tlongII
09-29-2009, 09:21 AM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/09/a_lighter_physically_and_emoti.html
http://media.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/photo/odenmediadayjpg-d55117a1b93dc279_large.jpg
Greg Oden talks with the media during Portland Trail Blazers media day at the Rose Garden.
After two injury-plagued, inconsistent and head-scratching NBA seasons, Greg Oden appears to be a changed man. And it took only a few short minutes of chatting with the Trail Blazers' center at the team's annual media day for this realization to materialize.
When asked if starting was important to him, the person who deflected controversy, guarded his true feelings and concealed his passion to the point some wondered if it existed last season, replied emphatically:
"It's very important to me. I love Joel (Przybilla) to death, but look, I want that starting spot," Oden said.
The Blazers feature a two-time All-Star (Brandon Roy), a budding star (LaMarcus Aldridge), a spiffy free agent acquisition (Andre Miller), and perhaps the deepest roster in the NBA. But there may be no larger single piece separating this team from being good or great than the 7-foot franchise center.
And after a summer of intense basketball workouts, a changed diet and a new attitude, Oden could be on the path toward fulfilling the enormous potential -- and expectation -- that has followed him since the Blazers selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 NBA draft.
"I see a different person," general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "He's willing to smile now and we know Greg cares. You can see that he cares. I think the key is that he doesn't feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, that he can be Greg Oden (and) he doesn't have to be anybody else."
Last year at the Blazers' media day, Oden spoke whisper-soft, in a monotone voice, and answered questions mostly in cliches. Monday, he was engaging, sometimes-humorous and honest, revealing new sense of confidence and purpose. The first thing he did when he sat down to address a throng of media was crack a joke.
As he progressed to a live radio interview, Oden mockingly pushed teammate Martell Webster out of line at a food buffet, pretending to attack the spread. This was after Oden boldly stated that his goal was to be an All-Star this season.
There's no question that a looser, less stressed and seemingly liberated Oden roamed the Rose Garden on Monday. So where did this transformation come from?
It all started on June 16, when assistant coach Bill Bayno arrived in Columbus, Ohio, to put Oden through a relentless and meticulous offseason workout. Four times a week, twice a day, Oden underwent a series of rigorous basketball drills designed to expand his offensive game, polish his shot-blocking and rebounding ability and improve his conditioning.
In the mornings, Bayno and Oden -- sometimes with the help of former Blazer Brian Grant and Ohio State graduates now playing professionally overseas -- would do drills to help improve Oden's lateral quickness, coordination and reflexes. Some were basic, as Oden would have to block 16 shots in a row from various sides of the basket. Others were more complex, such as when Bayno would attack Oden with two-on-one and three-on-one fast breaks and require Oden to stop the ball, read passes, react quickly to snap passes and get himself in position to block shots.
The goal, Bayno says, was to help Oden rid himself of the foul trouble that plagued him last season and become more agile and more instinctive around the rim. And when defense wasn't the focus, Bayno helped Oden work on improving his offensive repertoire, including jump hooks, baby jumpers and his face-up game.
Morning sessions lasted roughly 90 minutes and always concluded with Oden running full-court sprints and stairs. Then, in the evening, Oden would return to the gymnasium for pickup games, where he would experiment with the tools he had been working on with Bayno.
"I killed him -- just killed him," Bayno said. "I mean I pushed him really hard and he never batted an eye. He accepted it, took it, and enjoyed it. I'm telling you, he's made a ton of progress."
The workouts spanned two-and-a-half months, not including the time Oden spent with the USA Select Team in Las Vegas. And through it all, Oden changed his diet and eating habits. He joked that he started shopping at "Whole Foods every now and then," and has gone from eating two or three large meals a day to four or five small meals. Oden is noticeably slimmer and says he is lighter on his feet and better conditioned.
He enters training camp in the best health -- mentally and physically -- of his brief career.
