Two-Time Losers … Blazers waive Oden!

Former No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Greg Oden.

Damn, Eye On Sports hoops fans … first the Portland Trail Blazers struck out big by selecting fragile center Sam Bowie over now Hall of Fame shooting guard Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft, only to see Bowie suffer a series of leg injuries that shortened his career and never allowed him to reach his full potential.

Just five years ago, the Blazers went for the most popular ‘big man’ in college basketball by drafting former Ohio State center Greg Oden with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft instead of nabbing high-scoring, multi-faceted forward Kevin Durant out of the University of Texas.

Well, needless to say, Durant has gone on to become one of the game’s biggest and brightest stars while Oden has played in just 82 total games (the equivalent of one regular season) in five years. Oden has missed all of two seasons and is currently awaiting a third microfracture surgery.

The Blazers wisely waived the oft-injured big man on Thursday as part of a massive franchise-wide, overhaul. While the very likable Oden has gone on record to say that he wants to continue his NBA career at some point in the near future, that possibility is looking dimmer with each and every passing day. Unfortunately for Oden, like Sam Bowie, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Blazers say it’s time to skate Nate!

Former Portland Trail Blazers head coach 

Nate McMillan.

The Portland Trail Blazers made a smart move on Thursday by firing micro-managing head coach Nate McMillan in order to begin a massive rebuilding mode that will take place in earnest as soon as the 2011-12 regular season ends.

Unfortunately for the Blazers and McMillan the once-respected head coach was never able to quite get the job done after being hired in 2005 to restore the misguided franchise to its once former glory.

Of course, losing franchise kind of players like Brandon Roy and another potential one in Greg Oden, didn’t help McMillan’s cause. Then again, I always thought McMillan restricted the Blazers athleticism and opportunities to push the ball far too much on offense, so I guess it was only a matter of time before his players started a mutiny.

McMillan went 266-269 in over six seasons as coach of the Blazers and led them to the playoffs the previous three seasons. Still, Portland never made it out of the first round in each of those trios of trips to the postseason, a trend that greased the skids for his firing.