The Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the favorites to land center Greg Oden next season, according to Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
The defending champions would likely offer the minimum salary to the injury-prone big man, while the Cavaliers could fork over close to $4 million, per the report.
But what can the NBA expect from the 7-footer next season?
Well, for one, if you are expecting him to be the nightly double-double threat he was coming out of Ohio State in 2007, you are going to be disappointed. Oden hasn't played since December 2009, and he was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers in March 2012 after undergoing his third career microfracture knee surgery and fifth knee surgery overall (via ESPN). He's played in 82 total games since being drafted.
But if Oden can stay healthy (and that's a big "if" at this point), he's not a bad bench player to have around who can help on the boards and defend against bigger opponents. For his defense and rebounding alone, he can be an asset, especially if an opposing team has a true center on the post. He's not the kind of guy you should be pushing for 25-plus minutes per contest, but ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Ryan Rudnansky
NBA Rumors: What Greg Oden Would Provide in His Return to the NBA
January 29th, 2013 by Ryan Rudnansky Leave a reply »
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