Big Bill's Advice to GO

[maxiep]

Bill Walton is working for the Kings and was talking about Oden on their broadcast. His advice was simple: "Lose 50 pounds and hire the best personal trainer and nutritionist you can, because whatever you've been doing isn't working." He then went off of on the trend of making these guys with huge frames even bigger. He used Bynum as another example. They carry so much weight and put so much stress on their legs, that they'll eventually give way.

Sage advice, IMO.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I like the advice. Bill is probably thinking GO weighs in the neighborhood of 300, so he thinks he should play at 250

 

[RoyToy]

Amazing how Shaq has basically played out of shape the last decade and has pretty much had no knee or foot problems that I can think of.

 

[maxiep]

I like the advice. Bill is probably thinking GO weighs in the neighborhood of 300, so he thinks he should play at 250

I think GO should be around 255. Even at that weight he's insanely strong. The difference is at that weight he's arguably one of the quickest centers in the league.

 

[THE HCP]

Bill grabbed my ass!

 

[maxiep]

Amazing how Shaq has basically played out of shape the last decade and has pretty much had no knee or foot problems that I can think of.

He's a remarkable physical specimen. That big yet without serious physical ailments.

 

[julius]

Amazing how Shaq has basically played out of shape the last decade and has pretty much had no knee or foot problems that I can think of.

true, but ask any Laker fan and they'll tell you that his weight played a huge role in how many games he played each year and his slow return from injuries. His ever widening ass is a big reason why they didn't win more titles (in that era).

 

[Rhal]

He's a remarkable physical specimen. That big yet without serious physical ailments.

the more time that goes by the more we will realize how much a physical freak Shaq was. I doubt we'll see another person like that in the nba.

 

[maxiep]

true, but ask any Laker fan and they'll tell you that his weight played a huge role in how many games he played each year and his slow return from injuries. His ever widening ass is a big reason why they didn't win more titles (in that era).

And for that I thank Shaq and his appetite.

 

[tlongII]

Dwight Howard is pretty big and he hasn't had any injury trouble. I think Bill's talking out of his ass.

 

[maxiep]

Dwight Howard is pretty big and he hasn't had any injury trouble. I think Bill's talking out of his ass.

Agreed, but guys like that are the exception. Look at the majority of 7 footers and they'll experience some kind of leg problems at some point in their career.

 

[illmatic99]

BTW, how stoned was Walton tonight? Did you guys catch him blurting out "I LOVE PIZZA" a few times during that broadcast?

 

[RoyToy]

Dwight Howard is pretty big and he hasn't had any injury trouble. I think Bill's talking out of his ass.

He's big...but he's 6-10 and not a true 7 footer. His body fat% is also probably like 8%. While big, still lean and mean.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I still am trying to figure out why 80% of the Blazer games (on the NBA league pass) use the opposing team's TV crew. What the hell did Mike Rice and HCP do to get banned from a national audience?

 

[Run BJM]

Dwight Howard is pretty big and he hasn't had any injury trouble. I think Bill's talking out of his ass.

Some differences- Dwight is 6'10 and listed at 265 lbs., that weight is probably right within about 10 lbs. Like Roytoy said, there's not an ounce of fat on him, thats pretty much how the guy was meant to be it seems like. Walton is saying how GO, Bynum, Yao is another one, etc. are already huge and encouraged to put on as much weight as they can. They become these 300 lb. giants playing a game that puts a lot of stress on big men's feet. Perhaps if Dwight was told to add 15+ lbs. he would have similar issues, likewise maybe if these guys didn't add a ton of weight since the time they were drafted they would have experienced better health. I know they were all 18-19 years old coming into the league and were bound to put on muscle but it seems like Dwight maintained a generally similar looking physique while the other three got a lot bigger over the course of the next several seasons.

And maybe this is a similar explanation as can be used with Shaq. The dude is massive but you can just tell that he was meant to be that big of a guy. Reminds me of an interview I saw with Jonathan Ogden of Baltimore Ravens fame who, when asked about O Linemen being pressured into keeping their weight up, explained that it gets unhealthy when guys who weren't meant to be a certain weight are constantly trying to be that big. He knew he was born to be a massive mother fugger and it wasn't an issue for him, his body was built to be 310+ lbs with relatively nimble feet. Other guys would naturally be much lighter and it could be an explanation as to why some of them had health issues. Granted, I'm sure the aforementioned 3 guys were all adding weight in a healthy manner, the general idea is that maybe there is some kind of breaking point to where their bodies can't hold up any longer. Shaq was massive but was a natural behemoth and I think his size was relatively god-given. Dwight is a freak of nature but again, his current physique looks like its maintained the natural curve of what you expect when you saw him coming out of HS. Big Baby is another guy, just watching him at LSU even when he was 20 lbs heavier he was so nimble and agile it was plain to see that he was a naturally big man and meant to be that way.

 

[Eastoff]

Bill grabbed my ass!

ah, did you stand on a chair for this picture?

 

[oldmangrouch]

Wow. This is actually a sign of progress. Somebody in the media said something less-than-worshipful about Oden...and people are actually discussing it instead of just flying off the handle.

