Former Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, who is expected to be the team’s defensive center of the future and make a playoff run alongside All-Star guard Brandon Roy and All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, has played just 82 games (60 as a starter) with the club during his five seasons in Rip City. The 2.13m big man was selected with the first pick in a loaded 2007 NBA draft, ahead of 14-time All-Star forward Kevin Durant (and counting), five-time All-Star center/power forward Al Horford, three-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year center Marc Gasol, two-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year center Joakim Noah, and All-Star point guard Mike Conley.
The Ohio State product was eventually released by the Trail Blazers in 2012. In Portland, he finished with averages of 9.4 points on 57.7 percent shooting and 66.6 percent free throw shooting, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 0.6 assists per night.
After three years of rehabbing from two microfractures on his left knee and arthroscopic surgery on his right knee from 2010 to 2013, Oden finally returned to the NBA, playing with the defending champion Miami Heat for what turned out to be 23 regular-season games and three playoff games. He played the same role as another oft-injured former player, Eddy Curry, in 2012. Like the 2001 No. 4 overall pick, Oden functioned as a backup on a fast-paced club that prioritized Chris Bosh at No. 5. Miami returned to its fourth straight NBA Finals, where it was defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in five games.
Oden did not return to Miami in 2014-15. He also did not play anywhere.
Although Oden worked with the Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks in 2015, he failed to land a contract before the 2015-16 season, so he went overseas.
Oden signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with Chinese Basketball Federation club Jiangsu Dragons. In his 25 games that year, he averaged 13.0 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
During a lengthy conversation with former Heat teammates Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, Oden discussed his final playing days with the Dragons.
“I ended up going to China and I felt great. A million dollars, tax-free, two or three months,” Oden said. “But it was also my first time in China… I was smoking a pack a day. I was smoking cigarettes right before the game, I was stressed.”
After that year, it took me a long time to be able to play a game, to get ready to play a game. And at that point, I was just like, ‘I’m about to get married, I’m about to have a baby. I want to be home, I want to be out there,'” Oden continued.
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