Oden will be back to 'the Greg we knew,' agent says

Greg Oden will play next season, his agent said, but whether Oden is wearing a Portland uniform has yet to be determined.

Oden's rehabilitation from a knee injury is a long process, but the point is to allow him to fully recover.

"He's focused on keeping his weight down, getting back to figuring out how to stay healthy. I give him a lot of credit for staying motivated to get through all this," his agent, Mike Conley, said.

"I know that he'll play next year, and as long as he keeps his weight down, he'll get back to being the Greg we knew, being able to run and jump and everything. The thing is keeping him healthy and give him the confidence to play without being scared."

"Greg is 23, 7-feet, 280 pounds. It's something to consider," Portland general manager Rich Cho told Portland reporters when stating recently that the center was an offseason priority.

The Blazers must extend an $8.8 million qualifying offer -- which can't happen until the NBA playoffs end -- to keep the right to match any offer Oden receives in the offseason as a restricted free agent.

"I think there will be offer sheets on him and he'll have an opportunity to earn more at Portland, or if Portland doesn't want to match it, he can play somewhere else. I know there will be some teams interested," Conley said.