbott. Certainly worth a read. Here's an excerpt: We judge players by things like uniform, draft position, contract size and rebound rate. That has been the basis of the relationship between Oden and fans. But the basketball story seems pretty small and stupid now. That's not a conversation for this year. Sure, there are things to resolve -- he'll be a free agent or not, he'll rehab well or not -- but all that, to me, comes after his having to climb one hell of a mountain. Us sports fans may have had a rejiggering of our entertainment habits with the news of his latest microfracture knee surgery. We're facing disappointment in our amusement. That's a laughable little concern compared to Oden himself. He's facing a huge mental health hurdle, a total redefinition of who he is and how he sees himself, and a real need to find things outside of basketball that mean a lot to him.