I’d heard of the Intelligym video game a few years ago but hadn’t really used it yet. I had heard it was like a video game and that it could actually help the mental part of your basketball skills. I was curious but not enough to really look into it more. Recently I was given the chance to try it out and write a review on it and so far so good. I’m not done yet with all the training sessions but from what I’ve seen so far it is impressive.

Intelligym comes in two packages, Personal and Personal Gold. The Personal Gold package features additional maintenance sessions as well as sessions that emphasize time constaints and pressure situations. I’m looking forward to trying those. It’s hard to explain what this is like, but the game puts you in situations that require you to use anticipation, decision making and execution. Why pass to an open guy for a 25 foot shot who has a 28% chance of making that shot as compared to waiting one more screen to find an open player at 15 feet who shoots 60% from the field. Situations like this that during a game doesn’t go into all of our thoughts. You will love it and be challenged.

I haven’t got into the Gold package yet like I’ve said and when i have I’ll review them but the Intelligym is a great product that is used by National Championship teams and I can see why.

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Let’s start with a couple of my opinions on who I believe were the best picks in the draft yesterday…

#5 Ricky Rubio going to Minnesota. I didn’t think Rubio would slide this far but he did and Minnesota grabbed him. Then they shocked us all by taking Johnny Flynn with the very next pick. Both are talented with Flynn being a bit older. Rubio has been playing professionally for 2-3 years now so he has some experience also despite only being 18 years old. I thought the T Wolves could get by taking Curry with the 6th pick but they didn’t. By them taking Flynn it had to make Golden St very happy because that meant they were going to be able to take Curry with the 7th pick. You have to admit it was funny when Curry was taken how loudly the Knicks fans booed. They really wanted him.

Atlanta #19: Jeff Teague: I loved this pick for the Hawks. This means Mike Bibby is probably out the door or just lost a lot of leverage in his talks with the Hawks. Teague is talented and has the ability to be a very good NBA point guard. This also means the end of the ACIE LAW era in Atlanta. I predicted a couple years ago that Law was actually a great pick. I was wrong there but I don’t think I’ll be wrong here.

Second Rounders: Dejuan Blair, Sam Young, Chase Budinger- These guys all slid into the second round and it shocked a lot of people. Blair was projected by some to be a lottery selection but questions about his knees apparently caused teams some concerns. The Spurs struck gold there in my opinion. Sam Young was another player who was projected to go earlier but didn’t. Young has good size, can shoot and is ready to play now physically in the NBA. Nice job by Memphis. Chase Budinger was also projected to go late lottery or late 1st round but slid into the 2nd. Detroit took him all the way at 44 but his rights were traded to Houston. Nice work there because he’s an experienced athlete who could flourish in the uptempo NBA, but all 3 will certainly get guaranteed contracts and make their respective teams.

BAD PICKS:

My bad picks are just my opinions of course and my feelings on certain players. You will all know #1 on my list:

James Harden at #3. NOT GOOD. I see why they did it and I get it but I just don’t think Harden will be a good pro. I think he needs the ball to be effective on the court and he isn’t good enough to be a #1 option on his team. I like his length but I don’t see him as the type of player who will have to guard some of the best scorers in the league. As a plus, he did go to a great team for him and he’ll get to play right away. He’ll have all season to prove me wrong but if people questioned OJ Mayo’s athletic ability, this guy isn’t on the same level at all as Mayo as an athlete. I’m very interested to see how he does.

Austin Daye: #15- I see scrub written all over this guy. He’s a 6*11 small forward who weighs 185 pounds. I know he is still young but he disappeared in college games and deferred to others all the time there. What will he do in the pros playing with a veteran team? I was always impressed with his physical tools but never impressed with his actual play. He always looked the part but underimpressed me every game I watched. The Pistons ‘Darko’d’ this one.

Darren Collison: #21- Why would the Hornets take this guy? Chris Paul is the point guard and backup points are a dime a dozen. The Hornets have all sorts of holes to fill and they decide to fill a hole that only plays 8-10 minutes a game. With so many needs and so many quality guys still on the board this was a stretch.

