Atlanta Hawks: Gauging ATL’s Chances of Landing Greg Oden
By Pete Schauer
Greg Oden would give the Atlanta Hawks one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. (Flickr.com photo by Keith Allison).
The Atlanta Hawks already have plenty of big men, but they could be looking for more in 7’0” center Greg Oden.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Hawks, among a slew of other NBA teams, are interested in the services of Oden, who hasn’t played in a professional game since Dec. 5, 2009. Still, Oden has drawn a lot of attention throughout the NBA and could become an asset to Atlanta if they were fortunate enough to land the big man.
So what are the Hawks chances?
Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears reports that the Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans have caught the eye of Oden:
Free agent center Greg Oden appears most intrigued by Pelicans & Heat, source told Y! Sports. Decision still expected this week.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 28, 2013
I’m just going out on a limb here, but if Oden is interested in potentially signing with the Heat—winners of back-to-back NBA championships—I’d clearly declare them the frontrunners to land the former Ohio State standout.
Can you guess where ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith wants Oden to go?
Still, Windhorst offers some positive notes for Hawks fans in his column, mentioning Atlanta as one of the teams interested in Oden who “have portions of their various mid-level exceptions available to use on Oden that could pay him significantly more than the minimum.”
If Oden were to join the Hawks, they’d boast one of the most impressive frontcourts in the NBA.
They already have Al Horford, signed Paul Millsap in the offseason and most recently agreed to terms with Elton Brand, who still brings a lot to the table after 14 seasons in the league.
Miami should be the most obvious choice for the former No. 1 pick, but Atlanta has to be an intriguing option for Oden. He’d be a part of what’s expected to be a solid frontcourt and a member of a Hawks team that made it to the playoffs every season for the last six years.
Even though Josh Smith is now a member of the Detroit Pistons, I think the Hawks upgraded their big men and are ready to compete in 2013-14.
Even if they don’t land the big fish that is Greg Oden.
You can also find my work over at Bleacher Report and Yahoo! Sports. Find me on Google+.