Interested might be a strong word. Maybe signing is as well. Willing to give him a thorough look and chance is the more accurate term for a player well all thought isn’t going to be heard from again. The Memphis Grizzlies might really be Greg Oden’s last chance.
He worked out for them this spring and will most likely be part of a free agents camp in June. That is if his knees don’t buckle from under him once again.
The Miami Heat gave the former number one overall pick (2007) a chance in 2013-2014. He played in 23 games, averaged 9.2 minutes a night, generating 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
The Heat thought they’d get some quality bench minutes in the paint from him, but he played just 7 minutes overall in the postseason, spread out over three games. Not the comeback he was hoping for.
Oden can’t play, or at least couldn’t play (or practice) for too long without having his knees swell and the pain becoming too much for him. It’s possible that it’s gallant of him to keep on trying to get back into the league, but the more time passes, the more difficult it is to believe he has a spot in the NBA. He’ll never erase the ‘bust’ label, even if it’s not really his fault that his body is too fragile to make it in the NBA.