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C Greg Oden (All B1G, All-American, Defensive Player of the Year, Butler Assistant Coach)

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Canzano: Keeping Greg Oden is worth the effort for the Blazers
Published: Friday, April 29, 2011
By John Canzano, The Oregonian

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Bruce Ely, The Oregonian
Greg Oden checks out the end-of-season activity at the Blazers practice facility from the sanctuary of the weight room.
It was a move for the ages. His footwork was flawless. Greg Oden has never had a better first step than the one I saw on Friday, as he darted right, then moved as smooth as ribbon, cutting in traffic, across a crowded practice-facility basketball court.

Then it hit me.

The guy was fleeing -- me.

The Trail Blazers ended their season with a Game 6 loss to Dallas on Thursday. And so Friday arrived, and the organization ran a chartered bus filled with staffers between headquarters at One Center Court and the practice facility in Tualatin.

The media was invited and funneled into the gymnasium just as the players and staffers were breaking a giant huddle in the center of two basketball courts.

Oden saw the media coming. He put his head down, stared straight ahead, and angled across the court, swimming through the crowd, toward the weight room.

I've played hide and seek with an 8-year old dozens of times. There exists such a thing as "base" in game like that. It's a wonderful thing, that safety. And the closest thing I've seen to that kind of place in the real world is the weight room at the Blazers practice facility. No media allowed past the invisible barrier in the double doorway. So when Oden beat this hobbling columnist to that doorway by 10 yards there was no looking back.

He was home free. Right up until assistant Bill Bayno, a few strides away from Oden, saw me in pursuit and laughed. Oden heard the laugh and glanced back. And it occurred to me in these few moments that the Blazers are about to find themselves in a similar chase with the 7-foot center.

Oden told me that he has plans for workouts this summer, "but nothing is finalized." He talked about going home to Indiana last summer, "to be closer to mom" and hinted that he might just do that again. And the former No. 1 overall pick said, "I just need to get myself right. I'm so sick of talking about it."

I asked him, "Do you still want to play?"

"I do," he said, "badly."

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http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/or...f/2011/04/canzano_keeping_greg_oden_is_w.html

Greg Oden: Don?t Get It Twisted
By Andrew Greif

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Greg Oden (photo. Scott Spychalski)

He?s gone from a No. 1 pick and a city?s great hope to an injured star whose career is in jeopardy. But to Greg Oden, that?s in the past ? he?s looking up, and for good reason.

Jumping was still uneasy, and the agility hadn?t returned all the way. A timetable for his return? Most estimates didn?t even begin until the start of 2011. But there was Greg Oden, the No. 1 pick in 2007 NBA Draft, attempting to swat away the only thing he could: Doubt.

He?s spent more time in street clothes than a Portland Trail Blazers uniform, but Oden can still play defense. When he did see the court last season, 21 times to be exact, the seven-footer notched 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in under 24 minutes per game. So his thoughts on that b-word that rhymes with rust? He doesn?t let it bother him.

?I kind of let it wash off my back,? says Oden. ?All those people go, ?Well he needs to stop getting injured, he?s a bust.? I?m not going to go out there and say, ?I?m not going to get injured today.? ? Don?t try to judge me because of my unlucky streak with my injuries.?

He felt good, he emphasized, chatting casually by phone in late October, adding that he changed his rehab approach this summer while hiring a chef, losing 20 pounds and working out with a purpose. His voice spoke with confidence, if annoyance, at the keywords of the conversation: injury, injury, promise, potential. He was engaging, talking offhand about taking a trip on a whim to watch Oregon and Stanford play in a top-10 football game on a fall weekend. Back talking basketball, he spoke as good a game as he knew he could play. If you listened carefully, it sounded like, just watch.

Two weeks after we first spoke, it turns out, he hadn?t lost a step. Rather, it was his season that was gone. And now, the League waits to see if he?ll be just as quick after a third major knee injury.

