Greg Oden wants to return to NBA, but is ready to move on with life if he is unable to do – NBA News
Greg Oden was once considered as one of the most talented and dominant centres to have entered the NBA, and was the talk of the town when he was picked up by the Portland Trail Blazers with their top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Oden bought size and skills to the table, and was said to challenge Dwight Howard in the Eastern Conference. However, he has since gone through a number of setbacks in his NBA career.
Oden did not play in the 2007-08 NBA season due to micro fracture surgery on his right knee. He again missed much of the 2009-10 season after undergoing the same surgery on his left knee. He did not play at all in his last two
seasons due to complications in his recovery.
The player appeared in only 82 games for the Blazers in five seasons, averaging 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Oden’s agent, Mike Conley, said earlier in the year that Oden wanted to return to the NBA and was looking for a team to sign his services. There were even reports that the Miami Heat were interested in adding Oden. The Heat had
troubles filling the centre position all through the 2011-2012 season.
However, Oden himself has come out and cleared the rumours about his return, stating that he would only do so if his health allowed him to. Speaking to the Tribune-star in Indiana, Oden said:
“I would love to play [in 2012-13], but I’m not going to rush anything. I need to take a year off. What I told Mike (Conley, his agent) was ‘Look, I want to get back with a team. I want to play. If there’s a chance that later on
in the [NBA] year, if I feel good or if I’m healthy enough to play, I would love to play this year.’ If it happens, it happens. I’ve got to move on with my life. I know I want to play basketball. If I physically can’t play basketball, then I’ve got to move
on.”
Oden also talked about how he always wanted to coach a middle school or high school team, or even be a gym instructor. His conversation gave the feeling that he was ready to move on into the next phase of his life should he be
unable to return to basketball. But, he still wants to give the game he loves one more shot, which is perfectly understandable.
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