This Michael Porter Jr. saga has turned me into a bit of a grouch.

There. I said it.

Perhaps acknowledging it now will help me keep it in check. I don’t want to come across like an irritable old man who won’t stop ranting about kids these days. It’s just that I get the sense this thing could get downright wacky before a resolution is reached.

Make that if a resolution is reached.

Porter-gate seemed to receive a much-needed reprieve before Mizzou arrived in St. Louis for its Braggin’ Rights game against Illinois. Tigers coach Cuonzo Martin had cleared the air. Those pre-game practice shots that filled Mizzou fans with hope were nothing more than a part of Porter’s rehabilitation process. The top recruit, likely NBA lottery pick and most-anticipated freshman in program history still had not practiced with the team since he had back surgery in late November. There would be no more updates until there was something to update. Fair enough.

But while the Tigers were sleepwalking through the first half against the Illini last Saturday night, Porter broke his silence and raised a few eyebrows in the process.

That’s the way this whole thing has played out since Porter checked himself out of the Tigers’ first game.

Those following from afar will wonder what the big deal is.

The kid did a harmless three-minute in-game interview on ESPN2.

But those who have followed every detail have noticed a trend. Porter’s interview was just the latest in a series of missed notes.

Few reading this care much about the amount of access given to the local media who cover the team daily, so we will skip the whining about the fact that Porter’s first public comments since his surgery were offered up to ESPN2.

The only thing worth mentioning for news purposes is that Porter was requested by the Average Joes after the Tigers lost. In a shocking turn of events (sarcasm font) he was not made available to answer the two biggest questions. ESPN2 conveniently forgot to ask the biggest one. Porter’s sideline sit-down raised another.

The ESPN2 crew did not ask Porter if he plans to play for Mizzou this season. It seems fair to assume the interview was granted on the assurance this question would not be asked, considering it would be at the top of any competent reporter’s list. Remembering that the Porter family is close with former Indiana coach Tom Crean, who was a commentator for the game, also helps connect the dots on how and why this happened the way it did.

A player, even one who isn’t in uniform, doesn’t leave the bench to do an interview during the game without his head coach’s permission. Martin agreed to this. But him blocking the interview would not have been a great look either, had that information gotten out.

It was just a few minutes, after all. How bad could it be?

Nothing went wrong. But multiple things seemed, well, off.

Since Porter went down, the team that was built around him has shown a determination to prove his absence will not be the story of the season.

And then, in the biggest game so far this season, there was Porter, who is said to be in too much pain to sit on the bench for every game, not just sitting on the bench, but leaving it to cross the court and catch up with broadcasters. During the game.

Mizzou fans watching the game on TV listened to Porter rave about his buddy, Oklahoma point guard Trae Young, while the Tigers were going through point-guard growing pains in a 21-turnover game.

They heard Porter tell the world that his younger brother, Mizzou freshman forward Jontay, was “the best player on the floor.” Jontay was struggling through his worst game of the season. His older brother encouraged him to adopt a “get your own” mentality on the offensive end.

They heard Porter turn a seemingly harmless question about his recovery into a newsworthy response.

“This actually happened a couple years ago,” Porter said of the back injury that required a microdiscectomy of the L3-L4 spinal discs.

There have long been whispers about Porter experiencing back problems previously, but this is the first time it’s been mentioned publicly, and by Porter himself.

It should make you wonder if Martin and Mizzou knew about these issues as the Porter family plan become a reality.

The whole thing just seemed out of tune.

Kind of like Porter opting for a treatment program that differed from the approach suggested by Mizzou’s team doctors.

Or that Instagram post in which Porter seemed to imply the team released inaccurate information when it said Porter was likely to miss the rest of the season after his surgery.

Unanswered questions are piling up. Here’s another one for the list.

If the team’s water cooler was filled with truth serum, what opinions might players not named Porter share about that in-game interview?

Mizzou hopes to know in early January if Porter is going to attempt to return.

Even that might not be as simple as it sounds. Being cleared to play and wanting to play are two very different things. There is no doubt this team is much better with a fully healthy and fully invested Porter Jr. What about fully healthy and hesitant, or half-interested Porter?

Martin must find out if Porter wants to play for Mizzou, or if Porter is more interested in making people think he wants to play for Mizzou.

There’s a big difference.

The coach must also consider the delicacy of the situation. Porter is a special talent, one whose presence alone lured other talented players to Martin’s team. Porter’s father is a member of Martin’s staff. Porter’s younger brother is turning into one of the team’s most important players.

This thing has some serious tentacles. Its tentacles have tentacles. And it’s all playing out in sound bites and Instagram posts.

The whole thing makes me feel old.

There I go, sounding like a grouch again.