Christian Eyenga: #30- I’ve only seen video clips of this guy but if he is compared to Pietrus but not as good then why was he taken this high? The Cavs need shooters and guys who can get them to win NOW. They just acquired Shaq who only has 1 year left on his contract so they have a limited window. Why not draft someone like Sam Young or Dejuan Blair and get someone ready to come in now. Blair didn’t need the ball to be effective at all and would’ve been great to end the first round with. Sam Young can shoot the ball so that the lane is open for when Lebron gets to the basket he can kick to someone. Instead they draft a guy who is athletic as can be and can probably defend but who is a project. Not good when so many NBA ready guys were still on the board.

Oh and Taylor Griffin should not have been drafted at all, let alone as high as he did. Don’t know what happened there.

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First they dump Kevin Mchale after a failed 15 year run. I was happy to see that. Maybe Isiah Thomas will hire Mchale as an assistant coach now. Mchale failed at a number of things with none of them being worse than the draft. His best picks in the past few years were traded away. He traded away OJ Mayo who was nearly the rookie of the year. He traded away Mario Chalmers who started at point guard for the Miami Heat last season and showed some promise at the position. He traded away Brandon Roy for Randy Foye once on draft day. He even traded away Ray Allen for Stephon Marbury and we know who has had the better career there. It was about time to let Mchale go.

The new regime has come in and quickly tried to make a statement. Yesterday the Wolves dealt Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Wizards for the #5 pick in the draft basically and a pile of garbage left behind by the Wizards. The deal frees up money for the Wiz and gets them some solid depth and I love the deal. The Wolves need players and by acquiring this pick they now have rights to 4 first rounders tomorrow and 2 seconds.

What we don’t know is what the Wolves want to do with their picks. Currently they have Sebastian Telfair as their only point guard so I guarantee they take a point with one of the picks. They seem to be solid down low with Kevin Love and Al Jefferson but Jefferson is coming off a bad injury and swingman Corey Brewer is also. They need help at several positions so they have some leverage right now with the other teams who might covet those top selections.

What the Wolves do will dictate where a lot of players fall and I’m impressed with the new gm and what he’s trying to do.

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The NBA draft is a few days away and I’m excited for a lot of these kids. I’ve had a great time watching a lot of these players in high school and I’m very excited to see how they’ll do in the pros.

I’m not going to give a mock draft myself but more or less give my opinions on the latest ESPN mock draft that has been done by Chad Ford. He has the following top 5 picks:

#1 Blake Griffin: The Clippers have this pick and Griffin is the obvious choice here. He’s listed at 6*10 but plays high above the rim and is very athletic. I’m not sure how polished he is away from the basket but he goes and gets the basketball when a rebound is available and he’ll be a great finished in the NBA on the break. He’ll excel in the open court game and I expect him to do well from day 1.

#2. Hasheen Thabeet: MEMPHIS. Nobody wants to play in Memphis and you can’t really blame them. They are all over the place as to what they need but a solid big man is usually a great place to start. Thabeet is going to be a great defender in a league that values shotblockers and physical play. He’ll be in constant foul trouble his first year and he is a project offensively but running a pick and roll he’ll do fine. Memphis could go wrong here by taking a number of other players but Thabeet is the safest thing for them to take.

#3. Ricky Rubio: OK City. Rubio has been tough to read during the process because he has a lot to lose by putting himself out there. He has been mentioned as high as #2 to dropping as low as #11. He’ll never drop that far but teams are starting to wonder about the kid and you can’t blame them. Rubio is young but has been playing professionally for years now. He’s a solid point guard with good size but has shown limited ability to shoot the ball. OK City took Westbrook last year so i don’t see why they’d take Rubio here. I think they go another direction or try to trade the pick to someone desperate for Rubio.

#4. Tyreke Evans: Sacramento. Tyreke is the player that I’m most interested in as far as where he goes in the draft. He is a big strong player for his age and has the ability to handle the ball out front. He has the ability to be a very good combo guard in the league. I question his outside shot and shot selection but on a good team I expect those things will change a bit. Sacramento will take a point guard with their selection and the question that needs to be asked is whether Evans is the guy they want or not. Do they want Rubio, Johnny Flynn, Evans or darkhorse Stephen Curry? This selection is the key to the rest of the draft.

#5 James Harden: Washington. Don’t take James Harden. I think this is the worst pick of the draft if taken this early. I see Harden as absolutely bombing in the league. He isn’t a great shooter and isn’t ultra athletic. He’s a proven college scorer but guys like him are a dime a dozen if you ask me. I’m not sold on this selection one bit if you can’t tell. If I have a choice between James Harden or 4-5 point guards then I take the point guards. I know you are paying Arenas a ton of money but he’s been hurt for 2 straight seasons now. They aren’t getting younger. If Hardens comes in here he won’t be an immediate success because of how Arenas and Jamison dominate the ball. Harden has always been option 1 and in this situation where he is expected to pass it is not going to be pretty. Don’t ruin the kid Washington by taking him here. Take a post.

