Just had a conversation with a coach and we were commenting on a brilliant piece of coaching we saw on Sunday. As a coach you must be able to use the time of the game to your team's advantage by buying time for your starters to get a rest while limiting your exposure by playing reserves.
Watching the NBA game you will see starters go out in the last minute or 2 of a quarter and not return until the 9 minute mark of the second or fourth quarter. Coaches use the extended timeout at the end of the quarter and the first mandatory time out (first whistle under 8:59) to get that four to five minutes of clock time and extra 5 to 8 minutes of REAL time rest for their starters. When the Jazz played the Bulls in the NBA Finals, NBC made a point talking about player rotations and getting rest for John Stockton. They put up a graphic that he missed 4 minutes of game time and got something like 16 minutes of real time to rest.
At the college level you will see players subbing out right before the media timeouts (1st whistle under 16,12,8, &4 minute marks of each half) to extend their regulars rest. Often times coaches in college will feel out the game and see if they can buy additional time for a starter on the bench if the team is holding or extending a lead with the reserve in the game.
At the high school level there are no mandatory timeouts so finding these moments is more difficult but coaches should become experts at managing the game. Hypothetical case in point: There's a dead ball under a minute in the first quarter and you're going to be on defense and you know you're opponent is going to hold for the last shot of a quarter, why not put a sub in who won't kill you defensively and sub out a start who has a foul. How often have your starters picked up a pointless second foul on a drive or a rebound scrum on defense at the end of a quarter. There is a huge psychological boost for a player who starts a quarter not in foul trouble, they play more freely and aggressively, qualities that you want out of your players. The use of subs is critical in managing the game. Use the sub and their energy and keep your starters out of foul trouble. It will always come in handy to have your best five on the floor at the end of the game.
Oh and that brilliant piece of coaching we saw yesterday. With his starting point guard in foul trouble and his playing rotation a little out of whack, Kevin O'Neil of USC called a timeout right before an upcoming media timeout because his guys were gassed. So he in essence created two timeouts in a row for them to help their recovery. Unfortunately Nebraska hit a 3 late to beat USC but by managing the game, the Trojans made the game come down to the last possession.
November 30, 2009
Situation Play, Again
Watching the end of the Bulls-Bucks game on NBAtv and we're amazed at professional teams that don't know how to use the game and shot clock to their advantage.
Case in point, Bulls were chasing 4 with under a minute to go. Rather than attack the rim and get the quick 2 and foul to extend the game, they force up a contested 3 which is rebounded by the Bucks who then drew the foul. The Bucks split the free throws to go up 5. The Bulls come down and hit a 3 which would have put them in the lead had they attacked on the earlier possession.
Now down two the Bulls foul and the Bucks split the Ft's again! They could have gone into the final possession of the game going for the win rather than hoping to tie and force overtime.
When down late extend the game by scoring quick and fouling. It's a higher percentage plan than jacking up 3 point bombs!
Case in point, Bulls were chasing 4 with under a minute to go. Rather than attack the rim and get the quick 2 and foul to extend the game, they force up a contested 3 which is rebounded by the Bucks who then drew the foul. The Bucks split the free throws to go up 5. The Bulls come down and hit a 3 which would have put them in the lead had they attacked on the earlier possession.
Now down two the Bulls foul and the Bucks split the Ft's again! They could have gone into the final possession of the game going for the win rather than hoping to tie and force overtime.
When down late extend the game by scoring quick and fouling. It's a higher percentage plan than jacking up 3 point bombs!
November 29, 2009
Lawrence Frank
It was difficult getting the text message this morning that Coach Frank was let go from the New Jersey Nets. Unfortunately at the collegiate and pro level your countdown to getting fired starts the second you're hired. Letting go of a coach of an unproductive team is much easier contractually than replacing the team so these things happen.
Seeing Coach Frank at a coaching clinic in Chicago a few years ago he was one of the most approachable and genuine coaches we've come across. It was the Cotton Fitzsimmons clinic (Ed Janka, if you're listening bring it back!) and it featured an all star NBA lineup. For 3 days NBA coaches came and went, but one coach was in the stands listening to every speaker for the entire event and that coach was Lawrence Frank. His clinic on early offense and attacking zones was well planned and we were amazed at the breadth of his knowledge.
It's our belief and our hope that Coach Frank will be patrolling the sidelines again soon.
