I know Greece beat Germany into submission the other night but I also saw Greece get beat by Spain rather easily.  I’m much more concerned about Spain than i am Greece.  In fact, I think the US will beat the Greeks by 20 plus points and take this one easily.  I see a different mentality this year with the team and I’m happy with the intensity and direction they are going.  They are a team that hasn’t played their best game yet and I think that is coming.  They haven’t shot well yet but they are about to and this team is unstoppable on any fast break.  The Greeks will play tough ‘cheating’ defense where they will foul every chance they can and that’s ok as long as the US realizes they can do the same thing.  Germany let everything Greece did effect them and it worked.  Germany looked unprepared from the start and Greece had a gameplan.  That won’t happen against us.  They won’t surprise us and we want revenge from the 2006 world championships.  Greece is about to experience defensive pressure that they have never seen before and we will make short work of them.  I can’t wait to watch.

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I’m a clueless geographic American and I have no clue where Angola is or what it is for that matter.  I honestly have no idea.  I know that they play the United States every olympics and get killed by 40 or so points.  This year is no different as the Angola Team brings their tallest player at 6*8.  Lebron is 6*8 and he could be our point guard.

The U.S crushed China after China expectedly hung close for a while there.  I thought they would hang with them for a while being the host country and having all that excitement around the game for months and months.  We didn’t shoot the ball well at all and it scares me a little.  We need to sit Jason Kidd.  Kidd can’t shoot and won’t shoot and teams, like China, aren’t even guarding him.  I was watching this thing and Kidd just doesn’t have it like Chris Paul or Deron Williams does.  Williams is a much more able and willing shooter than Kidd and Paul is one guy that we need to get guarding the ball as much as possible.  Paul was right there at the top of the leaders in the NBA in steals so it isn’t like most teams want to have Paul guard you.  Would you rather play against Paul or Kidd?  I’m picking Kidd because he’s my age and has to pick his spots and it is showing.  If we want to open up the middle then get Redd in the game and put Williams or Paul at point and let’s go. 

The game to watch will be Spain.  That will be a real test for us as they have a bunch of NBA guys who are used to playing this style of game and want to win.  Spain looked good over Greece and I really like Calderon at point guard.  He is known for his game control and he’ll do the same against us.  I was very impressed with Ricky Rubio also but I don’t think he wants Chris Paul in his shorts pressuring the ball because he struggled with that, at times, against the greeks.  Still, the kid is a top 3 pick in the draft and it was clear to see why.  I think he’ll be a great pro. 

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If there is something that is most sought after among coaches it is practice material.  I felt that since Bill Self just signed his 30 million dollar 10 year deal that i should at least try to mention his DVD Bill Self’s Guide to Better Basketball Practice.  This DVD was made when he was the head coach of, my favorite school, Illinois.  Self takes you inside an actual practice and goes through warm up drills, passing, shooting as well as all the defensive training you would need to run a basic defense.  This isn’t a completely in depth full length practice but the drills that are showed will give you plenty to work off of.  If you are looking for something that is specific to offense or defense then this isn’t the DVD for you. If you want something that you can use to outline a practice or a week or practices then this is the correct tool. 

Bill Self is a winner and has been a winner at every program he’s been.  His secret has always been to have good players, but when you watch this tape you’ll clearly see why Self is deserving, if anyone is, of his new contract. 

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I’m still not worried if I’m the NBA.  It isn’t going to hurt the overall product that is put out on the floor each game.  With the NBA losing Arroyo to Israel it just gives an American born player a chance to play in the NBA in front of fans that grew up watching him.  This is nothing to panic about at all. 

Carlos Arroyo is a decent second string point guard who shoots the ball too much.  He would’ve hung around a roster like Jacque Vaughn for 15 seasons and years later someone would’ve remembered him having a decent game once.  With him going to Israel it only makes that team better but doesn’t weaken the Orlando Magic.  I’m more than confident that the Magic can find a quality replacement for Carlos.

I touched on this topic a week or so ago and I’ll say it again, we only have to worry about it when the best players start to leave and at this point that isn’t going to happen.  I’m not saying it won’t because basketball is growing so much world wide that teams and owners are going to pony up one day and go for the superstar and one might go and pave the way for others.  In the end all it will do is make the NBA change their salary structure to compete so that the best players will always play here in the states.  I think we are years off for that and maybe that player who changed it all is Josh Childress or maybe he’s the guy that sours the Europeans on players from here.  We’ll find out in a few years, about the same time that we learn Brett Favre is coming back again for another season.

