I think the Blazers are taking the wrong approach with Oden. There has been a tremendous amount of hype and attention placed on him and what he means to the future of this franchise. So far none of that has been realized due to injuries. I am a HUGE Oden fan but I don't think he should be handed the starting job when he comes back from this ankle injury for two reasons: 1) Joel Pryzbilla has earned the starting job, he has done his job night after night taking on some of the finest centers in the NBA. It seems clear to me that the NBA lined up most of the top tier centers in these first 10 games as a way to showcase Oden against veteran talent and to crank up the hype machine. Pryzbilla is now the one who gets to deal with this and I think he's done a pretty good job. 2) Why rush Oden into this after all this time, let him begin by coming off the bench against other teams second units to get his feet wet in the NBA. Let him get a feel for what to expect in 5-7 minute stints until his conditioning is all the way there and he has progressed a little way into the NBA learning curve.

     I am a die hard Trailblazer and Oden fan and want to see him succeed. I think all fans can agree on what great character and heart Oden has, but I think maybe he's a carrying a little too much on his shoulders out of the gate. Just my thoughts!