It's been a while since I last wrote so I wanted to take a moment to check in and see how everyone is doing. NBA Training Camp has begun which means Midnight Madness is soon to follow and eventually High School try-outs are soon to follow. If you've ever heard me speak in person you know how I feel about the word try-out. If you honestly feel as if you need to try-out to make a high school team you haven't put in the necessary time, effort and preparation required for success. Stop reading this and go practice.
On the subject of time and energy, I have developed quite a passion for golf that I am fully pursuing in my spare time. In my effort to become a better golfer I have come to a very interesting crossroads in my thoughts and my words. As bad as many of you want to become exceptional basketball players I would love to become an exceptional golfer. Each weekend when I have free time and weather permitting I run to the golf course with dreams and ambition of shooting in the 70's. Truth is most times I'm in the 90's with my scores. It's frustrating and I wonder why I can't get my score down in the 70's like the pros. Then the light goes off... the last time I played golf was last week, the last time I went somewhere and did strength and flexibility exercises for golf was never, the last time I found an empty field and took 2,000 shots from multiple distances and angles was never, the last time I sat down and analyzed film of my swing was never.
Do you notice a correlation here? The most important part of becoming a good golfer is to hit a lot of balls, covering a lot of different shots, under some type of tutelage. That is, practice, practice, practice. Exactly, this is precisely how the majority of you approach the game of basketball. Week to week playing games without a structured training program, without hours and hours of practicing shots from multiple angles and distances. Somehow you leave each game surprised at the outcome. I am taking my medicine and this winter you will find me in the gym working on Golf-Specific Exercises and finding a place to hit thousands of shots from multiple angles, distances and degrees of difficulty. I bet I will become a better golfer before you become a better basketball player.
2 On 1 Shot Recognition Drill
2 offensive players on the wing, 1 defensive player under the basket. Drill starts when defense passes to offensive player on the perimeter. Offense reacts to the close-out. If defense is late take the jump-shot, if defense stops the ball and prevents dribble penetration to the rim offense must kick out to the open player. Defense must react and close-out and box out while contesting the shooter. Encourage players to verbally communicate when to shoot or pass. The maximum number of passes for this drill is 2 including the initial pass from the defense. Rotate positions and rotate offense and defense. Play games to 10 on both sides of the floor. To make this drill more difficult use a coach or manager as a passer under the basket. They will decide to pass right or left, as well as faster or slower pass that determines quick shot or dribble penetration and dish.
Don't Forget Your Ladder
Every workout after the Dynamic Warm-Up we try to incorporate 5-10 minutes of The Agility Ladder. It's a great way to improve your Agility, Balance and Coordination. Here are a couple of basic patterns you can try next time you're in the gym:
Wake Up everybody summer is over. Time to go back to work, back to school and re-energize our consciousness about the choices and decisions we make in our lives. I'm sure all my high school and college players are showing off their new wardrobes, haircuts, tattoos and muscles. All the NBA Guys who are worth their salt and their contract should be somewhere in obscurity training and getting ready for a successful season. This is always an interesting time of year to me because as I get older, I start to notice that many things stay the same. For example many coaches gave their players feedback about what they needed to work on during the summer "Hey, I need you bigger, faster, stronger better skilled come next season." Despite this request a multitude of reasons stand in between what was asked and what was done. When asked or challenged to show or quantify the changes that were made during the off-season many are at a loss for words. Some, in fact many will become defensive and feel antagonized by this line of questioning as if to say who are you to question what I did this off-season? I always feel that those coaches and players who feel threatened or offended by someone inspecting their process for improvement are missing the point. Anytime someone questions a winner they respond with results, they use their critics and doubters for motivation that's what pushes them during workouts and forces them in the gym and in the weight room. You can either be proactive or reactive when it comes to how you respond to certain things. When you are reactive, you blame other people and circumstances for obstacles or problems. Being proactive means taking responsibility for every aspect of your life. Initiative and taking action will then follow. So Wake-Up, be conscious and proactive not just in basketball but in life as well
The Cross Country Debate
I'm tired of having this conversation, I have it every year because many of you will not use common sense. Coach Wake Up!!! Basketball is an anaerobic sport, short distance quick bursts and explosions, lots of cutting, sliding and jumping, backpedals and constant change of direction. The energy system used is the phosphagen system, the quickest, and most powerful source of energy for muscle movement. The phosphagen system is a form of anaerobic metabolism. It uses creatine phosphate to generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate, the chemical which provides energy for all body processes). It will support activity for only about 10 seconds, just enough time for top-class runners to complete a 100 meter sprint. Although the phosphagen system produces only a little ATP, it generates energy very quickly. This provides the maximal power needed for short bursts of activity, such as when a sprinter explodes out of the blocks, or when a weight-lifter performs a clean-and-jerk or a basketball player runs, jumps, sprints or backpedals for a short period of time before a whistle blows and there is a break in the action. Don't believe me let this guy break it down for you:
He looks like he's in great shape right? If I gave you five guys that looked like this how do you think they would do on the basketball court? How many miles is your team going to run this pre-season again?