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I’m not a Coach K fan at all but I do have great respect for him as a coach.  He is doing a fabulous job with the US National team that is in Beijing.  These olympics will provide one decent scare for the United States but other than that this will be a blowout like we haven’t seen since the dream team.  Coach K has restored pride in the program and made it  a true program.  We were embarrassed 4 years ago and this team is ready to explode for the world to see.

I’ve been watching the tune up games for the US and this team is loaded with speed and talent.  They’ll face teams that will focus on taking care of the ball and getting back on defense and it will force the US to hit some outside shots and they’ll be able to do it.  But how do you stop a fast break with Lebron as the point and kobe and carmelo on a wing.  Good luck with that world.

Countries will once again take pride in getting the silver and bronze because that is all that is up in the air now.  The US will win the Gold again and I’ll actually be watching.  

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My favorite NBA transaction of the past week was yesterday.  Renaldo Balkman, who was taken by the Knicks with a first round pick a few years ago, was dealt to the Nuggets for 2 pieces of garbage and a junk 2nd round pick.  The garbage i’m referring to is Taurean Green and Bobby Jones.  Both players will be waived.  Imagine how you would feel to be traded for 2 guys who are going to be cut and a 2nd rounder?  Do you think Balkman lived up to his promise?  The funny part is the guy didn’t have any promise to begin with.  He was an Isiah Thomas selection and only averaged 7 points a game during his college career.  Here is a list of guys taken after Balkman in the draft:

Rajon Rondo

Marcus Williams

Kyle Lowry

Jordan Farmar

Craig Smith

Paul Millsap

Leon Powe

Daniel Gibson

It gets more amazing to me every day that Isiah was able to keep his job.  They were suffering with a career loser at point guard in Marbury yet got a high energy guy in Balkman who doesn’t have the skill set to be more than a bench player in the NBA.  Just another task now of getting rid of Isiah players and trying to bring in their own to play for Dantoni.  Good move by the Knicks and I don’t type that sentence often.

Nenad Krstic is going to play in Russia.  This actually doesn’t surprise me again.  Once the money gets competitive and players don’t or can’t compete at the highest level then go where you are comfortable.  Krstic had a hard time recovering from knee surgery and was having a tough time getting to the level he was at before the injury.  He had some late attention but the feeling was he was leaning toward Europe anyway.  Within a year nobody will remember he was ever gone.  He’s the new Dino Radja.  Exactly…

Luol Deng and Ben Gordon are both unsigned by the Bulls.  I think the Bulls should hire my wife as the Gm because Paxson has the same ability to make a decision by himself.  I love my wife and I love Paxson but I don’t love Paxson as the gm.  He made the right pick taking Rose but I don’t think he wanted to.  He took forever to choose there after having a month to decide.  Now he has 2 giant pieces to the teams puzzle and they are floating around possibilities of playing in Europe and that wouldn’t surprise me.  Paxson needs to trade someone whether it be Hinrich or Gordon.  Let it be Hinrich.  He’s a point guard who needs to go.  Gordon is a shooting guard who will get some good looks playing with Rose.  Rose can break anyone down of the dribble and any help defense will free up Ben.  It’s a no brainer to me and maybe it is to Paxson also but he’s taking his own sweet time and if he isn’t careful Ben will be playing in Greece next year for millions.

Oh and the US had better win the Gold in basketball.

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I love talking up good products and one of my favorites for better guard play is a DVD by Kevin Sutton called:  30 Drills for Building a Complete Guard.  Sutton is a Nike Skill Academny instructor and has experience and passion for what he is teaching.  Sutton’s drills are great because they push for always working in game-speed and game-type conditions by always going hard and maintaining concentration and focus.  I love his stressing the footwork because that is a such a forgotten tool by young players and coaches don’t fully understand it.  He breaks it down very easily for everyone to understand.  It honestly helps that he has teaching experience and not just playing experience because they are two separate things.  Most of his drills are in 2-3 player sets and that can be a bit of an issue if you are getting it for yourself but more beneficial for coaches in that type of setting.  Regardless, the fundamentals taught and the drills that are shown are unique and should be there for every coach who is serious about his profession and every guard who wants to get better and understand his role and position.

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Recently Bostjan Nachbar singed a 3 year 14 million dollar contract with a Russian pro team and his exit has signaled a true sign of the times in professional basketball.  No longer is the NBA the league that offers the most money.

In the past players wanted to come to the NBA because it was where the best competition is and that is clearly true still, but what has changed is the competition for these players.  European basketball just keeps getting bigger as a result of the success of the NBA and the leagues are getting more and more money to spend.  Just this year alone Carlos Delfino, Jorge Garbojosa and Juan Carlos Navarro have opted to go play in Europe because they were offered more money.  Clearly, playing against the best competition isn’t nearly as important to these guys as the money is.

