The Pro Training Center at IMG Academies

By Dan Barto, Director of Post Graduate Program, IMG Basketball Academy

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2894643

The return of Bang Sung Yoon is here.  Bang as he is more widely known made his first appearance at IMG Academies back in 2004.  Fresh out of Yon-sei University, south of the river in Seoul, Korea, Bang came to the US to get ready for a run at the NBA.  Not officially able to enter the draft, he opted for a free agent contract in the upstart D-league. 

Bang's first few days in lovely Bradenton were hilarious.  Speaking absolutely not one word of English, Bang was assigned to me since he was represented by IMG Korea.  This meant riding him everywhere, helping him with his English homework, partaking in Bul-go-gi three times a week, and rebounding the extra 500 NBA 3 pointers he wanted to shoot after practice.

The very first night Bang broke the leg off of the bed and slept on the futon in the living room.  By the second day we had covered a majority of the swear words of importance and how to say every player's name who was training at the time.  Of course struggling with his L's and R's, my favorites were Tyronn Lue and Al Harrington. 

Bang slowly adjusted to the pace of the training and the NBA players’ harassment.  The guys learned that he was an extremely valuable asset in pickup games because he did not miss.  Korean players take great pride in their shooting mechanics.  They tend to be overly concerned with posture and the concentration of keeping level shoulders (another great translation).  The release time is a little slow and not athletically fluid to watch but the physics of it could not be better.  Bang is also very difficult to guard with some Rip Hamilton-esque type movements.  Since he is not a tremendous lateral athlete he depends on the pacing of his shot fake series and his crafty finishes to get shots off.  Considering he has been double and triple-teamed for most of the last three years, I would imagine he has improved in all those areas. 

Bang rivals Adam Harrington as the best spot shooter I ever trained.  The interesting thing as seen in the article is the legend of Bang.  By coming to the NBDL in 2004, Bang Americanized Asian basketball in the sense that he left not only college early but his country all together.  After leading his under-18 and under-20 teams to big wins over Yao Ming and China, Bang created a cult following.  Had he been able to enter the NBA draft, my feeling is he would have been an early second rounder.  The D-league did not stop the decision and leveraging of his superstar status.  After his stint with Roanoke, he headed back to take the payday. 

Had the D-league been set up the way that it is now and his understanding of English better, he would have definitely been called up.  The second time around should be interesting.  My prediction is that if he can stay healthy and stay patient that a team will call him up and sign him by December.  He is a shot maker and a personality that the media here will fall for if he is given the chance.

By:  Dan Barto Director of the Post-Graduate Program, The IMG Basketball Academy

Read the first link, watch the second link.

http://thecrossovermovement.wordpress.com/

http://www.dallasisd.org/keynote.htm

We all want to be elite coach's down the line.  We all want to become better at what we do and win more games.  We all want to tell the success stories.  How much do we want to listen?

By:  Dan Barto Director of Post-Graduate Program IMG Basketball Academy

Marcus Williams has a chance that many NBA players never get.  The dime dropping, “husky “ point guard who became a household name during his years at Connecticut is starting over in Golden State but it is actually going to be more like “Back to the Future.”

In the spring of 2005, Marcus was part of the pre-draft training group that included Shawnee Williams, Louis Amundson, Thomas Gardner, and DJ Strawberry(declared and then went back for his senior year.  Considered a potential lottery pick and the best pure passer in the draft, we all had to sit by as he slid to the late first round.  His issues in the past and the same questions that haunt him today were cited but so far no one can say that they missed on him.

The reason I am calling it back to the future is simple.  Don Nelson is going to bring back so many memories of Jim Calhoun that Marcus will be having flashbacks.  Most would say the screaming and yelling, but I am referring to the off-the-wall antics and sarcasm.  Being a very laid back, creative, and sarcastic type of personality, Marcus will feel at home in the less structured, do what you do, Golden State system.  He is West Coast at heart and his creative passing style and handle will allow him to gain confidence quickly.  The conversations of dribbling angles and timing will be replaced with jokes and jabs about his weak right-handed finishing ability.  The fondness for and personalities of Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, and being back on the west coast should lead to a relaxed and empowered player.

