Greg Oden will fly to Miami at 6:00 AM on Monday to begin on-court work with the Miami Heat.

“(Oden is) in full basketball mode,” said his physical therapist Ralph Reiff. “There’s no more rehab. He will be a basketball player on Monday.”

Oden hasn't played since 2009.

“My knee’s good,” said Oden. “I’m able to walk, jump, run. ... It’s been a while. It’s been a long road. ... I got an old body. My body is not going to be what it was when I was 18. When I was 18, I was able to run all day and jump over people. I can’t do that now. It’s just not going to happen. But I’m going to play as hard as I can and I’m going to try to jump over people and I’m going to try to run all day. If my body lets me, I’ll do it.”