Having Challenges

"It's having a challenge in my life, having something to go to bed thinking about and wake up having to pursue. Without that, life can be difficult. Some days are hard, but for the most part I still love it. I love being one of the guys, I still love waking up and going to work and trying to get better every day and trying to prepare to play, and after I play try to recover and get ready to play the next game. It gives me something to set goals and challenge myself and be directed."

-Steve Nash

Thoughts on Rebounding

Saw this in some of my notes the other day:

Rebounding is:

1.) Athletic ability

2.) Effort

3.) Basketball IQ

& 2 & 3 can make up for 1

Hayes fever grips Rockets

Terrific article by Richard Justice in the Houston Chronicle this week about Rockets forward Chuck Hayes, who is a favorite in the Houston locker room:

Chuck Hayes is the most remarkable player on the NBA's most remarkable team. How's that for an opening sentence? Good one, huh?

Don't believe me? Let's check in at Toyota Center and run it past some people who should know.

“Luis Scola and I were talking in the weight room this morning,” Shane Battier said, “and we both agreed Chuck Hayes is our favorite player in the NBA.”

How so?

“It's pretty amazing what he does,” Battier said. “He's a huge reason we've been one of the best defensive teams in the league the last few years.”

How about you, Carl Landry? Do you love Hayes as much as the rest of us?

“He's the perfect player,” Landry said. “He rebounds, plays defense, takes charges, gets steals. He does the dirty work.”

Is that right, Scola?

“It's a pleasure to play with him,” Scola said. “He plays hard. He does everything a basketball player should do. He's a great teammate.”

Surely someone disagrees. Coach Rick Adelman, are you ready to get rid of the Chuck Wagon?

“He's incredible,” Adelman said. “You watch him play that game (against the Lakers on Wednesday) against a 7-1 guy (Andrew Bynum). That guy is a really good young player. He gets 17 points and 17 rebounds. Chuck ends up with 14 and 14.

“When he's on the court, we're so different. Right now, he's confident and making some plays for himself. He's playing with a lot of freedom. I marvel at what he gets done against certain people in this league.”

Once upon a time, Hayes was one of the NBA's best-kept secrets. Only the Rockets seemed to know how good he was. Jeff Van Gundy fell in love with him midway through about one practice, and then Adelman arrived and did the same thing.

Size doesn't matter

Hayes' teammates love him, too. He's likable, decent and funny. The Rockets love Hayes because of who he is and what he is.

He's an NBA center. He's also 6-6, 238 pounds.

“And that's being generous,” Battier said.

Almost every night, he's assigned to guard a guy at least 6 inches taller and 30 to 40 pounds heavier. He does it because of his heart, drive and smarts. He's maybe the NBA's strongest player, with strong hands and a strong base, and when he positions himself in the low block, no one moves him.

Opposing centers can shoot over Hayes or pull him away from the basket and get a shot off. But if they're hoping to make a living against him in the low post, they're going to have the fight of their lives.

These first few games of a new season have amounted to a coming-out party for Hayes. The Rockets no longer have Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo, and so Hayes is averaging 29 minutes a game.

That's around 10 more a game than he has gotten in the other four years of his career. No Rocket is doing more with his minutes. No Rocket is more indispensable.

Hayes is averaging 8.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. He's out there because of what he gives the Rockets defensively, but when teams ignore him on offense, his teammates have begun to look for him. His 64.7-percent shooting percentage is the NBA's fifth-best. He's seventh in the league with 2.4 steals a game.

He does not fly like Kobe Bryant. He does not have Dwight Howard's size. He doesn't have Tim Duncan's slick moves.

All Hayes proves is that guys who care and work hard can still do special things.

“He's a competitor,” Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner said. “It's the way he competes every night. It's the way he's coachable and knowledgeable. Those are things we love. When you can compete, sometimes it doesn't matter if you're undersized. Sometimes winning and losing is just a matter of who plays the hardest.”

Bingo. If someone had told you last summer the Rockets would open this shorthanded season by splitting a pair of games with Portland, by winning at Salt Lake City and Golden State and by taking the Lakers to overtime before losing, you probably wouldn't have believed it.

Becoming a believer

The Rockets might be the NBA's smallest team. They have zero All-Stars. They're just a bunch of guys who exemplify how much can be accomplished with teamwork and unselfishness.

General manager Daryl Morey has said that playing hard is a skill, too. He meant that plenty can be accomplished by teams that outwork the other guys.

Around the NBA, they've taken notice. Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson both singled out Hayes and the Rockets for praise. Inside the home locker room at Toyota Center, there has been zero surprise factor.

“In our locker room, we believed,” Hayes said. “It's going to be a collective achievement throughout the whole team. Everybody has to do their part.”

