New Jersey Nets Practice

In my free time I like to search the internet for basketball knowledge. One site that I always go to is http://mensbasketballhoopscoop.blogspot.com/ this site is full of great notes. I just found observation notes of a New Jersey Nets practice on October 8th, 2009, here they are:

-“A superstar is someone who wants to be great every single day.” –Rod Thorn

- 5 on 0 Fast Break Drill: 5 trips in 24 seconds.

- All 5 on 0 work (separate from the 24 second drill) is completed with the offensive team
sprinting back in transition while the coaching staff passes the ball up the floor in the
form of a sideline break. The team loads to the ball and plays anywhere from 3-5 seconds
of “Shadow D”

- A constant emphasis by the coaching staff was for the wings to “see the ball” in
transition and for their chin to be on their inside shoulder.

- Sign hanging on wall: “Champions Win on the Road”

- “Swing it and play. Don’t swing it and stand.” If a player swings the ball he must get
out by means of cutting through or screening away (As the preseason progresses, they
will be allowed to cut and replace or follow with a ball screen, but for right now, the staff
is not allowing them to do either because they want to improve the movement).

- The role of an NBA GM is interesting in that it is something unique to the NBA in that
it’s someone whose paid strictly to evaluate the talent of the roster and look for ways to
upgrade it.

- 4 on 4 Ball Screen Shell: 4 offensive players situated around the perimeter with one of
them being a designated ball screener (3 perimeters + a 4 or 5). Prior to the possession the
staff will call out the way the defense is to play the ball screens (denoted by colors) and
the defense will get 4-5 repetitions at the strategy as the offense plays by setting random
ball screens continuously (ball handler throws back to the screener who passes to the next
perimeter player and follows with a ball screen).

-“His sheer competitive nature is what has kept him in this league.” –Rod Thorn

-“Last 2 minutes of a game is all about execution. The team that gets the better quality
shots down stretch wins the game. Don’t take the path of least resistance and let the other
team beat you. Fight through!”

-On the “Blitz” of a side pick and roll, it’s a caged blitz
angled towards the half court circle (rather than directly to
half court). “On blitzes, we CANNOT allow dribble arounds
or splits.”

-“Do you want to drill or do you want to scrimmage? Your effort in the first 3 minutes of
this scrimmage tells me you want to do drills for the last hour. Is that what you want?”

-Looking for calls = looking for the easy way out

-“One of us is as strong as all of us”
»2 guys failed to make the sprint in the appropriate time, the entire team had to
run again.

-On closeouts: emphasize defending and containing that first dribble made by the
offensive player.

-Frank’s definition of a random ball screen, “A ball screen that’s not scripted or drawn up
that occurs instantly on the offensive player’s catch.”

-Situation: 6 minutes on the clock, 2nd unit is up 92-84.

-Frank: “As a point guard, you have to get your guys shots early or they will quit on
you.”

-“You can’t be a defense first team and be frantic off made baskets. You want to push the
ball and play with pace and flow, but you can’t be chucking up early shots off makes
because you’ll get beat back down the floor. Run off your defense: the misses it causes
and the turnovers it forces. On any miss/turnover, we’re looking for a quick strike (a
good shot in the first 6-7 seconds of shot clock).”

A sign that states "TODAY MATTERS EARN YOUR EVERY DAY"