Feb 8, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; General view of an All-Star banner in the Toyota Center before a game between the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to “Tuesdays with Right Down Euclid.” Every Tuesday the RDE crew of Zachary Kolesar and Chris Manning, along with host Nick Harley, will talk the latest Wine and Gold new to keep you informed on headlining topics in the form of back-and-forth discussion. We will cover the most important topics in a four-quarter (and overtime) breakdown spanning from the shores of Lake Erie to all around the NBA (if it is relevant breaking news).

In the seventeenth episode website editor Zachary Kolesar and contributing blogger Chris Manning talk about the consistency of Tristan Thompson, possible Cavalier trades, Chris Bosh as an All-Star, Greg Oden update and the highlight/lowlight of All-Star weekend.
Below is the link where you can listen to this week’s episode quarter by quarter:

First Quarter – Should we be concerned about Tristan Thompson’s performance against Kenneth Faried?

Second Quarter – Will/should the Cavaliers deal before the All-Star break?

Third Quarter – Should Chris Bosh be an All-Star starter?

Fourth Quarter – Chris and Zak offer their pitches to Greg Oden.

Overtime – What are you looking forward to/not looking forward to this All-Star weekend?

Make sure to join us next Tuesday for your weekly dose of “Tuesdays with Right Down Euclid.”

Dec 16, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden (52) poses for a photo during media day at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

According to reports, the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to offer the former number one overall pick, Greg Oden, a two year contract with a team option for a third. The former Portland Trail Blazer averaging 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds in 82 career games. His career, which once had the highest of expectations, has been derailed by knee injury after injury. But due to several knee injuries, the Ohio State product has played 82 total games, the equivalent 82 games in five seasons since being drafted.

For Cleveland, Oden would be worth any risk he carries. The Cavaliers are a young team that is in need of frontcourt depth. At the center position, Anderson Varejao has been oft injured, while Tyler Zeller has yet to establish himself as a future starter in his rookie campaign. At power forward, Tristan Thompson has established himself as a starter, while recent acquisition Marresse Speights has proven to be a solid contributor from the bench. His contract, however, is up after next season, when he will be unrestricted free agent.

For Oden, Cleveland would be a logical fit. It would be an environment that would give him the opportunity to slowly work his way back, and not rush back like he has said he did before. If Oden were to sign with a team like the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics, he would be in a situation where he would likely need to play right away, or be lost in the flow of it all. In Miami, especially, I could easily see Oden being lost on the bench, and never getting a real chance to restart his NBA career.

One other reason Oden would be wise to choose Cleveland would be the medical staff in Cleveland, as well as the easy access to the top level medical care in Cleveland. The Cavaliers have already helped a top level center prospect return from serious injury, and that player was Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Lithuanian suffered from chronic foot injuries once drafted, and there was a very good chance that he was never going to play again. But over time, Ilgauskas recovered and became on the best players in the history of the Cavaliers franchise. In Cleveland Oden, would get the chance to do the very same thing. He could take it slow, receive the proper medical care and possibly become the player everyone thought he could be.

One last aspect of Cleveland that could be replicated anywhere else is Kyrie Irving. The budding superstar is arguably the best young talent Oden could align himself with. Sure the Heat have LeBron James, but it is not certain that James will stay in Miami after next season. In Cleveland, Oden could align himself with one of the league’s premier talents for what Cleveland hopes in the long term? Along with the medical care, that would be hard to pass up.

Dec 16, 2011; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden (52) poses for a photo during media day at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat seem to be the only two teams in the race for former Ohio State center Greg Oden. According to The Plain Dealer, Oden’s agent, Mike Conley Sr., says that the former Ohio State star would love to stay instate and play for the Cavaliers. This could be a best-case scenario for both parties, as Oden is trying to rebuild his resume after a first failed attempt at playing in the NBA – and Cleveland is a good team to find minutes to achieve that goal.

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports reported on Tuesday that the leaders in the Oden sweepstakes – if that’s what you want to deem it – are the Cavaliers and Heat. His last, and also third, microfracture knee surgery was in February 2012, and he hasn’t played in the NBA since December of 2009. According to the Associated Press, the Cavaliers are considering signing Oden, but it all depends on the health of the troubled center.

Grantland writer Mark Titus had a good one-on-one interview experience with Oden, who averaged 15.7 point, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks, while shooting 61.6 percent from the field in one season as a Buckeye. There has always been controversy surrounding the seven footer, such as leaked naked pictures, three microfracture surgeries – totaling 338 missed games – an injured wrist, problems with alcohol and an untrustworthy medical staff.

Oden was picked No. 1 overall in the 2007 draft over Kevin Durant, but has not at all panned out in the NBA. In two seasons and 82 games with the Portland Trial Blazers, Oden averaged 9.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. The pressure of always being compared to Durant and the eagerness people displayed when rushing him back from a surgery make these numbers look insignificant. After not being able to recover fully from rehab due to coming back too soon from surgery, Oden’s NBA career stalled on March 15, 2012 after the Trail Blazers released him. He decided to move back to Columbus for rehab on his knee and to work at a degree at Ohio State, but not attempt an NBA comeback until the end of the 2012-13 season. It seems that he is early on his projection, as he should be signing with a team any day now.

Going to the Cavaliers would make sense if Oden wants to have the best chance to revitalize his career, but if he wants to compete for a championship and possibly get lost in the star-studded Heat roster, than there’s always the latter option as well. Even though the addition of Marreese Speights added much needed depth to Cleveland’s frountcourt, having another big man like Oden on the bench could give starters Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller more rest and would keep Walton from filling in for the big man role from time to time. Cleveland did move power forward Kevin Jones to Canton again. That is a tactic that they used when dealing with the Memphis Grizzlies to free up room on the roster. Jones being sent down could mean that the Cavs are about to deal once again or sign a free agent such as Oden. We will keep you updated as much as possible as more information is made available to us at Right Down Euclid.