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http://dimemag.com/2011/04/greg-oden-don’t-get-it-twisted/
 
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Transcript: Portland Trail Blazers GM Rich Cho On Greg Oden
by Ben Golliver on May 3, 2011

Following Game 6, Portland Trail Blazers GM Rich Cho laid out some of his thoughts regarding the end of the season and his early wishlist for the offseason.

During a lengthy media availability on Monday, Cho fielded questions and expanded a bit on those comments.

I'll post his answers in a few separate posts to make them easier to digest.

First up: his thoughts on center Greg Oden, who is a restricted free agent this summer after missing the entire season with knee injuries. Questions are in bold and are paraphrased. Answers are in blockquote and are word-for-word.

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Is Greg [Oden] the first order of business this summer?

The season just ended four days ago. We can't even tender Greg a qualifying offer until the day after the Finals. And we have until June 30 to do that. He'll be a priority in our offseason.

Is there a question that you'll make the qualifying offer?

As long as he's working hard and his rehab is going well, I'm pretty sure we'll give him a qualifying offer.

How much work does this roster need?

I really don't think we're that far away. If we can add Greg to the roster next year and add a couple more pieces.

Why might you approach contracts for Greg Oden and Andre Miller differently?

Well, I think part of the difference is that Greg is 23 years old and he's seven feet, 280 pounds. That's definitely something you have to consider.

Why do you have hope for Greg Oden?

Well, all the indications from the medical standpoint are that it's coming along well. I see him in here every day working hard. Getting a sweat up every day. He wants to come back and come back and play well.


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http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/5/3/2150842/rich-cho-greg-oden
 
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Notebook: Oden will be back to 'the Greg we knew,' agent says
May 5, 2011
Written by Jeff Rabjohns

Greg Oden will play next season, his agent said, but whether Oden is wearing a Portland uniform has yet to be determined.

Oden's rehabilitation from a knee injury is a long process, but the point is to allow him to fully recover.

"He's focused on keeping his weight down, getting back to figuring out how to stay healthy. I give him a lot of credit for staying motivated to get through all this," his agent, Mike Conley, said.

"I know that he'll play next year, and as long as he keeps his weight down, he'll get back to being the Greg we knew, being able to run and jump and everything. The thing is keeping him healthy and give him the confidence to play without being scared."

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http://www.indystar.com/article/201...says?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|IndyStar.com|s
 
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Notebook: Oden will be back to 'the Greg we knew,' agent says
May 5, 2011
Written by
Jeff Rabjohns
[email protected]

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Greg Oden will play next season, his agent said, but whether Oden is wearing a Portland uniform has yet to be determined. / RICK BOWMER / Associated Press

Greg Oden will play next season, his agent said, but whether Oden is wearing a Portland uniform has yet to be determined.

Oden's rehabilitation from a knee injury is a long process, but the point is to allow him to fully recover.

"He's focused on keeping his weight down, getting back to figuring out how to stay healthy. I give him a lot of credit for staying motivated to get through all this," his agent, Mike Conley, said.

"I know that he'll play next year, and as long as he keeps his weight down, he'll get back to being the Greg we knew, being able to run and jump and everything. The thing is keeping him healthy and give him the confidence to play without being scared."

The 7-foot, 280-pound Oden led Lawrence North High School to three straight state titles and was Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2006. After one season at Ohio State, he was the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft.

He has played just 82 games in four pro seasons due to multiple knee injuries. His most recent surgery was in November 2010. Rehabilitation was projected to take up to a year, which would make his return early in the 2011-12 season.

While Oden has missed significant time, he's only 23, the age of some NBA rookies who play four years in college.

"Greg is 23, 7-feet, 280 pounds. It's something to consider," Portland general manager Rich Cho told Portland reporters when stating recently that the center was an offseason priority.

The Blazers must extend an $8.8 million qualifying offer -- which can't happen until the NBA playoffs end -- to keep the right to match any offer Oden receives in the offseason as a restricted free agent.