Seeing Coach Frank at a coaching clinic in Chicago a few years ago he was one of the most approachable and genuine coaches we've come across. It was the Cotton Fitzsimmons clinic (Ed Janka, if you're listening bring it back!) and it featured an all star NBA lineup. For 3 days NBA coaches came and went, but one coach was in the stands listening to every speaker for the entire event and that coach was Lawrence Frank. His clinic on early offense and attacking zones was well planned and we were amazed at the breadth of his knowledge.
It's our belief and our hope that Coach Frank will be patrolling the sidelines again soon.
November 28, 2009
Long Season in the Pac-10
From what we've seen in the Pac-10 this year, it's going to be a winter of discontent on the left coast. Having watched 3 UCLA games and one practice we've got a piece of advice for anyone who has them on the schedule, play a zone and shade Dragovic. Against Portland and CSF, the Bruins struggled vs the zone. The only inside player they have with any fire is Nelson who reminds us of Dennis Rodman, part inside warrior, part wild man. Nelson has an odd detachment on his face and doesn't seem to interact well with his teammates. Roll looked great in practice the day we saw him, however, he has yet to catch fire in a game.
November 26, 2009
Gonzaga
If you're going to play Gonzaga you need to be able to guard a side ball screen from the left side of the floor.
Denver Wyoming Update
Denver comes back and wins a game outside of it's tempo and beat Wyoming by 3. Ugly ball game with a lot of fouls and was essentially a free throw shooting contest. 94 free throws attempted by both teams. Wyoming's best player came up lame before the last media timeout and didn't return.
November 25, 2009
Interesting Matchup Tonight
While many people are tuning to the ESPN family for games, there's an interesting game on Fox Sports. Wyoming vs. Denver. Wyoming a long athletic up tempo team vs. a Princeton Offense slow down tempo of Denver.
November 24, 2009
Penetrate, Attack, Attack, and Attack some more!
Re-watched the Bulls @ Portland from the other night. Trailing 15 at the half the Bulls finally decided to attack the rim in the third quarter, taking it right to the Blazers cutting the lead to under 10. Luol Deng, John Salmons, Joakim Noah and Derek Rose all attacked the rim in the quarter getting east shots and converting. Here's a clip of Derek Rose finishing strong over Greg Oden.
Here Noah takes it in on Oden as well.
Later in the game the Bulls settled into their jump shooting ways and quickly got blown out. This has been a consistent theme for the Bulls since Scott Skiles was their coach as they lack a true post up player to get easy baskets and open driving lanes to the basket by forcing double teams. Rather the Bulls settle for contested jump shots.
The Pro game is different from college and high school in the sheer volume of games and the travel involved so it makes it difficult for players to bring the energy to attack the rim off the bounce over 82 games. Add in the fact that the players are physical specimens the pounding that NBA players take attacking the rim takes a toll so you get the Chicago Bulls, a settle for the jump shot team.
To be successful in the pro game you need a low post presence that will take the pressure off the shooters and give you angles to attack the rim on pass outs from the post. Plus you get fouled on roughly half of all plays in the post so you earn easy points from the free throw line. Watching NBA games you see the point of emphasis of getting the ball inside early so you pick up fouls on your opponents bigs early and getting into the penalty. Take a quick scan of Sport Illustrated's power rankings and the top 10 all have a go to post up player.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/chris_mannix/11/23/rankings/index.html?eref=sihp
If you attack the rim and the post early in the game, you won't play against your opponents best players at the end of the game so penetrate, attack, and attack some more!
Here Noah takes it in on Oden as well.
Later in the game the Bulls settled into their jump shooting ways and quickly got blown out. This has been a consistent theme for the Bulls since Scott Skiles was their coach as they lack a true post up player to get easy baskets and open driving lanes to the basket by forcing double teams. Rather the Bulls settle for contested jump shots.
The Pro game is different from college and high school in the sheer volume of games and the travel involved so it makes it difficult for players to bring the energy to attack the rim off the bounce over 82 games. Add in the fact that the players are physical specimens the pounding that NBA players take attacking the rim takes a toll so you get the Chicago Bulls, a settle for the jump shot team.