The subtraction of Monta leads to Marcus’ number one priority of reaching a certain level of fitness.  Well, if you have to play in the Golden State offense in practice everyday chances are you will burn a lot of calories.  The genuinely playful locker room jokes will probably lead to a more willing participant in extra conditioning.  The improved performances and regained drive should keep the consistency over the season.  Oh, and I haven’t yet mentioned the contract thing.

I am not going to go out on the limb and predict the most improved player of the year but I will predict a hell of a fantasy pick.  Yes, we are in a world where players should be professional and thrive in any environment but the reality is young players tend to be creatures of habit.  This freak of a passer and point guard has now found the environment where he will flourish. 

Best of luck Marcus. 

By:  Dan Barto, Director of the Post Grauate Program IMG Basketball Academy

The Olympics were fascinating and though I could write fifty blogs based on what I saw, my most convincing thoughts about Dwight Howard had to come first.  Yes, athletically he is a freak, and not much of a challenge in the grand scheme of things because the packaging is so pretty.  However, there are numerous things in my mind that a typical NBA coach or skill trainer might disagree with, but I think would help DW currently and especially down the road when the bounce wears off.

Absolutely no more dunking in practice

I would imagine that a majority of his finishes on James Augustine and Adonal Foyle end in posterizing moments.  Since he was old enough to dunk, which was probably around age 12, he has been using a majority of his repetitions accelerating towards the rim.  Focusing on his Olympic moments, where he resembled more of a baby giraffe than a fluent scoring threat, I would suggest this constant acceleration makes it difficult to slow the body into a coordinated soft movement.  His LEC or leg energy control is so powerful that this motion of verticality is few and far between.  Enter contact.  The ability for a player to adjust mid-move with tremendous body control in which the skill loop can still be completed even with an outside stimulus distraction, comes from the practicing of creativity and skill.

For those who have studied Dirk, we all know the craziness that his trainer has put both his skill and mind through.  Yes, Dirk is a freak when it comes to eye hand coordination, but his outside-the-box style of body control training made up for the lack of physicality and “toughness”.  Would dunking have made him mentally a little more physical on the court?  Probably, but I do not think too many people would trade his production.

In order for Dwight to reach the next level of feel around the basket, he needs to develop a completely unstructured creative environment each time he enters the court.  If I were on staff, I would go as far as to say challenge his creativity on a daily basis by requiring him to only shoot “fade-aways”, “freeze-fakes”, “dream shakes” and “Kobe leans”.  Over time his body will adjust to these types of movements resulting in more connected movements.

Force a push shot of all free throws

Leg energy control (LEC) is one of the most unique concepts in all basketball skill development.  The legs and squat mechanics of all athletes are completely different based on the biomechanical make up of a player.  Dwight is in the most difficult segment for shooting form improvement.  His high hipped, long armed build makes him all extremity.  If you watch him shoot free throws you can see his knees pop significantly earlier than he releases the ball.  One of the keys to ball flight control when shooting a basketball is allowing the energy to smoothly transfer from your extended ankles up through the legs, past the extended knees through the extended hips, into the arms and through the wrist.  Dwight never extends his ankles, pops his knees hard as can be, pushes his hips forward, extends his back, brings the ball above his head and sends a variety of ball flights towards the rim.

It is not his wrist, balance, arc, or elbow.  I would have him stand around practicing just the feel with his ankles and the ball locked in right above his eye brow.  Next we would work on extending the ankles, knees and hips in order with the ball not moving from above the eye.  Then we would work with those issues combined into a one-handed, guide hand mirroring work.  This would have the energy being transferred all the way through the wrist, but not into a shot.  After building into the one-handed shot with the NOAH measuring ball flight control, we would go dead hand/guide hand.  We would be focused not on the end result but the softness of every shot with proper ball flight control.  If the guide hand sends any second force it will be apparent in the result. 

Though he is moving into the 60’s percentage wise, his flaws are correctable with the proper work.

If he is in the 70’s and can demand more double teams because of improved finishing around the rim, the Magic get to that next level quicker.  He is at the stage of his career where the motivation for the details of his weaknesses may or may not matter.  I would also think that being around the OBCD guys in Beijing he may have a heightened affinity for individual development and preparation.  Only time will tell.  Good luck Coach Ewing.

