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Oden Done For The Summer
July 10, 2007 - 10:39 am
The Oregonian -
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: Greg 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."
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1184048758124800.xml&coll=7
