The Hoop Doctors Daily Dimes: Where Mike Conley Hosts Guitar Hero Contests!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Prescribed NBA reading from all over the world wide web

Basketball Jones talks Vince Carter and “The Fiasco”
TBJ Video Blog

Mike Conley is having a Guitar Hero Contest….Check it out!!
Guitar Hero Contest

Intentional Foul is listing the great NBA mustaches of all time!! Funny!!
Great Mustaches of the NBA

‘Both Teams Played Hard’ is listing the players that NEED to get on Twitter!
10 NBA People who need Twitter

Cuzoogle is giving $25 dollars to anyone who can predict when SMitch gets fired! Colangelo might win this one!
Predict SMitch Firing Win $25

If you’ve got stories you think our readers should know about for our Daily Dimes links, please email them to us at (admin@thehoopdoctors.com)

Video: Jermaine O’Neal Interview – Knee Injury, Drugs, and Brawl in Detroit

November 24, 2008 – Dr. J-Water

We are always taking a bit of flak from our Canadian contingent that say we don’t give the Toronto Raptors enough burn on The Hoop Doctors. Well even though the Raptors got embarrassed yesterday by the big three of the Boston Celtics (who could be seen joking around and practicing their golf swings courtside in the 4th quarter), we did see something of interest during the game…

At halftime a great in-depth Jermaine O’Neal interview was showcased. He discussed everything from his final injury riddled seasons in Indiana, to taking drugs for the pain, to the brawl in Detroit, to taking a fan to her senior prom. Toronto Raptors and Jermaine O’Neal fans…here is an excerpt from the interview for y’all.

“Sneak”-a-Peek: Full Review – TMac TS Creator’s by Adidas

November 24, 2008

You’ll all probably remember when we brought you info on adidas’ Kevin Garnett Team Signature (TS) “Commanders”. Well adidas was kind enough to send us a pair of the other style of adidas TS footwear to test out and review. They are called “The Creator’s“. We received the Tracy McGrady (TMac) versions of the creator’s but you can also find Chauncey Billups or Gilbert Arena’s signature shoes at retail now for $130.

Whenever we test out kicks on the court, we make sure we get in a good pick-up run rather than just shoot around, because we want to get a good feel for the support and durability. Although the “TMac Creators” are nice and light guard style shoes, they have a surprising amount of ankle support on their cut. They aren’t as low as some of the other guard kicks that other companies market. For someone prone to ankle injuries like myself that is just asking for a season ending injury! So with that in mind I absolutely love the height cut on these TMac’s. At first I thought the Creators were a bit stiff, but realized they very quickly mould to your feet and provide a nice cushiony bounce to your step. As far as performance I’d definitely give these a 4 out of a possible 5 stars.

As for the looks, that is a matter of preference, but as you can see for yourself in the pictures the colorways on the TMacs are super slick! Gotta love the finishing touches like the TMac hologram on the ankle, too!

Features:

•adiPRENE Plus – a resilient cushioning material used to protect the forefoot and provide a responsive, dynamic toe-off
•ForMotion™ – a freely moving heel system that provides a more smooth and natural touchdown and transition from heel to toe.
•Forefoot outsole wrap for increased stability during lateral movement
•The rubber outsole mix allows for quick reactions, jumping, sprinting and lateral movements, adidas outsole materials used for indoor surfaces are always non-marking

For a listing of shoe release information on the latest kicks check out our “KICKS” section.

The Hoop Doctors Daily Dimes: Where McDyess Stays Loyal…

Monday, November 24, 2008

Prescribed NBA reading from all over the world wide web

McDyess is a loyal guy. The way the Pistons have been playing lately we may have signed elsewhere.
McDyess will resign with the Pistons Dec. 3

Radmanovic is chanelling Kurt Rambis? Check these goggles…
BDL: Radmanovic’s Sunday Bloody (eye) Sunday

Dime Mag getting to the bottom of Miller throwin’ ‘bows’…
Is Brad Miller a Dirty Player?

Another great photoshop and play on words from Cuzoogle! Check it, Raps fans…
Sam Mitchell needs some Alka-’Celt’zer

ETB is showcasin’ some funny Sheed footage droppin’ handles for teammates
Dropping Nicknames with Rasheed “Sheed” Wallace

If you’ve got stories you think our readers should know about for our Daily Dimes links, please email them to us at (admin@thehoopdoctors.com)

Shaq vs. Oden: The NBA Godfather Puts A Hit Out On The Rookie

November 23, 2008 – Dr. Browntorious

All day leading up to tonight’s match-up between the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trailblazers I was hearing from friends about how excited they were to see the rookie big man Greg Oden go head to head with future Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. I hate to agree with Rick Kamla on much of anything, but Shaq certainly is “The Godfather of the NBA.”

Well Shaq didn’t fail to disappoint once again this season having a big game for the Suns. He further quieted his critics who all summer questioned his ability to continue playing at a high level given his age and supposedly diminished game. Shaq certainly looked like a youthful version of himself tonight putting up a big 19 points and 17 rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Not only did the Suns win the game, but Shaq sent a pretty big message to the rookie hype-box Greg Oden who had just 5 points and 5 fouls in 13 minutes.