To be successful in the pro game you need a low post presence that will take the pressure off the shooters and give you angles to attack the rim on pass outs from the post. Plus you get fouled on roughly half of all plays in the post so you earn easy points from the free throw line. Watching NBA games you see the point of emphasis of getting the ball inside early so you pick up fouls on your opponents bigs early and getting into the penalty. Take a quick scan of Sport Illustrated's power rankings and the top 10 all have a go to post up player.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/chris_mannix/11/23/rankings/index.html?eref=sihp
If you attack the rim and the post early in the game, you won't play against your opponents best players at the end of the game so penetrate, attack, and attack some more!
Little Big Ten
Iowa is in some trouble this year. A lack of size, athleticism and depth are going to cause some big problems for the Hawkeyes this year. After losing to UT-San Antonio and Duquense at home and getting pummeled by Texas, the Hawkeyes trail at the half tonight vs. the Shockers of Wichita State. Someone ought to tell the Iowa Staff that they're not at Butler anymore and can recruit big 10 talent because it appears that the Missouri Valley team here is more talented.
November 21, 2009
Playbook Added
The Dayton Flyers sets vs. Villanova has been added to the BCR.
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November 20, 2009
Offensive Rebounding
Watching games today we come back to a recurring them on the BCR, Offensive Rebounding. It's so important to get the extra possessions that often help your team win or lose.
In the Villanova-Dayton game, Villanova used 12 offensive rebounds to gain extra possessions and shots. On at least two ocassions the offensive rebounds were converted into made 3 point shots and a old fashioned 3 point play on another. Dayton wound up losing by 6, perhaps the difference in the game. Being a disciple of Tom Izzo, it would stand to reason that the Flyers are in for a long session of the War Drill.
In the Villanova-Dayton game, Villanova used 12 offensive rebounds to gain extra possessions and shots. On at least two ocassions the offensive rebounds were converted into made 3 point shots and a old fashioned 3 point play on another. Dayton wound up losing by 6, perhaps the difference in the game. Being a disciple of Tom Izzo, it would stand to reason that the Flyers are in for a long session of the War Drill.
November 18, 2009
New Playbooks being added
We're in the process of adding several new playbooks to our site with the real start of college basketball season. Here's some of our growing list:
Michigan State
Gonzaga
Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls
Arizona State
Washington
UCLA
Michigan State
Gonzaga
Cleveland Cavaliers
Chicago Bulls
Arizona State
Washington
UCLA
Situation Play Part II
Rich McKay, head coach of the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers was once asked what he thought of his team's execution, his reply was that he was in favor of it. Your team's execution down the stretch will determine your success as a coach. Have you prepared them well? Here's a sample list of situations you may encounter
Channeling Hubie Brown here....
What do you do when....
Your ball, side line out of bounds (SLOB), down 2, no timeouts, 5 seconds or less
Your ball, SLOB, down 3, no timeouts, 5 seconds or less.
Your ball, Base Line out of Bounds (BLOB), down 2, no timeouts.
Opponents ball, who do you foul? Do you and your players know who their best FT shooter is, their worst?
Your on the free throw line, down 3, 2 shots, 3 seconds or less.
BCR Note: The NFHS really screwed high school coaches by not allowing players to go in the lane until the ball hits.
What play or option are you running @ the end of a game. What option are you running if your best player is fouled out?
Your team is on the free throw line, up 2, 1 shot, 0.5 seconds left, do you miss intentionally?
You're up 3, opponent is bringing the ball up 10 seconds to go, do you foul?
5 seconds to go? 3 seconds?
You're up 1, your opponent just scores to take the lead with 5 seconds left. Do you call a timeout or do you get the ball in and attack the chaos?
These are just some of the situations that you'll encounter over the course of a season, do you have a plan of attack and do your kids know it in case you don't have any timeouts left?
Channeling Hubie Brown here....
What do you do when....
Your ball, side line out of bounds (SLOB), down 2, no timeouts, 5 seconds or less
Your ball, SLOB, down 3, no timeouts, 5 seconds or less.
Your ball, Base Line out of Bounds (BLOB), down 2, no timeouts.
Opponents ball, who do you foul? Do you and your players know who their best FT shooter is, their worst?
Your on the free throw line, down 3, 2 shots, 3 seconds or less.
BCR Note: The NFHS really screwed high school coaches by not allowing players to go in the lane until the ball hits.
What play or option are you running @ the end of a game. What option are you running if your best player is fouled out?