By:  Dan Barto, The Director of Player Development IMG Basketball Academy

When you are the number one high school player in your class, the transition to NBA superstar, if not borderline max contract player, is expected.  Since Kevin Garnett, scouts from places like Rivals, Scout, and Hoopscoop have worked to identify those prospects with talent and upside.

I had the pleasure of working with Brandon Jennings several times, both on the court and in the weight room.  The questions asked in the wake of his signing with Italian Club Team Pallancanestro Vitrus Roma and its implications on grassroots basketball are intriguing.  How will a kid from Compton going to Europe for 600,000 per year non taxed with free housing, transportation and daily food money change the future?  What will the NCAA do?  How will it affect the Nike versus Adidas shoe wars?  What will the agents do?  How powerful is the Euro?  Will strong European agents start plucking high school players from the states?

The questions will go on and on.  My question is: What things can Brandon do to ensure success?  Face it, when you are projected that high, being a ten year veteran is not the goal.  Being a ten time All-Star, however, is.  Here are three concepts that are imperative to him moving toward becoming a max player.

Tighten your Inner Circle

You are an undersized point from LA.  The last hyped-but-undersized lead guard had a nightmarish ride through three cities in three years.  Sebastian Telfair was part of train wrecks in Portland and Boston before their epiphanies.  All of his coaches were fired or he was traded before anyone really figured out what he needed to do to transition from high school to the NBA.  Things like reading the floor, identifying sweet spots on the floor, knowing player tendencies, shot selection, leaving your feet to pass, underhanded finishes, reading a hot defender, dealing with distraction, when to use the God-given bursts, changing speeds, playing limited minutes, reading a second defender and playing without the ball are things Telfair never had to deal with in high school.  Who helped him with those transitions?  Successfully implementing those changes alone are a full time job, let alone the practices and the games.

What does this mean?  Basically, once Brandon leaves Europe he will have two years before he can negotiate his extension.  In order to get the extension that the number one high school player in the country should get, he will need to retool his game.  If he leaves Europe after one year he will have no less than ten coaches in his first two years of being a pro but only half of those teaching him the NBA game.

If his mother and younger brother move to Italy with him he will have the support that is needed off of the court and should keep his nose clean.  However, how will that help the problems discussed above?  Yes, his agent and Sonny Vaccaro will advise them, but they are not known for developing talent.   Will they be the basketball technical voice that is needed?  Will they be the mentors and father figures on a day-to-day basis when things need to be sorted out?

Michael Beasley has those things.  So does Dwight Howard.  So does Kevin Love.  So does Al Jefferson.  So does Derrick Rose.  When Al Harrington was the top high school player in the country, he lived with a veteran Indiana Pacer.  In his house, everyday.  Monta Ellis had Baron Davis.  Louis Williams has Andre Miller.  Who did Telfair have?  Who did Saer Sene have?  Who did Gerald Green have?

Family and friends is not enough.  Agents are not basketball people.  Financial advisors do not have Synergy subscriptions.  Assistant coaches and player development coaches in the NBA are always on the move.

A pair of suggestions: Hire a personal coach with extreme knowledge of point guard play to live with you.  Create a board of directors that you can count on and stick to the plan.  Choose wisely and that contract extension will be here before you know it. 

Study the game

There is a difference between watching the game and studying the game.  Listening to advice and applying advice are two different things.  Brian McCormick has been breaking down the motor learning concepts of being a point guard and what needs to happen to transition to the next level of reading and reacting as a point.

http://www.thecrossovermovement.com/component/option,com_jd-wp/Itemid,61/

These are the things young guards making the transition have to understand.  Being the same player playing with better players does not lead to success.  Let’s face it.  Oak Hill Academy, The So Cal All-Stars or AAU Basketball in general, and the McDonald’s All-American Game are not great places to judge transferability. 

Who will Brandon use?  Who will teach him what gifts will work and which ones will not?  Who will teach him how to make up for lack of strength when guarding Deron Williams?  Who will teach him where to shoot floaters from and how to shoot with more arc over a hot defender?  Who will teach him how the Spurs are going to give him 5 different looks on the sideline ball screen? 

If he is going to have to teach himself or differentiate what coaching staff has the better philosophy he may take 5 years to develop into and All-Star.  If he starts now he may have a chance at rookie of the year and if he gets traded or opts out he will be able to have a Chris Paul like rise.