Hope To See You Soon:
If you are in the NY/NJ Metro Area and would like to join us for a workout this fall please feel free to register for one of our program offerings. Remember, there is a difference between interested and committed:
D-TRAINED Sweatshops are designed to increase performance in the following areas:
Shooting, Passing, Ball Handling, Basketball IQ
Basketball Speed, Agility, and Conditioning
Functional Strength Training and Plyometrics
This Fall we will feature "Shooting Days" where with the help of 2 Gun Shooting Machines we will allow players to improve shooting mechanics and accuracy. We will create game situations where players can develop their shooting skills on the move and with game like intensity. The Gun can fire up to 1800 shots per hour.
Sign up for 10 Sweatshop Sessions http://www.dtrained.com/catalog_i10204343.html?catId=354208
Sign up for 20 Sweatshop Sessions http://www.dtrained.com/catalog_i10204677.html?catId=354208
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Improve Scoring, Showcase Game Skills, get a Nike SPARQ Rating, and participate in Elite Level Training with one of Nike SPARQ's Top Trainers.
D-TRAINED, Inc. is a company designed to improve the athletic performance level of Elite High School, College and Professional Athletes. D-TRAINED has been featured on NBA’s Inside Stuff, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox News. D-TRAINED is a Nike SPARQ Certified Trainer and is the featured trainer on the Brand Jordan Training Tour. For more information go to www.dtrained.com Words To Inspire Do Or Not Do...There is no Trying
Where The Mind Goes The Body Will Follow
The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Invent It
A Professional is Someone Who Can Do Their Best When They Don't Feel Like It
Farewell My Summer Love....Sorry I have to say goodbye one more time as this song always reminds me that it's time to go back to school.... I hope your summer love was training and developing your game! We will soon find out won't we?
Startling Confessions
By KEVIN CLARK
When the season begins, many will learn something else: They don’t know how to play basketball.
One system that prepares young American players for the pros, the Amateur Athletic Union, is, by most accounts, broken. Without a rigid minor-league system like baseball’s or the extra seasoning football players get in college, America’s basketball gems increasingly get their training from teams affiliated with the Amateur Athletic Union, a vast national youth-basketball circuit that has groomed many of the sport’s top stars.
For some time, coaches have grumbled that the AAU’s emphasis on building stars and playing games over practicing produces a lot of talented prospects who have great physical skills but limited knowledge of the fundamentals. Now some players are speaking out.
By the middle of the last NBA season, as concerns build about his dwindling playing time and rough transition to the NBA, last year’s No. 2 overall pick, Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat, finally conceded a fundamental flaw: No one, at any level in his basketball career, had asked him to play defense. And especially not in AAU. “If you’re playing defense in AAU, you don’t need to be playing,” he says. “I’ve honestly never seen anyone play defense in AAU.”
An AAU official declined to comment for this article.
The chorus of critics ranges from AAU player Alex Oriakhi, a McDonald’s All-American center who plans to play for the University of Connecticut, who says shooting guards he’s seen in AAU are in for a “rude awakening” to USA Basketball officials and NBA coaches.
Founded in 1888, the AAU’s first goal was to represent American sports internationally. AAU teams blossomed in many sports, and the organization became a driving force in preparing Olympic athletes. In 1978, the Amateur Sports Act established a governing body for American Olympic sports, usurping the AAU’s role as an Olympic launching pad. Its most notable sport today is basketball, where it counts Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James among its alumni.
In recent years the circuit has gone from a high school diversion—a way to supplement school teams—to a highly organized and often well-funded operation. The non-profit AAU moved its headquarters in 1996 from Indianapolis to Orlando, where it hosts national championships at a palatial Disney World complex.