Your team is on the free throw line, up 2, 1 shot, 0.5 seconds left, do you miss intentionally?
You're up 3, opponent is bringing the ball up 10 seconds to go, do you foul?
5 seconds to go? 3 seconds?
You're up 1, your opponent just scores to take the lead with 5 seconds left. Do you call a timeout or do you get the ball in and attack the chaos?
These are just some of the situations that you'll encounter over the course of a season, do you have a plan of attack and do your kids know it in case you don't have any timeouts left?
Situational Play
I hate to sound like Hubie Brown, but his clinic shtick of "What do you do, What do you do, What do you do, when...." has never been more true!
Coaches keep this in mind before you play your first game, how you play over the course of 30 (or 38) minutes will keep you in a game, but your execution over the last 2 minutes of the game will determine whether or not you win. We've seen enough bad play over the first month of this season to drive us absolutely batty as to whether these paid professional and collegiate coaches ever address situations (What do you do.....) how or whom to foul down the stretch, who should have the ball in their hands, what's your go to set at the end of a clock, what defense are in you on a make, etc.
Tonight the San Antonio Spurs, in the BCR's opinion gave a game away. Yes an NBA season is long and playing without 2 heavy minute guys (Ginobli and Parker) is difficult but Dallas took a 6 point lead late and RAN THE CLOCK DOWN without a foul. San Antonio gets the stop and then proceeds to hit a quick 3 to cut the lead in half but without enough time to do anything about it.
Trailing at the end of the game it's very important to extend the game and make your opponent hit free throws. If they hit, all credit to them, they deserve to win. If they miss you have given yourself and opportunity to sneak a victory from a defeat.
Coaches keep this in mind before you play your first game, how you play over the course of 30 (or 38) minutes will keep you in a game, but your execution over the last 2 minutes of the game will determine whether or not you win. We've seen enough bad play over the first month of this season to drive us absolutely batty as to whether these paid professional and collegiate coaches ever address situations (What do you do.....) how or whom to foul down the stretch, who should have the ball in their hands, what's your go to set at the end of a clock, what defense are in you on a make, etc.
Tonight the San Antonio Spurs, in the BCR's opinion gave a game away. Yes an NBA season is long and playing without 2 heavy minute guys (Ginobli and Parker) is difficult but Dallas took a 6 point lead late and RAN THE CLOCK DOWN without a foul. San Antonio gets the stop and then proceeds to hit a quick 3 to cut the lead in half but without enough time to do anything about it.
Trailing at the end of the game it's very important to extend the game and make your opponent hit free throws. If they hit, all credit to them, they deserve to win. If they miss you have given yourself and opportunity to sneak a victory from a defeat.
November 17, 2009
Gotta Love College Basketball
The first week of college basketball season is usually no more than Big University vs. Fodder tech. A guarantee game that is meant to be a 20 point win, thank you and good night.
But each year, smaller schools scare and sometimes beat Big U. UCLA loses a double overtime game at home and Iowa loses in regulation by double digits at home. Great to see the little schools take the money and run!
But each year, smaller schools scare and sometimes beat Big U. UCLA loses a double overtime game at home and Iowa loses in regulation by double digits at home. Great to see the little schools take the money and run!
November 15, 2009
Playbook Added
Arizona State's sets against WIU added to the BCR tonight.
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Subscribe @ www.basketballcoachesreport.com
Brandon Jennings Big Night
The BCR would like to give credit to Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings for going off and dropping 55 points tonight. In the pre-season we watched the young guard shoot and would have schemed our defense to go under ball screens and let him shoot. Last night he proved that he can shoot, now the goal all rookies strive for, consistency.
November 11, 2009
Attack!
Watching two games tonight, Bulls @ Toronto and UNC vs. UNC-Central and the keyword of the night is attack.
The Bulls got out to an 11 point lead throughout much of the third quarter and then stopped attacking the rim. Settling for jumper after jumper and eventually going cold losing by close to double digits.
During the first half of the collegiate game, UNC is in constant attack mode. Once the ball is secure all 5 white jerseys are flying up the floor and the ball is penetrating the paint. Currently UNC is on a 19-0 run. Granted UNC-Central is only in its third year of being a D1 school and is greatly outclassed, UNC is attacking, forcing help and then kicking for open looks.