Will he value this aspect and take ownership or will he wait until he is behind the eight ball?

Some suggestions: Buy Synergy.  Talk with point guards who have made it and those that have not.  Study the opponent on your own.  Identify two players and watch every single one of their games.  Spend a lot of time with any veteran on your team and keep a notebook of discussions.

Choose three activities that you enjoy and stick to it

Limit distractions.  Find three things that are pure and you love to do.  When you have free time, do those three things.  It could be sightseeing.  It could be spending time with your girlfriend or going on dates.  It could be golf or videogames.  You can not be stretched too thin during your vital development time.  Stress limits learning and people will be pulling on you from all directions.  A narrow focus will guarantee fun and relaxation during your down time and extreme focus during your basketball work.  If you play every game at the casino and bounce around you rarely find a hot table.  Many players party, travel, date, have a girlfriend, play videogames, read books, go to movies, visit family, entertain guests, mentor children, coach AAU, and they tend to enjoy very few of the activities because of the challenge of balancing everything.

A suggestion: You have all your life to party; get to that big contract first.  Be arrogant and confrontational about your on-court goals and your off-court choices.  When you aim to please, you tend to tread water in life and plow through dozens of acquaintances.

Dwight Howard was a freak but he was blessed with Clifford Ray and Patrick Ewing to help him with his game.  Chris Paul has been a student of the game since he was young and blessed with coaching consistency.  Deron Williams is surrounded by one of the great all time coaches and pick and roll specialists as well as a group of players with vast international accomplishments.  No one has ever questioned their antics or off court decisions and that’s why they nearly maxed out and will be ten time all-stars.

Will Brandon Jennings join them?  Only time, and the rest of his decisions, will tell.

By Dan Barto, Coordinator of Player Development at The Basketball Academy and Pro Training Center at IMG Academies

Injuries are a terrible thing to witness.  Willis McGahee’s misstep, witnessed by millions during his final collegiate game, might have been outdone by Shaun Livingston's horrific knee blowout 18 months ago.  Numerous reports are coming down the wire stating that the Clippers will not tender a qualifying offer to the former Chicago high school star.  Donald Sterling is a business first owner who feels like they have lost enough with this current asset.  Not personal… all business.

The question remains, however, what is his worth and how bad is the injury going to affect him?  As the former fourth overall pick, teams obviously loved his upside during the straight-from-high-school dominated draft of 2004.  Now injured, here are the factors that I would look when evaluating Livingston if I was a GM.

1.)           His first two years were above average when compared to guards that may have been hyped as more game ready in the 2004 draft.   An average pace and efficiency when compared to Harris, Telfair, Nelson, Urdih, and West also included one year of 20+ minutes a game in the playoffs only to be topped by West.

2.)          Knee injuries involve great risk.  99% of the players I have personally worked with who have had any type of surgery and make it all the way back develop an arrogance of hard work and preparation.  All those slow hours of rehab, watching all those games, many lonely nights left wondering lead to a dedicated and work-oriented type of player.

3.)          Shaun was always knocked for being skinny.  Now I do not know what he weighs but I do know that he is currently one hundred percent stronger than he was.  Between the upper body lifting, core work, rotational work and single leg firing pattern work that he has been doing he is probably stronger that any college counterpart.

4.)          The bad side of injuries usually is that players may compensate and lose lateral quickness.  If Shaun is significantly stronger and knows this he will learn to use this length, creativity, and mental warfare (practicing with Sam Cassell for two years had to teach him something) to be a better defender.  These options do not exist for many players given their size and inability to visualize, two of Shaun's biggest strengths.

5.)          Being a point guard that can push the ball, master the use of the ball screen, changing zones in transition, isolation back down, rebound and push, post up, and contest a high percentage of his opponent’s shots is invaluable.  Who else has those abilities in the league let alone this year's free agent point guards.[AM1] 

6.)          Having been a non-threat from the outside for his first two years, I would imagine that he got up a lot of shots.  More importantly, with the improved firing patterns in his legs and the additional strength in his LEC (leg energy control for those non shooting people), his confidence and technique are likely ahead of where he used to be.

8.)          Worst case scenario, he can create match-up problems at the small forward position much like Tayshaun Prince.  What contender would not want that?

