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And don't forget young kobe
The Official NBA Season Thread: Season Starts Now
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by pmatic,
- Start date
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Quite a bit of talent
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I remember talking about how bad Mark Cuban has mismanaged the Mavs and capes was everywhere saying "But he won a chip a decade ago!!"
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Bones in the way man.
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That Mailman one is crazy 
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Philadelphia 76ers
Joking, but not really 
Bucks leaked
Pacers shorts
Edit: The whole set, but catalog pics
Bucks leaked
Pacers shorts
Edit: The whole set, but catalog pics
Last edited:
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Great fit
HOU$TON
formerly convertibleburt
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LAKE CHARLES, La. — Given Rockets coach Ime Udoka’s reputation for directness, with a willingness to share publicly whatever critiques he offers in private, his assessment of his first training camp as Rockets coach could be taken as a good sign.
He does not do sugar coating and apparently did not need to.
“It went well,” Udoka said before repeating his message from the final huddle at McNeese State before heading home. “What I said to the guys right there at the end was the effort was great, to be honest. The focus was great.
“I talked about a few things in the first film session, and they had good carryover as far as that. We were more so pleased that they were mostly policing themselves, holding each other accountable, a lot of communication out there. The veterans are paying off, the young guys are working hard. They came in great shape.”
That might sound like happy talk on a getaway day, but Udoka is not known for looking at the bright side at the expense of calling out areas in need of repairs.
Still, four days of practices are at best just a start. Relatively few schemes have been installed. The defense, the primary focus of the Rockets’ hopes for a revival, has had the Rockets switching at every position, though that is just one of the schemes Udoka plans to employ.
That allowed the Rockets to work against an aggressive, switching defense, the sort that has become prevalent around the NBA. But it also begins hammering home the message that in many schemes, the Rockets expect to be more forceful on the ball and against off-ball screens.
“We’re starting from the ground up so we’re keeping it pretty simple,” Udoka said of the schemes installed so far. “We’re overdosing on the switching right now. We want everybody aggressive on switching and we’ll kind of scale it back as we go, preparing for the games.
“I think guys that are naturally uncomfortable with that are getting better. Some guys do it really well.”
The second unit in Thursday’s practice, ranging from the Rockets’ youngest players to their oldest — Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green — in particular exceled in the switching defense.
The final camp practice ended with a fast break defensive drill. It is a common NBA drill, but there was no mystery about why Udoka would make it the last word of the training camp workouts. He began camp with video of shortcomings of the past seasons. He ended it with a drill to improve one of the most conspicuous.
“An area where we really struggled last year was opponent fast break points, opponent points off turnovers,” Udoka said. “So, we really want to take care of the ball. And when we do make a basket, transfer from offense to defense.”
The Rockets last season allowed the most fastbreak points and the most points off turnovers in the NBA.
When it came to running a break, after days of praise for the play and influence of the veteran additions, Udoka cited a rookie.
“The guy who stood out to a lot of people was Amen,” Udoka said. “His pace is real, his size and athleticism, and he has that burst. He really ignites the fast break on his own. He’s been great.
“He’s just scratching the surface. He’s getting up to speed. He’s learning on the fly. He already has some natural ability and instincts that you can’t teach, and the IQ and the passing ability that stands out immediately. But he’ll learn as he goes. He’s done a great job.”
Udoka emphasized that Thompson had played fewer games with Overtime Elite than most players coming from colleges and played just one summer league game. But Thompson was happy with his first taste of NBA practices.
“I thought it was fun. I thought it was informative,” he said. “Coach had us doing new things. I loved it.”
Whitmore similarly stood out. He also has adjustments to make, playing off the ball more often than he did in Villanova where he could look for his own shots.
“He’s another guy that has the physical attributes,” Udoka said. “For him, it’s just learning the NBA game. He’s been good as well. For him, it’s learning to play a different way. We want them to play off the ball and play with your teammates.”
Whitmore said the role was the same as in summer league, where he was the MVP in Las Vegas.
“It translated to here with the vets, showing me where I’m at on the court, giving me advice day-by day,” Whitmore said. Corrections did nothing to dampen his confidence.
“I’m just a confident person overall,” Whitmore said. “That translates to the NBA. I’m more than capable of being on the NBA floor. Everyone was competitive. I was competitive.
