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Summer workouts are no vacation for Greg Oden
Ex-Blazer Brian Grant bangs with Portland center
By kerry eggers
The Portland Tribune, Jul 2, 2009

For the past two weeks, the Trail Blazers have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at Greg Oden in an effort to prepare the 7-foot center for the 2009-10 NBA season. And that?s only for starters.

Last week, assistant coaches Bill Bayno and Kaleb Canales, scout Larry Greer and strength/conditioning coach Bobby Medina were in Columbus, Ohio, working out Oden.

This week, Bayno and Greer were joined by former Blazer Brian Grant in Columbus for daily personal workouts with the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft.

?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.

?A lot of times, once he gets into a move, Greg?s feet are too close together,? Bayno says. ?It?s easy to push him off-balance. We want to make sure he has a wide base, and on his step-through stuff, we want him to be on balance.

?With footwork, it?s mostly balance. Big guys get in trouble when they get their feet too close together. It?s about being able to take hits and finish and make shots. Having Brian?s 260-pound body on Greg has really helped with that.?

The goal is not for the 21-year-old Oden, who weighed about 280 at the end of last season, to lose weight.

?He?s in good shape,? Bayno says. ?It?s really about not adding a whole lot of weight. He is taking a nutrition class this summer at Ohio State, which will be good for him. To have a big guy like Greg at his age focusing on nutrition is important for longevity in the league.?

?We?re working Monday through Thursday weekly, and Greg is also scrimmaging at night (at Ohio State),? Bayno says. ?He also lifts weights. Bobby got with the Ohio State strength coach and gave him a program. Greg?s weight looks good, and his body looks good. He is so respectful, such a good kid, does anything we ask ? he has been a joy to work with.?

Bayno?s pet project until October training camp is Oden.

?I think I?m pretty much going to be with him the whole summer,? he says. ?This will a big year for Greg. It?s going to be the year he steps out of his shadow and really produces for us.?

Summer workouts are no vacation for Greg Oden