Top 5 teams that should at least take a look, if not get involved and make an offer:

1.)    Phoenix - The comments made by Shaq and Grant Hill based on the things done by the Phoenix strength and conditioning people made me a believer.  If anyone can maximize and maintain his recovery it is them.  Steve Nash is not going to be around forever.  Where did Steve Kerr play again?  Oh yeah… the same place that Shaun Livingston grew up.

2.)    Dallas - Kidd is older and has had the dreaded micro-fracture surgery.  Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is the master of running sets and preparing for mismatches game-to-game.  Mark Cuban loves to gamble.  Best facilities in the league.  This would give them two great wing defenders with Josh Howard allowing them to play better at the variety of paces they will see next year in the West.

3.)  Miami - Needs a lead guard.  Sign Shawn Marion and get Livingston for next to nothing.  Dwyane Wade even encourages a Chicago connection.  Imagine a team that featured Livingston, Wade, Beasley, Haslem, Marion, Ricky Davis, Jason Williams, Dequean Cook… with everyone locked in for a couple years.  Tough.

4.)  Indiana – Now without Jamaal Tinsley, and with Travis Diener and TJ Ford both undersized, the Pacers have a definite need.  Could be a great place for Shaun to get lots of minutes and possibly be their point guard of the future.

5.)  Minnesota – Sebastian Telfair and Randy Foye improved last year.  Both are a little undersized for their positions, and their careers could go either way after this upcoming season.  McHale likes his job and a gutsy move like this with a younger more determined player might be better than throwing money at a high priced free agent next summer.  In towns like Minnesota they want something that they developed to root for and they have some of the pieces from a character standpoint in place.  This could make them a contender for a low playoff push.

Great to be back blogging after some time off to do playoff and draft analysis and find our kids college placement.  I look forward to the comments.

By: Dan Barto, Director of Player Development for the IMG Basketball Academy and The PTC

The Lakers are half smart and half lucky.  En route to an NBA Championship, one must understand that getting Gasol in a fire sale and Derek Fischer in extreme circumstances have allowed the stars to align and domination to occur.  Mitch Kupchak's job is pretty safe.  John Paxson on the other hand has less than a month to make decisions that will ultimately seal his fate one way or another.  The extra luck has added extra pressure.  The Lakers turned around their franchise in a little over three years, and Boston in one year.  What is the next step for the Bulls? 

John Paxson has to look at the positives and negatives of drafting versus trading.  His consistency to enact a plan is obvious, with numerous band aid types of trades and lack of commitment to key franchise builders.  When I say franchise builders, I do not mean franchise players.  He does however have a chance to use this pick to do something more than put fans in the seats at a higher price.

Why not draft Derrick Rose?

I absolutely love Rose's game.  From all accounts, he is ready to step in and help someone immediately.  He is from Chi-town, and will be a fan favorite from the second David Stern says "With the first pick.........."  My reasoning comes from the standpoint of competing and building culture.  If they select Rose, Duhon and or Hinrich are gone, probably packaged with either Drew Gooden or Andreas Nocioni.  Of course they would bring a veteran point guard to help the cause, and if they keep one of the two above point guards, it would be a solid tandem.  Now I could go through all of the trade possibilities, but the key component here is can that tandem compete with the likes of Chauncey Billups/Rodney Stucky/Lindsay Hunter, Sam Cassell/Rajon Rondo, Andre Miller/Willie Green/Louis Williams, Jameer Nelson/Carlos Arroyo/whatever free agent they bring in.  The point is no matter how good Rose is, can he carry them past the semi-finals of the Eastern conference anytime soon?

If Gordon and/or Deng are in a sign and trade or just a tender year, that will not help them towards building a franchise of long term value, like the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons.  People will rightfully argue the Chris Paul/Deron Williams ideas, but those guys were surrounded by experienced, hard nosed, “I have something to prove to the league” rosters, that were willing to do what it took to become good again.  For the Bulls most of their core group is in a contract situation or close to an extension offer.  I do not think the Bulls can surround Rose with that in an ample amount of time before he would be worrying about an extension/max deals

Why not draft Beasley?

