Wouldn't you love a coach who:
1. Says STAT I realize you can score but where you are really needed is on the defensive end. Let's work on your rebounding. Let's work on your post moves.
I don't want to see you taking on a whole team by yourself. We'll work on you getting the ball on the block with your back to the basket and impliment a two man game. When the defense collapses on you, swing it out and reset.
You are a beast at drawing fouls- but I want to work on your ability to still put up QUALITY shots even with contact. Once we get them in foul trouble or in the penalty, then your mid-range game will open up. Draw fouls, but still give yourself a chance to make the shot by putting up quality shots.
*then we see STAT at least TRYING THIS. He doesn't have to succeed, but show the effort and try to get better.
2. Melo you are our leader. Let me see you talking it up on both ends. We'll feature you but our strategy will be this:
Instead of giving the defense the chance to double and close out on you when you're hot or during game winning situations... we will establish your shots after coming off screens with the catch and shoot. You too can draw fouls and we will use this to our advantage.
We will game plan to entice mismatches with you. After you establish coming off screens or the two man game with you and either of our bigs, teams will target you. THAT'S when we will go into more of a motion cutter offense where you can easily find cutters to the basket once the defense over-commits on you.
We will enhance our strategy to have constant cutting under the basket on plays we feature you. You can use yur passing skills and decision making to take the shot or get the ball to a cutter if left open. Once we draw fouls, our strategy will adjust to more iso plays because by then they should be hesitant, or have a bench player on you.
*and we see Melo at least TRYING this. Maybe not completely successful, but getting better.
3. Toney I notice you are constantly looking for your shot. You seem comfortable doing this. Most passing pg's look to pass first and get players involved. You don't.
That's cool. You could be our 6th man. BUT realize Toney, just like a PG must use his savvy to decide who to get the ball to, you must use better judgement in what type of shots you take and when. Its counter-productive and obvious if all you do is come in and shoot.
Don't let me see you coming in and chucking threes right away. Don't let me see you chucking threes when we're down double digits. That's not a good approach and can hurt us more than help us. Even if you hit it, that will make you too confident and again your decision making will be to continue shooting. Not good.
I also notice your difficulty laying the ball up in traffic or contested. We'll work on your body position like with Stat in order to still put up a quality shot while drawing the foul, this way we still have a chance to score.
*then we see Toney AT LEAST making better decisions. Maybe not successful but getting better at it.
4. Team on defense, particularly man-to-man, we must understand our primary goal. NO UNCONTESTED SHOTS! If they can make shots over our defense or out stretched arms, so be it.
We will NOT switch off our man. If a player uses screens to get open WE MUST FIGHT THROUGH THE SCREEN! If our strategy is to go under the screen, we must communicate and recover as quick as possible. Switching while in m2m is counter-intuitive.
We will use more double teams and traps when we feel a certain players is getting hot, and use harder fouls so that at the least they have to earn their points from the line.
* and we see the effort
5. Fields, you are star struck. You are NOT a starting SG, but we can use your skills off the bench. We need to work on your on-ball defense so that at the least you can impact the game on the defensive end.
Its clear you lack confidence. What we can do is draw plays specifically for you to get you hot. We'll draw up plays for you to get the ball cutting toward the basket and make sure you at least put up quality easier shots when fouled. That way you can get your rythem at the foul line.
Just like coaches draw up short easy passes to get QB's in rythem, we will do the same with you.
6. Shump you're a god send. But I fear you will be painted into a corner and loose your skill set if we keep green lighting you.
So what we need from you is to become a great PG facilitator. The earlier you understand this and practcie this, the better you get to know your teammates, the better we'll be.
We reserve the 6th man role for TD who has a shooting mentality while grooming you fr starting PG duties. You going in feet first, but that's ok. I think you have the skills, confidence, and player respect to run this team, especially on defense.
We will STRICTLY work on your PG skills, let the shots come to you.
7. Tyson, we love you. You're just what we needed but... yu can improveon yu offensive skills. We will work on your foot work and post moves to give us more options. You are a natural leader but that means show and prove. Work ethic, communication, and sacrifice will trickle down to younger less experienced players.
8. Team we have little practice time. To maximize this time we will run more 2vs 2, and 3vs3's so at minimum we can get use to playing our two man game. One day it'll be Chandler and Shump vs Stat and TD. Next it may be Melo and Fields vs Shump and Stat.
We have to get use to playing with each other (no homo). Running 5 on 5 full scrimmages lessons our ability to work on our fundamentals and chemistry because too many things are happening in a short period that we can't evaluate and improve.
2on2's and 3on3's go by much quicker and can easily illustrate our faults.
We will work on these things all season so don't get discouraged. Our fundamentals will be solid SO AT THE LEAST WE MAKE TEAMS BEAT US AND NOT BEAT OURSELVES.
I don't want to see anymore ill-advised shots. I want to see good anticpation and boxing out for rebounds. No shooting while no one is under the basket. No camping out on the perimeter.
And again.... our goal is proper fundamentals and NO uncontested shots...EVER!
That's all for now.
*And we notice a different mor sound approach to the game. Maybe not complete success, but improvement.