Greg Oden hasn't personally ruled out the possibility of returning to the floor this season.

"I just want to get back," said Oden in his first public comments since he suffered a fractured left kneecap Dec. 5, resulting in recent surgery. "They say I'm out for the whole year, but my plan is to work really hard and you never know. Hopefully I don't have to [be sidelined all season]. I'm hoping things are way ahead of schedule and I can come back at the end of the year."

While Oden is trying to return to the court as quickly as possible, agents Bill Duffy and Mike Conley are promising to oversee a thorough investigation to understand why Oden has suffered two major knee injuries in three NBA seasons.

"Mike and I are going to do a thorough analysis of every aspect of Greg's physiology,'' Duffy told SI.com Thursday. "That means there will be no stone unturned in terms of really understanding his body -- the balance of his body, the symmetry of his body, the strength of his bones. Every aspect as relates to nutrition, DNA, muscle mass, everything we can study, we're going to dig into at this point."

Duffy said he and Conley will seek out the best medical and training advice "around the world."

"He's working hard and doing everything that he's asked," said Duffy of Oden. "But we're going to take it to the next level."