How many of those big lunks of the past like Boerwinkle or Clifford Ray with icebags on their knees after every game were playing with “defects on the articular surface”?

Not to mention that “microfracture surgery” is a highly experimental procedure with no long-term data to support its efficacy. I’m sure the old athletes who played for years with swollen kness now have difficulty playing driveway hoops with their grandkids, but who can say that Oden will be any better off down the line.

Personally I think that there’s the possibility that Oden could skip the surgeries, continue conservative care and play again. He may not be the next Shaq, but there are plenty of guys with bad wheels who had decent careers, like another Portland legend – Sabonis. But I guarantee that with this surgery Oden will never play again.