The Miami Heat are heading into the season looking for their third straight NBA championship and after mining the free agent lists for veteran player gold over the past couple years, the team appears to have done it again with center Greg Oden, as he signed with the team this offseason and made it through his first full practice with his teammates.
Oden signed in the offseason after being chased by a number of teams and now he will continue to prepare for his first real NBA action in multiple years after dealing with extensive knee injuries. According to ESPN.com, Oden was able to get through his first full practice with the team as the Heat are continuing to work out in the preseason and that is a good sign for the center, although he is not expected to get into the game in the preseason on Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards, one way that head coach Erik Spoelstra wants to be careful with Oden.
The former number one overall pick in the draft is trying to return to the NBA after multiple knee surgeries and he has only played in 82 career games during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers. The report says that Oden blocked a shot in practice by LeBron James and while he won't be playing most likely against the Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets, it's more important for him to be ready for the postseason. Oden has appeared to be his healthiest in years and he signed with the Miami Heat after having interest from the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings.
The Heat are the favorites in the eastern conference this season, although it is expected to be very challenging, including with the return of Derrick Rose for the Chicago Bulls. The Indiana Pacers took the Heat to seven games in the conference finals and they look better after a trade, as do the Brooklyn Nets, who feel they can knock off the Miami Heat in the playoffs this year.
