Greg Oden & Anthony Bennett - How We Lose Perspective

Greg Oden started in his first NBA game since 2009 when he broke his kneecap playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. He had already suffered micro-knee fracture surgery and would undergo the same surgery two more times in the next three years. Needless to say, it was a less than ideal start for Oden who was drawing comparisons to Hakeem and Patrick Ewing upon entering the league.

Anthony Bennett, who the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted number one overall in 2013, hasn't exactly lived up to the expectations that come with being the top draft pick. Bennett was definitely a surprise and didn't have the hype around him that Oden did when he entered the league, but that doesn't make the scrutiny around him disappear.

Is Greg Oden a disappointment? What about Anthony Bennett? Did the Blazers and the Cavs completely screw up those draft picks? How can one player get injured all the time? How come the other just isn't as talented as we all thought he was?

Both players are complete busts.

I've seen those words written about both players (more notably for Oden given the aforementioned expectations) with shocking frequency. It doesn't come as a shock that these conversations take place given our affinity for professional sports and the enormous media landscape behind it. When you look at it from the perspective of a sports fan, it is a completely fair discussion.

But what about when we take a step back and think of these young men (don't forget just how young they really are) as just employees for a business? This is their job and they do absolutely everything that they can to get back on track. I don't think that either Oden or Bennett give anything less than 100% when it comes to their profession.

When I think of it as a job, not just two guys who are playing a sport, it saddens me quite a bit to see how much pleasure some people get out of their struggles. Imagine if the next time you were at the office and you messed up on a project, you saw people exchanging emails about what a screw-up you were. People snickering when they find out that you've hit another bump.

I recognize that this is comparing apples and oranges a little bit. And I am not saying that their performance can't be examined closely. But there is no denying that at the end of the day, we expect to be treated with respect from our coworkers and peers with respect to our jobs, just like we should treat them with the same respect. And part of that is not hoping for their failure because it amuses us.

Greg Oden finished with five points and five rebounds today. Anthony Bennett finished with four points and four rebounds. But I'm pulling hard for both of them. They're doing their jobs and deserve more respect than they get. Because we expect the same for us.