PORTLAND, Ore. -- In the Moda Center -- the arena in which former Ohio State basketball player Greg Oden was supposed to be a star -- Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said he could see Oden attempting a return to the game.

Greg Oden, right, took Ohio State to the Final Four in his one season with the Buckeyes. Bob Leverone/Sporting News/Getty Images

"There is a possibility he may make another run at it," Matta said. " . . . Quite honestly, I haven't seen Greg look this good since when he played for us back in the day at Ohio State."

Matta said Oden has been working out in the Ohio State facilities for the past six months, including "high-level conditioning," and he doesn't know if he has "ever seen Greg as happy as he is right now in terms of everything is going great in his life."

Oden played 82 games in five seasons for Portland. He last appeared in a game for the Blazers in December 2009, and he played 23 games for the Miami Heat last season.

Though Oden's career was derailed by several injuries, Matta had some pretty high hopes for the player who left Columbus after his freshman season to become the top pick in the 2007 NBA draft.

"I still swear he was going to be one of the greatest to ever play in the NBA just from the year I was with him," Matta said.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.