The 2007 NBA Draft had the most hype witnessed since LeBron James announced his intentions to enter his name. Greg Oden was supposed to be a franchise savor. The 7’0 C was arguably the best basketball player rich Indiana has ever seen, and he was the slam dunk top-player in the nation. Oden went to Ohio State, where he, along with high school teammate Mike Conley brought OSU to a national title.
So when the Portland Trailblazers took him as the number one pick, it was a bit of a no-brainer. No offense to Durant, who is now arguably a top-5 player in the game, but Oden was on another level. Then the injury bug bit, and bit hard.
To say he’s been a bust is unfair. He hasn’t even had a chance to be a bust. His left knee sidelined him to his third season-ending injury. Oden’s played 82 games in just four years, the same amount some players play in one season.
Oden is a restricted free-agent this year. The Blazers could match any offer and re-sign him. If they don’t, the Pacers need to make a serious, serious offer. The Pacers have a lot of money this year with the potential of many big contracts thanks to Dunleavy and Ford off the books, commanding nearly 19 million combined. Yet, still, the free-agent pool isn’t deep, and the likelihood the Pacers could land a big name player is unlikely.
A player like a Caron Butler or Jason Richardson won’t change the franchise, and could even impede it’s attempt to grow. Oden is certainly a risk, but the reward is high enough that the Pacers should take the chance.
He has every ability to be the best center in the NBA if healthy. A combination of Oden and Hibbert could be twin towers-esque, especially with promising 1-3’s like Collison, Granger, and George. If Oden panned out like every expert was drooling over, the Pacers could very easily be one of the top 2-3 team’s in the east. By that time, Boston would be out of the picture, and it’s looking like Orlando’s best days are behind them.
And hey, he never had injury problems until he left the state of Indiana.