How big was his message? Well given the fact that Oden only logged 13 minutes there weren’t a ton of head to head replays to show you, but on the play in the following video sequence Shaq dunked on Oden like he was just another guard or small forward getting in his way. Oden made a valiant attempt at the block, but he just bounced off Shaq like a rubber ball. Shaq is an animal! Check it out:

Video: Lebron James Dunks on Entire Atlanta Hawks Team

November 23, 2008 – Dr. Browntorious

Lebron James can’t be a human being. Either that or he is some highly evolved version of a human being that is way ahead of his time. He is my clear favorite right now in the race to the 2009 MVP award. Not only is he putting up ridiculous stats night in and night out, but his Cleveland Cavaliers are also winning at a high percentage and looking like one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the Eastern Conference.

LBJ had multiple ‘eye-popping’ plays in tonight’s Cavaliers 110-96 win over the Atlanta Hawks, however there were two that stuck out in my mind as indicative of how far above the rest of the star players Lebron is in the area of athleticism. The first play in question he drove hard to the cup on Al Horford and Solomon Jones and was fouled hard by both big men. Not only did Lebron still score the bucket for the And1, but the score was a vicious dunk with his off-hand. That’s sooo not right, sooo sick!

On the second ‘eye-popping’ play, Lebron drives to the cup on Maurice Evans, he cups the ball and fakes a behind the back pass, then continues to the rim for a huge tomahawk dunk. It’s the type of play you’d normally see from a flashy point guard for a lay-up at best. But for Lebron it’s a highlight reel dunk. If you missed the game, here is video footage of both plays:

New Nike Hyperdunks: TNT Inside The NBA Edition!

November 22, 2008 – Dr. Anklesnap

All of you sneakerheads out there have taken a real liking to the Nike Hyperdunks and all of the various “special edition” versions and colorways they have produced thus far. Well incase you haven’t heard about their latest edition, there were only 48 pairs made of the TNT Inside the NBA Hyperdunks by Nike. I absolutely LOVE the colorways on these bad boys. I could make due without the picture of Kenny, Charles, and Ernie on the tongue of the shoe, but you can’t deny the colors are super slick.

If anyone reading this knows how I can get myself a pair of these feel free to drop me an email or leave a comment below. Here is a clip from the Inside the NBA broadcast where Ernie surprises Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley with a look at the limited edition kicks with their faces stitched on:

Video: Sasha Vujacic – Man or Machine?

November 22, 2008 – Dr. Anklesnap

Everyone survive the great night of NBA Action last night? There were some surprises with the Nets win over the Raptors, and some usual suspects like the Spurs getting back into the mix with a win over the strong Utah Jazz squad. And what do you know…..the Lakers won again! Surprise Surprise…

Well for all you Lakers and Celtics fans out there, I think you’ll both enjoy and get a few laughs out of this video I came across this morning of Sacha Vujacic: Man or Machine. The story seems to be based on Sasha’s story during the NBA Finals 2008. I hope you get as many laughs out of it as I did:

‘Skool’ 4 Ballerz: 6 Shooting Drills to Improve Your Shot

Each week in The Hoop Doctors “Skool for Ballers” we will bring you tips, analysis, or drills on various aspects of the game to help guide your training to be the best damn baller you can be! Don’t forget, being a GREAT baller takes as much work off the court as it does on!

By Breakthrough Basketball

Chair Spots

Drill Purpose:
This drill provides practice in shooting from selected spots on the court. It works well as an individual or partner drill (to help with managing the balls between rotations).

Instructions:
1. Place five chairs in spots that you want to practice from and put a ball on each chair.
2. Start under the basket and begin running to the chairs in order, grabbing the ball from each chair and stepping into your shot.
3. During the next rotation, start running in the other direction in order to practice stepping into your shot from the other direction.
4. Here is a variation that you can use:
Start in the corner, then sprint to the opposite corner,
back to the opposite wing, over to the right wing, finishing
with the shot from the free throw area. Reverse the
direction using mirror principles.

Teaching Tips & Points of Emphasis:

• Concentrate on maximum efficiency in footwork and form as you move through the drill.
• Hold your follow-through until the ball gets to the hoop before moving on to the next chair.
• Be creative in your patterns and don’t forget to reverse direction!
• If practicing with a partner, get your rebound and pass it back to them. The partner places it on the chair and then you start again.

Back-Off

Drill Purpose:
This partner drill works great for developing range. Partners can do this whenever they have opportunities to workout in a free court.

Instructions:
1. Player 1 stands about three feet from the basket and shoots until he has made two shots. He cannot take more than four shots to make two.
2. Once he has made two, he moves back one step and shoots again with the same format.
3. Player 2 rebounds for Player 1 until Player 1 fails to make two out of four from a given distance. Then the partners switch roles.
4. Once Player 1 is a decent distance from the hoop, Player 2 moves to a rebounding position in front of the hoop.
5. This drill can be repeated using any shot angle to the basket. The rebounder simply moves to the likely rebound spot.

Teaching Tips & Points of Emphasis:

• Shooters should be following through and maintaining focus on proper mechanics.
• Proper form should be maintained as the distance from the hoop increases.

