Greg Oden signs with Miami Heat

Wade spoke to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Thursday at an event in Hollywood, and the Heat star says Oden has done a great job trying to get his body back into shape:

Oden, the No. 1 pick in 2007, hasn’t played in the NBA since 2009 due to lingering knee problems that have required multiple surgeries. After a third microfracture procedure in 2012, Oden’s doctor essentially told the big man to give up the game.

Oden will still make $1.027 million from the Heat this season, but not having that player option takes away some of the security he was thought to have as he tries to make his comeback to the NBA. The former No. 1 pick hasn’t played since 2009 due to a series of lingering injury problems that he’s still trying to overcome.

Oden recently opened up about his situation. He’s still unsure if his body will be able to make it through an NBA season, but he’s extremely excited to be a part of what’s going on in Miami.

“I just wanted to play basketball. That’s my love. That’s what I wanted to do,” Oden said in an article by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

After a devastating knee injury in 2009 seemingly put an end to his NBA career, Oden didn’t exactly get encouragement from his surgeon after a third microfracture procedure in 2012.

The list is extensive, but the microfracture surgery on his right knee that caused him to miss his rookie season, the 2010 microfracture surgery on his left knee and the Feb. 20, 2012, microfracture surgery (again on his left knee) are the major reasons he’s missed the last few seasons of professional basketball. Those are just the serious knee surgeries and don’t include things like a fractured left patella, a right knee scope, surgery on his wrist or a hip surgery in grade school, either -- all of which have likely contributed to his injury-shortened 82-game basketball career.

Oden is seemingly healthy now, however, as reports indicated that he was noticeably slimmer and looking solid athletically when he hosted five teams at a recent workout. That doesn’t mean he’ll be able to stay healthy over the duration of his contract, of course, but the fact that he’s spent the last year getting healthy hopefully means it’ll be sustainable this time around.

Miami has long been considered the favorite to land Oden, but none of the above destinations would be bad environments for him. The problem with the Heat, though, is that he’ll likely be more in the spotlight than he would in the other cities -- a potential problem considering his long layoff could lead to problems early in his comeback bid.

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