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Greg Oden is a bust.

That's basically what I heard on the radio on Monday, Nov. 24, about the Portland Trail Blazers rookie center. I'm not buying it. At least not yet.

Call me foolish (and you wouldn't be the first ... or probably the last) but I'm going to give the former Ohio State University star a few more games before I tag him with that moniker. Heck, I might even give him the rest of the season.

The argument is Oden is injury prone, he's clumsy and he isn't putting up elite stats comparable to the likes of Shaquille O'Neal or David Robinson during their rookie campaigns. Through eight games Oden is averaging 9.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.0 fouls. He had a less-than-spectacular showing against O'Neal on Saturday (5 points, 1 rebound, 5 personal fouls). That's good enough to make some people start wondering if the Blazers goofed when they made him the No. 1 pick overall in the 2007 draft.

I'll still give Oden the benefit of the doubt ... and a chance to develop.

I remember another high draft pick with through-the-roof expectations that was being called a bust not long ago: the NFL's Reggie Bush. I had him on my fantasy team his first two years in the league and I can tell you he wasn't the second coming of Marshall Faulk ... or even Kevin Faulk. But now, when healthy, he's one of the most electrifying players in the league.

Give Oden some time. And hopefully the only bust associated with his name is the one on display at the Basketball Hall of Fame.