The next episode: Rooting for Greg Oden’s comeback

Oden only managed four scoreless minutes on the floor in his next game against the Houston Rockets, before injuring his left patella and being forced to miss the rest of the season. Again.

Greg Oden #52 of the Portland Trail Blazers lays injured on the court during a game against the Houston Rockets on December 5, 2009 at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon. (Getty Images)

And then he didn’t play again. He had a micro-fracture surgery in November 2010 that kept him out of the 2010-11 season before it even began, and suffered another setback in his rehab process the following year. He had surgeries on both his knees in February 2012 and was finally waived by the Trailblazers a month later.

While Durant was winning scoring titles and making Finals appearances, while the league’s only dominant big man, Dwight Howard – the big man whom Oden would’ve challenged in his hypothetical successful career – was winning Defensive Player of the Year Awards and making infamous news around the league, while the rest of the NBA moved on and a whole new generation of new stars emerged, Oden sat on the sidelines, a professional basketball player who couldn’t play professional basketball.

The series of tragic setbacks limited Oden to just 82 NBA games – exactly the amount of one NBA season – through the course of the past six seasons since he was drafted in 2007.

Most professionals – of any profession – would’ve been totally deflated by a career so unfortunate, totally discouraged to try and break the curse that forever seems to haunt them. But Oden didn’t quit. Once his knees felt healthy enough yet, he started working towards an unlikely comeback. Doubters doubted, cynics were cynical, and haters hated, but the comeback seemed to be a real possibility after Oden began to show signs of his old self again.

Greg Oden #52 of the Portland Trail Blazers dunks over Anthony Randolph #4 of the Golden State Warriors during an NBA game at Oracle Arena on November 20, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Getty Images)

And after hearing from suitors from around the league, Oden finally announced his decision: he would be taking his talents to join LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the back-to-back NBA champs, the team against whom he scored his first and last NBA points, the Miami Heat.

At this point, without any proof of action against real NBA competition at real NBA pace, we can only make wild guesses of how good Oden could be this upcoming season. For the Heat, the choice to pick him is a win-win: he is signed on to a one-year minimum contract; if he struggles with his health or simply isn’t that good anymore, they lose little except for a roster spot and very little money.

If he can blossom into a fraction of the star he was supposed to be, a shot-stopping centre to man the post and protect the paint, he could instantly make the league’s best team even better. The Heat, who have already mastered the new era of small-ball in the NBA, will have a legitimate option when switching to big-ball, too.

No matter what happens ahead, Oden is already a winner. He’s a winner for making a comeback into the world’s toughest basketball league after being an absolute pariah to the sport for several years, for beating the odds bravely and finding a spot in the world’s best team.

Anything from here on-forth is a bonus. He may participate in the pre-season games, and could potentially play his first competitive game on October 29th against the Bulls. And make no mistake, every true basketball fan – at the arena or at home – will applaud his return to the court.

One time, in a whole different world many years ago, Greg Oden worked hard to climb his way up the charts to become the number one pick and a future NBA superstar. The success-story never came to fruition, but after years of injuries and speed-bumps, we may be able to witness something even more amazing: his return to the league as just a regular, minimum contract, player.

The dream has been slightly amended, but it’s still alive. A basketball player gets to play basketball again.