Jump shots are a great avenue to attack, but making the ball move and therefore the defense move is the key to getting a wide open look.
The Bulls got out to an 11 point lead throughout much of the third quarter and then stopped attacking the rim. Settling for jumper after jumper and eventually going cold losing by close to double digits.
During the first half of the collegiate game, UNC is in constant attack mode. Once the ball is secure all 5 white jerseys are flying up the floor and the ball is penetrating the paint. Currently UNC is on a 19-0 run. Granted UNC-Central is only in its third year of being a D1 school and is greatly outclassed, UNC is attacking, forcing help and then kicking for open looks.
Jump shots are a great avenue to attack, but making the ball move and therefore the defense move is the key to getting a wide open look.
New Playbook Added
A new playbook has been added to the collection, the Cal Bears offensive sets ran vs. Murray State has been added.
Go to www.basketballcoachesreport.com to sign up.
Go to www.basketballcoachesreport.com to sign up.
November 8, 2009
Loyalty
As all our seasons are starting up, an interesting thought creeped into my head about the start of the season and the hope and promise it brings to all. Then I thought back to my first season of coaching where the head coach hammered home the idea of loyalty by the assistant coaches. I thought it was rather Machiavellian, why would we have to close ranks? Who would want to twist something any coach said to hurt the kids or the program or the coaches? It didn't make any sense at the time. The folly of youth!
As most veteran coaches know and this is a lesson that we will all learn at some point, loyalty on your staff is one of the most important commodities you can have. Obviously having several D1 or Pro players on your roster would be the first thing we all would want, but loyalty is a must. There are so many different special interest groups that will suck the life out of you, your team, and your program if you give even the glint of a problem within your ranks.
Parents who want their child to play more will approach assistant coaches with the seemingly innocuous question, why isn't my kid playing more? If you as an assistant answer with anything else other than your staff's party line you've just given that parent ammunition to approach the AD or principal to address "serious issues" with your head coach. Administrators and even teachers at your school can ask you how's things going and if you answer with anything negative, it will come back to haunt you and your head coach. It's a veritable minefield of potential problems from within your own school and district if the wrong thing is said.
Loyalty is also a must for any assistant who aspires to be a head coach one day. We've all heard horror stories of assistant coaches who say something behind their bosses back to create a conflict and have that head coach removed. It's an all too familiar story. A word to any one who thinks this a good way to become a head coach, beware. Word will get out quickly on how you ascended to your position, you will be found out and at that point you will quickly become a pariah in your coaching community.
The best way for you to become a head coach is to be a loyal assistant. Tell your head coach that you want to be the big man one day. If they're worth anything they will groom you, tell you the ins and outs of being the head coach. Work camps, increase the number of coaches you come into contact with, improve your knowledge of the game. These are all ways you can put yourself into position to become a head coach. You may think you're ready but believe this, it's a completely different world moving over 18 inches to the first chair on the bench. The number of distractions that take the focus off your coaching of the team increase twenty-fold and it's not as easy as it seems. The key to being a successful coach is handling those distractions and still coach your team. Having loyal assistants you can trust helps in that endeavor!
Anyway, as basketball season gets started, the BCR wishes you nothing but the best of luck this season!
As most veteran coaches know and this is a lesson that we will all learn at some point, loyalty on your staff is one of the most important commodities you can have. Obviously having several D1 or Pro players on your roster would be the first thing we all would want, but loyalty is a must. There are so many different special interest groups that will suck the life out of you, your team, and your program if you give even the glint of a problem within your ranks.
Parents who want their child to play more will approach assistant coaches with the seemingly innocuous question, why isn't my kid playing more? If you as an assistant answer with anything else other than your staff's party line you've just given that parent ammunition to approach the AD or principal to address "serious issues" with your head coach. Administrators and even teachers at your school can ask you how's things going and if you answer with anything negative, it will come back to haunt you and your head coach. It's a veritable minefield of potential problems from within your own school and district if the wrong thing is said.
Loyalty is also a must for any assistant who aspires to be a head coach one day. We've all heard horror stories of assistant coaches who say something behind their bosses back to create a conflict and have that head coach removed. It's an all too familiar story. A word to any one who thinks this a good way to become a head coach, beware. Word will get out quickly on how you ascended to your position, you will be found out and at that point you will quickly become a pariah in your coaching community.
