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

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Greg Oden could play in preseason
Updated: October 12, 2013
By Michael Wallace | ESPN.com

MIAMI -- Greg Oden is likely to be cleared for full practice work with the Miami Heat next week and could see his first NBA action in four years during one of their final preseason games, sources told ESPN.com on Saturday.

Oden last played in a game with the Trail Blazers in 2009, when he sustained his second season-ending knee injury since Portland selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft.


Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty ImagesGreg Oden has not played in an NBA regular-season game since December 2009.
The Heat, who signed Oden to a one-year contract this past summer hoping to salvage his career, have been encouraged by his development in recent days.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra won't rule out playing Oden in at least one of the team's five remaining preseason games if the 7-foot center avoids any setbacks or recurring swelling in his knees, which have endured multiple surgeries the past five years.

Oden was quietly cleared for more physically demanding contact work in Miami's practices earlier this week. He completed another extensive workout on the court Friday before the Heat's preseason win over Charlotte in a neutral-site game played in Kansas City.

"The next step for me now is just doing some five-on-five work and just getting out there," Oden told ESPN.com. "Every little step for me, I just get excited. I just want to get out there and do more and more, get my wind back, get my legs back under me. I'm hoping in the next couple of weeks I'll be able to get a couple of minutes out there."

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http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/mia...heat-likely-cleared-full-practice-sources-say
 
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Oden's strides

Center Greg Oden said he participated in four-on-four fullcourt work Sunday, as he works his way back from three seasons of inactivity due to knee issues.

Spoelstra said there was no contact work during Sunday's session, again declining to offer an update on when Oden might return to contact or even take the court in a game.

"There won't a new update," Spoelstra said. "I know there's a lot of interest. We'll continue to make steps forward."

Oden also stressed patience, saying after practice, "We've got time."

Entire article: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/sfl-miami-heat-michael-beasley-s101413,0,4602545.story
 
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First full practice for Greg Oden
Updated: October 15, 2013
By Michael Wallace | ESPN.com

Oden Has First Full Practice With Heat
Heat center Greg Oden talks about his excitement to play and how his body is feeling after his first full practice with Miami.Tags: NBA, Greg Oden, Heat
MIAMI -- Greg Oden went through his first full practice with the Miami Heat on Monday, clearing a significant hurdle in the former No. 1 overall pick's quest to play in an NBA game for the first time in four years.

Oden participated in some scrimmage stages of the Heat's workout at AmericanAirlines Arena as the team prepared for Tuesday's preseason road game against the Washington Wizards. Among the highlights of Oden's day was blocking a shot by LeBron James.

It marked the most extensive on-court work Oden has done with the team since he signed with Miami in July after multiple knee surgeries forced him out of the game.

"It felt good to get out there and get some up-and-down," Oden said after Monday's practice. "You can see I'm frustrated because I'm not as back as I want to be. But it's little steps, and today was another step, getting out there and doing some five on five."

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http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/mia...den-miami-heat-takes-part-first-full-practice


 
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Miami Heat center Greg Oden shows flashes of old self during practice

Greg Oden displayed some shot-blocking form from his past during Monday’s scrimmage, including challenging a shot by LeBron James.

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Miami Heat center Greg Oden, left, works with coaching staff member Brian Hecker during a training camp session at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. The two-time defending NBA champions opened training camp Tuesday at the resort, with two practices scheduled for opening day.
Dante Carrer / AP

BY WALTER VILLA
Special to the Miami Herald
This wasn’t exactly the defensive play heard ’round the world.

But if altering the shot of a four-time NBA MVP is indicative of the type of effort the Heat could get out of Greg Oden this season, then Monday was a significant practice day.

Oden, a talented yet oft-injured center who has not played an NBA game since Dec. 9, 2009, was acquired by the Heat as a free agent on Aug. 7, signing a one-year contract.

He has yet to play an exhibition game this preseason, but he did scrimmage with Miami on Monday, going up against the MVP, LeBron James.

“He scored on me twice, and I made him miss once,” Oden said of James. “He got the upper hand [Monday], but it felt good to be out there.

“I’m a little frustrated with myself because I’m not as back as I want to be, but it’s little steps. [Monday] was another step doing a five-on-five [scrimmage].”

James said it would have been “very tough” for him to go four years without being healthy enough to play basketball, which is what Oden, 25, has endured since 2009.

“For him to be able to stick with it and be here today is a testament to him and his family believing in him,” James said. “He’s back where he belongs, and that’s in the NBA.”

James talked about competing with Oden in Monday’s practice and also had some detailed memories of when they used to match up on rival teams.

“We went five on five [Monday], and he fouled me twice, and I scored on him,” said James, whose recollection of Monday’s events varied slightly from Oden’s version.

“He blocked my shot a few times when he was in Portland and I was in Cleveland. He got me real good. But my team usually won the game.”

For now, Oden said blocked shots or other stats don’t matter.

“The main goal is to wake up [Tuesday] and make sure the swelling’s down,” he said.

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Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/15/3689630/greg-oden-shows-flashes-of-old.html#storylink=cpy
 
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Ken Berger
NBA Insider
Oden back on ice with swelling after Heat scrimmage
October 16, 2013
  • NEW YORK -- The long road back for Greg Oden has been so overwhelmed by disappointment and setbacks that one lost day of practice wasn't going to shake his belief.

    There was Oden on Wednesday, sitting in a chair with an ice pack on his left knee at a practice gym in Lower Manhattan. After a significant step two days earlier -- scrimmaging five-on-five with the two-time defending NBA champions -- the one goal was to avoid any swelling that would derail his progress.

