Free-agent center Greg Oden is expected to decide on Friday where he'll play next season, according to Yahoo! Sports sources.
Oden has met with the Miami Heat, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. He worked out for the Heat, Pelicans and Kings in his hometown of Indianapolis on July 23.
It was reported that Oden had held the Heat and the Pelicans as the two top teams on his list suitors.
Both the Heat and the Pelicans lack size up front, so pursuing Oden makes a great deal of sense. And in Oden's case, selecting either team would be a win for him.
If he decides to sign with Miami he'll be placed alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, thus making them an even tougher defense. Known as a prolific shot-blocker, post-defender and rebounder, Oden would only bolster the Miami defense.
However, playing for the Pelicans wouldn't be so bad neither. Being in New Orleans would enable Oden to make his comeback without the media spotlight and with no immediate pressure to perform at a high ability. This will give him time to bounce back from the knee issues, that have limited the 25-year-old to just 82 career regular season games, at his own pace.
Oden, 25, was the top overall pick of the 2007 NBA draft out of Ohio State, chosen by the Portland Trail Blazers one spot ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder all-star Kevin Durant. He has battled numerous knee injuries and hasn't played in an NBA game since Dec. 5, 2009. He is currently coming off his third microfracture knee surgery in February of 2012.
Throughout his injury plagued career he has averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 82 career games and has been working out in both Columbia and Indianapolis this past offseason.
Any team who is willing to give Oden another shot in the league will have to exercise a lot of patience. Though he's been showing a lot of progress and promise, he's notoriously known for his bad knees and any team willing to take that risk will solely be doing so based on potential and not outstanding ability.
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