I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and wonder if there isn’t some truth to it. While the coaches and players have to love all the games it really takes away from camp time. I’m a proponent of both.

1. I love the idea of playing basketball to get better and I push that. I can do drills till I’m blue in the face but if I’m never in a game situation I don’t really have a chance to really grow as a player. You have to combine both.

2. I love the thought of coaches that are AAU specific as long as those coaches run disciplined systems. When I played AAU ball i had a coach who thought that if we didn’t get rebounds it was because that God was punishing him. Looking back, the guy had some issues and wasn’t the right fit for us. PLayers don’t need babysitters, they need coaches.

3. Kids need the summertime to work on specific skills. I would literally take 1-2 hours a day just to work on my shooting, dribbling and passing. Kids now are spending that time in Las Vegas waiting for the next game. I can’t blame the kids because that is where the recruiters are so you have to go there, but the summers are now so packed that kids fall behind in a number of areas as a result.

That’s why I’m so mixed on this topic. The recruiting of younger players has changed the landscape of summer basketball so much that it makes it very difficult to judge. What would I have done? I would’ve played in as many summer leagues as I could so i could get seen as a player. That’s why we play isn’t it?

The majority of the people who visit www.hoopskills.com come here because they want to be better players and give themselves any edge they can so they can get to that next level. That next level might be junior high, high school or college but we each have a next level that we are trying to attain. For those trying to get to college it is tough to fault going to as many AAU tourneys as possible just to be seen.

However, let me throw this out. Get a good mix of both. Make sure that the summer is planned with enough downtime to work on some of the weaknesses that are made apparent during the games. Coaches are watching and if you continually show that you can’t shoot then take a tournament off to work hours on your jump shot. Just as many kids who want to help themselves during the summer actually hurt themselves by playing poorly because they are unprepared.

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I’d love to hear some thoughts on this because I think the whole thing is ridiculous. Lebron James is one of the three best players in the entire world and if he gets dunked on trying to block a shot then so what. Any good defender should have plenty of chances to get dunked on. If he blocked the shot nobody would have said anything about it but since he got dunked on it becomes this big news. NIKE should have allowed the footage to come out and it would have been over and done with. By making it so mysterious it became famous and Jordan Crawford made a name for himself. Never mind the fact the kid will more than likely not be a pro, but he’ll forever be known as the guy who dunked on Lebron in a camp setting. BIG DEAL if you ask me.

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Players will ask me all the time what coaches look for and what can get them to the next level. That next level is different for every player but typically that question is speaking about college. Players want to get their education paid for and if they can make money playing basketball then that is just an added bonus. I’m not going to cover what I respond because that answer could differ from day to day and from kid to kid depending on the situation. What I do want to cover is something that players don’t hear about everyday as something they can work on. Energy.

I know what you are thinking. “How can a scout or a coach judge energy?” Let me answer with a comparison. When Mike Anderson from Missouri recruits kids he goes after players that can play in his system. His system is full court pressure all the time as I spoke about in my last post. When Mike Anderson goes to watch a player perform he looks for energy. He looks for players who can get after it and aren’t afraid to get after it.

When I played competitively I used to hate to be guarded by the guy who was on me the entire time. It used to drive me crazy. I hated guarded the player who always was moving without the ball and running around. I hated those guys. COACHES LOVE THEM. Every team needs someone who comes up with loose balls and isn’t afraid to play defense the entire time. Coaches love players who are willing to give it their all 100% of the time and who don’t get tired.

My point is this: Just like shooting, passing, dribbling are talents or skills so is energy. Coaches scout it and can see it just like the other talents that are out there and that players have.

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Pressing is a term that is used to describe teams that play pressure defense to try to force the other team to into turnovers and to change the pace of the game. There are times when pressing is effective but others when it is not.

For coaches who don’t get to handpick their personnel this is more for you. Other coaches, who are allowed to recruit, can handpick or recruit kids to fit the style that they like to coach. Can you imagine Mike Anderson at Missouri with a tall slow team? It wouldn’t happen. He will sacrifice size and height for athleticism and quickness because it fits his style. High school coaches in typical areas don’t have this luxury so they have to be more creative. Let’s talk about the 2 reasons why pressing isn’t for every team.

1. Coaches should always coach to the strength of the players. No good coach should ever press just because that’s what they do. If you have several of your best players as bigger, lumbering players and your strength is to pound the ball inside then you should never press. This sounds simple but you’d be surprised stuff that we see every day. I’ve seen some teams best player as the only defense back on the press and he’s just begging for foul trouble and an early exit from the game. Don’t press if the strength of your team is a big player who is prone to foul trouble.