Shoe companies have sponsored AAU teams as a way to develop early relationships with future superstars. Agents and college coaches have flocked to AAU games, where they can get to know players outside the watchful high-school system. The opportunity to travel across the country and play in front of these kingmakers—often on teams with other top prospects—is something high schools can’t deliver.
The result is a mixture of unrestrained offense and Harlem Globetrotter defense: Even with 32-minute games, far shorter than the NBA’s 48 or NCAA’s 40, top AAU teams often score more than 70 points and sometimes more than 80.
“It’s a bad system for developing players,” says Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. “They aren’t learning to handle the ball, they aren’t learning to make plays against pressure. The emphasis with our high-school players is to get exposure and play as many games as you can and show everybody how great you are. If I can win the 11-and-12 year old league and tell all my friends about it, that is a whole lot more important than if my kids actually get any better or learn anything about the game.”
In Europe, Mr. Van Gundy says, “those guys are doing five or six practices for every game. They are spending a lot of time in the gym working on individual skills. It’s reversed here.”
New Orleans Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic, who is Serbian, remembers spending four hours a day dribbling through chairs and working on defense and other fundamentals in practices. Mr. Beasley, on the other hand, says he can’t remember any specific defensive drills his AAU teams ran. “If you put structure into AAU,” he says, “no one would play.”
No prospect in this year’s draft knows this better than point guard Brandon Jennings. Last year, Mr. Jennings was one of America’s best high-school point guards and the quintessential product of AAU. Rather than doing a one-year minimum stint in college before entering the NBA draft, he played a season in Italy where, he says, things were different.
His time in Europe began with a rare stretch for an AAU product: He went weeks without touching a basketball. His team spent the preseason running across Roman parks and soccer fields.
In September, they retreated to an Italian mountain hideaway for two weeks and ran there, too. They practiced fundamentals and rarely scrimmaged. Coming from the AAU, this was new for Mr. Jennings, who averaged 5.5 points per game in limited minutes during the in Italy.
It was, he says, the most intense two weeks of his basketball life. If he’d never gone to Europe, he says, “I wouldn’t know the pick-and-roll game. I wouldn’t know how to guard, wouldn’t know how to fight through screens. I’m stronger now.”
Mr. Jennings, who will almost certainly be a first-round pick Thursday, says the experience will give him an edge over other players in the draft.
In a bid to make sure players are more seasoned before they go pro, the NBA, in 2006, began requiring players to be 19 and a year out of high school to enter the draft. While college’s best players often leave after one or two years, four years of college can sometimes help a career: take fundamentally sound North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough, who could be a first-round pick Thursday, despite widespread knocks on his athleticism. The league has also built a minor league system, the NBA Development League, though it is only used for high draft picks in extreme cases.
In 2008, the NBA and NCAA also announced a youth initiative, called iHoops, to improve the American structure.
While the U.S. national basketball team redeemed itself with a gold medal in Beijing after a string of embarrassments in international play, Jerry Colangelo, the national director of USA Basketball who is in charge of the Olympic team, says the system is still deeply flawed. He suggests giving high school coaches more access to their players, especially in the summer.
The AAU system has its defenders. New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul says that thanks to the AAU, he learned to play the style of the Utah Jazz’s offense when he was 11-years old and credits AAU for starting his development into one of the top point guards in the NBA. He now runs his own AAU team, the CP3 All-Stars in North Carolina.
“Some coaches teach fundamentals, some coaches run and show athleticism. It’s not necessarily a problem because it’s up to you to watch and concentrate,” he says.
Anthony Lewis, an AAU coach from Baltimore who helped develop Rudy Gay of the Memphis Grizzlies, who was the No. 8 draft pick in 2006, says AAU helped teach the skinny 13-year-old not to settle for easy shots.
“We taught him to work away from the bucket,” Mr. Lewis says. “Working on mid-range at a young age, putting the ball on the floor, making him aggressive.”
5 Minutes 100 Lay-Ups
The goal of this drill is to make 100 lay-ups in less than 5 minutes. Perform Right-Handed and Left Handed. Start with two lines and balls in each lines on opposite corners of the court. Pass to the elbow (coach, manager, or player) sprint wide and fast to the opposite basket where you receive a bounce pass for a lay-up. You must use the appropriate hand, left hand left side and right hand right side. No dribbles attack the rim, catch and finish. Check it out:
No Weight Room, No Problem
Every year coaches, parents and players babble on and on about how a player needs to get stronger, faster and more athletic. Despite the obvious when the season is over the weight room rarely is occupied, no one is out on the field doing agility drills and the list of excuses is endless. In some cases I understand that your school or team's weight room is a closet with some dust and 1970 Phys Ed equipment. In other cases you have state of the art equipment but somehow the good life also breeds complacent attitudes and behaviors. Fear not, I'm here to help. Here are a few simple things you can do that require very little space, equipment or excuses.