"I think there will be offer sheets on him and he'll have an opportunity to earn more at Portland, or if Portland doesn't want to match it, he can play somewhere else. I know there will be some teams interested," Conley said.
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http://www.indystar.com/article/201...tebook-Oden-will-back-Greg-we-knew-agent-says
 
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Canzano: Who will have heartache at the end of the Greg Oden saga?
Published: Friday, May 06, 2011
By John Canzano, The Oregonian The Oregonian

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Faith Cathcart/The Oregonian
Will Greg Oden be remembered more in Portland for answering questions about his health than for on-the-court accomplishments?

The more I think about Greg Oden, the more I worry he's going to someday smash the hearts of Trail Blazers fans.

On the day the big guy gave his exit interview with the team, Oden told me, "It's not their move, it's my move. Everyone says it's their move. I think it's my move."

Think on that.

Also, know that in the days after he said them, I spoke with NBA agents, general managers and other executives who said they're now watching the latest installment of Oden-Blazers soap opera with great interest.

The Blazers have until June 30 to make a one-year $8.8 million qualifying offer. That feels like a no-brainer. But it's what happens after that move that feels dicey. Because if Oden is miserable in Portland, and wants a change of scenery or a fresh start somewhere else, the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 could potentially agree to the one-year offer, do nothing else and become an unrestricted free agent by summer 2012.

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http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/or...f/2011/05/canzano_who_will_have_heartach.html
 
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Blazers interim GM unsure about bringing back Oden, Andre Miller
Staff report Sporting News

Portland Trail Blazers college scouting director Chad Buchanan, who is serving as the team?s interim GM after this week?s firing of Rich Cho, is non-committal about the contract situations of center Greg Oden and point guard Andre Miller, the Portland Tribune reports.

But Cho said the organization was leaning toward making an $8.8 million qualifying offer to Oden for next season, and team president Larry Miller indicated the front office was ?on the same page? regarding Oden, who can become a free a restricted free agent July 1.

?If Greg does the things that we need him to do or that we expect him to do, then we are going to issue a qualifying offer to him,? Miller said recently, according to CBS Sports. ?Rich may have just said the same thing differently than the way I said it. The reality is, even up to (Blazers owner Paul), we?re on the same page.?

However, Buchanan does not seem so sure. ?We?ve had a lot of discussions about that,? Buchanan said. ?We?ll continue having those. I can?t give you much more than that on the situation with Greg or Andre.?
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Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/sto...bringing-back-oden-andre-miller#ixzz1NYLCBWkE
 
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Chris Broussard was in Mike and Mike this morning and mentioned something really interesting.

What if Greg Oden decides to leave Portland and go to the Heat? In his opinion they would then be unstoppable if Oden can just stay healthy for the season.

Just something to think about.
 
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korchiki;1928674; said:
Chris Broussard was in Mike and Mike this morning and mentioned something really interesting.

What if Greg Oden decides to leave Portland and go to the Heat? In his opinion they would then be unstoppable if Oden can just stay healthy for the season.

Just something to think about.
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Depends on whether Oden would play for the league minimun and/or if there is a salary cap (i.e. new labor agreement):

http://www.hoopdata.com/salaries/MIA.aspx
 
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Is Greg Oden worth the risk?
Sam Amico
May 27, 2011

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Are injuries the only thing keeping Greg Oden from returning to his days of domination?

Suddenly, the idea of Greg Oden being available makes good sense again.

We all know the story of the former Ohio State and current Portland Trail Blazers center. Oden was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2007. Then he got injured. Then he got injured again. Then he missed the entire 2010-11 season with another injury.

Oden has been hurt so much, he makes injury-prone ex-Blazer centers Bill Walton and Sam Bowie look like fortresses of vigor and good health.

You probably also know the Blazers recently fired general manager Rich Cho. This comes less than a year after they fired GM Kevin Pritchard. Now, former Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry (now in San Antonio's front office) is rumored to be high on the Blazers' list of possible replacements.

Why anyone would be clamoring for a job that turns over more than Larry King changes wives is beyond comprehension, of course. But that's a topic for another day.

Back to Oden.

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http://www.foxsportsohio.com/05/27/...ing_cavaliers.html?blockID=528992&feedID=3725
 
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