Rundown From the Run-down (aka RFTR)

I need sleep. So that means one thing . . . RFTR Time!

• How come I'm just hearing the name "Portland Jailblazers" for the first time when Doug Collins said it during the Miami/Portland game Thursday night? Must have been when i tuned out the NBA while I was in law school. The name is just wrong, but gets points for creativity. The Blazers infamously passed on Michael Jordan and instead drafted Sam Bowie. That's got to be as jail-worthy as anything the players did. Seeing Greg Oden watch the game from a floor seat makes me think they might need to be sentenced again in the near future.
  

• Speaking of sentencing, Barry Bonds makes his first court appearance on Friday. Monday is Michael Vick's sentencing. Barry should be sending Vick a thank you note right about now for the distraction.
  

• "Sources" are reporting that Jason Kidd sat out the New Jersey Nets' game against the New York Knicks to express his displeasure over contract negotiations, not a migraine as he said. Kidd says hogwash. "I would never abuse the game of basketball." Avoiding very obvious (and inappropriate, if you're in the Kidd family) jokes here, all I will say is that I'm glad to hear that.
  

• The Knicks are the most valuable NBA franchise, according to Forbes. This is the 3rd straight year that they have topped the list. And you wonder why James Dolan would rather build a team of good names instead of a team that's really good. They also have the most 1st round draft picks on their roster with 12. No comment. It's too easy.

• The Washington Redskins beat the Chicago Bears last night, in a game they needed if they want any chance of going to the playoffs. After attending their teammate Sean Taylor's funeral on Monday, I can't think of a better way to honor his memory than to come up with a win when it really counts.

• The Dallas Mavericks lost pretty badly to the Denver Nuggets last night. Allen Iverson didn't have 51 like in their loss the night before to the L.A. Lakers, but he did drop in 35. Way to be a team player, AI. And way to provide further proof that the Mavs are going to make the playoffs and that's about it.
  

Happy Friday!!

Update #1: Oden is "Oh, Done"

As an update to my previous post, and a crushing blow to the Portland Trailblazers, their star Greg Oden may be out for the entire season following his knee surgery. They're already comparing this to the debacle that was Sam Bowie, one of the most colossal draft disasters of all time (if you go to the link, note that I came up with "colossal" on my own, and the fact that it appears on this other site is pure coincidence . . . or an indication of just how bad it was). You see, in the 1984 draft, Bowie was selected second overall by the Portland Trailblazer - after Hakeem Olajuwon, who was taken first by the Houston Rockets, but before a player of "spotty" potential . . . none other than his Airness, Michael Jordan.

Now, if you're asking yourself, "Who the heck is Sam Bowie?" then you understand why it is now considered the worst draft decision of all time. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and nobody knew Jordan was going to be as good as he was (especially after Zeke and the Detroit Pistons stuck it to him all those years, until he finally broke through). But while Jordan blossomed - an understatement, I know - Bowie had a career plagued with injuries, and he never amounted to the player that the Trailblazers thought they had.

Enter Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Bill Simmons, a writer for Page 2 on ESPN.com, has always been pro-Durant. But Simmons says that if there was a tie between them, then the Trailblazers should have gone with Durant just based on their injury-risk. I tend to agree with him. Of course, now that Oden's out for a little while, I'm sure they're re-thinking their choice. Check out the Trailblazers' press conference - I know they wanted to cry. Especially when everyone starts calling to cancel their season tickets. And it can't help matters that if Durant stays healthy, he may well be one of the greatest of all-time.

I think it's too early to start calling the Oden pick "Bowie 2.0" but I do hope the youngster comes back and silences his critics. Yes, I called him a youngster.

At Least It's Not Hip Replacement: Oden Having Knee Surgery

You've all heard the "he's really 48" talk, so I'll spare you. I've seen him in person and something about him seems youthful even if he doesn't look the part.

If you haven't heard, Greg Oden, the #1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft for the Portland Trailblazers, is going under the knife. Arthroscopic knee surgery before you ever play an NBA game, and after only one year of college, is not a good sign. But it's not like he has to jump too high, so hopefully they're doing these surgeries better than they used to. Or maybe the Blazers should have just taken Kevin Durant. Only time will tell.