Line Shooting

Drill Purpose:
This is a great shooting drill that focuses on proper shooting form. A lot of players get caught up with how many they make or miss. If they make a shot with bad form, they think that’s how they are supposed to shoot. If they miss with good form, they don’t think they should shoot that way. If you take them away from the hoop, they do not concentrate on the misses or makes. We also provide a twist to make it competitive.

Instructions:
1. Each player needs a partner. Each pair is to find a line on the basketball court (Half-court lines, out-of-bounds lines, free-throw lanes). Each group needs a ball.
2. The player shoots the ball to their partner and has it hit the line. If the ball hits the line, it counts as a make. If the ball misses the line, it counts as a miss.
3. At first, just have the players shoot back and forth while concentrating on good form.
4. After a minute or two, have each pair count to see who can get the most line hits out of 10.

Teaching Tips & Points of Emphasis:

• Make sure that players are using good shooting form. If the player is right-handed, the player’s right foot can be on the shooting line or slightly to the right of it and vice-versa if the player is left-handed.
Variations:
• Change the number of shots from 10 to 15, 20, or another pre-determined number, depending on skill level.
• See who can make the most consecutive “shots”.

Basketball Golf

Drill Purpose:
This is a fun shooting game where you shoot from a variety of spots.

Instructions:
1. Pick 9 spots. Start with a par of 18. Raise or lower this number based on age and skill level.
2. Go to each spot and track how many shots it takes to make a shot from each of the nine spots.
3. Count the total number of shots taken. Your goal should be to shoot par or below.

Teaching Tips & Points of Emphasis:

• You can also vary your shots from each spot. For example:
- Stationary
- Spin Outs
- Dribble
- Bank Shots

Beat the Pro

Drill Purpose:
This is a fun drill used to work on shooting. You can do this drill by yourself, with a partner, or a group of players. You can even imagine that you’re going up against your favorite pro player.

Instructions:
1. Play to 10 points.
- For every make, +2 points.
- For every miss, -1 point.
2. If you are by yourself, get your own rebound and spin the ball to yourself to take other game shots.
3. If working with another player, have the other player rebound your shots.
4. If working with 3 or more players, have a rebounder and a passer. You could also use two balls to go quicker.

Teaching Tips & Points of Emphasis:
• To increase the challenge
o Pick a higher number for the point goal.
o Do +1 on every made shot, -1 on every missed shot.
o To make it really challenging, do +1 on every made shot, -2 on every missed shot.
o Every time you miss consecutive shots, the value doubles. -1, -2, -4, -8, and so on.
• You can shoot from 1 spot.
• Shoot from different spots.
• Use your imagination and work on different shots.
o Shoot baseline to baseline.
o Shoot dribble jump shots from the wing.
o Shoot 3’s running from half-court, as if you’re shooting off the break.

Free Throw Shooting – Plus / Minus

Drill Purpose:
This is a great free-throw shooting drill that adds a fun twist. This drill can be done individually or as a group.

Instructions:
1. Determine a + score and a – score that you wish to play to. If you play +5/-5, reaching +5 is winning, reaching -5 is losing. If you chose +7/-2, determine winners and losers accordingly. If playing with a group, the first one to attain the score (as long as everyone has an equal chance to shoot) wins or loses.
2. The player steps to the foul line and shoots, counting the appropriate score. If working alone, the player shoots for the entire game. If with a group, the player shoots until he misses and then the next player shoots.

Scoring
+1 point for a made free throw
+2 points for a swish
-1 point for a miss

Teaching Tips & Points of Emphasis:
• This is usually used during a break between drills

To check out The Hoop Doctors other ‘Skool for Ballers’ posts click here. For more great basketball shooting drills visit Breakthrough Basketball today!

Breaking News: Knicks trade Jamal Crawford for Al Harrington

November 21, 2008 – Dr. Dime

The Hoop Doctors just want to keep y’all up to date on the fresh news that Donnie Walsh of the New York Knicks has pulled the trigger finally and agreed in principle with Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors on a trade that would send Jamal Crawford to the Warriors in exchange for Al Harrington.

This morning there were conflicting reports regarding a possible Al Harrington three way trade with the Clippers, Warriors, and Knicks in NewsDay, and in other reports originating from a story in the New York Post, a trade directly between the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors was discussed involving only Al Harrington and Malik Rose.

Well the final trade of Crawford for Harrington will apparently not be announced until later on this afternoon by the league, but if the trade does finalize as expected it should be a major victory for both teams. Donnie Walsh was the man who originally drafted Al Harrington to play for the Indiana Pacers and always loved his game. Mike D’Antoni no doubt loves Harrington’s versatility to play big on the inside, yet stroke the jumper from the perimeter in an up-tempo offense like that of the new look Knicks.

In light of the Monta Ellis moped accident causing him to miss significant time for the Warriors this season, I can see why Chris Mullin and Don Nelson love this move to bring in Jamal Crawford who can essentially flip between the PG and SG spot just as Ellis would, and take a significant scoring burden off of Stephen Jackson.

What do y’all think of the trade?

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