2. Depth is a huge factor and key when pressing. If you have limited size but don’t have a lot of quality depth then why press? Coaches often press to hide weaknesses in size. By speeding up the game they get the game to their tempo and that is a plus. However, many times coaches will press and not know when to stop the press. Full court pressure defense will always take its toll on the players involved. If you don’t have quality defensive depth then don’t press full time. Know when to call it off for a few minutes or know when your subs can come in and give the others a rest before going at it again.

I’m not opposed at all to pressure defense especially for smaller teams, but coaches have to be smart with it if it is to be as effective as it can be.

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I love summer league basketball because of a couple things. I love the fact that no player can foul out and fans get to see guys who are hungry and trying to prove themselves against others a lot like them. Sure, some were first round picks but that only makes it harder in a lot of cases because people are out to prove that they belong. Here’s what i think has stood out so far:

Tyreke Evans: In the words of Charlie Murphy describing Prince as a basketball player, “that cat can ball”. Tyreke Evans is shooting the ball well and scoring with ease in the summer league. He has shown the ability to get to the basket and is a very strong finisher. His shot is ugly looking but rather effective. Typically players with ugly shots are usually streaky shooters and he’s no different but his ability to get in the lane and get fouled will help him in the league. More and more I love this pick for the Kings because Evans is a playmaker. He’s not a point yet but he’s a legit playmaker and will prove that in the NBA.

Steph Curry: Disappointing so far. I still think he’s going to be a good pro but so far he isn’t shooting the ball well and players are going at him hard. He’s had some good halves of games but hasn’t put a complete one together yet. I think he’s trying to hard and forcing too many shots. He doesn’t have to be the man anymore and that might be effecting his play. I’m just attributing it to trying to hard and that’s it. Curry can play.

Adam Morrison: So far the guy is proving that he may not be the worst pick in the history of the draft. Morrison is a year removed from ACL surgery and sat the bench for the Lakers last season. IN fact, he wasn’t even on the playoff roster. Morrison has a lot to prove and is one of the veterans of the summer league but he scores the ball well. He’s averaged 21 a game so far while shooting 42% from 3. I know it is a small sample size but he is showing that he might have some value on a roster and actually earn some time. However let me say that using my self created “Luke Jackson” rule…no summer league superstar has ever been given time based on his play in the summer league. Luke Jackson looked like a superstar in the summer but never put it together in the league.

James Harden: He’s trying to prove me wrong and I’m a LOT suprised. I watched this kid in college game after game and never was truly impressed. As i watched ASU lose in the NCAA tourney I was convinced that Harden wouldn’t be a great pro. He’s showing some strong signs in summer league that he can play and do many things well. I still think he’ll struggle in situations where he doesn’t have the ball and where he isn’t an option offensively but he’s showing now that he deserves a look to be an option for the Thunder. I’m not sold yet but i’m coming around to the idea that he can play.

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The Jazz seem to be in a bit of a quandry and have limited time to fix the situation. When the Blazers signed Paul Millsap to a 4 year 32 million dollar offer sheet last week it escalated the Jazz need to trade Carlos Boozer or if they can’t do that, let Paul Millsap walk to a division rival.

Millsap proved to be a valuable player last season when he averaged a double double while Boozer was out with his yearly injury. Boozer is a proven NBA player who averages a double double when healthy and is great at finishing around the hoop with either hand. Boozer and Deron Wiliams form a great tandem in Utah but is there time together done?

What do you do if you are the Jazz? Clearly they don’t want to go any more over the luxury tax than they already are. If they resign Millsap but don’t trade Boozer then the team goes 14 million dollars over the luxury cap and no team wants to be in that area in this economy. If they trade Boozer they can match the contract to Millsap. They will still be over the cap because of the players they will take on but Millsap has shown that he can play in this league. But then the question becomes…who will take on Boozer?

Boozer is a very good NBA player who produces. Last week we saw several trade rumors involving the Bulls, Blazers and Jazz. With the Blazers aggressively going after Millsap it forced the Jazz hand and was a great move by the Blazers gm. He knows the Jazz want Millsap but can’t afford to keep both. He knows that by signing Millsap he takes away some of the Jazz gm’s leverage in the deal by forcing action possibly quicker than anticipated. Several teams would love Boozer, including the Bulls who were set to get him last week before the talks reportedly broke down.

I expect Boozer to be dealt this week and his time in Utah will be over. When and if he’s healthy he’ll be a welcome addition to any team in the league.