The difference, according to those who have witnessed or played in the pick-up games that have occurred at the practice facility the past six weeks, is astounding.
Pritchard said one player told him "with wide eyes" that he no longer could drive the rim at will against Oden for fear of getting blocked. One day, while Bayno briefly watched the games, Oden unleashed a slew of successful jump hooks and short face up-jumpers, in addition to his heralded power. Afterward, Bayno glanced at Przybilla, who flashed a puzzled sideways look and laughed.
And then there's rookie Dante Cunningham, who experienced the Oden wrath during his first scrimmage with his new teammates, when bad luck matched him against Oden during a game.
Before long, Oden offered a Welcome to the NBA Moment for the rookie forward, posterizing him with a dunk.
"He got me on a nice spin move and he finished it two or three times over," Cunningham said, chuckling. "He gave me the look, like, 'Hey Rook. How you doin?'"
If it seems like you've heard this before, that Oden is poised for greatness, that he has been impressive in workouts, that he's the difference-maker that could lead this team to a championship, that's because you have. But, according to those closest to Oden, there's something different this time.
It's what's going on between his ears.
The offseason of diligent work with Bayno has instilled a new sense of confidence and the two talked a lot about the mental side of basketball in Ohio. Bayno insists that Oden was "too humble" and "cared so much" about his play that he took disappointment too hard. So the two focused on forgetting bad plays and challenging moments and missed shots and moving on quickly.
"You're on the court, there's a lot of plays going on, and if one thing messes up and you sit there and dwell on that for two more plays, that's not helping you at all," Oden said. "Whatever happens on the court is going to happen. But if it doesn't go your way, you gotta move on and go to the next play."
The combination of accepting this realization and the confidence gained from the Bayno workouts, seems to have lifted the burden of expectations for Oden.
"I think he's back to the guy that we met when he got drafted," Aldridge said. "Back to having fun, more easy-going, more laid back. It seems like he's happy to be here again, like when I first met him."
And to those who still have doubts, Bayno has a simple message:
"You'll see," he said. "You'll see."
http://media.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/photo/odenmediadayjpg-d55117a1b93dc279_large.jpg
Greg Oden talks with the media during Portland Trail Blazers media day at the Rose Garden.
After two injury-plagued, inconsistent and head-scratching NBA seasons, Greg Oden appears to be a changed man. And it took only a few short minutes of chatting with the Trail Blazers' center at the team's annual media day for this realization to materialize.
When asked if starting was important to him, the person who deflected controversy, guarded his true feelings and concealed his passion to the point some wondered if it existed last season, replied emphatically:
"It's very important to me. I love Joel (Przybilla) to death, but look, I want that starting spot," Oden said.
The Blazers feature a two-time All-Star (Brandon Roy), a budding star (LaMarcus Aldridge), a spiffy free agent acquisition (Andre Miller), and perhaps the deepest roster in the NBA. But there may be no larger single piece separating this team from being good or great than the 7-foot franchise center.
And after a summer of intense basketball workouts, a changed diet and a new attitude, Oden could be on the path toward fulfilling the enormous potential -- and expectation -- that has followed him since the Blazers selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 NBA draft.
"I see a different person," general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "He's willing to smile now and we know Greg cares. You can see that he cares. I think the key is that he doesn't feel the weight of the world on his shoulders, that he can be Greg Oden (and) he doesn't have to be anybody else."
Last year at the Blazers' media day, Oden spoke whisper-soft, in a monotone voice, and answered questions mostly in cliches. Monday, he was engaging, sometimes-humorous and honest, revealing new sense of confidence and purpose. The first thing he did when he sat down to address a throng of media was crack a joke.
As he progressed to a live radio interview, Oden mockingly pushed teammate Martell Webster out of line at a food buffet, pretending to attack the spread. This was after Oden boldly stated that his goal was to be an All-Star this season.
There's no question that a looser, less stressed and seemingly liberated Oden roamed the Rose Garden on Monday. So where did this transformation come from?