Having had spent a lot of time with Mike and even more time watching him play, there is no doubt he can help the Bulls win games ASAP.  There is a hole in front line scoring.  Can that void be filled on draft day?  At what expense one might wonder?  Can Chicago have two alpha males on the front line, and two guys on the wing with contract years?  Can Duhon and Hinrich over take the point guard groups above?  Will Beasley be able to make those around him better and create a winning culture in the locker room?  To me, Beasley makes sense only if you can ship the wing contracts for a seasoned point, and a mentor that would scare Beasley on an every day basis.

If anyone, take Lopez?

Brook Lopez staying two more years would have him easily surpass Tim Duncan's college career.  If the Bulls bring him in and ship Gooden and or Nocioni, Lopez would be the perfect compliment to Noah, Thomas and Gray.  A skilled mid post scorer who has a great understanding of the two man games and isolation play would fill the need, possibly better, because he will not demand the ball or rookie of the year contention.  He could play the role that Horford did to Noah at Florida letting Noah have the spot light while he continued to carry the team offensively.  Had Lopez not had some academic problems and OJ Mayo and Kevin Love in his conferernce we would not be having this converstation where everyone thinks I am crazy.  The questions about Lopez have been his athleticism and his ability to run the floor.  After seeing what the Bulls did with Aaron Gray, the fact that Lopez probably played 15 pounds heavier than he needed to and the all important fact that bigs develop later, he could progress greatly in one year. 

Why trading the pick makes the most sense.

As in any organization, there are contracts that can be moved, locker room issues that can be resolved, and a team identity that can be developed with a blockbuster type of trade.  Once the franchise builders are set in place, and the daily expectations for the team laid out, the coaching decision can be made. (See Houston)  The team has its share of winners in place, but in order to move to the elite levels of the Eastern Conference within the next two years, Paxson must build around the current strengths, and leverage the pick into enhancing a plan.

The risk of the keeping the pick is either short term success or unemployment.  His hitting percentage with risk taking is not real high, so I hope he goes for the sure things, whoever they may be.

The fact is Danny Ainge had a plan for this year and he executed it.  Mitch Kupchak could have bounced Kobe last summer and received tons in return, but he instead based a plan around him and got some luck along the way.  It’s time for Paxson to make a gutsy decision based on plan and value.

By Dan Barto, Director of Player Development at The IMG Basketball Academy and The PTC

Today's Outside the Lines special on ESPN outlined the crisscrossing story of an NBA runner, an up and coming NBA stud and the circus surrounding the recruitment of high level athletes.  For those who did not see the story, it entailed an unemployed former reporter/convicted drug dealer saying that sports agency(BDA) outsourced the baby sitting duties to a person known to basketball circles(Rodney Guillory) to ensure that the player (OJ Mayo) had everything he needed.  This everything meant clothes money and security (two different meanings).  In turn for the security, OJ would then sign with the sports agency that supposedly orchestrated the whole deal when his career came to fruition.

Having been in the circles the Los Angeles pro and college basketball world, I had the chance to spend the day with OJ and Rodney on a hot Friday afternoon almost a year ago.  Since I have been blessed to work with dozens of NBA players this was an intriguing day because I had heard so much about this kid and was ready to test him. 

Up until that day I had know the legends of OJ from his days with the DI Greyhounds out of West Virginia as I was coaching in Pittsburgh at the time.  OJ then moved along with Bill Walker to Cincinnati with the help of AAU coach Dwain Barnes who at the time was heavily involved with the Sonny Vaccaro backed Reebok movement.  Rumors flew that it was a ploy to get the kids to commit to University of Cincinnati early and play for West Virginia bred Bob Huggins. 

Under the tutelage of Jamie Mahaffey(Miami University of Ohio alum like me) OJ and Bill burst onto the national scene at North College Hill.  For those next three years Mayo would dominate any competition or challenges that may have come his way.  This was on the AAU circuit as well as the high school regular season.  What I loved hearing was the stories of his domination of any players ranked anywhere near him as well as his huge performances in championship games.

By the time OJ and Rodney arrived at the gym, it was known fact that he was going to USC in the fall and he would most likely be a one and done situation.  Though I do not remember whether it was his brother, cousin or just a friend, OJ brought a workout partner in theory.

The first thing that jumped out was OJ's lack of flexibility and single leg stability when going through the dynamic stretch.  Having a powerful body and a man's build I expected the body control and range that matched a scorer of that type (most prolific scorer’s possess and master these exercises).  His tight hips and the fact his face cringed so much during the glute activation had my mind racing on how much better this kid skills could get.  He was nowhere near maxed out, a theory many haters proclaimed.

