What's With Greg Oden?

Since being drafted number 1 by the Portland Trail Blazers in June Greg Oden has been a busy guy. He's had multiple trips to New York and Oregon, and well as trips to Orlando and Las Vegas. He's also been to Los Angeles and partied at the ESPY's. But there's something he doesn't seem to have been doing much of, and it should scare Trail Blazer fans. There hasn't seemed to be much basketball playing in the big man's itinerary.

Yes, I know that Oden had a tonsillectomy on July 14th, and it kept him from all but two summer league games. But now Oden is skipping the U.S. training camp that begins this week ...because of his tonsils. And that really made me wonder. My brother had his tonsils removed when he was little, and he was back on his feel within no time at all. So I ventured over to WebMD to see what they had to say about the process.

What To Expect After Surgery
The surgery may be done as outpatient surgery or, occasionally, during an overnight hospital stay.

A very sore throat usually follows a tonsillectomy and may last for several days. This may affect the sound and volume of the person's voice and his or her ability to eat and drink. The person may also have bad-smelling breath for a few days after surgery. There is a very small risk of bleeding after surgery.

A child having a tonsillectomy may feel "out of sorts" for a period of a week to 10 days. But if the child is feeling well enough, there is no need to restrict his or her activity or to keep the child at home after the first few days.

Does any of this seem weird? What is really going on here? SLAM Online wondered the same thing a few weeks ago, suggesting that he might have mono. Perhaps he might. There could be something wrong with Oden, and if it is the tonsillectomy facade will come crashing down come training camp.

But perhaps there's nothing wrong with Oden? Could it be that he's just babying himself? That could be even more troubling than a physical injury. A mental block or weakness could be detrimental to Oden. And it's certainly not the toughness needed to make a champion.

Greg Oden is an exceedingly likable guy. His interview with Miss Gossip of AOL's FanHouse is that of legend. By all indications he's a great guy, with so much potential to conquer the hoops nation. I'll surely be rooting for him as well. But still, the questions remain. Oden may indeed have had a tonsillectomy, but where there's smoke, there's often fire.