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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