Glenn
10-04-2007, 02:37 PM
He's back!
:mccosky:
Some early impressions
Flip Saunders hasn't let us media types into any of the scrimmages yet (we are hoping to get in Friday), so what I can tell you is what the coaches are raving about thus far. The first thing is the team's overall conditioning. Saunders said the team was in better shape at the start of camp than it was last year by far.
Flip Murray has been one of the early stars. He is some 15 to 20 pounds lighter and was a dominant force on Tuesday night. For whatever reason, Murray never got into proper shape last year. He's in a contract drive now, and looks lean and mean -- funny how that happens. If he maintains this pace, he will cause a pleasant problem for Saunders. The initial plan was for rookie Rodney Stuckey to be the first guard off the bench, be it for Chauncey Billups or Rip Hamilton. Murray was slated to be the fourth guard, playing mostly in mop up or emergency situations. But understand this about Saunders, he is a Flip Murray fan. He loves his ability to create his own offense and he stood by Murray last year far longer than the rest of the organization (and media) did. Saunders is an old-school guy. He's not just going to award minutes to Stuckey and fellow rookie Arron Afflalo. They are going to have to earn them. Now, unless Stuckey falls completely on his face, which isn't likely, Murray is going to have to get his minutes backing up Hamilton, or if the Pistons go to three-guard sets. That would mean Afflalo's role might shrink. We'll see, it's all too early to make final judgments on this stuff, but Murray is out of the gates very fast.
Rasheed Wallace and Billups also won Saunders praise for their aggressive efforts thus far. Jason Maxiell was wearing a yellow jersey at practice Wednesday morning, meaning he was running with the third unit. But fear not. He hasn't been demoted. Saunders wanted to put Maxey in a position where he would be the featured offensive player -- something he will have to do more of now that Antonio McDyess is starting. Maxey is going to have to take his offense to a higher level this year.
I asked Rip Hamilton about last season, about his increased frustration level and the 15 technical fouls. I wondered if something else, something off the court, might have been eating at him. He said, nope. "I control all of that," he said. "When I got my techs, I knew how many I could get. I went all the way up to 15 (one shy of suspension). I took all you could get. I am going to take my hits. I am like a boxer. You are going to take the low blows until you start losing points." That is classic Rip. He never lets on if something is bothering him. I suspect that something was amiss off the court last year -- personal stuff -- but that's his business and he isn't going to turn the season into an episode of Oprah. He might have the perfect demeanor for an athlete. He's never in a slump (regardless of how many shots he's missed). He's never frustrated (regardless of how many times he curses and throws his mask off). He's never met a defense or a defender that can stop him. As delusional as it may be at times, it's probably a healthy way to go about things. Down days are few and far between for Ripper, and that's as it should be.
Kent Davidson and Jaren Jackson were at the practice facility the last two days. Who are they? Davidson is the head coach of the Pistons D-League team in Fort Wayne. Jackson, the former Georgetown star who won a ring with the Spurs in 1999, is his assistant. They spent time with two of their future players -- Pistons rookies Cheikh Samb and Sammy Mejia. I noticed that Amir Johnson never went near them. Only kidding, after two years, Amir is done with the D-League.
Saw today that Uncle Cliffy -- Cliff Robinson -- has officially retired. That's two of my all-time favorites calling it quits this year. Cliff and Corliss Williamson. Both want to go into coaching -- which makes sense, since they are two of the smartest basketball guys I've ever spent time with (I am not exaggerating). Williamson is an assistant coach at Arkansas Baptist College. I hope somebody is smart enough to bring Cliff on their staff. Off-the-court stuff aside, the guy knows the game, understands players and what makes them tick and would be an asset.
Don't forget about the open scrimmage Thursday at OU. Starting time is 6:30. Don't expect a full-out scrimmage. These things are usually staged pretty good for entertainment purposes. Still fun to see, though.
:mccosky:
Some early impressions
Flip Saunders hasn't let us media types into any of the scrimmages yet (we are hoping to get in Friday), so what I can tell you is what the coaches are raving about thus far. The first thing is the team's overall conditioning. Saunders said the team was in better shape at the start of camp than it was last year by far.
Flip Murray has been one of the early stars. He is some 15 to 20 pounds lighter and was a dominant force on Tuesday night. For whatever reason, Murray never got into proper shape last year. He's in a contract drive now, and looks lean and mean -- funny how that happens. If he maintains this pace, he will cause a pleasant problem for Saunders. The initial plan was for rookie Rodney Stuckey to be the first guard off the bench, be it for Chauncey Billups or Rip Hamilton. Murray was slated to be the fourth guard, playing mostly in mop up or emergency situations. But understand this about Saunders, he is a Flip Murray fan. He loves his ability to create his own offense and he stood by Murray last year far longer than the rest of the organization (and media) did. Saunders is an old-school guy. He's not just going to award minutes to Stuckey and fellow rookie Arron Afflalo. They are going to have to earn them. Now, unless Stuckey falls completely on his face, which isn't likely, Murray is going to have to get his minutes backing up Hamilton, or if the Pistons go to three-guard sets. That would mean Afflalo's role might shrink. We'll see, it's all too early to make final judgments on this stuff, but Murray is out of the gates very fast.
Rasheed Wallace and Billups also won Saunders praise for their aggressive efforts thus far. Jason Maxiell was wearing a yellow jersey at practice Wednesday morning, meaning he was running with the third unit. But fear not. He hasn't been demoted. Saunders wanted to put Maxey in a position where he would be the featured offensive player -- something he will have to do more of now that Antonio McDyess is starting. Maxey is going to have to take his offense to a higher level this year.
I asked Rip Hamilton about last season, about his increased frustration level and the 15 technical fouls. I wondered if something else, something off the court, might have been eating at him. He said, nope. "I control all of that," he said. "When I got my techs, I knew how many I could get. I went all the way up to 15 (one shy of suspension). I took all you could get. I am going to take my hits. I am like a boxer. You are going to take the low blows until you start losing points." That is classic Rip. He never lets on if something is bothering him. I suspect that something was amiss off the court last year -- personal stuff -- but that's his business and he isn't going to turn the season into an episode of Oprah. He might have the perfect demeanor for an athlete. He's never in a slump (regardless of how many shots he's missed). He's never frustrated (regardless of how many times he curses and throws his mask off). He's never met a defense or a defender that can stop him. As delusional as it may be at times, it's probably a healthy way to go about things. Down days are few and far between for Ripper, and that's as it should be.
Kent Davidson and Jaren Jackson were at the practice facility the last two days. Who are they? Davidson is the head coach of the Pistons D-League team in Fort Wayne. Jackson, the former Georgetown star who won a ring with the Spurs in 1999, is his assistant. They spent time with two of their future players -- Pistons rookies Cheikh Samb and Sammy Mejia. I noticed that Amir Johnson never went near them. Only kidding, after two years, Amir is done with the D-League.
Saw today that Uncle Cliffy -- Cliff Robinson -- has officially retired. That's two of my all-time favorites calling it quits this year. Cliff and Corliss Williamson. Both want to go into coaching -- which makes sense, since they are two of the smartest basketball guys I've ever spent time with (I am not exaggerating). Williamson is an assistant coach at Arkansas Baptist College. I hope somebody is smart enough to bring Cliff on their staff. Off-the-court stuff aside, the guy knows the game, understands players and what makes them tick and would be an asset.
Don't forget about the open scrimmage Thursday at OU. Starting time is 6:30. Don't expect a full-out scrimmage. These things are usually staged pretty good for entertainment purposes. Still fun to see, though.