The best way for you to become a head coach is to be a loyal assistant. Tell your head coach that you want to be the big man one day. If they're worth anything they will groom you, tell you the ins and outs of being the head coach. Work camps, increase the number of coaches you come into contact with, improve your knowledge of the game. These are all ways you can put yourself into position to become a head coach. You may think you're ready but believe this, it's a completely different world moving over 18 inches to the first chair on the bench. The number of distractions that take the focus off your coaching of the team increase twenty-fold and it's not as easy as it seems. The key to being a successful coach is handling those distractions and still coach your team. Having loyal assistants you can trust helps in that endeavor!
Anyway, as basketball season gets started, the BCR wishes you nothing but the best of luck this season!
November 6, 2009
Role Players
We've used this term in our scouting reports, role player, picks up garbage points and immediately our players dismiss that player.
Perhaps we need to word it better but the role player who picks up the scraps is a player who can routinely beat you. We've re-watched the Dallas New Orleans game from the other night and with superstar Dirk Nowitzki on the bench, none other than Erick Dampier put the nail in the Hornets coffin with an offensive rebound late in overtime.
As coaches we all appreciate the effort that these players give. Usually they're the ones who guard the other team's better players, do the dirty work of screening, reversing the ball or crashing the glass all without complaints that they're not getting plays called for them.
When a player like that gets a key basket to finish off a game, we take notice and appreciate that players effort. Now if there were only a way to word it in our scouting reports so our players appreciate how dangerous a player like that is!
Perhaps we need to word it better but the role player who picks up the scraps is a player who can routinely beat you. We've re-watched the Dallas New Orleans game from the other night and with superstar Dirk Nowitzki on the bench, none other than Erick Dampier put the nail in the Hornets coffin with an offensive rebound late in overtime.
As coaches we all appreciate the effort that these players give. Usually they're the ones who guard the other team's better players, do the dirty work of screening, reversing the ball or crashing the glass all without complaints that they're not getting plays called for them.
When a player like that gets a key basket to finish off a game, we take notice and appreciate that players effort. Now if there were only a way to word it in our scouting reports so our players appreciate how dangerous a player like that is!
Utah Jazz Close one out
The Jazz were able to stem the tide of their little run of adversity and beat the Spurs last night. The BCR marvels at how well the Jazz run the most simplistic sets with little tweaks and nuances and still beat teams who run set after set after set.
The Bulls pull off an impressive defeat of the Cavs in Cleveland, could this be the harbinger of things to come for this Bulls squad? Has Luol Deng finally arrived? He's averaging 17 and 10 through the first few games, can he maintain this pace for all 82 games?
The Bulls pull off an impressive defeat of the Cavs in Cleveland, could this be the harbinger of things to come for this Bulls squad? Has Luol Deng finally arrived? He's averaging 17 and 10 through the first few games, can he maintain this pace for all 82 games?
November 4, 2009
November 2, 2009
11.2.09 Update
Shock team of the night, Houston Rockets. Playing without Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady the scrappy Rockets go to Utah and throttle the Jazz by 17. Some hot shooting from behind the arc helped propel the Rockets to an easy win on the road.
Disappointment of the young season, the New Orleans Hornets. Do they have anyone who wants to consistently play besides Chris Paul? Paul scored 32 and had 13 assists yet lose to the Knicks.
Earlier this month we wrote about veteran leadership helping your team. On Monday, Mehmet Okur showed some veteran savvy against the Rockets. Maybe this happened out of frustration or maybe this is the way he plays balls screens but twice on vertical ball screens set by the Rockets to free Aaron Brooks, Okur eliminated the possibility of a roll or a re-screen by simply placing two hands on the screener and shoving them out of the way towards half court. How these weren't fouls escapes us but it was very effective in creating a double team on Brooks.
Disappointment of the young season, the New Orleans Hornets. Do they have anyone who wants to consistently play besides Chris Paul? Paul scored 32 and had 13 assists yet lose to the Knicks.
Earlier this month we wrote about veteran leadership helping your team. On Monday, Mehmet Okur showed some veteran savvy against the Rockets. Maybe this happened out of frustration or maybe this is the way he plays balls screens but twice on vertical ball screens set by the Rockets to free Aaron Brooks, Okur eliminated the possibility of a roll or a re-screen by simply placing two hands on the screener and shoving them out of the way towards half court. How these weren't fouls escapes us but it was very effective in creating a double team on Brooks.