Leadership of Dwyane Wade

Miami Head Coach Eric Spolestra on the developing leadership of Dwyane Wade:

"What we've seen Dwyane grow into is a complete leader. Last year, he took a step forward when everybody wanted him to be the leader, and this year he's taking the lead in another step. Every timeout he's echoing what the coaches are saying; he's the one stopping practice and telling guys to focus and finish, and when guys are losing concentration, he's the one stepping forward. For a coach to have a player step in, it makes it all the more powerful. So it doesn't always have to be me who blows the whistle and says, 'Hey, let's get it together.'"

Says Wade:

"Of course we all want to win as many championships as we can. But at the end of the day, you want to be respected by the effort that you put out every night in this game, and that's what I try to go out there and give."

Sefolosha Up for Any Challenge

Oklahoma City Thunder guard/forward Thabo Sefolosha routinely draws the assignment of the other teams best player. Last night it was Kobe Byrant, who he did a very good job on:

“Definitely going up against a guy like this is a challenge,” Sefolosha said of Bryant, “and I love that.”

Sefolosha knows that there isn't much he can do to stop a great player like Bryant, so he just tries to keep him in front of him:

“There’s not a lot you can take away from him but just make every shot he takes difficult with a hand near his face or close to his shooting hand,” Sefolosha said. “You know he’s going to go with different moves. He can do it all. He can penetrate and shoot the outside shot. You can’t really take it away, just stay in front of him.”

Thunder veteran guard Kevin Ollie has very high praise for Sefolosha, who was recently rewarded with a new four year contract:

“That’s all that defense comes down to: it’s heart,” Ollie said. “ It’s some technique but it’s heart and trying to stop your man because a lot of guys don’t want to play defense, they don’t want to challenge themselves because it’s not a glamorous spot where you’re going to be on SportsCenter or do anything like that. It’s just a man-on-man desire to stop your man and have that self fortitude and I think he has all of those characteristics.”

He will stay on top of you

Some quotes from Charlotte coach Larry Brown and Point Guard Raymond Felton:

"Point guard is such a vital position," Brown said. "You're an extension of the coaching staff. You hope they all realize early on how much we expect from them. I've been blessed to be with some pretty special ones and these two guys really want to learn and want to get better."

"[Brown] stays on top of you," Felton said. "He has the mentality of a college coach where he screams at you and stays on top of you every play. Even when you do something right, he still finds something you could have done better. That makes you better."

When the shot isn't falling, get to the rim

Good thoughts from Portland all-star Brandon Roy on getting to the rim when his legs are tired. Portland played their 1st back to back games the other night which is very tough to do in the NBA. Said Roy:

"I'm maturing and learning the game and saying when you get leads you've got to try to build on them by getting to the free throw line. You don't have to always shoot jumpers."

"I was a little tired and I noticed it on my jump shot. I said, 'I've got to be aggressive to get to the basket.'

"They did a good job of trapping me in those pick and rolls and not leaving me, so I just started trying to get early breaks -- when we're bringing it up, just try to attack right away and try to get to the cup and try to draw some fouls and try to put some pressure on them."

Art of the point guard

Great stuff from the master, Steve Nash

Harriman Brings Toughness

From the World Herald on Bluejay forward Casey Harriman:

Harriman is lauded for this toughness and energy that he brings to his team. "Just the way I was brought up," Harriman said. "Work hard, play hard."

That simple philosophy has earned the 6-foot-5 junior his teammates' respect.

“He's one of the tougher guys we have,'' center Kenny Lawson said. “For being only 6-5, he's a guy who's not afraid to go get the ball on the offensive and defensive end. He takes charges. He brings toughness and energy to this team, and you rarely see Casey taking a play off.''

Regardless of where Carter plays, head coach Dana Altman said, Harriman's toughness is going to get him on the court.

“Toughness is measured in a lot of different ways. He is our most physical guy right now. He's taken over for Josh Dotzler, who was our most physical player a year ago. He's been doing a good job of putting a body on somebody and being physical.''

Not Making Excuses

The Houston Rockets are off to a 2-1 start after beating Portland last night. With Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady out with injuries and former Rocket Ron Artest departing for the Lakers, Houston is picked as a long shot to make the playoffs. However, guys like Shane Battier keep plugging away and fight through adversity:

"That's a testament to the guys in this locker room," Battier said. "We have guys who don't make a lot of excuses, who play to win, regardless of the situation. People take that for granted, but it's rare in sports over a long period of time. This is the third year we've faced pretty significant adversity and not once have we made an excuse, 'Well, Yao's not here, Tracy's not here.' We plug in the next guy and play harder.

"It's been pretty impressive. It's as impressive a three-year span that I've ever experienced, at least in terms of team attitude. The attitude sometimes can last for a year and then it crumbles the next time you face adversity. But we've always had a good attitude here in this locker room."

