PRO PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Thanks to True Hoop blogger, Henry Abbott, Andre Miller has moved up on my favorite player list.  True Hoop has a link to an interview with Miller on a blog The Starting Five.

I’m an old fashioned type of basketball player. One thing I don’t like as I get older is that people take the game for granted. They don’t respect the game. Anybody can go out there and put a ball in a basket or dribble a ball between their legs, be fancy and show off.

There is a right way to play basketball.

People look at basketball the wrong way. Some parents look at basketball the wrong way. They feel like if their kids can score the ball that their kid is going to be the next Kobe Bryant or LeBron James.

What I want to give back to the game is how to play the right way.

Everybody can’t be Kobe or LeBron. Be able to make simple plays and communicate. Be able to not be an individual. You have to play as a team.

If you play it the right way, everybody is gonna get the attention. There is always going to be somebody who gets more exposure because of their talent. Just as they notice that star they notice the little things that makes the team get better. People see that eventually.

Mr. Miller…you are the man!

**********

This morning I was reading Eric Musselman’s blog, which is a very good blog BTW. He writes about developing players like the MLB and their minor league systems. I like what he says.

Baseball teams carefully develop their players by bringing them up through their minor league system — Rookie League, Instructional League, Class A, and so on. They carefully watch their prospects along the way, meticulously tracking their progress.

Here is my outline on how they should develop players, the NBDL that is.

Implement more workouts! I’m talking lifting weights and running in the morning; come back at night to shoot, dribble and go over the offense.

Hire a coaching staff that is passionate about training players. Bring guys in who will push players.

Play one, maybe two games per week.

Players will improve by going through vigorous workouts daily, not by riding in a bus to another city, sitting on the bench and watching a game.

And to conclude, every NBA team should be assigned a minor league team.

Turn the minor league into a training ground.

**********

Pete Thamel of the New York Times goes through a basketball workout and observes Derrick Rose with his trainer.

Jab steps create space. A low shoulder dribble and an aggressive first step put the defender on the hip. McClanaghan’s favorite drill involves pounding players with a blocking pad, demanding that they push back to get a good angle to the basket. Rose fought through and dunked so strongly that his eyes were even with the rim. I ended up lobbing balls over the back of the backboard.

PLAY THE RIGHT WAY!