"Rich Cho addressed the media Monday afternoon at the Trail Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin, dissecting a host of pertinent issues facing the team as he enters his first full offseason as general manager. Some highlights:

Greg Oden

Cho stopped short of guaranteeing the Blazers would extend a qualifying offer to Greg Oden, but labeled the one-time franchise center "a priority in the offseason."

Oden finished the final season of his rookie contract — playing just 82 games of the four-year deal because of three season-ending knee surgeries — and the Blazers will have a window between the day after the NBA Finals and June 30 to tender an $8.8 million qualifying offer. Assuming they do so, Oden will become a restricted free agent, giving the Blazers the right to match any offer Oden receives from another team.

"As long as he's working hard and his rehab is going well, I'm pretty sure we'll give him a qualifying offer," Cho said.

So, how's Oden's recovery progressing? Cho said the 7-foot center is "a ways away" from resuming basketball activities, but medical reports are encouraging. Oden underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee November 19 and the Blazers said then that he would miss between "six and 12 months."

"I think he'll be back," Cho said. "He's working hard. His surgeon says that the microfracture's healing well. That's all I can go by — what the doctors say and how hard he's working. I think he'll be back and playing. A lot of it is up to him and how hard he works. We'll go from there.""