    Alas, that modest standard was not achieved. When the Heat practiced Wednesday in New York in between games in Washington and Brooklyn, the former No. 1 pick was held out due to knee swelling. But you wouldn't have grasped the significance of this event by observing Oden's demeanor or listening to his words.

    "I'm fine," Oden said. "It's been three years, three-and-a-half years for me, so a little bit of swelling ... As long as there's no surgery, I'm OK. It's just taking its time. It's going to be a long season, and I'm going to get there. It's just one day."

    Oden, signed as a free agent in August on a worthwhile gambit for Miami, hasn't played in an NBA game since Dec. 9, 2009 due to an excruciating array of knee calamities. The positive vibe from his five-on-five performance on Monday -- Oden successfully challenged a couple of shot attempts by four-time MVP LeBron James -- quickly washed away into the reality of how fragile Oden's comeback attempt really is.

    "I was hoping it didn't [swell], but it did," Oden said. "What can I do about it? The best thing I can do is get it back down and get back out there and figure out what I can do to get out there and not have it swell again."

    In addition to the immense physical obstacles before him, Oden is trying to re-adjust to what once came naturally -- playing basketball.

    "I'm just trying to get my timing back; when I'm out there, that's what I think about," he said. "I'm overthinking when I'm out there. Basketball is supposed to be, just play and flow into it. And to me it's still getting back, trying to learn the plays still and figure out where I can and can't be and try and figure out my teammates. I haven't played with these guys before. That's a big challenge too. The more I'm out there, the more I'm getting my timing back and getting my legs up under me and getting back to basketball."

    One precarious step at a time.

    "I've definitely got bigger goals," Oden said. "But the best thing for me is to take it day by day."
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Greg Oden: On the Road to Redemption
By Moke Hamilton
NBA Writer and Columnist

As the Miami HEAT begin their quest for a three-peat, Greg Oden believes he is progressing along in his personal quest to resume his career.


During halftime of the HEAT’s recent preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets, Oden took the long walk from the visitor’s locker room out to the herringbone-patterned wood floors at the Barclays Center. Oden stood tall, but limped, ever so slightly.

As he made his way out to the court, he looked around and gazed up into the dimly-lit crowd in Brooklyn.

Back in an NBA arena. Back involved with the game. Hopefully, back for good.

Throughout the preseason, Oden has been planted near the end of the HEAT’s bench, looking on intently, optimistically pondering his immediate future.

Obviously, though, not forgetting his painful past.

“My last couple of years in Portland, I wasn’t even traveling with the team,” Oden told HOOPSWORLD.

Now, as a member of the HEAT, he has moved on past his painful time in Portland.

“Just being on the team, being at practice every day, being able to go to the gym, that is the greatest thing,” Oden said. “It’s everything to me.”

And now, as Oden hopes to resume his career, he merely wants to be a part of a team again.

“For a while, I was just sitting at home in Ohio,” Oden sadly recalled. “My friends and family supported and loved me and now I’m here.”

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Read more at http://www.hoopsworld.com/greg-oden-on-the-road-to-redemption#jZMo8guixhi37PEt.99
 
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Greg Oden knows he'll have to be braced for return
October 20, 2013|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel
MIAMI — Greg Oden is braced for his return. Physically braced. With a physical brace.

While Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra continues to down play when Oden's return might come, with the center sidelined by swelling since last Monday's five-on-five scrimmaging, Oden confirmed it will come in a cumbersome knee brace, after knee issues have kept him out of the league for more than three seasons.

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"I never wore one before. I never wore a brace before," Oden said of the bulky "releaser" brace.

"It's helping out. It's taken a lot of pressure. Now I'm at a point where I don't feel right doing anything without it."

Oddly, even with previous knee procedures, Oden said this is the first time he has been required to wear such a metallic nuts-and-bolts brace.

"Not ever wearing one, I don't know why I didn't," he admitted.

"When I got here, that's when I got fitted."
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http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...reg-oden-s102013_1_brace-miami-heat-greg-oden
 
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Greg Oden makes debut for Heat
Updated: October 24, 2013
By Brian Windhorst | ESPN.com
Greg Oden made a surprising debut for the Miami Heat on Wednesday night and showed how far he has come in his long-term recovery from chronic knee issues.

Oden checked into the second quarter of the Heat's preseason game in New Orleans, the first time he had played in an NBA game since Dec. 5, 2009, a span of more than 1,400 days.


Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY SportsMiami's Greg Oden was back on the floor Wednesday night, his first action in more than 1,400 days.
On his first possession, the Heat ran a post-up play for Oden, who turned and dunked the ball. He played an eventful 80 seconds of game time in the first half, picking up the basket, two rebounds, a turnover and a foul.

He ended up playing four minutes total in the Heat's 108-95 win against the Pelicans.

"It's been a long time," Oden said. "It's been a long road for me, just to get that off my back, my first step tonight. I'm happy I'm able to walk off this court and I'm able to play another day."

Teammate LeBron James was happy to see him back on the court.

"It was a very special moment," he said. "I have no idea what my feeling would be like, being away from the game for three years. It was like a proud moment, man. I was so excited for him when he got on the court and he checked in -- and his first basket he gets a dunk. Can you write it any better? Obviously he's not where he wants to be, but the process is going great.

"I can just imagine how excited he was to get back out there. I'm going to have to take a toast for him, man. I ain't no drinker, but I might have to take a shot for him. It was an absolutely great moment."

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http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/9870012/greg-oden-debuts-miami-heat
 
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