Heat Should Conclude Free Agency with Greg Oden Signing

Before the Miami Heat and Ray Allen agreed to a deal this time last week, Marcus Camby was scheduled to meet with the team. 

In the process, a small admission was revealed by management that, despite how committed Miami is to revolutionize the concept of versatility in the NBA, its lack of size isn't exactly ideal. 

Which is why, if former first pick Greg Oden is indeed interested in playing for the Heat for the veteran's minimum as reported by NBC Miami, it's a gamble the team can afford to take.

Keep in mind, the Heat finished 21st in team defensive statistics last season, which is compiled by a team's overall rebounds, blocks and steals per game. They also finished 11th in the same category during the NBA Playoffs.

ESPN writer Tom Haberstroh offered a compelling argument on why Miami was better off going with a non-conventional, shooter-heavy lineup around the Big Three.

Moreover, the article also implicitly fueled the notion that Miami's defense feeds off its offense. Nevertheless, did we really need an elaborate statistical breakdown of every lineup featuring the Big Three to prove that the Heat aren't at their "best" with Ronny Turiaf or Joel Anthony on the floor?

I'll leave that for you to decide.

Meanwhile, Greg Oden is a career 55 percent FG shooter who has averaged 8.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks when he's managed to stay healthy. Miami plays in a conference that is heavy on big men, and, at the risk of wearing down LeBron James and Chris Bosh by frequently playing them out of position, some reliable size that isn't also an offensive liability could pay dividends over the long run.

It's also important to note that the Heat never played a team featuring Dwight Howard in the last two postseasons.

Is it a big deal? Maybe not. But the Heat did lose two of the three games he played in when Miami faced Orlando last year during the regular season.

At the end of the day, the Heat have more than enough reason to cap off free agency with an Oden signing as opposed to another wing like Grant Hill (per NBA.com) or a trampoline (shout out to King James) like John Lucas III (per ESPN).

And unlike the Rashard Lewis addition, this seems like an opportunity that would legitimately be low-risk and high-reward for Miami.