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I get requests for certain topics and this one has come up enough recently that I thought I would cover it.

Each sport has its own conditioning type or style with different muscles being used for each. When I played high school football and then had to transition into basketball it was different for a few weeks trying to get into basketball shape. People who haven’t played different sports probably wouldn’t understand but those that have understand what I’m talking about. The muscle usage is different and the way the game is played is different and it takes an adjustment.

#1…Short Distance Running: By short distances I mean 1 mile to 1.5 miles timed. It is important to have goals with your running and be able to build up to it. You should be able to run a mile under 8 minutes and a mile and a half under 12. That puts you at a 2 minutes per lap pace if you are running on a track or 7 speed on a treadmill. Both are very reachable. If you are surpassing those times easily then push yourself. In preparation for a coming season I would run 10 miles a week TIMED. Never run without keeping track of progress. That makes no sense to me.

#2…Basketball Style Conditioning: This should take place on the court. The running should be in bursts and always be full speed. IF you are doing basketball conditioning drills at less than full speed then you are preparing to be a bench player. The best players should go all out on everything. These drills should consist of up/downs (timed), ladders (timed), side to sides (timed). None of these drills require a ball. Don’t tempt yourself with the ball when you are working strictly on your conditioning. I think it is very important to be focused in your workouts and by doing a concentrated 10-15 minute intervals of focused conditioning work you will find it becomes easier and more important to you. By timing yourself it forces you to push yourself to always be better.

#3….All Basketball drills. These include full court layups (5) without misses and going full speed. I would include 20 shots from certain spots on the floor. These shots are taken to get the legs in shape and used to shooting. Same with the arms. NEVER shoot the ball and walk to it. Shoot the ball and run after the rebound and run to the spot and shoot again. You should get off 20 shots and be a little fatigued. Shoot 20 shots in sets of 5 before taking a rest. Keep track of how many you are making and document it. Documenting should be used as your break and is the only real way to see if you are improving. Take a jump rope and after the sets of 20 are done simply mix in 100 jumps before starting on your next set. I’ve thrown in several examples of what you can do and tomorrow I’ll come back with a documented routine that I used when I played. I think you’ll like it but it isn’t easy.

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I can’t blame a guy for wanting 10 million dollars a season and to play in a desirable area, but i can blame a guy for trying to spin it any other way. Hedo has said that he chose Toronto because of their chance to win games. C’mon. People just want to hear the truth and not be mocked because we aren’t stupid. This move was a personal choice and all of us are fine with that. We all have areas we’d like to live and work and get paid tons of money to do what we want. I’m great with that so don’t try to spin it into “well I went there because they are going to be a winner”. They aren’t going to be a winner. They aren’t going to be anything. Nobody is going to hear from Hedo again and he’s going to return to the scrub he was before he went to Orlando. He capitalized on a great system for himself but I expect nothing from him from here on out.

Orlando got Vince to replace Hedo and he’ll bring them a little more athleticism and scoring ability but Hedo was a better passer. Neither are noted defenders but Orlandon covered their backsides and did great with it. The eastern conference will be better next year and they’ll have to be if they are going to beat the Lakers.

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It really isn’t true that free agency starts today because players can agree to terms but not actually sign for another week or so. But for all intents and purposes the free agency period began at midnight this morning. That’s about all that has happened so far.

In years past the free agency period was marked with gm’s making trips and contract offers all over the place but this year nothing has been announced yet. We know that Ben Gordon is visiting Detroit and that Portland is going after Hedo. We have guesses everywhere else. In Utah we are waiting to see what happens with Paul Millsap and who is going to offer him some money.

The truth is that we have few teams who want to spend a lot of money on players this season when next season is set to be the greatest list of free agents ever to hit any professional sport. Next year we will see Lebron, Bosh, Wade, Boozer all free agents. I know I’m missing some but teams want to be able to go after those players and see what happens and they don’t want to be tied down to Hedo Turkoglu if they can get Dwyane Wade. The other side of the coin is that some teams realize they won’t be players for those guys so they want to get players that they can.

Just like baseball this past season, few teams are willing to spend the money than before and it will show itself. Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess are all players who are older but have some life left. Where are they going to go? Would they be better off taking 1 year offers and seeing what is out there next year? I only know that with how slow this free agency period has began that it will drag out longer than normal and we will have some players who will have to take less than they are used to if they want a roster spot. Years ago we had Sprewell reject a 3 year 21 million dollar offer because he thought he could get a better offer and he hasn’t been heard from since unless it was about foreclosures.

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