Oklahoma City: the Case for Oden

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Going to be sicker.

http://blog.newsok.com/thunderrumblings/2010/11/18/a-case-for-greg-oden-in-oklahoma-city/

Allow me to steal a phrase from Russell Westbrook for this one.

“Why not?”

If you’re Thunder GM Sam Presti, why not go after Greg Oden in free agency next summer? Why not take a chance on the one-time center sensation whose promise has faded because of faulty knees?

It would only be the greatest low-risk, high-reward maneuver we’ve ever seen Presti pull. And there have been plenty, most of them beyond question of the high-reward variety. We saw it with the near signing of C.J. Miles and the eventually rescinded trade for Tyson Chandler. We saw it with the successful signing of Nenad Krstic and the completed trade for Thabo Sefolosha. And, most similarly, we saw it with the flier Presti took on Shaun Livingston, who nearly four years after a near career-ending knee injury still is navigating his full-time comeback.

Oden, the Blazers announced Wednesday, will soon undergo his second microfracture surgery, this time on his left knee. He missed the entire 2007-08 season following the same procedure on his right knee. And suddenly, with this latest news, Oden’s days in Portland seem to be done.

The Blazers decided against offering Oden a contract extension prior to the Nov. 1 deadline, making him the first No. 1 overall pick since Kwame Brown who failed to receive a new deal following his rookie contract. Although Oden is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next summer, giving Portland the right to match any offer a team throws his way, there are already reports that the Blazers might decline to retain those rights. Which of course makes perfect sense. Former Thunder assistant general manager Rich Cho, the new GM of the Blazers, has no reason to keep Oden. His selection was on former Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard’s watch. Now, it seems the sooner Cho can wipe his hands of what’s become a sad, if not embarrassing, set of setbacks the better.

Oden will forever be known as the bust who was taken ahead of Thunder star Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft. But the longer Oden stays with the Blazers, the more that troublesome truth will define his career, while also hanging over the Portland franchise. It’s time both parties parted ways.

And what better place is there for Oden to escape Durant’s shadow than Oklahoma City? Rather than toil through life as the answer to a trivia question, Oden could redefine his career by joining forces with Durant and perhaps someday compete for championships alongside him.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

But the big question is how much money can Oden command?

In a league of second and third and fourth chances, you can expect several teams to bite on the bait that is a player who was billed as a once-in-a-generation center. We’ve seen it so many times, especially when it comes to big men. After failed stops in Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis, Brown still got a two-year, $8 million deal from Detroit in 2008. And this summer, Minnesota ignored how Darko Milicic wasted space in Detroit, Orlando, Memphis and New York and signed him to a four-year, $20 million deal. So somebody is going to throw some cash at Oden.

But how much is too much for the Thunder?

I don’t know how far OKC will be under the cap next season. Nobody does since the rules of a new collective bargaining agreement are still in the balance. But Oden is worth taking a considerable chance on. It’s not my money, but I’d jump at a deal starting at $2 million per. I’d probably go as high as $3.5 million per and strongly consider a $4 million annual salary over, say, three years. Maybe that’s too much. Maybe that’s not nearly enough and a franchise like New York outbids everyone to make Oden the latest in a long line of overpaid centers in a Knicks uniform.

But, if I’m Presti, Oden would definitely be in my sights next summer.

 

[HailBlazers]

 

[SlyPokerDog]

$2 to 4 million?!?! Mayberry is an idiot.

Blazers would match that.

 

[alex42083]

That'd be a big kick to the junk if G.O. found himself in OKC, and got healthy, and him and Durant win championships by beating LA and Miami along the way. There will no doubt be teams lined up to grab Oden as a low-risk, high-reward pick-up.

 

[mercykersey]

Luckily for us the Blazers arent owned by reporters or overemotional fans.. Oden is not going anywhere, we already hedged our bets, folding now would be plain dumb.

 

[e_blazer]

What a ridiculous set of assumptions. Cho has no reason to keep Oden simply because he was a Pritchard pick? The Blazers would be unwilling to gamble $2-4 mil, but the Thunder would? Right.

And I thought Canzano was bad.

 

[Mediocre Man]

$2 to 4 million?!?! Mayberry is an idiot.

Blazers would match that.

Not if they don't offer Greg a QO

 

[HOWIE]

So that would only be 8.8 million......add in the 2 to 4 million.......cost the Blazers $10.8 or 12.8 million depending on the offer from another team. My gut tells me that Oden would want to start a new someplace where the expectaions are low for him, like Miami. A break up with Oden might be good for both parties to move on........I have a vision of something completely different when we drafted him, but you play with what your dealt.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Fuck what Oden wants... he should only be able to play for one team, and that's the team that paid him to exercise!

 

[Minstrel]

So that would only be 8.8 million......add in the 2 to 4 million.......cost the Blazers $10.8 or 12.8 million depending on the offer from another team.

No, I don't think it works that way. It's the qualifying offer or a new contract, not both. The qualifying offer is, essentially, a one-year contract...accepting a deal from another team would be instead of that one-year contract but, since the original team offered the QO, they are entitled to match that new deal.

I believe that's how it works.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Ibaka >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Oden

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Ibaka >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Oden

Shall we trade?

 

[Nikolokolus]

Luckily for us the Blazers arent owned by reporters or overemotional fans.. Oden is not going anywhere, we already hedged our bets, folding now would be plain dumb.

There's so much irony loaded in this statement I don't even know where to begin ...

 

[hasoos]

Why do we keep having so many threads about OKC here?