I like the gamble too. It's a huge risk; however, what are the alternatives? Signing someone like Dalembert would help next year, but would likely hinder our cap flexibility down the road, since I'm betting he's not taking a 1 (or even 2) year MLE deal.
With Oden, it's a gamble, but if it pays off, we solve the center problem for this year's playoffs (with him and O'Neal) and you potentially have a building block at center for the future.
People may say it's too big of a gamble; however, the chances of Oden regaining his potential are probably better than Dwight Howard coming to Boston. People want some sure-fire rebuilding plan, but the fact of the matter is that it's all a crapshoot with a pretty low chance of being successful.