I'd take the chance. The guy was a beast before he went down. Great reboudning and shot blocking rates, and can score, too. He's worth the injury risk that may cause us to say "so long" to him.
Whoever gets Oden in the next year or 2 will be very lucky, since he'll come cheap, and by that time he would be fully recovered.
I'd sign him for cheap as a free agent, but at no point would trade a perfectly healthy athletic players with pretty good upside for an unhealthy athletic player with great upside. Odds are you will never see the upside of an unhealthy player develop. Good example is Johnathan Bender. Every year for the longest people said he has great upside if he can still healthy. We'll he fell of the face of the earth from an NBA stand point.
I like the other guys post about an all injury team We should really shoot for that we are close enough.
**** no, Oden is even more fragile than Yao. Oden's head would blow up the moment he puts Rockets jersey.
I want to have Greg Oden in free agency. He will get healthy and dominate, with Yao, Scola AND Jordan Hill... :grin:
He'll be RFA in the summer. If he comes back this season, does good, Portland'll match any offer unless it's crazy money.
I would do it. As good as J.Hill has been this season, hes not getting many minutes anyways. I'd take the risk of having an injury prone 7'2 center over 6'10 benchwarmer.
So you'd give up a lottery pick just to get a "chance" that Oden will be healthy? Its not like his accidents have been freak injuries, he's had a history of leg problems even in college. There's structural damage there already, and it'll only be a matter of time before he breaks down permanently Bill Walton style.
He's not even playing, because he is injured. Why not wait until he is healthy and sign him in the offseason? Nothing to give up.