He was a pleasure to coach and I took the time to run him into the ground for about an hour and a half.  His skill set has solid with the natural problem that young talented powerful players fight.  Those problems were the ability to change speed, lowering the hips on moves, decelerating to finish, and core rotation coordination.  With dead legs OJ continued to fire NBA threes with ease while he screamed at his partner for ending his efforts early.

Enter Rodney.  Wait actually Rodney was there the whole time analyzing and pushing OJ to fight through and control his body language.  Truly he was a mentor that day.  He shared his story of how they met and reiterated the ESPN highlights of him just being straight forward with OJ about how life really is.  At one point during our conversations he said, "The kid has a long way to go to meet the expectations that are out there."

In many ways Rodney was right, he was also right about the fact that USC was a great choice because Tim Floyd had experience in the NBA and the other options Calipari and Pitino did not necessarily produce the hardest working, go getting professionals that Rodney wanted to instill into OJ.  He also noted that LA is not the worst place to be in the world when you have spent the last five years in West Virginia and Ohio.

Next OJ ventured into the weight room and learned that he had a long ways to go to get his body to the level of an NBA veteran.  Struggling with balance and rotational power activities again, he enjoyed the challenges and asked numerous questions.  As he finished his supplemental shake in the steam room he pointed out that most of his competition probably spent their Friday afternoon in a different manner.

As I dropped them off at the infamous Infiniti truck, I questioned the relationship and the intentions in my mind.  I then though back to all of the things that I have heard rumored in the college ranks.  Things such as players being deliver to agents for future recruits, families getting high paying jobs in the college town that there son chooses, the amazing real estate quick flips that inner circles where able to pull off right around the time a recruit committed and the incredible upgrade in car choices.

After reliving my experience with OJ and Rodney, I think there are a lot worse things that the kid could have been surrounded with for the last 5 years.  According to ESPN's source Guillory may have spent used 250,000 over that time giving at least 30,000 to Mayo.  That's a salary of 44,000 a year before expenses or money spent or hell even gas for the Infiniti.  In Los Angeles that is border line poverty.  What anyone really gets out of the deal we may never know, but considering all of the things that go on in the sports business this probably is not uncommon.  When you look at the fall out rate for highly regarded 9th graders over the following 5 years of basketball it looks like all of this may have been worth the investment however it happened.

OJ Mayo’s career should fall somewhere between Kobe and Ray Allen.  He is not afraid of work and loves a challenge.  For those who question his college career remember that his worst game of the year was against Russell Westbrook who is also a lottery pick.  Compared to Rose you have to take a long look at supporting casts an the answer lies within.

By Dan Barto, Director of Player Development of The IMG Basketball Academy and The PTC

As Mike Brown continues to search for answers to ignite his stagnant offense ,I suggest calling in the master of the 1-4 high offense for better looks and isos

Why?

Cleveland is shooting under 33% from the field obviously is killing them.  Thriving all year on Lebron's attacking, which results in points and the defense constantly chasing, the Cavs have to find a way to breakdown the Celtics terrific team defense within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock.  So far Lebron has been soft when attacking off the ball screen, and outside of Joe Smith and Delonte West in certain situations the Cavs have no way of gaining an attacking advantage.  Up until this point I would have said just make shots.  However, looking at the matchups I think that lots of 1-4 high looks will allow the following things to happen which will lead to high percentage shots, putbacks, and Celtic frustration.

If Lebron initiates the offense, he has the following options that I think could get the Cavs some nice looks

1.)        Use either high ball screen to get more open looks for the immediate near side shooter.  Wally and Gibson are great at reading drives but have been catching passes at weird angles and having to rush their fluent standstill jumpers and force robotic drives. More chasing will result in streaks and more midrange attempts. If Lebron comes off hard the defense has to decide and execute quickly.  If they over play the shooter, he clears and Lebron has an immediate midpost backdown ala Tayshaun Prince or Chauncey.

