A broken kneecap is hardly seen as the worst injury out there, and yet more than five months later Oden is still not cleared to do anything on the court that remotely resembles basketball — he says he’s mostly focused on things like lifting weights, watching his diet and walking up and down stairs. He’s timid in making the most basic predictions about his future. Can the Blazers count on him to be ready to play in the fall?

“Nobody knows what’s going to happen,” he says, “but I feel for sure that I’m going to be ready for training camp next season. … I’m going to have me a really good summer, go see me a whole bunch of different doctors and try to figure out what’s going on with my body that makes me keep getting injured.”

The one thing that’s been sticking out among the Oden information that trickles down the gutter is how on point he and the medical staff seem to be about finding preventative solutions to these injuries through diet. You get the sense, as Oden himself admitted to having weight issues following the microfracture surgery, that two years ago everyone was so focused on Oden rehabbing and just getting back on the court that finding an answer to “Why did this happen?” got left by the wayside. So it’s good to hear he’s getting his body right outside of oiling up that kneecap.

The part in the video where he admits Kevin Durant’s success bothers him and that he wants to block Durant a couple times wasn’t bad, either.

MRI confirms Portland F Nic Batum has a right shoulder strain. Batum is questionable (game-time decision) for Game 3 vs. Phoenix on Thursday.

Well, questionable is better than doubtful. This could have been much worse.