In one of his first conversations after Thursday's surgery, Greg Oden was apologizing.

"He said, 'I'm sorry,' 15 to 20 times," Portland general
manager Kevin Pritchard said. "He felt the weight of the world, the weight of the organization. That was challenging for me as a general manager to see a kid say he's sorry for something he can't control."

The procedure on Oden's right knee is expected to cause the No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft to miss this season, the Trail Blazers said. They estimate recovery time for the 2005 Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Basketball at six to 12 months.