NBA teams still want Oden

Greg Oden
Courtesy of wikipedia.com

Greg Oden hasn't played a minute in the NBA since Dec. 5, 2009. He has had several knee injuries since being drafted No. 1 overall by Portland in 2007.

Yet several NBA teams are reportedly pursuing Oden, according to an article on ESPN.com. The list includes the two teams that just played each other in the NBA Finals, Miami and San Antonio.

There are two things going for Oden -- his size (7' 0", 285 pounds) and his age (25). Even if he's slowed down by the three microfracture surgeries on his knees, he can still occupy space near the basket and be an effective rebounder.

The problem is, Oden can't stay healthy. He needed his first microfracture surgery before the start of what would have been his rookie season and missed the entire 2007-08 campaign. He had more injury problems in 2008-09 before suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2009.

Still, one of the adages basketball coaches talk about is, "You can't coach height." On that front, Oden has a quality most coaches desire.

Whoever signs Oden will probably do so at a nice discount, but they should proceed with caution when using him. With his injury history, it's probably better to slot in Oden as a reserve center and keep him near the basket at all times. The less he has to move, the better off he'll be.