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Oden's done -- blame his tonsils
The Blazers decide Greg Oden needs treatment now, so he'll likely miss the rest of summer league
Tuesday, July 10, 2007JASON QUICK
The Oregonian
LAS VEGAS -- Greg Oden opened his mouth wide as if he were sitting in a dentist's chair on Monday.
At the back of his mouth,
his tonsils were so swollen that only a small passageway, about the size of a green grape, was evident.
Because of the obstructed air passage and the pain that accompanies the swollen tonsils, the Trail Blazers on Monday made a spur-of-the-moment decision:
Oden's tonsils need to be removed within the next three or four days, probably ending his involvement in the Trail Blazers' summer league play after just two games.
A final decision hasn't been made on the surgery --
Oden said he wants to talk it over with his mother first -- but it appears likely that he will fly to Portland for a tonsillectomy late in the week, immediately after he takes part in a taping of the ESPYs award show in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The team and Oden's camp expect recovery to take about two weeks.
If Oden has the surgery, it will end a trying and lesson-filled summer league. He struggled in his debut, scoring six points to go along with two rebounds before being disqualified for committing 10 fouls -- the maximum allowed in summer league. In his second game, Oden was better, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and four blocks, while amassing nine fouls.
All the while, Oden was playing with tonsils that Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said were the size of golf balls. Because of that, Oden's breathing was hampered, limiting his stamina.
"Right now, it's more of a thing that they are so big, that when I'm running up and down the court, it's hard for me to breathe," Oden said Monday after two impressive performances in scrimmages against Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers. "I can't get any air in there."
His condition, which also included a sinus infection, clearly affected his play. But all along, Oden solemnly answered questions from the hordes of media covering -- and ultimately criticizing -- his every play. He said he agrees that his tonsils hurt his play, but he added that he never felt the urge to scream and tell the world that he wasn't playing at 100 percent.
"There's no excuses, because I was out there playing," Oden said. "And if I'm playing, I'm playing, so if I have a bad game, it's not on my tonsils, it's on me. A lot of it is I just have to get used to this game, that's what everyone is telling me."
Originally, the Blazers planned to have Oden's tonsils removed after he participated in the U.S. national team minicamp in Las Vegas next week. But even before making the determination late Monday that more immediate action was needed, the team had come to the conclusion that Oden was being stretched in too many directions by media requests and public appearances.
The whole process -- the interviews, photo shoots, autograph signings -- had started to take a toll on Oden, whose normally sunny disposition had been replaced in Las Vegas by a sullen, exhausted and robotic persona.
His answers to questions by the media became shorter, and void of the witty one-liners he so often pulled off during the predraft hype. And the playful gait he so often walked with -- which sometimes included a dance move or two -- became more like a zombie as he almost mindlessly plodded from one interview to another public appearance to yet another photo shoot.
"I just . . . I need a rest," Oden said, referring to the interviews and basketball workouts. "That's about it. Just rest, period."
Pritchard said the Blazers met Monday to address the strains on Oden.
"We are going to make a conscious effort to make sure he is focused on basketball, and not so much the extracurricular activities," Pritchard said. "That's something we are very, very conscious of. Everybody wants to touch him and have an opportunity to talk to him, but the reality is, he needs to start focusing on basketball. Not that he hasn't been focused; we just want him more focused."
On Monday, Oden was indeed focused on basketball as he at times dominated during a series of scrimmages held at Durango High School in Las Vegas. He swatted shots against Denver from the likes of former NBA players Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Jelani McCoy, and was a beast inside on offense against Denver and the Clippers, one time grabbing a hard carom off the rim and dunking it in one powerful motion.
"My gosh, today especially in the scrimmages, he was as dominant as we have seen him," Pritchard said. "He is getting mad and upset and showing some toughness. Good lord, how much more does he need to show us? I mean, he's not feeling well, and yet he is playing through it."
Oden was bashful in rating his play after the two scrimmages, noting that the Blazers played without LaMarcus Aldridge, who was given the day off.
"LaMarcus wasn't out there to take over, so I had to try and step up and do something offensively," Oden said. "But Joel (Freeland) also stepped up big. But the last game (against the Clippers), I stepped up and did more offensively, and did well."
So well, in fact, that Pritchard and the coaching staff determined that they don't need to see anything more. Especially with Oden's tonsils in the shape they are.
"I was never worried about the way he was playing," Pritchard said. "We have a special kid and a special player. This was about developing, about letting him grow as a player and allowing him to make mistakes in the summer league to get better."
And now, Oden's health and mind figure to get better with his tonsillectomy. What will he do with the much-needed time off?
"Just relax and clear my mind," Oden said. "I have to get prepared for this season, and the first thing you do is clear your mind, then get rest and get prepared to go at it for 82 games . . . and maybe more."
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