Well, Buchanan may have inadvertently let slip the team’s plans for the 2007 no. 1 overall pick in a recent appearance on Wheels at Work (Blazersedge link to audio of the interview):

People want Greg to be ready at the start of the season… Looking long term, we need everyone healthy, clicking together, come March, April and into May. If we can get Greg to play 60-65 games this year and continue the development curve he was on before he got injured last year, I think we’ll have a chance to have some success in the playoffs, this season.

Well then, there’s your answer. It’s disappointing on the surface, but can we really be all that surprised? The front office has refused to say anything other than variations on “he’s progressing, and he’ll be back this season.” If they believe that by keeping Oden out the first month of the season, he will be back 100 percent when he does play again, then this is the right decision. To pressure him into starting on opening night if he’s not entirely ready is to run your team based on how many “Is Oden the New Bowie?” segments on PTI you want there to be, not on the best interests of the club. If Oden plays 60-65 games at the level he was playing before he got hurt last year and his healthy for the playoffs, what Blazers fan wouldn’t take that?

So with all of that said, where does that leave the first quarter of the season? This is purely guesswork and speculation on my part, but based on Buchanan’s “60-65 games” comment and the makeup of the Blazers’ schedule, let’s assume the team is shooting for Dec. 5′s home game against the Clippers to bring Oden back. It’s the first game of a three-game homestand with two games before the next back-to-back. Oden would miss the first 19 games of the season in this case, which falls right in line with Buchanan’s estimate.

Here are the games Oden would miss in this case, with the opposing team’s starting center in parentheses.

• 11/26 vs. Phoenix (Robin Lopez)
• 11/27 at LA Clippers (Chris Kaman)
• 11/30 at New York (Ronny Turiaf)
• 11/01 at Chicago (Joakim Noah)
• 11/02 at Milwaukee (Andrew Bogut, pending recovery)
• 11/04 vs. Oklahoma City (Serge Ibaka)
• 11/06 vs. Toronto (Andrea Bargnani)
• 11/07 at LA Lakers (Andrew Bynum)
• 11/09 vs. Detroit (Ben Wallace)
• 11/12 at Oklahoma City (Ibaka)
• 11/13 at New Orleans (Emeka Okafor)
• 11/16 at Memphis (Marc Gasol)
• 11/18 vs. Denver (Nene Hilario)
• 11/20 vs. Utah (Mehmet Okur)
• 11/26 vs. New Orleans (Okafor)
• 11/28 at New Jersey (Brook Lopez)
• 11/30 at Philadelphia (Marreese Speights)
• 11/01 at Boston (Shaquille O’Neal [Kendrick Perkins out until late December or early January])
• 11/03 at Washington (JaVale McGee)

As far as first-quarter schedules go, that’s not that bad. In terms of teams with other young, elite centers with Oden’s skillset, we’re basically only looking at the matchups against Joakim Noah, Andrew Bynum (or Pau Gasol, depending on Bynum’s health), and Brook Lopez where there will be a huge void. There’s nobody else on that list that Marcus Camby can’t handle. A vast majority of these games are against teams the Blazers should be able to beat with or without Oden, and teams that they did beat last year without not just Oden but other players at various points in the year. The importance of having Nicolas Batum, arguably the Blazers’ best defender, healthy to start the year cannot be overstated. If the Blazers can get through this set of games with a decent record–and most of these are games they should win–and then get a completely healthy Oden back for the rest of the year, they’ll be fine. Say it with me: they’ll be fine.

Email me | Twitter

Where does Greg Oden stand?

“He’s continuing his rehab. I saw his rehab at the rehab place he’s at. After that he worked out on the court for a couple of hours. He’s progressing along fine. He’s not ready to play in a game right now. He’s working very hard. We’re pleased with his progress. He’s going to be fine.”

So he’ll be ready for opening night?

“I didn’t say that. We’re pleased with his progress and I don’t know whether he’ll be ready to play opening night or not. It just depends on how it’s coming. But we’re pleased with his progress and he’s working really, really hard.”

I guess it’s getting to that time where we have to start talking about Greg Oden. For one, it’s good to hear that Cho went out to visit Oden in an attempt to build a relationship with him. Also it’s nice to hear that he’s on schedule and progressing instead of taking steps backwards. My thoughts on Oden are simple: don’t rush it. It may be a contract year for him, but there’s no reason to rush him back on the court. The funny thing–and it’s a whole post on it’s own–is what can you realistically expect from Greg Oden? There’s no denying that in an odd way he’s the X-Factor for this Blazer team this season. They have proven they can win without him, however he’s shown flashes of brilliance and we could all agree this is a better team when he’s performing well. For pete’s sake, as much as I don’t like to put a ton of stock into Hollinger’s stats, he’s got Oden’s PER at 23.14–up there with elite company such as Tim Duncan and Dwight Howard. The skills are there, will the health be?

And I know the world is dying for another update on Rudy Fernandez, here’s a little on what Cho had to say on the disgruntled guard.

Are you still looking into trades for Rudy Fernandez?

“I’ve talked to a lot of teams. I don’t want to get into specific trade talks. The whole Rudy issue is out there so I will speak to it a little bit. I have been active in talking to a lot of teams.”

Would you consider releasing Rudy Fernandez’s rights?

“We won’t release his rights.”

Not even an option?

“No, that’s not an option right now.”

I don’t think there’s anything groundbreaking in what Cho said. He’s proven that he’s not just going to give Rudy up in a deal, simply to make a deal. I think that’s the right way to pursue this because at the end of the day, he’s either going to come back and help this team or he’s going to sit around and do nothing and lose money. Releasing Rudy would just be foolish, especially when you’ve tried so hard to get a good deal for him in a tough market. Like Cho’s thinking on this one.