It’s funny how fast two hours goes by when you are in-studio talking about the NBA.  

Mike Barrett, Brian Wheeler and myself covered a lot of ground on “Blazers Courtside” on Monday night, including interviews with Blazer.com’s Casey Holdhahl, assistant coach Bill Bayno and one of the newest members of the Blazers, rookie forward Jeff Pendergraph.

Apologies are in order, because I know we didn’t get to address all of your questions.

But now that the show is over and done with, here are some quick thoughts looking back on the show:

If you tuned in on Comcast or watched streaming online at Blazers.com, you’ll notice Barrett and Wheeler were verbally handcuffed about discussing their thoughts on free-agency. Makes sense. At the end of the day they work for the organization and don’t want to be putting all of their business out there in case something goes awry. We’ve all seen where that gets the Blazers. That’s why I filled in for the vacationing Mike Rice – to provide a league wide and local scope about the free agency market (man, am I burnt-out talking about David Lee) and take some heat off.

We learned a lot about what’s really going on with Greg Oden this offseason thanks to Coach Bayno. Oden is putting in a ridiculous amount of work right now and wherever Oden goes this summer, Bayno will be right there alongside him which is exactly what Greg needs this offseason. To picture Oden busting tail in Ohio is one thing. But to hear Bayno describe the intensity in which Greg is going about these workouts – running stairs, offensive and defensive drills, turning into a gym rat - truly brings the story to life.

Fans can only hope for carryover.

The take away is this: the coaching staff wants Oden to be “lighter” heading into next season, but still pack a punch muscle wise. He’s listed at 285 pounds and Bayno said the goal is to have Oden at 275 pounds once camp rolls around. No doubt that will help Greg get better lift and be quicker too, both with the ball and going after it. Something tells me he’s becoming mentally stronger as well building a bond with Bayno.

Thanks to Casey, we learned Rudy Fernandez is taking time for himself this offseason, even if that means working with campers at his basketball camp and getting some workouts in. You have to remember, Rudy’s rookie season was a bit of a rude awakening compared to most. Teams in Europe aren’t exposed to such tedious schedules, road games and back-to-back tilts. Then there is the travel. It’s a tough transition physically and mentally. You do you Rudy. You do you.

As for Nicolas Batum – who was said to be hitting the weights, I can’t wait to see what adding a little muscle to his 6’8, 200 pound body. For as much as he is compared to Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince for his game and frame, Prince has 15 pounds on Batum.  Whereas the Blazers want Oden to get lighter, any muscle Nicolas adds this offseason is a very good thing.

I have a very good feeling about Jeff Pendergraph heading into Las Vegas Summer League. That is such a guard dominant league that it’s hard for guys in the post to earn a name. He surprised me a bit though. During our interview with him he didn’t pull any punches.

“I’m going down there to kick some butt,” Pendergraph said, when I asked  if he’s motivated by all the talk that Portland needs a veteran to back-up LaMarcus Aldridge.

We all know Pendergraph impressed the coaching staff with his ability to mix it up during pre-draft workouts with Tyler Hansbrough, but Portland wanted to add some toughness this offseason.

Go ahead and put Pendergraph on that list.

pic via: hoopdoctor

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