As we celebrate Father's Day there is no denying the close bond that exists between Father's and their sons when it comes to sports. It's a great way to learn, share and gain life lessons that extend well beyond the field or court. On this Father's Day I would like to share a few memorable lessons I learned from my Dad that helped me in sports and in life.
Lesson #1 The Science Project:
Pop Warner Football was a great experience for me, I can remember it like it was yesterday. The first day when they line you up to see how fast you are, the first time you learn to put on your uniform on in less than 30 minutes, boiling your mouth piece so it fits just right. All these moments were special rites of passage. Once the games came, I was a natural running and easily surpassing 100 yards game after game. Football was so much fun, for me it was just like playing in the back yard with my brothers and friends. Somewhere along the lines I started enjoying my new found celebrity status a little too much. I decided I was destined for greatness at a very early age and decided to wait until the last minute to complete a science project for the school science fair. Needless to say I flunked my science project, a phone call went home and I was in big trouble. No more football practice, no more football games and no more adulation from my peers. Upon discovering my crime and punishment, my caring Pop Warner Coach decided to ring the door bell and plea with my father to change his mind about punishing me. "We have a big game coming up", "This town has never had an undefeated team", "We need him to play so that we can win and go to Florida". To which my father responds..."if you can guarantee that he will be a first round NFL Draft Pick, then he can play. If you can't you need to get back in your car and go where you came from." To add insult to injury I was allowed to attend the next game....in street clothes. As I walked in I could hear the other team whispering and pointing as if they were saying he's not playing, this game will be easy. As I sat in the bleachers on the home side, the stares weren't nearly as polite. I could sense the anger from other parents who thought it was selfish to penalize the team by not playing. They wouldn't get to experience an undefeated team, and the chances of competing in Florida were out the window. I barely remember the game because my eyes were filled with tears so I couldn't see a thing. Lesson learned, school and responsibility comes first.
Lesson #2 Tuesdays and Thursdays:
Depending on what town you live in your garbage probably gets picked up twice a week. In my second lesson from Dad I learned that these are days you never want to forget. It's funny how success can sometimes make us forget the important responsibilities and commitments we agree to, but it's always good to have someone close to you remind you where you come from in order to maintain your humility. If you know me at all, you know basketball has done many wonderful things for me and afforded me many opportunities that I otherwise might not have gotten. Picture me as a teenager playing basketball at a very high level. Unlike today, there were no glorified AAU Teams or travel teams so I had to earn my reputation through the newspaper and word of mouth by beating the older players and grown men. Word spread around town quickly that I was that guy, and the point was reinforced every time someone approached my dad and said "oh you're Daryl Smith's Dad" your son is a one helluva ball-player! What they failed to realize was that my Dad played professional football and was actually drafted pro in football, baseball and basketball from a Division III School! He wasn't impressed by some 14 year old kid, his son or anyone else's. Boy I could only imagine how it feels to have someone approach you as a parent only recognizable through your child's accomplishments. Fast forward to July I'm home from Five-Star Basketball Camp competing against the best competition in America and holding my own. Big Time College Coaches know my name and are asking about me, I'm scoring 30 points a game in summer league you couldn't tell me anything. Well actually you could, and my Dad did. One day I came home after one of those great 30 point games feeling on top of the world and forgot that it was Thursday and the trash needed to go out that morning. As I walked into my room there were no college letters and packages only the trash that I had forgotten to take out earlier that morning.
