Blame Oden’s Tonsils
July 11, 2007 by Angelo Fernandez
Filed under NBA Basketball
It’s very possible we won’t see Greg Oden in action for the rest of the summer league and for that blame his tonsils. The condition of his tonsils could also have affected the way he played in those two games where he played horribly but of course he’ll be the first to tell you it’s not an excuse.
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.”
This is really unfortunate for Greg since the summer league is always a great opportunity for rookies to adjust to the NBA and also show the fans and the team what he can do. It’s obvious that while Greg Oden and even Kevin Durant are no miss prospects they still need time to find themselves and make the adjustment. They’ll be the first to admit there’s a lot of work to be done.
My prediction was always that while Greg Oden was the better prospect, Durant could be the one to make an impact faster. Already Durant is showing he can score even if his percentage is not what he likes. Keeping Oden away from summer league action and all that learning opportunity will definitely be quite a loss and I sure hope he can catch up with his development when he comes back.
