Presence in the Paint 1: Could Greg Oden Be the Answer for the Celtics?

In 2007, Greg Oden was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, and his rookie contract is expiring this offseason.

A player who was predicted to be an All-Star and an instant impact on the court has had so many injury issues that he has only played in a total of 82 games in four years. Knee injuries have plagued his extremely young career, and he was unable to play the 2010-2011 season due to a necessary micro-fracture surgery on his injured left knee. He will be unable to really work on his game until September due to restrictions from the surgery.

It would be a large gamble for the Celtics to attempt to obtain the risky center, but a change of coaching and training could be the key to bringing Oden back to the dominating play the NBA saw when he was healthy. The Celtics showed that they can battle knee injuries when they nursed Jermaine O'Neal back to health and used him as the dominating force in the paint that they needed desperately during the playoffs.

Jermaine's inability to play long enough to control the game and a lack of talented reserves ended up being the team's greatest weakness, and Oden would be a great step in fixing this major flaw.

Oden is coming off of a $6 million contract that the Trail Blazers have an option to pick up for one more year at $8.8 million, which seems extremely unlikely due to his health issues. With Oden hitting free agency this summer, few teams will be interested in risking a large sum of money for the center, giving the Celtics the opportunity to sign Oden for possibly less then his current $6 million contract.

If the Celtics were to sign him, they would be guaranteed a little under two months to get Oden back into basketball shape and ready for the regular season. Although his minutes would be limited at first, the team could carry itself through the first month or two of the season without requiring him to play major minutes (as long as O'Neal remains healthy).

A possible lockout could threaten to push the season back farther, giving the Celtics a bit of an advantage to get Oden into further shape on his own and possibly allow the team some time to get used to each other away from the organization.

If Oden could return to the Celtics healthy, the team could see great production from him both offensively and defensively. The 7-foot center would be a presence in the paint, making people think twice before driving to the lane, and provide a much-needed defensive advantage with 1.4 blocks per game and 7.3 rebounds per game (a much-needed statistic after the Celtics were out-rebounded greatly by the Heat).

He averaged 9.4 points per game during the games he played, showing that he could be a valuable offensive piece to the team as well, not to mention the fact that he will be set up by possibly the greatest passer in the NBA with Rondo at the point.

Rondo's vision and athletic ability would allow Oden the opportunity to receive the ball in the perfect position to score and bring back the athleticism that Oden once possessed. The Celtics' outside threat would also pull defenders from the rim, giving Oden more room to work with the ball and a greater opportunity to crash the boards for offensive rebounds.

Oden could be the much-needed answer for a backup center that the Celtics have been looking for,  and his young age could give the team the opportunity to push for another championship while preparing for the transition to the post-Big Three era.

The thing to keep in mind with Oden is that he is young, and if he were to return healthy and become a consistent player for the Celtics, his numbers would greatly improve the team now and in the future. Not to mention the fact that the price of his contract would be considered a steal if he were able to play at his potential production level.

The major flaw in picking up the center is the necessity of signing a third center due to the health risks of both Oden and O'Neal, but there are a few quality centers hitting the market this summer that could be viable reserves to keep down their minutes.