One Week Til the REAL Season Starts
The NBA is nice, but the real games start on Monday November 8th. We've been attending college practices of late, it's nice to see getting teams geared up for the season.
Exhibition games are nice but we don't take much stock in them.
For example, Notre Dame struggled with Lewis University yesterday with their regulars playing after the last under 4 timeout. Does anyone expect Notre Dame to struggle?
USC was losing at halftime to CS Dominguez yesterday, missing 4 starters. USC will struggle but not enough to lose a game like that.
Michigan State beat Northwood badly yesterday but it was ugly, even for an exhibition game. Their execution on "IN" was good as well as "DBD" since renamed horns but overall it was a bad game to watch.
Exhibition games are nice but we don't take much stock in them.
For example, Notre Dame struggled with Lewis University yesterday with their regulars playing after the last under 4 timeout. Does anyone expect Notre Dame to struggle?
USC was losing at halftime to CS Dominguez yesterday, missing 4 starters. USC will struggle but not enough to lose a game like that.
Michigan State beat Northwood badly yesterday but it was ugly, even for an exhibition game. Their execution on "IN" was good as well as "DBD" since renamed horns but overall it was a bad game to watch.
November 1, 2009
Veteran Leadership
We attended a couple of junior college practices this week and watched one team who had 4 regulars out due to injury and other issues which got us thinking about how important veteran leadership is.
Just watching the practice and how the players reacted to the change of drills you could see the coaching staff get more frustrated as practice went along as first year players struggle with recognizing a drill and getting it started quickly. As most of us deal with, practice time is finite, we don't have the luxury of wasting time in the gym as there is another team or group coming in after you. Wasting valuable time while players figure out what spots to go to or what to do next is the last thing that you want to be doing in practice.
However, it is exactly this kind of recognition that separates good teams from mediocre teams; the ability to quickly realize change and capitalize on it. The old adage rings true, the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.
The role of veteran leadership also helps mentor players, not only in where to go and what to do, but what to look for in a certain game situation. If you're running a zone offense and a hi/lo feed is available on a reversal, a veteran can point that out and reinforce the coach's philosophy on playing a zone. There are thousands of nuances within the game that a veteran can transmit to a younger player than can increase their learning rate.
Just watching the practice and how the players reacted to the change of drills you could see the coaching staff get more frustrated as practice went along as first year players struggle with recognizing a drill and getting it started quickly. As most of us deal with, practice time is finite, we don't have the luxury of wasting time in the gym as there is another team or group coming in after you. Wasting valuable time while players figure out what spots to go to or what to do next is the last thing that you want to be doing in practice.
However, it is exactly this kind of recognition that separates good teams from mediocre teams; the ability to quickly realize change and capitalize on it. The old adage rings true, the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.
The role of veteran leadership also helps mentor players, not only in where to go and what to do, but what to look for in a certain game situation. If you're running a zone offense and a hi/lo feed is available on a reversal, a veteran can point that out and reinforce the coach's philosophy on playing a zone. There are thousands of nuances within the game that a veteran can transmit to a younger player than can increase their learning rate.
Hustle Plays that Matter - Offensive Rebounding
We all know that effective offensive rebounding gives you extra offensive possessions and easy scores on put backs and wide open shots on the ensuing defensive scramble. Here's three illustrations from this week of NBA basketball that prove how important the extra effort on the offensive glass pays off.
Thursday night, Bulls vs. San Antonio. The Bulls shot less than 40% for much of the game but were buoyed by numerous second chance points. A key play was the last possession of the first half, the Bulls take and miss a shot, Luol Deng outworks the San Antonio bigs and kicks it out to a wide open Kirk Hinrich who knocks down a buzzer beating 3 pointer which enables the Bulls to take the lead going into half time.
Saturday night, the Mavericks vs. the Clippers both teams playing the second of game of a back to back. Clippers down 2 possessions, Dallas ball with 2 minutes to go. Dallas misses two shots and gets both offensive rebounds allowing them to burn a minute off the clock and ice the game.
Sunday afternoon. The Orlando Magic vs. the Raptors. Orlando up 7 with just over a minute to go, miss on a shot and poke out the offensive rebound to burn 30 seconds off the clock before the Raptors are forced to foul.
