Greg Oden, the seven foot center out of Ohio State infamously selected No. 1 overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Portland Trailblazers over Kevin Durant, has battled innumerable knee injuries and surgeries in his abbreviated career.
The once-dominant big man is attempting a comeback now, and several teams, the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings are showing serious interest.
According to ESPN, the Pelicans, Kings and Heat are all sending representatives to watch Oden work out this week. He has only played 82 games in the NBA since being drafted, which amounts to one full NBA season. When on the court, however, Oden has flashed the prodigious promise that led to his being the top pick.
He has career averages of 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, as well as 1.4 blocks. He was drafted primarily for his defense around the basket, with the expectation that his offense would eventually catch up to the defensive prowess.
In 2009-2010, Oden was having a monster season, putting up 11.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and a whopping 2.4 blocks a night. He only made it through 21 games though, before needing season-ending surgery on his knee.
In college, Oden played one season, leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to the national championship where he was felled by the Florida Gators, led by Joakim Noah and Al Horford. That year Oden averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds a game, while blocking more than three shots.
The Heat are an interesting fit for Oden; they ran small-ball tactics for most of the season, but ran into trouble in the postseason against the larger front lines of the Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers, leaning heavily on Chris "Birdman" Andersen. Andersen is back in the fold, but if Oden can return to his pre-injury caliber of play, he allows the Heat to have the best of both worlds.
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