Blazers assistant coaches Bill Bayno and Kaleb Canales have “thrown everything but the kitchen sink” at Oden over the last two weeks to prepare the former #1 pick for the upcoming season. Bayno reports the workouts have been divided equally between offense and defense, with an empasis on Oden’s lateral quickness, footwork, and balance. Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune has the story:
“I give Greg an A-plus,” Bayno says. “His effort has been fantastic. I’ve been pushing him hard. He has accepted it. He has worked with very little rest, but he doesn’t ask for a lot of rest.
“Today we went for an hour and 20 minutes straight. That’s a killer for one guy to go that long at the pace we’re going. We had two water breaks and shot free throws in between, but he’s been working really hard.”
Bayno says the workouts have been divided about equally between defense and offense.
“On defense, we’ve worked on lateral quickness, where he has to read and react and block shots,” the Portland assistant says. “Greg has surprised me how quick he is laterally. This is the first time I’ve put him through a lot of this stuff.
“Offensively, we’ve worked on counter moves, (such as) his go-to jump hook over the left shoulder. We’ve tried to get him as many repetitions as we can, and we’re adding counter moves, (such as) the spin back to the left hand. Also, an up-and-under move, where you’re trying to get (a defender) to go for the shot fake, and then use a step-through move back to his left hand.”
Oden’s greatest strengths in college were his quickness and leaping ability, but microfracture surgery and added weight (listed at 285) affected his athleticism last season. He moved awkwardly, with a lumbering gait that led to silly fouls on the defensive end. I’d like to see him lose 20-30 pounds, but Bayno insists that’s not a concern. At any rate, it’s good to see Oden is working hard to silence the critics who have questioned his work ethic.
