Portland Trail Bloggers

UPDATE: Although he’s still listed as a game-time decision, Greg Oden will definitely play tonight. Quick again has the scoop and ESPN is right behind him along with an accompanying video of the big fella.

Roy is still experiencing tightness in his back but will also try and give it a go tonight against the Heat. If he can workout without serious issues in warmups, he’ll be full-go by the tip.

Fifteen days after an unimpressive, uninspiring long-awaited career debut, we are to be treated to the return of Greg Oden. Mike Barrett and Jason Quick both reported that Oden will most likely play tonight against Miami. The highlights from each:

Barrett:

Oden had an outstanding practice on Tuesday, and was explosive and, at times, dominant. He had several backboard-shaking slam dunks, and several came following quick offensive moves in the paint. It was easily the best he’s looked since training camp.

Oden’s teammates were tossing around praise when talking about the big guy’s condition, and potential, if he looks like he did in practice on Tuesday. They just saw what Dwight Howard is capable of in Orlando, and comparisons were being drawn after what Oden showed in practice.

Quick:

And Oden didn’t just participate. He had just made a convincing statement that he is ready to return for tonight’s game against the Miami Heat, spinning through traffic for a two-handed dunk, punctuated with a two-handed slap to the backboard. As the ferocious dunk went through the rim, the ball ricocheted off his knees into the stands, sending Blake scurrying like a kid searching for a foul ball in a barren stadium.

It was one of those moments when assistant coaches and players looked at each other and smiled.

After the 90-minute practice, Oden reported no pain in his foot, while his teammates and head coach all said there is no doubt that the 7-footer is ready to play.

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“Have to see how it feels when I wake up tomorrow,” Oden said. “But I felt good today.”

The big factor to me here is how McMillan opts to play Oden. He’s definitely going to be coming off the bench as both Barrett and Quick mentioned. Get him more shots with the second unit and let Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge not worry about having to involve if he were starting. In the L.A. game, it just felt unnatural the way the two deferred to the rookie. This is a smart way to avoid the congestion that haunted the season opener.

How much Oden plays depends on how his foot feels. The Heat don’t have a dominating big guy so foul trouble shouldn’t be too huge an issue. If Greg feels right, his fouls are low, and the team plays well with him in there, I could see him getting around 22-25 minutes tomorrow. What do you think?

Both Oden and Roy, who hurt his back in the last minute or so of Monday’s road win in Orlando, are listed as questionable. Roy sat out Tuesday’s practice along with Joel Przybilla and Aldridge. He said that if the game had been Tuesday, he would not have been able to play. With an extra day of treatment from wizard-turned-athletic trainer Jay Jensen, he will most likely play tonight.