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I know it is tough to say that one mans accomplishments are greater than his teams but this time its true. With the Lakers beating the Magic on Sunday Kobe Bryant’s earned his 4th ring but more importantly his first without Shaq on his team. Shaq had made light of that fact on many occasions and with Shaq winning in Miami without Kobe the pressure was clearly on the Laker to overcome this obstacle. He did it…His team did it.

Now the question becomes-Is Kobe Bryant full or satisfied with his 4 rings? I’m not sure here. Michael Jordan wanted to get more than Magic and Larry and he got it with 6 rings. Kobe clearly just wanted to win a ring without Shaq. Now that he’s done that is he satisfied with his legacy? The best competitors come up with things that drive them. They invent motivations that drive them to give them that edge. Kobe will come up with something I’m sure because I don’t think he’s done. I think he’ll be driven to prove that he’s still the best player in the league and with the pressure off he might have one his best seasons ever.

To be honest that’s what I’m looking forward to the most. I’m looking forward to seeing what Kobe comes up with to drive him and his team to success. The Cavs are going to get better but I think the Lakers are going to get better. Don’t forget that they won this title with an 80% Andrew Bynum.

It was a great NBA season capped off by a Laker win and Phil Jackson getting his record 10th NBA title.

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As a former player I always found it interesting to watch how different coaches would reward us as players. Some coaches rewarded us with less conditioning drills and others with more. Some rewarded us with physical awards and others just with pats on the back or nothing at all. I’m listing my 3 ways to reward players that will cover all the bases.

First, UNDERSTAND WHAT MOTIVATES EACH PLAYER. I’ve talked about this 100 times and I’ll continue to because it’s one of the most important things to do. Take the time to sit down with each player and if you are the player then meet with your coach to let them know what motivates you. If you don’t know then you have a problem. Here’s an example: I’m motivated by negative criticism. I try to turn that around. If a coach were to praise me openly or give me some sort of physical award it wouldn’t do anything for me to get me going. I needed to be told what I was doing wrong instead of praised for the things I was doing right. I’m still like that in my marriage today.

For players who respond to negative criticism understand that they have a need to be challenged and to overcome that challenge. That is the reward. My reward was to overcome what I needed to work on. As a coach make sure another challenge is ready to go once the other one is completed. Acknowledge to the player that they have overcome the challenge but that you have another one waiting. It will act as the reward, trust me. Players, as you read this you will know if this is who you are or not. If you are then talk with your coach and let them know what will work to get you motivated.

Other players respond to positive feedback and they crave being told what they are doing right. These players have a tendency to get down on themselves when they are being told negatives. I’m not saying that a coach should never criticize these players but understand that a player who responds to positive criticism will never get better when they are told how bad they are. Those players tend to curl up into a ball and quit. This isn’t a knock on the mentality of the player at all, it is just something about the nature of each person. These players need to be praised when they are doing something right because it makes them want more. These players are rewarded by the feedback and play harder as a result. These players thrive when they are praised in public and it enhances their self worth. If you are this type of player then talk to your coach about it and establish a relationship of trust. If you don’t tell them they may never know.

Physical rewards do work. Players love to rewarded with trophies or game balls or anything material. As a coach please make sure that the awards are set up for each member of the team to achieve them. Don’t simply establish a ‘high scorer’ award for your team because one person would get it every time. You may have a best defender or best hustler based on some stats, most supportive bench player, etc…anything where each player can feel how much they are valued in the area you need them to be in. Most of coaching is getting players to buy into their roles and rewarding them for doing well in their role is one of the best ways to get them to buy in. Those things stick.

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When Courtney Lee missed the layup for the Magic at what should have been the close of game 2 he basically shut the door on the Magic chances for winning the title. I’m not saying it was an easy shot but Lee is a pro and should’ve hit it. Lebron, Kobe, Carmelo all hit that shot while Lee barely drew iron. I’m trying to think of a reason to bash Van Gundy for his coaching but I can’t. How can i bash a coach for coming up with a play where a player gets a look a good as Lee did with under a second left? I can’t. I’m not on board with Lee taking 2 shots with under 10 seconds left when Rashard Lewis was making everything he put near the basket. Oh well. This series is done.

