Why is Oden Stripped and Blocked so Often?

[Ed O]

While I agree that he has great hands, it isn't showing right now and that is probably because of his time away from basketball and some nerves. I've seen Greg fumble the ball more times this season than Przybilla. Greg will improve but to say he has great hands right now? No.

He snags WAY more one-handed rebounds than Joel. He also is able to palm the ball away from a defender when he's on the blocks... Joel never does either of those things.

Ed O.

 

[Sheldon Shape]

He snags WAY more one-handed rebounds than Joel. He also is able to palm the ball away from a defender when he's on the blocks... Joel never does either of those things.

Ed O.

So palming the ball away from defenders means he has great hands? Or would that mean he has large hands?

Agreed on your sentiment, but he still fumbles the ball far more than Joel as well. Personally, I think the bigger and more significant test is if he catches the ball with ease all the time, and that's can't be said at this time. Although I am confident he will improve as he gets more comfortable on the court.

 

[PapaG]

I think we need to recognize that the Blazers have had no breaks in their schedule this season and have been on the road more than any other team. As a result, there hasn't been much time for coaches to work one on one with Greg to help him deal with some mistakes that he's making once he catches the ball. I have no doubt that once the schedule eases up a bit, there will be some adjustments made in Greg's technique around the basket that will decrease this problem.

Yep. Practice time I would guess has been minimal considering Oden was hurt for much of the early season. All he needs to do is move his arms up with force and the slapping will go away. Break a finger or two of an opposing player; Greg is strong enough to do this. This stops the slapping. Nobody slaps at Shaq. Instead, they hug him and hope for mercy on the foul.

 

[handiman]

Joel never caught the ball well before this year.

 

[Ed O]

So palming the ball away from defenders means he has great hands? Or would that mean he has large hands?

Big, strong hands.

What else is there?

There's mental aspects in terms of anticipation and hand-eye coordination that arguable could go into "great hands" but I was speaking literally about his hands, not about his ability to catch or hang onto the ball (since that seems to be what this thread is about, and a simple "he has bad hands" answer is oversimplistic).

Ed O.

 

[KingSpeed]

Who is working with Greg on these things?

 

[MrJayremmie]

wow, something interesting I noticed. Check this out.

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Before his surgery, in summer league, i'm not looking at how fast he is or how high he jumps or how thin he was. Look how quick he went up, and his quick jump, and quick decision making. Even on that hookshot from the post, he made the right move, didnt overdribble or anything.

He will get it back. That Oden is going to be awesome! Specially that physical Oden with the skills that he has gained over the past year and a half. He is going to be Great!

 

[BlazersBlood]

wow, something interesting I noticed. Check this out.

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Before his surgery, in summer league, i'm not looking at how fast he is or how high he jumps or how thin he was. Look how quick he went up, and his quick jump, and quick decision making. Even on that hookshot from the post, he made the right move, didnt overdribble or anything.

He will get it back. That Oden is going to be awesome! Specially that physical Oden with the skills that he has gained over the past year and a half. He is going to be Great!

Thanks for that vid. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we won't see the real Oden until either really late in the season or next year. His explosiveness and confidence just aren't there yet. We're seeing flashes of it but we're mainly seeing Oden succeed so far because of his size and BBIQ.

 

[MrJayremmie]

Yeah. And he is still probably a top 5-7 center in the NBA. He is getting double doubles like a madman... has like 7 throguh his first 15 games, and also has a 13 and 8 game.

HE is going to be top 3-4 by the end of the year. He will be awesome. I have absolutely no doubt about this. He just needs to continue to get healthy, and get his mind/nerves right... the rest will come w/ time.

 

[Stevenson]

Thanks, that vid was an eye-opener. He was so fluid. Can't wait to see that again, but in the meantime I guess I'll have to be content with double doubles!

 

[Sheldon Shape]

Big, strong hands.

What else is there?

There's mental aspects in terms of anticipation and hand-eye coordination that arguable could go into "great hands" but I was speaking literally about his hands, not about his ability to catch or hang onto the ball (since that seems to be what this thread is about, and a simple "he has bad hands" answer is oversimplistic).

Ed O.

Usually when they talk about good hands, they don't mean physically large and strong hands, they refer to the fact if the player can actually catch the ball on a consistent basis in traffic and in other areas of the game. Jamal Magloire had nice big strong hands, but he didn't have "good hands" in the basketball sense. Greg has pretty decent hands right now but will improve as he gets more time on the court.

 

[Iwatas]

A lot of players, when they catch the ball, immediately swing their arms back and forth -- it keeps other players aware of the possibility of sharp elbows. The same might work for going up and down. Just watch some film of Karl Malone in the paint...

 

[MrJayremmie]

This doesn't have too much to do w/ gettin' blocked, but check this out. I found this and Greg was in high school. It was Greg's team vs Eric Gordon's team (Conley was on Greg's team). He was into it, showing emotion, he didn't look like a sad puppy. So I think it is the situation.

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[Drink Your Milkshake]

Big Good Strong Hands

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[RayDavies]

He just needs to work on his Dale Davis-like post moves. I think with a few more lost pounds and a bit better game shape, he will get back the explosiveness. It's more of a weight/fitness thing than a surgery effect IMO that has him a bit less of a quick jumper.