After years of seeing the ghost of Sam Bowie, the Portland Trail Blazers finally ended the Oden era. It was something that had to be done after having Oden face surgery after surgery. The Blazers also decided to throw in the towel on the season and rebuild on the fly, but that's another story.
My question is, do you give Oden a shot if he gets healthy? Maybe. If I'm in the Detroit Pistons front office it's something I would keep an eye on. Hear me out before you call me stupid.
Oden will never be completely healthy, but he could still be healthy enough to be a servicable NBA player. Not the dominant force many thought he would be when he was made the number one pick out of Ohio State. I would keep an eye on his progress and if I deemed him to be healthy enough, then sign him to the veteran's minimum. That way if he's no good to you, get rid of him, eat his contract and it doesn't set your franchise back.
Joe Dumars should take a look and see how Oden has progressed after his third microfracture surgery. It couldn't hurt the Pistons and Oden is still young enough to be a decent NBA player. He is only 24 so I'm sure he'd be willing to give it another try before calling it a career. I'm not saying go out and sign him now. Just see how he progresses and take a shot on his damaged upside.
There is this disclaimer. Oden shouldn't rush to get back on the court like he has in years past. It always seemed like he was trying to justify his status as the number one pick due to the success of Kevin Durant. If Oden can fully concentrate on rehab, then he might be worth the risk even if he hasn't played extensively in three years.
It remains to be seen whether Oden, because of his modest salary, is claimed on waivers even though he isn't expected to be ready to try to resume his career until well into the 2012-13 season.
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