2.)        If the Celtics sag off Wallace or Z, the Cavs Lebron can then look to feed and follow to Smith the clear through and the opposite big can ball screen for him or dive and iso him.  This could lead to him gaining the advantage and causing the defense to again have to make a decision or chase right off the bat.  If Z sets the high screen I would look for the easy pop or a quick pop to Z into a dribble handoff with Lebron or West.  If it is Wallace or Varejao, I would have them head hunt Lebron, who is most likely in the corner for a basket cut or a basket cut to post up.  Worst case Smith is in a dribble handoff situation with Wally or West, both of whom can make the right read and misdirection their defender. 

3.)        If the Celts do sag off the shooters and key on Lebron, the Cavs can look to use him in quick entries using the high back screen to get into the midpost.  These midpost touches will lead to more free throws, fouls called at home, and allow Varejao and Wallace to do what they do best and get high percentage put backs and keep the ball alive.

If West initiates the offense,

Again the Celtics team defense and execution has been awesome, so the goal is to gain an advantage immediately. 

1.)        Pierce, Allen, Perkins, and Cassell all have problems moving side to side so they must be dribble isos more often as well as blur screens from shooters. 

Example,

4 low, Lebron in left corner, Gibson in Right Corner, Wally left block, Z right block.  West iso at top.  Wally sprints to the screen on West's left, Gibson clears through, Z flashes to offensive left elbow.  West and Wally try to expose Pierce and Cassell in a pick and pop.  If they switch Wally dives to mid post.  Gibson and Z stagger away for Lebron.  Z and Wally set a baseline double for Gibson

2.)        Rondo is a beast on the ball and pushes West at least 2 feet farther than he should be.  In a 1-4 set, he would constantly be having to look over both shoulders to see where the screens were coming from.  I would instruct Wallace and Varejao to blast Rondo every chance they get and try to dive as hard as possible to the rim.  Yes, he may go under in which case they should use the European bull dozer method of taking Rondo with them. 

3.)        If the spacing is correct West should look to iso to draw and kick or go into a two man game with Lebron.  These could consist of pinch post actions, blur screens, or handoffs.  West to Lebron or Lebron to West is the only time the Cavs have two iso or breakdown guys working together.  If they look to use each other more it should open up easier looks and put backs throughout the next two games.

It would be interesting to see what the Wizard of Westwood would draw up.

By:  Dan Barto, Director of Player Development at The Basketball Academy and The PTC

As the ATL's basketball bandwagon takes off like oil and gold the sub plots interest me the most. 

I have only watched Joe Johnson workout on the court once.  Sometimes that's all you need to determine a players focus.  He did not say a word throughout the warm up and then continued to put on a show for the following 45 minutes.  Just like last night's domination you could see his imagination and determination.  The creativity and the desire to succeed was evident.  There was not much laughing and nothing was at half speed. 

The reality isI took a special notice to this workout because I had heard the Joe Johnson stories.  Was it bitterness?  Was he just a comfortable max player?  The Hawks?  No leadership?  Well maybe he was just a snake in the grass. 

It took Mike getting cut in high school, 3 years of college, a bad injury, and six years of losing before his big jump.  Mentally he moved to a whole other level.  Could we be seeing the questions about Joe Johnson being answered in a similar manner? 

The story goes that after two tremendous seasons at Arkansas JJ entered the Celtic organization with high hopes of learning and using his southern upbringing to stay humble.  The bottom line is Joe Johnson's 48 games in Boston were long and scarring.  Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker were hitting there stride and Boston was on the rise.  Selecting a player with the 10th pick that played the same position as they did created a three man squeeze for playing time. 

Pierce a product of Inglewood, CA and Walker a product of Chicagoland played and practice with the only way you get out of those areas, attitude, aggressiveness and pride.  Many practice hours and plane rides; Joe Johnson was the recipient of their wrath.  Just like Michael Jordan was known for making practice and travel more competitive than the games, Walker and Pierce were storied to do the same.

After being shipped to Phoenix before the trading deadline, Johnson moved on and Walker and Pierce lead the Celtics back to the Eastern Conference leader board.  Pierce's and Walker's greatness can not be questioned and their tactics happen in every NBA franchise, however it seems now that someone with the size, speed, mindset and understanding of the game may have kept a diary of those days.  Young and impressionable men always are looking for mentors and role models, though Pierce and Walker may not have known what they were doing at the time they may have created a monster.

As the series goes on I can’t help but wonder what is going through JJ’s mind.