Oregon Public Broadcasting

The curtain rises Tuesday for the Portland Trail Blazers on a season that's attracted national buzz. Rob Manning has more.

Sixteen months ago, Trail Blazer fans were glued to their TV sets as NBA Commissioner David Stern announced the Blazers’ first-ever number one pick.

David Stern: “With the first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select Greg Oden, from Ohio State University.”

But the Blazers’ great luck turned bad later that summer, when Oden had knee surgery.

The player whose career had been followed since high school sat on the sidelines all season. The long wait to see the seven-foot center ends Tuesday, when Oden will start his first regular season NBA game against the Lakers, in Los Angeles.

Sports analysts across the country are saying Portland could make the playoffs for the first time since Scottie Pippen was a Blazer, five years ago.