Greg Oden to Heat Rumors: What Portland Big Man Brings to the Table for Miami

The Miami Heat have their their sights on Greg Oden according to ESPN.com. The Heat would have to first convince the center to take less money than the $8.9 million qualifying offer the Portland Trail Blazers have already extended, but then they would also have to hope that Portland didn't match the offer. 

Still, improbability isn't impossibility and the Heat are hoping to get things to work out. It's not like Pat Riley hasn't made the improbable happen before. 

So what would the Miami Heat look like with Oden starting? Well, in the best-case scenario, ridiculously good. In a worst-case scenario, it could be a disaster. 

Oden, at his best, could be a monster addition to the already star-studded Heat. His contributions come in the way of scoring, rebounding and defense. When last he played during the 2009-10 season he averaged 16.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per 36 minutes and held his opponents to a PER of just 12.5.

Those are some pretty gaudy numbers being added to a lineup that is already stacked and just came up short of winning an NBA title. Certainly, it's a scenario that if it played out perfectly would be ideal for the Heat and their fans. 

However, there's the other side of this too. Already under a tight payroll, the Heat would be using their MLE to sign Oden, and he's no guarantee to be around for all 66 games this season, particularly with the condensed nature of this year's games. 

Should Oden go down again, there would be a major problem facing the Heat. Not only would this be an issue for the season, but it could be an issue for several seasons.

Oden was drafted in 2007, and has played a grand total of 82 games and had three total major knee surgeries since then. To say he's an injury risk is something akin to say that jumping out of an airplane without a parachute is risky.

Of course, if it does work out, the Heat are set for not three, not four, but their first NBA championship together as a new team.