I am no fan of Walton, but the issue of Oden's weight deserves to be treated seriously. He put on a lot of weight in a rather brief period of time. Furthermore, his weight training was asymetrical. He added bulk to his upper body, but not to his base. To put it another way, he added weight without adding the strength to carry it properly.

Would it really surprise anybody if this contributed to his problems?

 

[THE HCP]

ah, did you stand on a chair for this picture?

You didn't know I was 6'11?

 

[MickZagger]

Bill grabbed my ass!

Dang, Wheels looks like he's dropped about 200lbs since last basketball season. Keep up the good work Wheels!

 

[Blazinaway]

Agree on Oden's weight situation and getting his own trainer/nutritionist team. The ironic thing is that his agent said after the previous injury before this latest one that they would seek outside expertise to evaluate and then perhaps help Greg - well WTF happened with that? Maybe they will do it now as any hope for an NBA career hangs in the balance.

 

[illmatic99]

Bill Walton is working for the Kings and was talking about Oden on their broadcast. His advice was simple: "Lose 50 pounds and hire the best personal trainer and nutritionist you can, because whatever you've been doing isn't working." He then went off of on the trend of making these guys with huge frames even bigger. He used Bynum as another example. They carry so much weight and put so much stress on their legs, that they'll eventually give way.

Sage advice, IMO.

He also mentioned that he should look into Yoga and Pilates. Lots of athletes have adopted these techniques to stay healthy. GO should as well.

 

[Shooter]

BTW, how stoned was Walton tonight? Did you guys catch him blurting out "I LOVE PIZZA" a few times during that broadcast?

He said it twice. Big deal. Walton is finally pain-free, and he's enthusiastic about life in general.

 

[tlongII]

Dang, Wheels looks like he's dropped about 200lbs since last basketball season. Keep up the good work Wheels!

HCP looks bigger than Wheels now!

 

[maxiep]

Wow. This is actually a sign of progress. Somebody in the media said something less-than-worshipful about Oden...and people are actually discussing it instead of just flying off the handle.

I am no fan of Walton, but the issue of Oden's weight deserves to be treated seriously. He put on a lot of weight in a rather brief period of time. Furthermore, his weight training was asymetrical. He added bulk to his upper body, but not to his base. To put it another way, he added weight without adding the strength to carry it properly.

Would it really surprise anybody if this contributed to his problems?

Oden worked the hell out of his legs. One of the reasons he broke his patella was that his quads were so strong. The problem is he needs to back off of his upper body workout and lose some body fat. Like yuyuza reminded me, he needs to work on flexibility and add some strength to weight ratio exercises.

Think of how a soccer player is built. Huge legs, less defined in terms of an upper body. It's an extreme example, but it would fit GO. Sure he needs some upper body strength, but he had plenty coming into the league. Building muscle in the lower body not only helps you stabilize your joints, but helps with your leaping ability and getting position in the low post.

 

[hasoos]

Amazing how Shaq has basically played out of shape the last decade and has pretty much had no knee or foot problems that I can think of.

I don't think they were widely publicized, but look at how many games he missed each of the last few seasons. Yes Shaq has missed games due to knee and ankle injuries. I agree he is very durable for how big he is, but he hasn't avoided the injury bug either. Hell he has jumped more this year than I have seen him jump the last 2 seasons.

 

[Minstrel]

Think of how a soccer player is built. Huge legs, less defined in terms of an upper body. It's an extreme example, but it would fit GO.

That is essentially how Yao is built...massive base, not very massive upper body. All his power is in his legs. Ultimately, that hasn't helped him avoid injury. I'm not sure if that's just bad luck for Yao, or an indication that being built that big is a strain on the body (feet, knees, back) and the specific weight distribution only matters in the margins (assuming one isn't literally out of shape, as none of these guys are...at most, Oden was not in optimal shape for an NBA player).

 

[Run BJM]

That is essentially how Yao is built...massive base, not very massive upper body. All his power is in his legs. Ultimately, that hasn't helped him avoid injury. I'm not sure if that's just bad luck for Yao, or an indication that being built that big is a strain on the body (feet, knees, back) and the specific weight distribution only matters in the margins (assuming one isn't literally out of shape, as none of these guys are...at most, Oden was not in optimal shape for an NBA player).

FWIW Yao was much more of a string bean coming into the league and his game totals for his first three seasons were 82, 82, and 80. Of course he was playing NBA seasons as well as playing for the Chinese national team every year so thats a big factor.

 

[RoyToy]

I don't think they were widely publicized, but look at how many games he missed each of the last few seasons. Yes Shaq has missed games due to knee and ankle injuries. I agree he is very durable for how big he is, but he hasn't avoided the injury bug either. Hell he has jumped more this year than I have seen him jump the last 2 seasons.

He has no doubt suffered from injuries....but no serious injuries that I can recall. A lot of the games he's missed over the last decade have been as much about motivation as they've been about injuries imo. I don't think anyone has ever accused Shaq of working too hard.