The Miami Heat took a chance on Greg Oden in the offseason. The cneter had not played a game since Dec. of 2009 and has undergone three different knee surgeries since being drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. However, after working to make a successful comeback into the NBA, the center signed with the Heat and as his health continues to rise, could the team be relying on his more as the year goes on?
Oden made his regular-season debut for the Heat against the Washington Wizards. The center played seven minutes during the matchup and even had a highlight-worthy dunk in that stretch. His line was six points and two rebounds. Following his game, Oden says his knees are fine with no significant pain or swelling. He then participated in team workouts and told media that his knees responded fine with the added work.
"It's nothing I can't manage," Oden said, via ESPN.com. "I'm just looking forward to playing in the next game. I got to play in a game. That's what it really is, when you're able to battle and be out there. I would have loved for us to win and say I was able to give us a spark. But you just move on to the next game, and hope I can play."
Head coach Erik Spoelstra said that Oden's status against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday is still unknown, but the team is very encouraged by the progress the center has made since joining the team. Spoelstra said Oden would have to undergo another round of conditioning works outs before the team makes a decision on his status for the upcoming road trip games.
"We were all very happy that he was able to get out there and compete, even for a short period of minutes," Spoelstra said. "We know the struggle that he's been in, and just to see the smile ... we allowed one guy to have a smile on his face after [Wednesday's game], and that was Greg."
Oden's status in the next few weeks could really impact the future moves of the Miami Heat. The Heat recently traded away center Joel Anthony in the three-team trade with the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. They also will be without Chris Andersen who suffered a knee injury. If Oden still needs some time before he can start contributing more minutes, a free agency signing could be in the future.
Andrew Bynum is quietly sitting on the free agent market, hoping someone takes interest soon. CBSSports.com reports that several teams view him as damaged goods. The Clippers were interested, but went another direction. The Heat could stick with their current roster. The last team might be the Indiana Pacers who are looking to stock up on as much size as possible.
