Weakside Eyes: Summer Reading

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Published: July 31, 2013
  • I will monitor and carefully observe Anthony Davis to see if he will improve his defensive work as far as alertness and proper reactions and proper reads/rotations… place this in the “he better” file
  • Will Withey display the required footwork in defending vs pick and rolls? Is he a true shot blocker or a player where the ball must come to him to secure blocks? Can he “go get the block?”
  • Proper guard combinations are essential as Gordon, Holiday, and Evans love to have the ball in their mitts. I would sit down with Tyreke Evans and show him the role and value Ginobili played for the Spurs. It’s not who starts the game, but whose on the floor in crucial moments. Will he see the floor better and quickly read what evolves?
  • Aminu better return with a more decisive approach to his offense game. He’s terrific in the open floor and moments of chaos when the game quickly changes ends of the floor… I’m not yet sold about running plays and reading and reacting to the moment when you run a set play
  • Team defense was soft last season… late rotations, improper reactions to closeouts, and proper coverages were unacceptable…
  • Pelicans need more “act as if” performances… act as if you know what you’re doing and that you’ve learned from last season
  • Summer League play is a fun distraction… let’s see who can handle the daily grind of NBA practices and the grind of “winning minutes”
  • The box score does not cover the “unseen stats:” shots altered, tap outs that led to resets, setting a solid screen, the number of smart defensive rotations, deflections, lane pressures… and several more
  • Judge players on their performance under pressure
  • The Dark Side of Competitiveness is insecurity, desperation, and vindictiveness
  • Sometimes the game is more about Art than Science
  • Never replace the trained eye with a mathematical formula… talent is talent… The key is seeing the talent and how to combine it with other talent
  • You are paid to get better… Players will do what is demanded of them
  • Players want honesty, but don’t always want to hear the truth
  • Funny how ex-players can’t explain the game

Gerry V is a 21-year NBA analyst, 17-year talk radio host, a 16-year coach, and current anchor for “Fox 8 New Orleans Morning Edition”, 5 a.m. – 9 a.m. and “Fox 8 News at Noon.” Follow Gerry V on twitter (@GVTalk).

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