Greg Oden's body hasn't cooperated with the former No. 1 overall pick, but his latest return from injury is showing more promise than ever before. From ESPN:
“He looked good in the minutes he played; he played solid for them,” Duncan said when asked what kind of lift Oden might provide down the line. “He’s a big body in there, obviously, and finished around the rim. They’re very good at moving bodies in and out of there, so who knows what he’ll bring?”
Duncan is the latest in a growing line of the league’s high-profile post players to face Oden as he takes the initial steps in a long-awaited journey back to becoming a regular contributor to an NBA rotation. Duncan, who finished with 23 points, missed his first two shots and had a turnover on his first three touches after Oden entered the game with 7:22 left in the second quarter.
Oden is still searching for his offensive rhythm, something that may be a long time coming, but the former No. 1 overall pick has already shown flashes of how disruptive he can be defensively. Oden had similar stints in recent appearances against Pau Gasol of the Lakers and Bobcats center Al Jefferson.
As always, we're torn between our love for Greg Oden and our desire to see ANYONE but the Miami Heat win the 2014 title. Still, even if LeBron and company do pull off the three-peat, the silver lining will be Greg Oden also getting a ring. He still has a long way to go to becoming a regular contributor, especially with his conditioning, but damn is it good to see Oden back on the court.
Hopefully his bones and ligaments agree with us and cooperate for once in his life.
