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Wow, way to put a damper on a season that hasn't even started. Yahoo Sports is reporting that Greg Oden, who along with Kevin Durant was supposed to save the league, will miss his rookie season:

Greg Oden , the Portland Trail Blazers' No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, will miss the 2007-2008 season after knee surgery on Thursday, two league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Oden, the 7-footer out of Ohio State, underwent exploratory surgery on his right knee on Thursday in Vancouver. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, but Oden, one of the most celebrated young players in years, will be lost for the season.

The Blazers are expected to make an announcement shortly.

Any way you look at it, this sucks. It sucks for the Blazers, who with Oden had an outside shot at the playoffs. It sucks for all NBA fans, since this was supposed to be (another) new era for the league. It sucks for bloggers, who will dearly miss Greg Oden's presence in the spotlight. And it sucks for the Sonics, who still have their young savior but will likely lose their team anyway. Really, the only person this is good for is Joel Pryzbilla.

Update: It's microfracture surgery, which is probably the worst-case scenario. Though after Amare's stunning recovery, Portland fans have every reason to be optimistic.