A Commitment to Team Defense

Some quotes from the Boston Celtics camp on their goals and thoughts about being the best defensive team in the league. Comments came after Boston held Charlotte to 59 points in a 31 point victory. Here is an excerpt from espn.com:

"I think night in and night out, we want to come in and defend more than anything," said Perkins. "Obviously, you've got to put points up to win the game, but I just think we want to defend."

But coach Doc Rivers identified something special in this year's team and challenged his charges to be remembered like the 1985 Bears: one of the greatest defenses of all time.

"Doc brought it to our attention in the preseason," said Perkins. "We just kind of built from there. Doc asked if we wanted to be the best defensive team in history, like the '85 Bears. I think we've bought into it. We're playing intimate team defense and we just need to continue to do that."

"It's one thing to talk about it and another thing to actually do it," said Williams. "We're striving to [be the best defense], but we've got work to do. That's the mindset we have to have day in and day out. We're stressing defense every single play, ever single minute."

Which is why the Celtics enjoyed every moment of Wednesday's defensive-dominated victory. Asked what he prefers, shutting the opposition down or shining on the offensive end, Garnett didn't hesitate.

"Shutting people down," he said. "Because we work so hard in practice, man. Y'all have no idea what our drills are like.

"You know the majority of our practices are schemes. How we're going to defend, consistencies, schemes night-in and night-out for different people on different types of teams. But we work at it every single day.

"Every day, it's the same thing, same repetitive stuff, if not more. You know, when you shut a team down, that's hard work and effort."

"When you feel like you're forcing turnovers, it's just like it gets contagious and guys were everywhere," said Pierce. "It's great to watch."

One goal

Quote from Kevin Garnett after the Celtics beat the Cavs last night in Cleveland. KG was asked how the Celtics gelled together so well two years ago when they won the championship and how Cleveland can get there:

"The secret is that we came in with no egos, no agendas. One goal and we stuck to that. There wasn't something for your guys' morning papers, there wasn't something for headline news. That was what we was living. I think that's been the onus since we've been here. You've got to leave the ego at the door. Whatever swagger you've got, you bring it in here and you make sure it ain't cockiness. You do your job, you get the shooters open, you play defense, you talk, you give yourself up to get better as a team. ... That's the reason we work. I don't know what they have over here in Cleveland and what their beliefs are and what their studies are. But that's the formula for the Boston Celtics and why we were so successful our first year.''

Competitiveness

Story on the 2005 Duke team led by J.J. Redick:

Before a pickup-game session in early October senior Lee Melchionni approached Redick with an idea: "Let's play freshmen against seniors and show them what it's all about." All Duke pickup games go to seven--no need to win by two--and the rookies started off by matching the seniors basket for basket. With the score 6--6, Boykin tipped in Boateng's miss for the upset--and a chorus of primal screams echoed through the gym. "The freshmen were celebrating like they'd won the national championship, hugging, high-fiving, all that stuff," says Williams. "We got kind of mad about that."

For the next five games the seniors abused the freshmen, piling up win after win, not one of them close. When Boykin started laughing with Melchionni after the seniors had finished off the freshmen, the fiery Redick turned and delivered a stone-faced rebuke: "Jamal, if I'd just lost five games in a row, I wouldn't be making jokes about it."

Sharing the Ball

Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles has put an emphasis on ball movement during training camp:

"We put a lot of emphasis on moving the ball," Skiles said. "If you get into a playoff series against a really good ballclub, and in the regular season as well, you've got to move the ball, strong to weak. The guys right now are good at it. They're really playing unselfishly, looking for the open man and hitting the open man."

Carlos Delfino, who was accquired by the Bucks during the offseason, has always been known as a great passer:

"When you share the ball and you're pushing the ball without dribbling, it creates a great up-tempo game. We have many guys who can do that, and for me, it's great basketball.

We understand sharing the ball makes the team grow. As long as we continue to understand that, we have a chance to be a very good passing team. "

"Push the ball, not dribble. It's nice to watch. It's faster and everybody is involved on the plays. When you catch or make a good pass, it creates a good atmosphere. You're talking about creating shots for everyone."

Rebounding and more from Bill Russell

*To succeed you can't play any other way than with passion. We enjoy the game more because of what we put into it.

*I didn't have to rely on extraordinary inner resources, flashes of inspiration, to tell me to get my body where it had to go. My objective was clear. I wanted to make sure of the rebound.

*The guy who insists on going up as high as he can every time is reacting -and losing- rather than taking a specific positive action necessary to accomplish what he wants. Most of my rebounds came from positioning, where I was able to get the ball while in heavy traffic.

*To me, knowing how to act is everything. You cannot just throw yourself at at problem and expect to succeed. You cannot win the NBA championship on the first day of the season. It has to be won at every practice, every meeting, each and every game on the schedule. During the season, you learn to master all the important skills needed to get you to the championship game.