The Magic now have to go home and sweep 3 straight in Orlando and that’s going to be very tough. I expect them to win 2 of 3 and then bow out in game 6 in LA. I’m disappointed because I wanted this series to have some life and a Magic win would have provided it. We all knew if it went overtime what would happen just like we all know what happens to the Cubs in the playoffs. Some things just have certainties about them.

What can the Magic do? Avoid the sweep and show the Lakers they can be beaten. Come out game 3 and get a win under your belt. Play hard because the NBA deserves it. This has been a great playoff season and I don’t want it to end without a game 7 finals but it looks like if we get to game 6 we might be lucky.

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I’m a big fan of using structure and competition in every practice and in every drill. Players get better when they are challenged and push and things don’t come easy. I’ve included a list of 2 drills that bring out competition and focus on offense and defense.

3-3 Offense/Defense Drill

I like to set this drill up with 12 players. If you have 9 that is fine but understand that the players will get extremely tired. It’s not a bad thing that they are tired but if you are working with younger players this drill can tire out some players sooner than others.

3 lines are formed near the top of the key. The players at the front of the line step out and are on defense. Those players remain on defense until they get 3 stops. A stop consists of a missed shot and rebound, a steal, a turnover, taking a charge, 5 second call…etc. The offense is trying to score and doing all they can to score without limit to dribbles or amounts of passes. They must play by the rules or the defense gets credit for a stop. Some coaches do this drill making the defense get 3 consecutive stops and that works but 3 stops gets a good flow going between the groups.

If the offense scores the ball then they go to the back of the line and the next group takes over. The team that is offense when the 3rd stop is made is the next to go on defense. Coaches should make sure the teams of 3 are as balanced as possible and score must be kept. The offense gets 1-2 points per basket (2 points being for a 3 pointer) and the defense gets 2 points per stop. The level of points to win is determined by the coaches. Great game that brings out the competition in every player. There is nothing like watching these kids compete after they have given up 5-10 straight baskets. They have to fight to get out of defense.

8 Spot Drill

This drill is great to use as a competitive shooting drill amongst players and is most effective when practicing at a gym with multiple hoops and support. Set up 8 spots on the court and I don’t even care where they are. These 8 spots should range in distance from 5 feet to the 3 point line. Each player must make shots from all 8 spots before the drill is completed. The coach will blow his whistle to start the drill. Each shooter is given a rebounder and only 1 basketball to do the drill. The player who hits shots from the 8 spots first yells out. The rebounder then becomes the shooter and the drill starts over. I had coaches who would do this in tournament fashion so that the winners of the drills played each other. Other coaches would time us and the players with the best times would compete for a small prize.

Both are simple but great drills to bring out competition and game speed.

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I’m pumped for this NBA finals because I think that I have sorely underrated the Magic. That is one good good basketball team who play very well together. What isn’t to like? They have a dominating post presence who isn’t near his prime yet. They have a whole team of shooters and a defensive player to match up against the other teams best. I love the Magic.

That isn’t to say they are going to win but they rolled the dice with Cavs and tried to force anyone but Lebron to beat them and it didn’t happen. If they were to play that series again I believe the Magic would again and again and again. The Cavs didn’t match up very well and they were clearly outcoached by Van Gundy. They had matchup problems all series long and just didn’t have the players to put in the game. Meanwhile the Magic have 4 shooters on the court all game long and when Howard is double teamed it is going around the horn until someone puts it up and they can make them.

What will the Lakers do here? Let me first say that the Lakers are the favorites here. They are loaded and have the best playoff player in the world right now on their team. When push comes to shove the Magic will have to stop Kobe if they want to win this and that will be tough. How will the Magic defend the Lakers though? The Lakers will start Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Pau, Bynum. The key to this series is Bynum. The Lakers need him down low to slow down Howard and if he doesn’t this will be tough. Gasol is the key matchup problem for the Magic in this series and if he is forced to play center then the Magic will have the edge. If Gasol can play power forward it forces Rashard Lewis to defend him in the post and that won’t happen. One team will have to play to the other teams style and I don’t know who that will be right now.

The Magic were 2-0 against the Lakers this year and this should be a great series. Both teams play well at home and both teams are capable of winning on the road. I’m excited and hope it goes 7.

Lakers in 7 games.

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