A Tough Workout Before a Day Off
posted: 10/7/2006 at 10:21 PM
The Trail Blazers will take Sunday off, following five days of intense workouts at the practice facility in Tualatin. Three of those days have involved two-a-day practices, and Saturday morning the team was back at work.
The morning practices have been beginning at 10am, but on Saturday, Nate McMillan had the team at the gym by 8am. In yesterday's blog I mentioned how Nate was telling me that watching video tape of the practices gave him a whole new perspective on what was being accomplished and what still needed to be done. That's why the early wake-up call on Saturday. He wanted the team to sit and watch tape of the workouts. It was broken down much the same way game tape is handled.
Friday night the team also went over some rule changes that I talked about yesterday. Saturday morning an NBA referee, sent by the league, was on hand to address some additional changes. I didn't hear the talk he gave the players, but was told the basics. One of the biggest things the referee stressed was how the rules of travelling were going to be enforced more strictly this season. They are not just going to be paying more attention to footwork, and calling the shuffle steps, but are also going to be tighter on players carrying the ball, or palming. This new NBA ball is so sticky, and so much easier to handle (I've been told by Blazer guards), it'll be much easier to illegally carry it when making one-on-one moves. We've been told before that travelling is going to be called more, so we'll have to see how this is actually applied once the season starts.
Not all the rules talked about by the referee were new rules, he was also clarifying some existing rules, and talking about what will be called tighter this season. Hand checking, and forearm checking was discussed. The NBA is also planning on cracking down on offensive players hooking defenders, in an effort to gain leverage when making a move to get around a defender. They're also trying to clean up the lane during free throws. Before a free throw is attempted, players are no longer allowed to extend their arms into other players to try to gain an advantage. These may seem like little points, but we'll no doubt be discussing them, at least early in the season, during games.
A couple of other minor rules that I've heard are going to be enforced are, players can no longer come to the scorers table, to check in, with their jerseys untucked. On the floor, of course, they've always had to keep shirts tucked in. Those full-length leg tights that got popular last season are no longer allowed. And, sweat bands may be worn only on the wrists, and not on the upper arm or forearm. I thought of Kobe when I heard this one, because he always wears one on his bicep. Well, he
used to. That won't be allowed anymore. Players also won't be allowed wear those rubber bands, that have become so popular, on their wrists. I'm not trying to put you to sleep here, but just thought you might be interested in some of this stuff.
As for the actual practice Saturday, the Trail Blazers were on the court for over two hours. They worked on shooting, and defense once again. They also once again used referees, and went with some live action, five-on-five drills. Nate split up the team into five-man groups, and each group would get five possessions. The shot clock was set at :18. Nate would call a series of plays, and then let his point guards decide and call out what plays to run. Score was kept, and, as always, the losers had to run.
Not to sound like a broken record, but Brandon Roy had another terrific practice, and really shined in the five-on-five drills. He played some small forward, some off-guard, and ran a lot of time at the point. It's becoming clear that he is going to see some big minutes at the point guard spot, where he played during the Las Vegas summer league.
Roy is solid all over the court, but one area in particular that he's so tough to handle is in the post. He was consistently taking the other guards on to the block, and was basically scoring at will. He's very strong, and very quick, and finishes at the rim with ease. He will present major match up problems for opponents, especially when he plays the point.
McMillan was very complimentary of the effort today at practice, but, as always, did jump on his team pretty good a few times. Those normally come early in practice, where he sets the tone. He's always stressing to his team that he's not going to stand them just going through the motions. One line we've heard a lot is, "if you're go through the motions now, then you're going to do it during the season." Being he's giving them Sunday off, he wanted to make sure Saturday's workout was very crisp, and very valuable.
I've gotten some questions about Jamaal Magloire in the last day or so, and realized I probably haven' t mentioned him enough. He's been very solid, and had a great practice Saturday. I've talked to a couple of the coaches about him, and it's obvious they are very high on him. He's an absolute beast in the paint. He's a great rebounder, and a great defender, and has shown some pretty good offensive skills as well.
Finally, as you know, the pre-season begins Wednesday, when the Blazers host the Sonics at the Rose Garden. All of the pre-season games will be on the Blazers Radio Network, with Wheels and Antonio calling the action. In November, in the regular-season, 14 of the 16 games in that month, will be televised. I'm taking Sunday off as well. Talk to you Monday.
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Thanks Mike. Your work this week has been invaluable here and I do not know of any other NBA team that has such great feedback for the fans. This is hope time and you provide us with great food for hope.
Yes, Mike. Your work is awesome. Keep up the same motivation.
Nice work this week, Mike. One player you've talked about before but haven't talked about much since training camp started is Martell Webster. How is his camp going? Martell's summer league suggested to me he is continuing to blossom, but he still has a ways to go to become consistent.
I've seen a little of everything in his game. I've seen him shoot, take the ball to the hole, pass, rebound, play a little defense, and run the court. I just haven't seen him put it all together at the same time for more than glimpses.
What do you think of his handle? Has it gotten markably better over the offseason? I hope he's been working on it. He's a great kid and a hard worker. He also shoots too well not to be a player in a league thin for shooters. He'll make it.
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