Lesson # 3 Wake-Up Early and Prepare:
What time do you wake up every morning and what's the first thing you do? For many, it's wake up get coffee, turn on the television and eat the least nutritious thing you can possibly find. In my house dad woke up very early, ran a few miles, lifted weights and then managed to get the rest of us up in time for work or school. Needless to say that leaves a pretty indelible image in your young mind. I can remember one summer watching my older brother join my dad as he prepared to become a Division 1 defensive back. They would wake up hit the track, do all kinds of drills and then lift weights. I wanted no parts of that, after all I was cool and besides I already was the talk of the town. Why should I get up early and do extra things to make myself better? One day I reluctantly joined in on one of the early shifts, except me being the defiant independent one decided I was going to bring my basketball and do my own thing. I began to participate, but not really I was going through the motions. Eventually my brother's hard work paid off and he became a starting safety at an Ivy League School. My dad was still in great shape and every now and then he and my brother would get on the court and try to ruff me up and expose the weaker parts of my game in front of others. "He can't shoot from the corner, he doesn't like to go left" they would say. Now what would normally be my own personal highlight reel game was being undermined by my own blood! There was only one way to get even, I got up early worked on my left hand and my shot from the corner became deadly. These lessons would come in handy when I got to college and didn't play a lot my freshman year. I quickly remembered those early morning sessions and extra preparation. I can still remember to this day being up early running without an IPOD, but rather a very heavy Portable Cassette Player. There is something very peaceful about being up before your competition and knowing that you are preparing to beat them while they are home sleeping. Once I was finished running I would go to the park and start shooting from the corner and dribbling with my left hand going back to turn my weaknesses into strengths. My hard work paid off and I became a 3 year starter and captain of the team. I was always the best conditioned player on the team and I will always attribute that to Dad teaching me to wake up early and prepare. More important than that, those who really know me know that I still wake up early to workout, collect my thoughts and do some of my best thinking and preparation while others are turning on the TV and reaching for the least nutritious thing they can find.
Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there, especially mine for teaching me that responsibility comes before sports, you should always remain humble despite your success, and you have to wake up early and prepare if you want to succeed in life!
Please look at the video of Dwight Howard and see how he used to look before he started taking things seriously. We can all point fingers at areas of his game, but the truth is he's working hard to improve his game why aren't you?
Helping Trevor Ariza Become A Shooter
Great story I had never heard before from my favorite of the Lakers beat guys, Kevin Ding of the OC Register.
“I used it like it was the Bible,” Ariza said.
What we were talking about was the shooting-practice program given to Ariza entering the summer before this season by one Kobe Bryant.
The meaning of the gesture to Ariza – and its net effect in transforming his jump shot and thus this Lakers championship team – make it the quintessence of the latter-day Bryant as a teammate…
“I just got in the gym every day and worked. I used what he told me, used some things that he gave me to do. And I just worked.”
It worked. Ariza had made nine 3-pointers in his first four NBA seasons. This season, he made 61 as a prelude to his 47.6 percent playoff marksmanship that Bynum described with bugged-out eyes this way: “His shooting is ridiculous at this point.”
Being Underrated Isn't So Bad
Don't tell everyone who you are, just show them what you've done.
There are no shortcuts. "I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly, because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results. That's why I approached practices the same way I approached games. You can't turn it on and off like a faucet . I couldn't dog it during practice and then, when I needed that extra push late in the game expect it to be there.
But that's how a lot of people approach things, and that's why a lot of people fail. They sound like they are committed to being the best they can be. They say all the right things, make all the proper appearances. But when it comes right down to it, they're looking for reasons instead of answers.
You see this all the time in professional sports. You can even see it in your friends or business associates. There are a million excuses for not paying the price. "If only I was given a particular opportunity" or "if only the coach, teacher or boss liked me better, I could have accomplished this or that." Nothing but excuses.
Part of this commitment is taking responsibility. That's not to say there aren't obstacles or distractions. If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to go through it, climb it, or work around it. "
Excerpt taken from "I Can't Accept Not Trying" by Michael Jordan....Perhaps you can find some inspiration and motivation.
A Free Workout
Make 10 Full Court Lay-ups 5(R) and 5(L) limit 4 Dribbles
Jog from Elbow to Half-Court Back to Elbow and Make 10 Jumpers R and L Elbow
Make 5 Free Throws
Dribble Series Beat Two 1st Defender at 1/2 Court 2nd defender at Elbow
Make 5 of Each and Finish With Lay-Up on R/L Side of Court
Cross-Over, Between Legs, Spin, Hop-Back
Make 5 Free Throws
Wing Shooting
Flash or L-Cut To The Wing
Make 5 Jumpers off the catch
Rip R Make 5
Rip L Make 5
Rip R Step-Back Make 5
Rip L Step-Back Make 5
Complete on Both Sides of The Court
Make 5 Free Throws
Transition Shooting( w/passer sprint from 1/2 court, if alone spin ball to self)
From R/L Wing Make 5 of Each
1 dribble R Pull-Up
1 dribble L Pull-Up
1 dribble R Step-Back
1 dribble L Step-Back
Shot-Fake 1 dribble L
Shot Fake 1 dribble R
Make 5 Free Throws
Record Your Shooting Results
Blame It On The......
