Old Man Greg Oden, 19, Ready for Breather
Maybe there's something to the theory that Greg Oden looks as if he's 40 because he is 40.
Oden, all of 19, says he's ready for his tonsillectomy this weekend because he is “worn out” from a hectic summer and he welcomes the chance to rest.
“This summer I've traveled so much I'm actually worn out,” he told The Associated Press yesterday. “I didn't think you could get worn out from just flying, but, believe me, I'm worn out.
“I'm going to flush the basketball out for a couple of weeks and just get ready for an 82-game season.”
Oden, who played in two summer league games for the Trail Blazers and collected a couple of hundred fouls, said he's not nervous about his operation Saturday in Vancouver, Wash.
“People told me when you're older it's kind of bad, but I'm ready for it,” he said. He said he needs the surgery to improve his breathing.
“Most people get maybe one or two sore throats a year. I'm at five or six, and I can't swallow water,” he said.
Postsurgery, Oden said, he's looking forward to eating ice cream and Jell-O. Favorite flavor: blue raspberry.
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