tlongII
10-03-2008, 11:04 AM
http://mikebarrettsblog.blogspot.com/
I told you earlier today that Greg Oden had returned to Trail Blazers training camp on Wednesday night, and participated in everything the team did. But, that was the non-contact practice, and there wasn't much done at full speed. Thursday morning would be the test, and I'm happy to report that Oden went live, went hard, and looked dominant in five-on-five action at the practice facility.
As you know, Oden suffered a mild sprain of his right ankle on Tuesday morning, and everyone from Nate McMillan, to Kevin Pritchard, to Oden himself, said it was no big deal and that he was fine. Understandably, that wasn't enough for some fans. I can tell you I witnessed the big guy today go limp-free through the morning workout.
He said after practice, "the ankle feels good, the knee is fine, and my body feels good." He demonstrated as much late in the practice when the team went up and down in an intense scrimmage. Talking to Brandon Roy after the practice, he admitted the mini-scrimmage was as competitive as it's been so far at training camp. And, he agreed that Oden was very, very good.
There were several highlights, and I'll just give you a couple. There was a moment in the scrimmage where Travis Outlaw came down the lane, cocked back, and was ready to throw down. Mr. Oden came from the weak side, erased those ideas, and the dunk attempt. That drew a few oohs and ahhs, and was the explosion we've been looking for.
Oden was also going up against Joel Przybilla, and that was a heavyweight bout. Joel is a strong guy, as you know, but was consistently backed down in the lane by Oden, who seemingly goes anywhere he wants to. Roy mentioned that Oden is so strong, and spreads out so much when he's posting up, he's an easy target. That, coupled with his soft hands, made life easy on the guards attempting entry passes in to him.
The other thing Oden apparently has down is the pick-and-roll play, which is the bread and butter offense in this league. Several times Roy and Oden were involved, and twice Brandon was left with wide-open foul line jumpers, and when the defense tried to switch he would simply dump the ball into Oden, who, with a guard on him, would easy end up right at the rim for a flush.
Our radio show, Trail Blazers Courtside, is tonight. We'll have coach Nate McMillan live, and will have interviews with Oden, Roy, and LaMarcus Aldridge. I'll provide links to these interviews after the show, and a complete podcast of the program will be available Friday morning.
I told you earlier today that Greg Oden had returned to Trail Blazers training camp on Wednesday night, and participated in everything the team did. But, that was the non-contact practice, and there wasn't much done at full speed. Thursday morning would be the test, and I'm happy to report that Oden went live, went hard, and looked dominant in five-on-five action at the practice facility.
As you know, Oden suffered a mild sprain of his right ankle on Tuesday morning, and everyone from Nate McMillan, to Kevin Pritchard, to Oden himself, said it was no big deal and that he was fine. Understandably, that wasn't enough for some fans. I can tell you I witnessed the big guy today go limp-free through the morning workout.
He said after practice, "the ankle feels good, the knee is fine, and my body feels good." He demonstrated as much late in the practice when the team went up and down in an intense scrimmage. Talking to Brandon Roy after the practice, he admitted the mini-scrimmage was as competitive as it's been so far at training camp. And, he agreed that Oden was very, very good.
There were several highlights, and I'll just give you a couple. There was a moment in the scrimmage where Travis Outlaw came down the lane, cocked back, and was ready to throw down. Mr. Oden came from the weak side, erased those ideas, and the dunk attempt. That drew a few oohs and ahhs, and was the explosion we've been looking for.
Oden was also going up against Joel Przybilla, and that was a heavyweight bout. Joel is a strong guy, as you know, but was consistently backed down in the lane by Oden, who seemingly goes anywhere he wants to. Roy mentioned that Oden is so strong, and spreads out so much when he's posting up, he's an easy target. That, coupled with his soft hands, made life easy on the guards attempting entry passes in to him.
The other thing Oden apparently has down is the pick-and-roll play, which is the bread and butter offense in this league. Several times Roy and Oden were involved, and twice Brandon was left with wide-open foul line jumpers, and when the defense tried to switch he would simply dump the ball into Oden, who, with a guard on him, would easy end up right at the rim for a flush.
Our radio show, Trail Blazers Courtside, is tonight. We'll have coach Nate McMillan live, and will have interviews with Oden, Roy, and LaMarcus Aldridge. I'll provide links to these interviews after the show, and a complete podcast of the program will be available Friday morning.