With Dwight Howard deciding to “take his talents” to Houston, the list of available quality centers is dwindling down.
The San Antonio Spurs are not likely to pursue Andrew Bynum, due to his questionable health record, lack of willingness to work out for prospective teams and the limited access he gave teams to his medical records.
Greg Oden, whom the Spurs have reportedly have interest, is viable big man that is still available on the free agent market and would fit well with the Spurs on both the offensive & defensive ends of the floor.
The emergence of Kawhi Leonard along with the growth of Danny Green, alongside the "Big Three”, have shown that the Spurs have more than enough offensive firepower to compete with the league’s elite teams. This will allow Oden to focus more of his attention on the defensive end. Any offensive contributions would be seen as a cherry on top of the sundae.
With Splitter back in the fold (and the addition of Jeff Pendergraph) alongside Duncan, the Spurs have the basket well protected should anyone get past the perimeter defense. The Spurs consistent presence among league’s defensive teams will they can man the fort while Oden gets acclimated to the Spurs system and doing his rehab to get back in to game shape.
The patience showed by the Spurs in allowing players to develop/get ready at their own pace (via their "Draft and Stash" philosophy) is something that will truly benefit Oden.
This patience will put Oden at ease by giving him all the time that he needs to ensure that his knee is 100% before even thinking about stepping foot on the court.
The more initial success he gets, the greater confidence Coach Popovich will have in him, which will lead to a bigger role come playoff time.
With how the playoffs ended the last two seasons with the bench being M.I.A. and Duncan approaching the end of his career, having all hands ready and able contribute is of utmost importance. Not to mention he will come cheap, and at a shorter contract should the Spurs want to fill the final roster spot. In other words, he is low-righ but high -reward.
Well Spurs’ fans, how do you feel Greg Oden look in the silver and black?