It all started on June 16, when assistant coach Bill Bayno arrived in Columbus, Ohio, to put Oden through a relentless and meticulous offseason workout. Four times a week, twice a day, Oden underwent a series of rigorous basketball drills designed to expand his offensive game, polish his shot-blocking and rebounding ability and improve his conditioning.
In the mornings, Bayno and Oden -- sometimes with the help of former Blazer Brian Grant and Ohio State graduates now playing professionally overseas -- would do drills to help improve Oden's lateral quickness, coordination and reflexes. Some were basic, as Oden would have to block 16 shots in a row from various sides of the basket. Others were more complex, such as when Bayno would attack Oden with two-on-one and three-on-one fast breaks and require Oden to stop the ball, read passes, react quickly to snap passes and get himself in position to block shots.
The goal, Bayno says, was to help Oden rid himself of the foul trouble that plagued him last season and become more agile and more instinctive around the rim. And when defense wasn't the focus, Bayno helped Oden work on improving his offensive repertoire, including jump hooks, baby jumpers and his face-up game.
Morning sessions lasted roughly 90 minutes and always concluded with Oden running full-court sprints and stairs. Then, in the evening, Oden would return to the gymnasium for pickup games, where he would experiment with the tools he had been working on with Bayno.
"I killed him -- just killed him," Bayno said. "I mean I pushed him really hard and he never batted an eye. He accepted it, took it, and enjoyed it. I'm telling you, he's made a ton of progress."
The workouts spanned two-and-a-half months, not including the time Oden spent with the USA Select Team in Las Vegas. And through it all, Oden changed his diet and eating habits. He joked that he started shopping at "Whole Foods every now and then," and has gone from eating two or three large meals a day to four or five small meals. Oden is noticeably slimmer and says he is lighter on his feet and better conditioned.
He enters training camp in the best health -- mentally and physically -- of his brief career.
The difference, according to those who have witnessed or played in the pick-up games that have occurred at the practice facility the past six weeks, is astounding.
Pritchard said one player told him "with wide eyes" that he no longer could drive the rim at will against Oden for fear of getting blocked. One day, while Bayno briefly watched the games, Oden unleashed a slew of successful jump hooks and short face up-jumpers, in addition to his heralded power. Afterward, Bayno glanced at Przybilla, who flashed a puzzled sideways look and laughed.
And then there's rookie Dante Cunningham, who experienced the Oden wrath during his first scrimmage with his new teammates, when bad luck matched him against Oden during a game.
Before long, Oden offered a Welcome to the NBA Moment for the rookie forward, posterizing him with a dunk.
"He got me on a nice spin move and he finished it two or three times over," Cunningham said, chuckling. "He gave me the look, like, 'Hey Rook. How you doin?'"
If it seems like you've heard this before, that Oden is poised for greatness, that he has been impressive in workouts, that he's the difference-maker that could lead this team to a championship, that's because you have. But, according to those closest to Oden, there's something different this time.
It's what's going on between his ears.
The offseason of diligent work with Bayno has instilled a new sense of confidence and the two talked a lot about the mental side of basketball in Ohio. Bayno insists that Oden was "too humble" and "cared so much" about his play that he took disappointment too hard. So the two focused on forgetting bad plays and challenging moments and missed shots and moving on quickly.
"You're on the court, there's a lot of plays going on, and if one thing messes up and you sit there and dwell on that for two more plays, that's not helping you at all," Oden said. "Whatever happens on the court is going to happen. But if it doesn't go your way, you gotta move on and go to the next play."
The combination of accepting this realization and the confidence gained from the Bayno workouts, seems to have lifted the burden of expectations for Oden.
"I think he's back to the guy that we met when he got drafted," Aldridge said. "Back to having fun, more easy-going, more laid back. It seems like he's happy to be here again, like when I first met him."
And to those who still have doubts, Bayno has a simple message:
"You'll see," he said. "You'll see."