Miami Heat center Greg Oden made his season debut on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards. After Oden's productive night during his limited minutes, Miami appears even less likely to take a gamble on signing free agent Andrew Bynum.
Wednesday marked Oden's first time playing in a regular-season NBA game since December 2009. Oden produced in his eight minutes and 24 seconds of playing time, logging six points - including two dunks - and two rebounds.
Although the Heat were handed their third straight loss, Oden took another step forward in his attempt to resurrect his NBA career. Even better, the 7-footer didn't appear to suffer any setbacks from his limited time on the court.
Miami needs size in the paint, but the team is resolute in their methodical approach of slowly integrating Oden back into games.
"(The Heat have) come up with something to keep me playing, not just to get me out there and get injured," Oden said after the game, via ESPN. "So this is the plan and it's got me this far. It got me in the game."
Oden is still unlikely to play back-to-back games anytime soon, but his minutes on the court should gradually increase if he continues to practice and play without setbacks.
The Heat were rumored to be a potential suitor for the former Cavalier, but a report this week from Yahoo! Sports said the Heat aren't expected to pursue the injury-prone Bynum because they already have Oden and a full roster.
Zach Lowe of Grantland disagreed on Wednesday and called it a "no-brainer" for Miami to sign Bynum, citing the Heat's recent three-team trade and the uncertainty of Oden ever playing significant minutes.
Oden's positive outing on Wednesday, however, is likely to nix the thought of signing Bynum.
UPDATE (1/16/14): Heat president Pat Riley seemingly confirmed the team isn't pursuing Bynum.
"It's all speculation," Riley said of signing Bynum, via ESPN. "That's all it is. There will be a tremendous amount of research (on free agents). There's nothing going at all. There's nothing happening at all with that situation."
