Amico: Greg Oden a possibility for Spurs (Update)

Nov. 3, 2009; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden (52) drives to the basket on Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) in the fourth quarter of the game at the Rose Garden. Atlanta won the game 97-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

Update Aug. 15, 11:17 am: Greg Oden doesn’t appear too interested in playing this year though.

“I would love to play [in 2012-13], but I’m not     going to rush anything,” he said […] “I need to     take a year off. What I told Mike was ‘Look, I     want to get back with a team. I want to play. If     there’s a chance that later on in the [NBA] year,     if I feel good or if I’m healthy enough to play, I     would love to play this year.’ I know I need to     get healthy first before I do anything.” […]

“It’s not like teams are out there telling people     they want me, because they’re not right now,” Oden explained. “And I’m not out there telling people I want to     go to a certain team. I want to go to a place where I can get healthy and with somebody who can believe in     me and my skills — somewhere it could be a good fit for the both of us.”

In the interim, Oden will pursue a leisurely job as a high-school gym teacher.

Hat-tip to Dan Devine of Ball Don’t Lie.

Aug. 15, 9:55 am: The brevity of Greg Oden’s career is one of the saddest developments in recent NBA history. Oden appeared in 82 games through four seasons which isn’t necessarily his fault; it may amount to bad luck, circumstance and genetics. Considering Kevin Durant was drafted with the No. 2 overall pick, his precipitous decline is even more damaging.

Oden likely won’t play much this season, if at all, but Sam Amico of Fox Sports reported that one general manager listed the Spurs, along with the Pacers and Magic as frontrunners for Oden.

One NBA GM listed three teams he considers frontrunners for Greg Oden (in no order): Spurs, Pacers and Magic. The … sulia.com/c/basketball/f…

— Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) August 15, 2012

Acquiring Oden offers little risk since the Spurs won’t be expected to pay much for his services. While everyone remembers Oden as a colossal bust, he was effective in the NBA. Oden compiled an above-average 19.5 PER in addition to grabbing 20.5% of Portland’s rebounds while he was on the floor; only Reggie Evans, Dwight Howard and Marcus Camby were more proficient rebounders this season. His shot blocking, meanwhile, was perhaps his greatest asset to the team as he blocked 5.1% of opponents shots.

I don’t see why San Antonio shouldn’t entertain the possibility of signing Oden given the potential benefits. It’s a classic low risk/high reward play and those are always nice.

Hat-tip to Trevor Zickgraf of Project Spurs.