re: Greg Oden to host 2 or 3 teams depending on who you ask.

How is it a high risk? Oden when healthy could be a very good center, and if he's not healthy he retires which then voids yr 2.

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I'm all in for offering this guy a contract. But good Lord if we, or anyone, guarantees 2 years to him. This was supposed to be a low risk, high reward type thing. A 2 year guarantee is nowhere near that.

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Thrillhouse has it right. The only thing the 2nd year does is make Benson choose between paying the tax or replacing Aminu/Smith with cheaper versions of themselves.

I think we're more likely to offer a Robin Lopez style, team option deal. Oden doesn't have nearly the leverage he thinks he has, that's why his agent is working the room by bringing in more bidders. His agent has done an excellent job of creating the appearance of leverage, but I think we all know there are really only 3 choices, Spurs, Heat, Pelicans. The Heat have no depth at center putting pressure on Oden to play, the Spurs have too much depth at center making Oden an afterthought, and the Pelicans may have a lot of depth at center, but it's the right kind of depth, the kind Oden can easily beat out if healthy. It's also the kind that's still good enough to step in for a few weeks if he feels he needs to rest his shot knees.