Too often we get so wrapped up in defensive transition that we neglect the offensive glass and the easy points and fouls created by going to the glass hard. Send your 3, 4 and 5 men to the glass hard on each shot attempt and keep possession and get easy baskets. If you have the ball, your opponent can't score!
Thursday night, Bulls vs. San Antonio. The Bulls shot less than 40% for much of the game but were buoyed by numerous second chance points. A key play was the last possession of the first half, the Bulls take and miss a shot, Luol Deng outworks the San Antonio bigs and kicks it out to a wide open Kirk Hinrich who knocks down a buzzer beating 3 pointer which enables the Bulls to take the lead going into half time.
Saturday night, the Mavericks vs. the Clippers both teams playing the second of game of a back to back. Clippers down 2 possessions, Dallas ball with 2 minutes to go. Dallas misses two shots and gets both offensive rebounds allowing them to burn a minute off the clock and ice the game.
Sunday afternoon. The Orlando Magic vs. the Raptors. Orlando up 7 with just over a minute to go, miss on a shot and poke out the offensive rebound to burn 30 seconds off the clock before the Raptors are forced to foul.
Too often we get so wrapped up in defensive transition that we neglect the offensive glass and the easy points and fouls created by going to the glass hard. Send your 3, 4 and 5 men to the glass hard on each shot attempt and keep possession and get easy baskets. If you have the ball, your opponent can't score!
Halloween Play of the Night
Dallas Mavericks again running their kick back series, this time into a step up screen and lob for their 5 Erick Dampier which broke the back of the Clippers twice tonight.
10.31.09 Wrap Up
The Clippers again show why they are the most hapless franchise in the NBA. Tied at the half at 55, the Clippers allowed the Mavericks to take a double digit lead in the third quarter. They storm back with efforts from their bench and Chris Kaman to tie the game at 82. Then down the stretch, with 2 minutes to go they make 3 fatal errors.
First error is giving Dallas a 1 minute possession by not finishing the play and boxing out. Dallas took the clock from 2 minutes left to under a minute.
Secondly chasing 3 points, the Mavericks knock the ball out of bounds for a Clippers BLOB (Baseline out of bounds) with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Jason Terry cheats the play and doesn't allow Eric Gordon to complete the screen the screener action (BLOB 1 was the play call) and Chris Kaman is forced to pop out to get the ball in. Only problem is Kaman doesn't know that there's 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Turn over. How does the bench not let the players on the floor know how many seconds are left on the clock? Inexcusable.
Last error, Dallas ball, between 35-40 seconds left, ball in Jason Kidd's hands down 5. This is simple game management by a coach, you are down 2 possessions, you cannot play defense for the entire clock and hope that you get a stop, you still need to score twice. Yes you would prefer to foul Shawn Marion, but out of the three players who are likely to handle the ball in that situation, Kidd, Terry or Nowitzki, Kidd is the worst free throw shooter of them. Force him to make a pair and extend the game. Instead the Clippers allow the Mavericks to run the clock down and Nowitzki hits a tough fadeaway to make it a three possession game. Poor game management by Mike Dunleavy.
First error is giving Dallas a 1 minute possession by not finishing the play and boxing out. Dallas took the clock from 2 minutes left to under a minute.
Secondly chasing 3 points, the Mavericks knock the ball out of bounds for a Clippers BLOB (Baseline out of bounds) with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Jason Terry cheats the play and doesn't allow Eric Gordon to complete the screen the screener action (BLOB 1 was the play call) and Chris Kaman is forced to pop out to get the ball in. Only problem is Kaman doesn't know that there's 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Turn over. How does the bench not let the players on the floor know how many seconds are left on the clock? Inexcusable.
Last error, Dallas ball, between 35-40 seconds left, ball in Jason Kidd's hands down 5. This is simple game management by a coach, you are down 2 possessions, you cannot play defense for the entire clock and hope that you get a stop, you still need to score twice. Yes you would prefer to foul Shawn Marion, but out of the three players who are likely to handle the ball in that situation, Kidd, Terry or Nowitzki, Kidd is the worst free throw shooter of them. Force him to make a pair and extend the game. Instead the Clippers allow the Mavericks to run the clock down and Nowitzki hits a tough fadeaway to make it a three possession game. Poor game management by Mike Dunleavy.
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