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Shaquille
O'Neal: "When you are 60, hang out with 60-year-olds, not 20-year-olds.
That is all I got to say about Jerry Buss."
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HoopsHype.com Articles A
summer in San Antonio
In the past few years, several European coaches have gotten the chance to spend time with NBA coaching staffs during the summer league action. Every minute you can spend learning about the way they work in the League is a great opportunity for an European coach. It was certainly a great experience for me. Last year, I spent two weeks with the Seattle Sonics and one week with the San Antonio Spurs. Then I thought it was once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was so happy I had the opportunity to do that. This year, I was invited again and spent another two weeks with the Spurs again. Unlike last season, this year I was with the team from the start of the pre-summer league camp, so I had a chance to work as a coach in the staff in every practice and meeting. The San Antonio Spurs are all about pride, hard work, being competitive and playing tough defense. From the top to the bottom of the organization, that's what they believe in. And you can feel that as soon as you enter their facility. They know what they have to do. They know what it takes to be a champion. It is very important for those joining the team for the first time to understand that, even though most of them are aware that they are just part of a summer-league team at this moment. Understanding where you are and what kind of chance you have is not that hard... I mean, somehow it is easier when you see players like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker or Bruce Bowen working hard early in the month of July. Follow the leaders! It is that simple. We used practices to teach our players some things about the defensive and offensive system, which they should put in action during games. Of course, there is not enough time for them to learn everything. But on the other side, it is a good chance for the coaching staff to evaluate players, their knowledge of the game and their ability to adjust and learn as quickly as possible. At the end of the day, though, it is not about what do you play. It is about how you play it. For those players who are already in the NBA, summer league action is an opportunity to get more playing time and more experience. Newcomers have a chance to adjust to a different kind of game, coaching and refereeing. Every team has its own goals and sometimes it is not about winning or losing. Of course, everybody wants to win. But there are other priorities. As an European coach, I was trying to figure out the differences between two basketball schools. The reason for that is obvious – the NBA is the best league and it should be a reference for all the other leagues. If you want to prepare your players in the best possible way, you have to know what it takes to be the best. It is an opportunity to find out what kind of players can play that type of basketball. It is a chance to find out what kind of qualities and skills one should have if he wants to play successfully on the highest level. Good athletes, team-oriented players with good fundamentals and hard work habits... I believe in that type of guys – those prepared to make sacrifices for team success. The coaching staff in San Antonio is a real team and it works as a team – with all coaches helping each other in every situation. Practice-planning and execution are two different things, especially with 15 players that have never played together before. Open-minded people were in our staff and it was a perfect opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences, which was precisely what I was looking for. Bottom line, I had
a great time with the Spurs. Aleksandar Dzikic is the assistant coach of Partizan Belgrade and a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this article. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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