Not sure if you've been watching the NBA Finals, they've been extremely close and competitive. I'm rooting for good competitive games, don't really want LA to win, but not losing sleep either way. I have to ask though...Why are the Magic down 3-1?
So a friend and I are having one of our usual deep conversations about life, basketball, world affairs and everything in between. Today's topic centered around players and the mystery of who they actually are and how they present themselves to you. "Swagger" as the young people like to call it. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but swagger is defined as...to move with confidence, sophistication and to be cool. Swagger is to conduct yourself in a way that would automatically earn respect. My first thought was a quote from legendary Hip-Hop artist KRS-ONE who says " I am the manifestation of study NOT, the manifestation of money. Therefore I advance through thought not what's manufactured and bought." My friend asked me to elaborate on how that applied to the world of basketball and what I see on a day to day basis with today's youth. "Well I said...when you look around you have lots of young people with this so called swagger, they have the fancy shoes, the body art, the doo-rags, and they act as if they are signed to a multi-million dollar contract with the team of their choice. The truth is they are a marginal player at best. When you as an older or more experienced person in basketball and in life attempt to enlighten them they look at you as if to say you don't know what you're talking about. I recently watched in amazement when a player who played a major role for his team in the 2009 NCAA Final Four was virtually ignored by some young high school players and even their parents who were literally standing 10 feet away. When I said “hey that’s so and so don’t you remember watching him in this year’s Final Four?” A less than enthusiastic “oh yeah” is all that I could get from them as they stood around in clothes that were clearly designed for going to a club (more on that later) despite the fact that the workout was set to start in less than 10 minutes. These young people were pre-occupied with texting and looking around to see who was there to see them, again as if they had their swagger fully turned on and all eyes and attention were to be directly placed on them. So wait let me get this straight, I’m a grown man, basketball enthusiast who has nothing but the utmost respect for what this young man has accomplished through hard work, sacrifice and discipline and the rest of you in the room who have accomplished little to nothing in terms of basketball aren't interested in this man's journey to the Final Four? Really...Oh O.K. Who are you again, and what did you say your most significant basketball accomplishment was?...
Randy Smith: Athlete Turned Baller June 5, 2009 1:45 PM Posted by Kevin Arnovitz
Obscurity has been one of the hallmarks of the NBA franchise born as the Buffalo Braves in 1970, which later became the Clippers. No player personified that anonymity more than Braves star Randy Smith, who died Thursday from an apparent heart attack at his home in Connecticut.
Randy Smith: Buffalo Soldier Smith was drafted in 1971 by the Braves out of nearby Buffalo State, where he starred not only in hoops -- but soccer and track and field. He was the 104th overall pick (to find Smith's name, scroll down, then scroll down some more). Although Smith was regarded as a top-flight athlete, the expectations that he would ever develop enough of a pro game to stick around in the NBA were low.
Author Tim Wendell has just written a comprehensive history of the Braves titled "Buffalo: Home of the Braves," filled with tons of interviews and anecdotes. Wendell describes the early conventional wisdom on Smith, and the improbability that he'd ever amount to anything in the pro game:
At first glance it was easy to underestimate Smith. Despite his athletic ability, he was so soft-spoken that his manner often bordered upon the laconic. Even though he was considered the greatest athlete in Buffalo State history, the school wasn't a stop with many scouts. In fact, Smith won national honors for his soccer ability rather than his basketball play.
... During his senior year at Buffalo State, Smith didn't show as well as in his junior year. Most of his scores came on drives to the basket, which most scouts didn't think would happen with any regularity in either professional league – the NBA or the rival ABA ...
How does an underestimated seventh-round pick give himself a chance to make it? He works his butt off:
Most scouts felt Smith lacked a dependable jump shot. So, in the weeks before the Braves' training camp at Paul Snyder's resort in Darien Lake, New York, Smith worked to develop more confidence in it. He realized he was releasing the ball well after he jumped in the air -- too often on the way back down the floor. Before attending the Indiana Pacers' rookie camp, one of the few invitations he received from the rival league, he reworked the mechanics of his shot. After that Smith started to let the ball go on the way up. Right away Smith saw his jumper had better arc and rotation.
