Jermaine O'Neal is back to teasing a return on social media

Credit Jermaine O'Neal for this much: he knows how to control his own news cycle. He's been the person producing every rumor about himself for most of the season.

He continued that forthright approach to his free agency on Monday, posting a somewhat cryptic yet fairly transparent message on his Instagram page.

CAPTION: Today was a great first day of treatments here in Germany! If you know me then you know what this means! But this is the 2nd step in a 3 step process! The first step being my family.....

O'Neal is in Germany receiving treatment on his knee, something Kobe Bryant and others have done in the past. He's very clearly suggesting he's on the path to a return to active play, but he continues to plant his family as a seed of doubt amid signs he's coming back.

Should the 36-year-old come back, he'll have his pick between a number of contenders in need of interior help. His most recent team, the Golden State Warriors, could use center depth, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in desperate need of rim protection, and the nearby Dallas Mavericks want a backup center and wouldn't require O'Neal to move his family.

If this all seems like much ado about an 18-year veteran, it is, but he remains the available big man that moves the needle most. A season ago, O'Neal averaged 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 20.1 minutes and was mostly solid on the defensive end.