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

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Oden Has a Fragile Body but a Strengthened Spirit
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Pat Carter/Associated Press
Greg Oden signed as a free agent with Miami and showed promise in the preseason.

By HARVEY ARATON
Published: November 2, 2013
MIAMI — Never a man of many words, Greg Oden still has a few quick moves. On the eve of another season he was not physically ready for, he posted up his slender 7-foot frame for an interview in a corner of the Heat’s practice gym, took a few questions and spun his way through the door leading into the locker room.

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Steve Dipaola/Reuters
Greg Oden, the No. 1 overall draft pick by Portland in 2007, broke his left kneecap in a game on Dec. 5, 2009.

Now you see him, then you don’t. To this point, that is the sad summary of Oden’s professional career.

Talk is cheap when you have played in 82 games — or the coincidental equivalent of one N.B.A. regular season — since being chosen as the first overall pick by Portland in the 2007 draft. From humbling years out west to a hopeful beginning in Miami, Oden wisely signed as a free agent for what feels like a last-chance comeback with a team on which he might be a contributing center, but surely no center of attention.

“I got a lot going on with my body,” he said last week, “and just to be able to come to a place where they’re going to let that take care of itself, that’s something I definitely needed.”

After Oden provided the briefest of updates on a knee that was “a little sore” after a four-minute debut in Miami’s next-to-last preseason game at New Orleans, all eyes turned to a 3-point-shooting drill featuring the shirtless LeBron James, Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade. Discussion shifted to championships won the last two seasons and the possibility of another, whether or not Oden ever plays for the Heat.

“I just want him to enjoy being around this team, getting acclimated to our culture,” Coach Erik Spoelstra said, passing on presenting an Oden timeline for suiting up anytime soon. “That’s the only expectation we have right now.”

cont...
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/s...gile-body-but-a-strengthened-spirit.html?_r=0
 
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Slow and Steady

"We're training him right now," said coach Erik Spoelstra, explaining why Oden continued to rehab even while Chris Bosh missed a few games to attend the birth of a son. "He can get a ton more work in our facility. That's the priority right now. There's nothing alarming about this. He'll be with us when it makes sense."

The grand plan, the one that's a best-case scenario, is Oden rehabs until the holidays, then gets scattered playing time until the All-Star break, then becomes a full-fledged member of the rotation and gets his reps in before the playoffs. There, Oden helps Miami snuff the most threatening big men in the East, namely Roy Hibbert and Kevin Garnett and Joakim Noah, which is why the Heat signed him last summer.

The person with the biggest problem with that plan might be Oden, strictly from a patience standpoint. Remember, this is someone with just 82 games to his resume since being drafted in 2007, someone who endured three microfracture surgeries in a sport where it's challenging to overcome one such surgery. Spoelstra said Oden bugs him about playing "every day" but says Oden also understands the baby-step process must be followed, for the sake of his future, however long or short it may be.

"He's been great with it, he understands," Spoelstra said. "We mapped out a very detailed plan for him in August. We're not going to panic or try to fast-track it for other people's interests."

Entire article: http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/63762060

and

Even with Bosh out, Oden remains behind in Miami

Asked if Oden, who signed a one-year, veteran-minimum contract in August, is pushing for a return, Spoelstra smiled and said, "Every day, every day."
Asked what he says to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft whose career to this point has been limited to 82 regular-season appearances, Spoelstra said, "I said, 'I like your spirit. Let's keep moving forward. We're making good, positive steps and we've got to keep it going in that direction.'

"He's been great with it. He understands. And it's nothing that's a surprise to him. We mapped out a very detailed plan for him in August. We're ahead of schedule, but we're not going to panic and try to fast-track it for other people's interest."

Tuesday, that meant Oden again on the inactive list, this time alongside Bosh.

"It's part of the plan," Spoelstra said. "And we're looking at this long term. I know everybody wants to speed it up, rush it -- 'Let's get it going now!' That's not part of our plan. We understand the interest in it, but we want to make sure he builds up his base and conditioning, his hips, his strength, his core. All of these things first, and then we'll take the next step."

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/20...110513_1_miami-heat-chris-bosh-erik-spoelstra
 
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Greg Oden's agent, Mike Conley Sr., said Oden appearing in a Heat game is ???probably a ways away. The main goal is to have him ready for the second half of the season and the playoffs." When he plays, Conley said, will be a "combination of a gut feeling from Erik Spoelstra and the trainers. Conditioning is big part of it. He's very antsy to play" but he understands Spoelstra being cautious.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_...oden-still-a-ways-away-from-playing?eref=sihp
 
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mendensa said:
Stay healthy, big guy. Buckeye Nation is pulling for you and a successful comeback.
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So, So true.

As great a season as 2007 was, in retrospect, I wish to hell that Ron Lewis had missed that 3-pointer in the closing seconds against Xavier in the second round. Big Greg had already fouled out and the Buckeyes managed to pull out this miracle win. If Lewis had missed that shot and we bowed out in the second round there is NO doubt in my mind that Oden and Conley as well as Cook would have returned for their sophomore seasons. NO way in hell they leave here as the #1 ranked team in the country thats loses in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tourney. If they all came back for one moe year, this team may have gone undefeated.

Irregardless, it was a pleasure having Greg here for 1/2 a season. I'm sure I'm right on base when I say that every Buckeye hoops fan in the world is pulling for this young man to get his health straightened out and for his basketball career to flourish.

GOOD LUCK GREG!

Peace
 
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WolverineMike said:
If he's out there and healthy, that would explain why they didn't make a move on Bynum.
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Maybe but they also got rid of Joel Anthony and his $3.8M guaranteed salary through next season. I think passing on Bynum was more of a "luxury salary cap" decision than an "Oden decision". Oden might have hastened Anthony's departure though. Just replacing Anthony with Toney Douglas' $1.6M salary in the recent trade saved the Heat at least $5.5M ($3.8 - $1.9 x 2.5 = $5.5M) in luxury tax this year alone.

The luxury tax line for 2013-2014 is $71.7 million, the Heat was at $84.4M and they are a repeat violator. They could face a very expensive NBA luxury tax fine:

  • Portion of team salary $10-$14.99 million over tax level: $2.50 for $1
  • Portion of team salary $15-$19.99 million over tax level: $3.25 for $1
http://nba.si.com/2013/07/09/nba-salary-cap-luxury-tax-figures-2013-14/

http://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/MIA.html
 
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http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...ideo-greg-oden-plays-in-an-nba-game-and-dunks

One thousand, five hundred and three days. Two hundred and fourteen weeks. Thirty-six thousand and seventy-two hours. Two million, one hunrdred and sixty-four thousand, three hundred and twenty minutes.
All of that is how long it has been since Greg Oden played in an official NBA regular season game.
And for the first time since Dec. 5, 2009, Oden checked in and wouldn't you know it, on his first touch finished a dunk.
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