One of the recurring themes of Smith's career was a tireless devotion to refining his raw game. Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay was a formative influence for Smith. Ramsay joined the Braves as the expansion franchise's third coach in two years. Initially, Ramsay didn't have much of a roster to work with, but he instantly recognized Smith's potential.
"He was a great athlete who became a great ballplayer," Ramsay said. "He was a player with rough skills, great athleticism, could run like the wind, and jump."
Ramsay recounted one of his favorite anecdotes that captured Smith's gifts:
We had an out-of-bounds play after an opposing team's free throw where one of our big forwards, Garfield Heard, would take the ball out of the net. Randy would position himself near halfcourt, start back as if to receive the ball, foul line extended at that end of the floor. When [Smith's] man came, took one step, Randy would take off. Garfield would throw the ball. I'd say, "Garfield, you throw it and Randy will catch it." Randy would always catch up with the ball. Sometimes the ball would seem to be ahead of him, and he'd go an get it. He was an incredible athlete.
Molding that athleticism was one of Ramsay's many achievements in Buffalo. In one practice, Ramsay, a coach's coach, demanded that the right-handed-dominant Smith use only his left hand. "He gradually became skilled at using his left hand and became a more versatile player," said Ramsay. According to Ramsay, Walt Frazier once told him, "I hate playing against that guy."
With his confidence brimming as he settled in as a pillar of the Braves' much-improved squad, Smith -- never known for his handle -- actually begged Ramsay to let him run the break:
Randy wanted to handle the ball more, and I said, "No. [Braves point guard] Ernie DiGregorio handles the ball." Randy would come to me and say, "Coach, I can make the play!" I said, "Randy, look, if you're me, and you're getting a fast break going ... think of it this way: If we're on the fast break, do you want Ernie DiGregorio on the wing, or Randy Smith?" Smith said, "Well, I think Randy Smith." I said, "Right! Ernie can make the pass, and you can make the pass, too. But Ernie can't finish on the fast break like you can." I would pump him up and say, "Nobody runs the fast break like you do." And Randy would say, "You're right coach."
One of the reasons Smith was characterized as soft-spoken was that he had to overcome a stammer in his youth. Smith once told Ramsay that he got hit a lot as a kid. Ironically, Smith ultimately overcame that stammer by hitting himself in the leg whenever he'd struggle to get the words out. "That would get him going," said Ramsay.
Smith finished his career with 14,218 points and is the Braves/Clippers' all-time franchise leader in points (by a mile), games played, steals, and assists. But his most notable achievement in NBA history is his consecutive games streak. Between 1972 and 1983, Smith played in 906 consecutive games, a record he held for 14 years until it was bested by A.C. Green in 1997.
Although the height and weight measurements from the NBA draft combine are interesting and relevant, NBA general managers and scouts also spend a lot of time dissecting the results of the NBA physical testing.
For the sixth straight year, Insider has obtained this confidential report from a league source.
Take these numbers with a grain of salt, as no one gets drafted solely on his test scores. But teams do take these reports seriously. Most scouting departments believe that there are minimum athletic hurdles that players need to clear to show they can be successful in the NBA. Although the "best athlete in the draft" has never been the best player in the draft, this is the first objective testing that we have on the top prospects.
What are the drills?
Players are asked to bench-press 185 pounds as many times as they can, test their vertical jump in two ways (no step and maximum) and run several drills to measure speed and lateral quickness.
Syracuse's Jonny Flynn shocked everyone by recording the biggest maximum vertical with an impressive 40 inches. He was the only player to crack the 40-inch mark. (Last year, six players did.) Four other players scored 38 or more inches in the maximum vertical jump: France'sRodrigue Beaubois (39), USC's DeMar DeRozan (38.5), Arizona's Chase Budinger (38.5) and UNC's Wayne Ellington (38). Meanwhile, Gonzaga's Austin Daye (28) and Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (26.5) had the two worst scores in the camp.
Notre Dame's Luke Harangody and Oklahoma's Blake Griffin tested as the strongest athletes in the camp. Harangody bench-pressed 185 pounds 23 times, and Griffin did 22 reps. One other player, Xavier's Derrick Brown, got the bar up 20 times. Daye followed in Kevin Durant's footsteps by being unable to lift the bar once. Vasquez was able to get the bar up only once, and Israel's Omri Casspi got the bar up only twice.