“I would say the culture definitely changed from what I heard about last year to this year. Everybody is all in together.”
It was that sort of camp. Even Udoka had to admit that the first out of town training camp in his career as an NBA player, assistant or head coach was at least a good start. For now, that was enough.
He does not do sugar coating and apparently did not need to.
“It went well,” Udoka said before repeating his message from the final huddle at McNeese State before heading home. “What I said to the guys right there at the end was the effort was great, to be honest. The focus was great.
“I talked about a few things in the first film session, and they had good carryover as far as that. We were more so pleased that they were mostly policing themselves, holding each other accountable, a lot of communication out there. The veterans are paying off, the young guys are working hard. They came in great shape.”
That might sound like happy talk on a getaway day, but Udoka is not known for looking at the bright side at the expense of calling out areas in need of repairs.
Still, four days of practices are at best just a start. Relatively few schemes have been installed. The defense, the primary focus of the Rockets’ hopes for a revival, has had the Rockets switching at every position, though that is just one of the schemes Udoka plans to employ.
That allowed the Rockets to work against an aggressive, switching defense, the sort that has become prevalent around the NBA. But it also begins hammering home the message that in many schemes, the Rockets expect to be more forceful on the ball and against off-ball screens.
“We’re starting from the ground up so we’re keeping it pretty simple,” Udoka said of the schemes installed so far. “We’re overdosing on the switching right now. We want everybody aggressive on switching and we’ll kind of scale it back as we go, preparing for the games.
“I think guys that are naturally uncomfortable with that are getting better. Some guys do it really well.”
The second unit in Thursday’s practice, ranging from the Rockets’ youngest players to their oldest — Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green — in particular exceled in the switching defense.
The final camp practice ended with a fast break defensive drill. It is a common NBA drill, but there was no mystery about why Udoka would make it the last word of the training camp workouts. He began camp with video of shortcomings of the past seasons. He ended it with a drill to improve one of the most conspicuous.
“An area where we really struggled last year was opponent fast break points, opponent points off turnovers,” Udoka said. “So, we really want to take care of the ball. And when we do make a basket, transfer from offense to defense.”
The Rockets last season allowed the most fastbreak points and the most points off turnovers in the NBA.
When it came to running a break, after days of praise for the play and influence of the veteran additions, Udoka cited a rookie.
“The guy who stood out to a lot of people was Amen,” Udoka said. “His pace is real, his size and athleticism, and he has that burst. He really ignites the fast break on his own. He’s been great.
“He’s just scratching the surface. He’s getting up to speed. He’s learning on the fly. He already has some natural ability and instincts that you can’t teach, and the IQ and the passing ability that stands out immediately. But he’ll learn as he goes. He’s done a great job.”
Udoka emphasized that Thompson had played fewer games with Overtime Elite than most players coming from colleges and played just one summer league game. But Thompson was happy with his first taste of NBA practices.
“I thought it was fun. I thought it was informative,” he said. “Coach had us doing new things. I loved it.”
Whitmore similarly stood out. He also has adjustments to make, playing off the ball more often than he did in Villanova where he could look for his own shots.
“He’s another guy that has the physical attributes,” Udoka said. “For him, it’s just learning the NBA game. He’s been good as well. For him, it’s learning to play a different way. We want them to play off the ball and play with your teammates.”
Whitmore said the role was the same as in summer league, where he was the MVP in Las Vegas.
“It translated to here with the vets, showing me where I’m at on the court, giving me advice day-by day,” Whitmore said. Corrections did nothing to dampen his confidence.
“I’m just a confident person overall,” Whitmore said. “That translates to the NBA. I’m more than capable of being on the NBA floor. Everyone was competitive. I was competitive.
“I would say the culture definitely changed from what I heard about last year to this year. Everybody is all in together.”
It was that sort of camp. Even Udoka had to admit that the first out of town training camp in his career as an NBA player, assistant or head coach was at least a good start. For now, that was enough.
Cam and amen
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- 55,639
Houston, Portland, OKC and hopefully the SpursLAKE CHARLES, La. — Given Rockets coach Ime Udoka’s reputation for directness, with a willingness to share publicly whatever critiques he offers in private, his assessment of his first training camp as Rockets coach could be taken as a good sign.
He does not do sugar coating and apparently did not need to.
