Once upon a time Greg Oden was one of the top prospects in the NBA. The former Ohio State Buckeyes is now in search of a new job after being let go by the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association. But is this really as bad as it sounds?
The truth is, no, this may not be as unfortunate sounding as you might think. The Dragons missed the playoffs in the CBA by one spot, and Oden was at the end of his contract, which paid him $1.2 million for the 2015-2016 season. Oden was reportedly rumored to have an option for a second season.
Greg Oden wasn't waived. His team isn't in the playoffs, he totaled 12.9 points, 12.7 boards & 2.1 blocks. NBA comeback?
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) February 1, 2016
The acquisition of Oden was expected to help push the dragons into the playoffs, as most American imports in the CBA are expected to have a dramatic impact on their new team. Of course, despite his size, Oden struggled to live up to the hype Stephon Marbury receives in the CBA (Marbury previously made a push to convince Kobe Bryant to come play in the CBA after retiring from the NBA). Safe to say they won’t be building museums for Odon in China any time too soon.
The question remains though, will Oden soon return to an NBA court despite the limited success in China. Oden has been out of action since the end of the 2013-2014 season with the Miami Heat. He worked out with the Memphis Grizzlies in March 2015 and later with the Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks over the summer of 2015. Neither team bit on Oden’s attempt to return to the NBA. Now the question is whether or not this brief stretch in China will open some opportunities in the second half of the NBA season, or perhaps in the offseason.
We all love a good comeback story here, of course, so consider us rooting for Oden.
