Heat C Greg Oden experiences setback after swelling in left knee

Every fan of both the Miami Heat and former Ohio State center Greg Oden just said, “uh oh”, after reading the headline above, and they have good reason.

According to a report from Ken Berger of CBS Sports, Greg Oden experienced a significant setback after his left knee swelled following some more intense work with his new team. It is important to note that swelling doesn’t necessarily indicate a new (or recurring) problem of epic proportion, but it’s certainly not a positive step for the oft-injured big man.

Berger also obtained some semi-positive quotes from Oden after the swelling took place:

"“I’m fine,” Oden said. “It’s been three years, three-and-a-half years for me, so a little bit of swelling … As long as there’s no surgery, I’m OK. It’s just taking its time. It’s going to be a long season, and I’m going to get there. It’s just one day.”"

The fact that Oden can take the “one day at a time” approach is a testament to a great fit between him and the Heat. Miami is one of the few teams in the league who wouldn’t need Oden to perform, and they simply took a flyer on a guy with incredibly high upside while accepting virtually no risk.

Personally, Oden is a guy that I can’t help but root for, and he’s a wonderful talent if his body will allow him to be. Let’s hope that this is a mild setback, but unfortunately, it’s definitely a setback.