“It went well,” Udoka said before repeating his message from the final huddle at McNeese State before heading home. “What I said to the guys right there at the end was the effort was great, to be honest. The focus was great.
“I talked about a few things in the first film session, and they had good carryover as far as that. We were more so pleased that they were mostly policing themselves, holding each other accountable, a lot of communication out there. The veterans are paying off, the young guys are working hard. They came in great shape.”
That might sound like happy talk on a getaway day, but Udoka is not known for looking at the bright side at the expense of calling out areas in need of repairs.
Still, four days of practices are at best just a start. Relatively few schemes have been installed. The defense, the primary focus of the Rockets’ hopes for a revival, has had the Rockets switching at every position, though that is just one of the schemes Udoka plans to employ.
That allowed the Rockets to work against an aggressive, switching defense, the sort that has become prevalent around the NBA. But it also begins hammering home the message that in many schemes, the Rockets expect to be more forceful on the ball and against off-ball screens.
“We’re starting from the ground up so we’re keeping it pretty simple,” Udoka said of the schemes installed so far. “We’re overdosing on the switching right now. We want everybody aggressive on switching and we’ll kind of scale it back as we go, preparing for the games.
“I think guys that are naturally uncomfortable with that are getting better. Some guys do it really well.”
The second unit in Thursday’s practice, ranging from the Rockets’ youngest players to their oldest — Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, Tari Eason, Jae’Sean Tate and Jeff Green — in particular exceled in the switching defense.
The final camp practice ended with a fast break defensive drill. It is a common NBA drill, but there was no mystery about why Udoka would make it the last word of the training camp workouts. He began camp with video of shortcomings of the past seasons. He ended it with a drill to improve one of the most conspicuous.
“An area where we really struggled last year was opponent fast break points, opponent points off turnovers,” Udoka said. “So, we really want to take care of the ball. And when we do make a basket, transfer from offense to defense.”
The Rockets last season allowed the most fastbreak points and the most points off turnovers in the NBA.
When it came to running a break, after days of praise for the play and influence of the veteran additions, Udoka cited a rookie.
“The guy who stood out to a lot of people was Amen,” Udoka said. “His pace is real, his size and athleticism, and he has that burst. He really ignites the fast break on his own. He’s been great.
“He’s just scratching the surface. He’s getting up to speed. He’s learning on the fly. He already has some natural ability and instincts that you can’t teach, and the IQ and the passing ability that stands out immediately. But he’ll learn as he goes. He’s done a great job.”
Udoka emphasized that Thompson had played fewer games with Overtime Elite than most players coming from colleges and played just one summer league game. But Thompson was happy with his first taste of NBA practices.
“I thought it was fun. I thought it was informative,” he said. “Coach had us doing new things. I loved it.”
Whitmore similarly stood out. He also has adjustments to make, playing off the ball more often than he did in Villanova where he could look for his own shots.
“He’s another guy that has the physical attributes,” Udoka said. “For him, it’s just learning the NBA game. He’s been good as well. For him, it’s learning to play a different way. We want them to play off the ball and play with your teammates.”
Whitmore said the role was the same as in summer league, where he was the MVP in Las Vegas.
“It translated to here with the vets, showing me where I’m at on the court, giving me advice day-by day,” Whitmore said. Corrections did nothing to dampen his confidence.
“I’m just a confident person overall,” Whitmore said. “That translates to the NBA. I’m more than capable of being on the NBA floor. Everyone was competitive. I was competitive.
“I would say the culture definitely changed from what I heard about last year to this year. Everybody is all in together.”
It was that sort of camp. Even Udoka had to admit that the first out of town training camp in his career as an NBA player, assistant or head coach was at least a good start. For now, that was enough.
Cam and amen
Not mad at Houston and Portland not going full tank and taking on vets
Portland swiping both Timelord and Brogdon was a serious come up
Thunder has made some honestly weird moves with all of their bullets but that roster is talented as hell
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Oh, and the east: Detroit, Indy and Orlando
So many young promising teams
So many young promising teams
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Damn I'ma need those Orlando Pacers shortsPhiladelphia 76ers
Joking, but not really
Bucks leaked
Pacers shorts
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Only Mike would make Oak a coach
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Jordan is. Kept on drafting busts.
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He won a chip in 2011!!
dontsteponmyshoes
Supporter
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James Dolan rollin over in his grave right now
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