THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2010
This will probably be the last entry of this summer’s training season. Most of the players are at their training camp, some seasons have actually started. Right now we are down to Raja Bell and Rob Hite. Raja leaves for Utah on Sunday. I am going to continue to work with Rob until he signs somewhere.
Rob is someone I had as a rookie. He is a graduate of University of Miami (2006) and played for the Miami Heat as an undrafted free agent. He is a hard worker and made the roster out of nowhere. After a year with the Heat, he played a bit for the Nets. Last year he was invited to training camp with the Spurs but broke his hand and could not go. He has played the rest of those seasons in Europe and has been pretty productive. Sometime soon he will be back in somebody’s camp.
Rob and Raja make good workout partners because they both work on the same things. Rob is about 6-2 and is an “other worldly” athlete, even by NBA standards, and a very good long range shooter. He has a major ball handling weakness which is probably the reason he is struggling to stay in the league. His shooting at times is very streaky, when he is good, he is really good, when he is bad, he misses horribly. I attribute that to an inconsistent rhythm when he shoots. In one drill I counted 8 different types of footwork in 1 twenty-shot drill. It is tough to be consistent that way.
To stick in the NBA, you don’t have to be good at everything. When you are young, just find one thing that your team needs and hang your hat on it. Raja did it with defense and grew to be a reliable scorer. Rob has yet to find his niche. I think he should either strive to be a defensive stopper or be another Eddie House, instant offense. On days you’re good – you play, if not – you don’t.
We have cut back on the days we work out but have upped the intensity. We strive for 400 shots per day, per player. There is a lot of ball handling into shots and a quite a bit of aerobic work as we create a lot of shots off the run. To combine both aspects, there is a premium on getting the ball on the move and making 2-dribble moves.
It has been a very good workout season. With the occasional college player that we have thrown in, I think we have helped a dozen players.
I hope they all have great years.
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Can’t wait for the regular season to start. I need some basketball back in my life.
I truly believe less is more as a coach. Coaches kill player’s enthusiasm for the game with too much practice and much of that practice is not intense, efficient and gamelike. I like your approach of fewer days of practice but more intensity and combining ball handling and conditioning with the shooting work. It is better to have an intense 45 minute workout than a lackadasical 2 hour workout.