Do you remember when Doug Flutie was destroying the Canadian Football League?  I know it’s off topic a little but stay with me for a second.  Flutie killed the Canadian football league and was getting paid a ton of money but it didn’t stop him from playing in the NFL and never reaching the stardom he had in the CFL.  Flutie wanted to play against the best and made enough money in Canada that he wanted to really give the NFL a shot and was a good NFL quarterback.  It also helped that he was from here. 

What it boils down to for me is the fact that I don’t think the NBA should care of worry.  If Nachbar wants to go play in Europe then he can take his 8 points a game during a career year and go.  Same with the other guys.  If we lose players long term to NBA that are American stars then we should start to worry but that won’t happen.  It’s the Doug Flutie within the Americans that will always keep them coming back even when we shun them because they supposedly aren’t good enough.  American kids want to play in the NBA because it’s their league with their fans and their people.  If the Euros want to go home to play and get paid very well to do it then I can’t fault them doing that at all because I’d do the same thing. 

The NBA fan doesn’t hurt from this because the NBA fan follows kids from the McDonald’s all american game to college and to the pros and they get there with a built in fan base and following.  The foreigners come in at a decided disadvantage that way and with their roster spot replaced by an American player it can’t really hurt the interest in the league.  The only thing it brings to question is that the NBA will start to lose the stigma as having the best players in the world.  With more and more guys opting to stay in their homelands we won’t have that anymore.  I’m ok with that.

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Coaches are always looking for ways to score as easy as possible and a well practiced set play coming from out of bounds is usually one of the best ways to get an extra 5 baskets a game and that’s very reasonable.  We get asked by coaches if we have DVD’s that show these plays and we have a bunch of them.  The one I want to talk about today is called “Over 70 Baseline & Under the Basket Inbounds Plays“.  It won’t win awards for most creative title or anything like that but it is filled with some excellent ideas on scoring the ball from out of bounds. 

The reason i love this DVD is because it covers all sorts of defenses and how to score against them.  I was always the throw in guy for my teams and it was because I could quickly read what the defense was doing and call a play according to what they were doing.  This will help your players recognize defenses and their weaknesses in an out of bounds situation. 

Another excellent feature of the DVD is the fact that it mixes blackboard training with actualy players running the plays.  With each one you will see how the coache devises the play on a blackboard and then how the actual play is executed.  Sometimes you get DVDs that are only in game practice but for some coaches the actual diagram works better.  This way you get both and it really comes in handy because rarely will you see a play that you’ll have memorized at one look.

The DVD is over 95 minutes and well worth the 40 dollar price tag.

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It isn’t like a foot is that big of a difference is it? 

Last week I went to the gym and shot a few hundred shots like I usually do a couple times a week.  I enjoy it.  I’m getting older now and I don’t use my legs as much as I should but I really focus on trying to shoot jump shots and using good form and everything.  I analyze each shot way too much and try to make corrections almost in between each attempt.  I usually keep track of percentages in sets of 50 shots and i usually do ok with nobody guarding me as anyone should.  This certain day last week I was playing on a court that had the old college line on it as well as the NBA line on it.  I decided to give it a try for 50 shots.  On the college line I made 35 of 50 shots from all over the arc while the pro line I only hit 20 of 50.  It was a huge difference for me.  I was having a hard time shooting a jump shot from that distance and as a result everything else was off for me.  I was compensating to get the ball there and it messed up my balance, rhythm and everything.  Not good at all and very humbling.

The college line is only a foot back and will cause a drop in percentages for sure.  I think it will cause more of a drop than most people think.  When you adjust everything based on a certain distance and now move that back it has to make a difference.  I think the big man stepping out and shooting the 3 is out the window.  We won’t see as many miracle comebacks this year as in the past because it will be a tougher shot to make.  Players that can stretch defenses will really stretch them now and zone defense teams will be a little happier now.  Teams like Syracuse get wing defenders that are long and that can get out and defend the 3 pointer.  Now it will be tougher for them to get out and defend it but for good reason, the shot will be longer.  More teams will fall back on some sort of zone defense because that one foot will make the middle more vulnerable or so it should.  I expect that teams will test the line early and let teams try to make the shots.  Teams will double team dominate big guys like Hansbrough or Harangody and let the guards try to beat them from the new distance.  If not, those guys can expect double teams all season long. 

What I’m saying is we won’t know until we tip off in a few months…I know it has only been a couple months since Kansas beat Memphis but do you think Chalmers hits that shot if he’s a foot deeper.  I don’t. 

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