The sad retirement of Brandon Roy last week is beginning to look like only the tip of the iceberg for young superstars whose health has robbed them of fulfilling their potential. Two young men born less than 6 months apart are teetering on the edge of their careers right now.
Sidney Crosby is the best hockey player on the planet. There is no question of that. In his 6 year career he has won the Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold, and every offensive award including MVP. Until a severe concussion last season, he was on pace to approach every record held by Wayne Gretzky, which no one thought could ever be possible. In 6 short years, he managed to fulfill the hype beset on him as the heir apparent. The only sports equivalent I can think of would be Andrew Luck winning an MVP and Super Bowl within his first 3 years as a pro.The other is Greg Oden, who suffered another setback with his knees. This has been a career completely wrecked by injury. Even dating back to his one year in college, when he broke his wrist, all we ever got to see were flashes of seemingly limitless potential. He was a devastating defender and needed only slight polishing on the offensive end to be able to immediately compete for top center honors. Instead we've gotten less than a season's worth of games since 2007 and a man more famous for his dong-shot than his play. At least we'll always have his ESPN the Magazine commercial...
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