A heartbeat away

A giant Greg Oden jersey with “#1” on the back hangs on the outside of the Rose Garden. Unfortunately, fans won’t get to see it on Oden this season. The top pick and potential franchise savior is sitting out the year after undergoing knee surgery.

“What happens in our business is all 30 teams are a heartbeat away from things going really south,” Avery Johnson said. “That’s why we all try to take it day-by-day because one second one day can change your whole franchise, and that’s what happened here.

“They were really excited about Oden. He’s probably going to be a terrific pro, just not this year. A lot of enthusiasm came back about basketball because of his draft. He’s a good young man. He obviously had a nice run at Ohio State, a lot of optimism, a lot of potential, so again it’s a tough spot to be in.”

Johnson has been impressed with the talented young roster the Blazers have put together always and he’s always complimented the job done by Portland coach Nate McMillan. The Blazers are off to a slow start without the 7-footer from Ohio State.

“I won 18 games my rookie year, so I don’t feel sorry for anybody,” Jerry Stackhouse said with a laugh. “At the same time, you never want anyone to get hurt.”