Yeah, but he probably needed more (muscular) bulk to be a force in the NBA as a low-post player. He's still in good shape, he doesn't look remotely overweight. When he has more explosiveness, that body he has now will be hard to contain.
I'm not sure if one summer of conditioning has ever meant more for a single player's skill set than Oden. Considering it takes 2 full years before you regain all your athleticism from microfracture, we won't see the real Oden till next fall. We tend to forget what a physical freak he is. At the pre-draft workout, his court-to-court speed test was nearly equal to Durants. That's nasty. A full summer of wind sprints and intense cardio is going to do a world of difference to Greg. It's gonna be scary to see how he plays when he's slim, strong, and healthy. No one in the NBA wants it with Portland. A fat, out of shape Oden is putting up 16 and 12 per 36 minutes. His potential is truly freakish.
I hope he gets back down to that weight. Bigger isn't always better, just ask Joel. With the Bucks and Hawks Joel was 270+ lbs. He came to Portland and McMillan wanted him to to tone up and get to around 250. That move really turned Joel's career around from a journyman to one of the best defensive Centers in the game. David Robinson, in his prime, was 240-250 lbs. That's something Greg should shoot for.
I maintain that it was a big mistake to let Greg get as big as he did. Not only that, his upper body looked much bigger than his lower body. He needs a good off-season training program to get his body right.
Totally agree I'd love to see a lean Greg at a much lower body fat. Basketball isn't a game for bulky bodybuilders.
Oden probably could stand to lose some weight if it would help him elevate quicker. He seems to have a hard time finishing inside sometimes. BTW, Notice that they're both looking at that girl's ass.
at their predraft Greg measured 2" taller then Durant. He weighed 257 lbs to KD's 215. He posted better vertical jump #'s from both stand still and 1 step, and better times in both running drills. Here's to next year STOMP
As Minstrel said, Oden doesn't look overweight/fat. That is both the good news and the bad news. He is the more subtle version of a highschool kid who has grown from a 6'2" SG as a freshman to a 6'10" post player as a senior. He needs to adapt his game to his changing body. People just need to forget the Oden they saw at Ohio State. That dude is g-o-n-e! The grayhound has become a rottweiler. He is not going to be a once-in-a-generation center to be compared to Hakeem or Robinson. *Even without the MF surgery*, that was always a long shot. If he can stay healthy, he can still be a darn valuable player in the Mutombo mold.
You can dismiss his potential all you want - I personally choose to wait and be amazed. A Mutombo? Are you kidding?
It occurred to me after watching what I thought was the move of the game (against the Lakers) over and over, how much explosiveness Oden may have lost. For example, the move he made against Bynum: [video=youtube;KTwBnO6m2io]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTwBnO6m2io[/video] ... was ridiculous. But I keep thinking in my head how he barely got off the ground when he elevated. It *appears* to be a relatively simple move that one should be able to propel oneself off the ground from. I know I'm nit-picking but it's these kinds of plays that make me wonder if Greg's once-heralded athletic feats have been effectively retarded via a combination of his injuries, surgeries, and weight. Greg can get far on virtue of his size and power alone, but if he wants to separate himself from the "serviceable big man" tier and into stardom, he'll need to get his explosiveness back. I guess my point is that I'm skeptical if he ever will. Hopefully I'm wrong.
durant is not supposedly a sg. he is all small forward. durant as a sg is the player you saw his rookie year and at the start of this one, an inefficient scorer that couldn't offer much else. as a small forward, durant is a much more efficient scorer and can handle the ball and pass well for his position.
I'm kinda in the same boat. Greg has barely been able to get up lately, and I've noticed that a lot of shots that he would have blocked pre-surgery, are just over his finger tips now. He has lost his explosiveness, and I know it's supposed to take time before he gets it back, but I'm still fearful. Greg without his explosiveness isn't nearly the prospect that he once was.
