Greg Oden May Be Training for NBA Comeback, According to Ohio State Coach
Greg Oden's NBA career has been a series of stops and starts since he was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007. After sitting out this season, the 27-year-old could be ready to make another comeback attempt.
At least that's what Ohio State's Thad Matta, who coached Oden in 2006-07, told The Associated Press before the Buckeyes NCAA tournament game, via USA Today:
"Quite honestly, I haven't seen Greg look this good since when he played for us back in the day at Ohio State. His attitude is off the charts. He went through a lot. You look at Greg's life, how difficult things have been. I know that he is a kid that never wanted to let people down. The injuries, you know, none of us can prevent those. I know there's part of him that wishes that stuff couldn't have happened.
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After appearing in 23 games for the Miami Heat last season, Oden told Chris Haynes of CSN Northwest that he was hoping to play in 2014-15, but the season is nearly over with the former top pick nowhere to be seen.
Matta also added that Oden is "as happy as he is right now in terms of everything is going great in his life." The legendary draft bust has had a tumultuous professional career thanks to a series of injuries that will make him one of the great "what if?" players in NBA history.
After he was drafted in 2007, Oden played in a total of 82 games over five seasons before being released. He briefly returned with Miami last year, averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as a member of the Eastern Conference champion team.
