A few hours before the Portland Trail Blazers tipped off against the Dallas Mavericks Saturday evening, a smiling Greg Oden walked into a small room in the depths of the Moda Center. The 7-footer was awaited by a high, empty chair in front of reporters and local television cameras. Everybody was eager to talk to the man the Blazers drafted No. 1 overall almost 20 years ago.
The night marked Oden’s first return to a Blazers home game since his tenure with the franchise unceremoniously ended in 2012 after just 82 games played in five seasons — his near-guaranteed greatness derailed by injuries.