I didn't catch it all because Banyo's voice makes me fall asleep ala Ben Stein. Can someone summarize what he said they were working on with Greg? I heard him say that his attitude is better, he is strong and explosive off of both legs, he's a very hard worker and he is working on a wider stance. Did anyone catch anything else? Oh and is it just me or do the Courtside guys go to the White House Press Corps school of "Tough questions"? I mean I haven't seen this many softballs lobbed since the Gold medal game last summer!
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. they were working with him on the pick and roll without him dribbling getting his weight down working out with bayless bayno thinks ohio was the best choice something about greg doing steps? i kinda missed that part ive been half listening the whole time hes going to vegas for a mini camp basically greg is kicking ass and taking names! thats all i can really remember even though the thing just ended haha
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. Greg is quicker and more explosive. Goal is to lose 10lbs, which is hard for him. Wants him in camp at 275lbs. Bayno thinks he's at 280lbs right now. Most his strength has been in his core. Pryzbilla and Elton Brand both improved greatly after losing weight. "Greg doesn't realize how fast and quick he is." Brian Grant came in for a couple days to work with Greg. Bayno taught him how to use the pads. They are going to try and get him involved as much as possible. Getting Greg to make shots with a body on him, where he has to focus on keeping a wide base, taking hits, and finishing is very helpful come regular season. Greg's lift is a lot better which is resulting into a much higher shooting percentage than he shot during the season. Greg has a much greater freedom of movement than he did last summer, allowing him to work on all aspects of his game and not worry about protecting his knee. Bayno talked to Greg about how he would always jump-stop after receiving a pass off the pick and roll, which would allow the defense time to rotate over. This summer they're working on catching the pass and going up off of one foot. He told Greg, "If I guy steps in front to take a charge, just put your knee in his chest, and he won't be there to take the charge next time." Classic big man coach quote right there. Pau Gasol is very good at doing just that, and he doesn't have near the strength Greg has. Bayno is going to try and get him to as many games this August at UCLA as possible. Greg's summer schedule will prevent him from making some, if not most of them. There are a couple good big guys at Ohio St this summer.
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. The pick & roll and post discussion made me very excited. I got in a handful of battles with people on this board who claimed that Greg needed to get more touches last year, but I kept saying that he was scoring at such a low percentage and his post game was not there. I was concerned going to him more would only cement some bad habits he had. I also felt that getting healthy would help a lot of these issues, and base off of what Bayno said, I'm guessing it's true. The increased lateral quickness, improved core strength, and confidence is going to allow Greg to defend better, get up and block shots easier, and the confidence could make him that #1 pick we all dreamed we got 2 years ago.
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. It is interesting how little Greg gets mentioned around here. Rightfully so I guess, but if this guy gets his game back, watch out!
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. So you aren't excited about reports of Greg working his ass off in the summer? Trying to get back where he was before the major reconstructive surgery he had? Blazer fan long?
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. What's your stance? You think Bayno is blowing smoke up everyone arse so the expectations can be high and everyone will be disappointed? What are your predictions for Oden this season?
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. I'm holding judgement until I see him in action myself. The Blazers said Oden looked real good last year and all that good stuff, but once I saw him in his first pre-season game my expectations for Greg went down a lot. I could tell he was just too big and wasn't in great shape at all. He was noticeably slower and not as explosive. If Oden comes in looking a little more lean and mean this year I'll start to get my hopes up. For now I'm just keeping my expectations in check.
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. That's true, he's like a forgotten man. Everyone's talking about what extra piece may put us over the top. I personally think Greg is going to prove his nay-sayers wrong this year.
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. One comment that kind of slipped through without discussion regarding Brian Grant...........not sure of the exact quote as it was very quick, but Bayno made a comment that seemd to indicate that Brian may have been helpful in other ways for Greg by just talking to him. Whatever the subject was I assume Brian would be a wealth of knowledge. Hopefully it was something other than the Rastafari life style. But hey you never know that might help him too!
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. Brian is an EXPERT in nutrition and natural foods. Lets hope that was part of it. Maybe he told him how much better Shaq would have been if he had stayed in shape.
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. And the nay-sayers will make an excuse for why they were wrong or that they were just taking a wait and see approach. I think people should step up and say what they think Greg will do next year. If he's healthy 70+ games, I think he'll average 12.5pts / 8.5rbs / 2.0blks and be noticeably better.
Re: Bill Banyo on Oden. greg was 280 in college according to this website so him getting down to 280 now is good... what was he during the season or before coming into last season?
