Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Another JA Adande gem on ESPN about Kareem and the hook shot. Being that I love the art of post play and coach the post players here at Concordia, I was very interested in this read. I, too, remember watching Kareem as a kid. The "sky hook" (or maybe horizon line hook in my case) was my bread and butter so to speak. I wasn't physically gifted. I wasn't quick. I wasn't very strong. But that hook shot could not be blocked.

"We can thank George Mikan and Cliff Hagan for the origins of Abdul-Jabbar's hook shot. Abdul-Jabbar doesn't have memories of watching Mikan, the Minneapolis Laker who was the NBA's first dominant big man. But he did use the drill that was named for him and consisted of shooting a hook shot from the right side with the right hand, then a hook from the left side with the left hand and repeating while slowly moving further away from the basket. Abdul-Jabbar did see Hagan use the hook shot as a player for the St. Louis Hawks, a reminder that the hook could be used effectively at all levels of the game."

"When you shoot it, you force people to wait for you to go up," he said, " And if they wait until I started to shoot it then they'd have to judge the distance and time it, and it's gone before they can catch up to it. That's, for me, the beauty of it. You're in control because of when you're gonna release it and where. The defense has to see that and calculate everything before they get an opportunity to block it."

"If a defender overplayed him to the right to take away the hook, he would just spin back around to his left to shoot a jump shot or, in later years, a lefty version of the skyhook."

"(Shaquille) O'Neal calls the skyhook "one of the most effective shots" in the history of the game, which makes you wonder why he never adopted it himself. 'My father made me shoot it all the time,' O'Neal said. 'Being a hip-hop kid, I didn't want to do it. We're different. We like to be a lot cooler.'

Abdul-Jabbar concedes "it's not a macho shot,"

"I used it to become the leading scorer in the history of the NBA," Abdul-Jabbar said. "There has to be something about it that works."

Interesting ESPN Article

Found this article on ESPN.com today. Thought it was an interesting read. It shows just how different we can be as coaches; styles, philosophies, teaching, delivery, etc. One thing that keeps coming to mind is the word BALANCE.

Coach Wooden speaks frequently about the need for balance and moderation. I had planned on (and still plan on) posting on the subject of balance, but this article seemed to spur me into action.

Phil Jackson and Stan VanGundy represent opposites in so many ways. Their physical appearance alone is nowhere near alike. Their backgrounds are different; big city vs. country. Their experiences have led to a tremendous difference in philosophy.

I feel like the NBA Finals this year has given a great opportunity for us as coaches to really evaluate what we believe in. What works for our respective teams? Is it the zen-like approach that Phil Jackson takes? Is it more intense and directing like Stan VanGundy? What does my approach bring to the team? Does it make us better? Worse?

I see merits in both approaches, but I see far more usefulness in balancing a combination of both. Trust in your players is critical and we should let them discover their own mistakes and correct them. Explore. Experiment. Take a risk. That's half of the fun of playing this game. But it is also good to know your history and statistical breakdowns to find an advantage or an edge anywhere possible.

JA Adande wrapped up this article the best with his last statement: "VanGundy has studied Finals history. Jackson has lived it."