In the lane-agility test, Miami's Jack McClinton had the best score, finishing the drill in 10.44 seconds. UCLA's Darren Collison was a close second at 10.45 seconds. Arizona's Jordan Hillfinished dead last with a score of 12.23 seconds. Daye wasn't much ahead of him at 12.11 seconds.
In the three-quarter-court sprints, Florida State's Toney Douglas led the way with a blinding 3.03-second run. Damion James was second at 3.09, and Daye was last at 3.55.
Here's a look at how each player in the draft performed in every category:
Winners
• Beaubois probably put up the best numbers across the board, as he showed great leaping ability, speed and quickness.
• Flynn confirmed why he has been such a hot name, as his scores were strong across the board.
• Arizona State's James Harden also proved to be a pretty impressive athlete. His numbers didn't quite measure up to what Brandon Roy did a few years ago, but he bested Roy in the lateral quickness and sprint drills. He's definitely not the bad athlete a number of NBA teams thought he was.
Harden also measures up fairly close to Roy, who is only an inch taller. Harden has a longer wingspan and bested Roy in standing reach by two and a half inches.
• The same holds true for UNC's Tyler Hansbrough, who put up better numbers than many of the bigs who were considered more athletic in college (read: Louisville's Earl Clark, USC's Taj Gibson and Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt). In fact, his numbers look better than those of Jordan Hill of Arizona in every area but vertical jump.
• The draft's top prospect, Blake Griffin, represented. His 35.5-inch vertical was far from historic but it put him on par with Amare Stoudemire. His lane-agility drill was excellent, putting him in the top 10 percent for power forwards. Others with similar scores include David Lee and Danny Granger.
His sprint score was in the middle of the pack and put him in the same league as Nick Collison and Mike Sweetney and just hundreds of a second off Stoudemire. However, a sore back may have contributed to this.
Overall, Griffin's numbers were good, but not great. But when you watch him in a game, you can tell he's still going to be a monster.
Losers
• Daye looked great in drills, but he was terrible in the athletic testing. However, I wouldn't read too much into it; Kevin Durant looked terrible two years ago but turned out OK.
• DeRozan was supposed to be one of the best athletes in the draft. Although his vertical jump score was impressive, what's up with those very poor lane-agility and sprint scores?
• Memphis' Tyreke Evans didn't really help himself, either. His vertical jump score was decent, but his lane-agility test was just awful for someone who's supposed to be a point guard in the pros. As his sprint score shows, he's great going north and south. But when he has to move side-to-side? Ugh. Of course, Derrick Rose's score of 11.69 last year wasn't much better, and he turned out OK.
Other
• Lots has been made about the speed of this year's point guards, with many teams debating whether Darren Collison, Patrick Mills or Ty Lawson would take the prize in the three-quarter-court sprint. None of them did.
Toney Douglas had the fastest time at 3.03 seconds. Collison and Mills were tied for second at 3.1, Lawson was fourth at 3.12, Beaubois was fifth at 3.15, Evans was sixth at 3.17, Jeff Teague was seventh at 3.18, Eric Maynor was ninth at 3.19 and Jrue Holiday was 10th at 3.21. Surprisingly, Flynn didn't make the top 10.
How do those numbers rate historically? Douglas had the sixth-best time in combine history. The most successful NBA player to beat him is Nate Robinson at 2.96 seconds. The 3.1 score of Collison and Mills puts them on par with Kirk Hinrich, Jay Williams and Russell Westbrook.
• UCLA's Jrue Holiday often gets compared to his teammate Russell Westbrook. How did they fare in the athletic category?
Westbrook measured 36.5 inches on his vertical jump, while Holiday hit 34 inches. Westbrook also got the best of Holiday in the sprint, measuring a blazing 3.08 seconds to Holiday's solid 3.23 seconds. Westbrook also benched the 185-pound bar 12 times to Holiday's six times.
However, Holiday bested Westbrook on the lane-agility drill with a pretty impressive 10.64-second score. Westbrook's score was 10.98 seconds.
Overall, it's pretty clear that Westbrook is a better athlete, but Holiday isn't too shabby either.
• Want a good NBA comparison for DeJuan Blair? Try the Warriors' Ronny Turiaf. Turiaf is taller, but both players have the same standing reach. They also have the same lane-agility score, same vertical jump and similar sprint and bench-press scores.
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