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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

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Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

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We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

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O'Briens homework assignments

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  • #1

    O'Briens homework assignments

    http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/obrie...mn_080531.html

    O’Brien reveals summer homework assignments for Pacers players


    By Jim O'Brien | May 31, 2008
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The greatest words I’ve ever heard anyone say is what Vince Lombardi said about excellence: “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
    This applies across the board to every phase of a person’s life. It certainly applies to the game of basketball and to the athletes who play the game. Everybody has an unlimited ability to improve what he or she has to offer each other.

    A great team has synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s why I gave each player a homework assignment for this summer. Here’s a glimpse.

    Danny Granger. I want Danny to be our go-to guy and he needs to work on his one-on-one abilities for that to happen. He's an excellent spot-up shooter off of one or two dribbles but to be the go-to guy he's going to have to work on his first step, penetrating the lane and hitting big shots while he's closely defended.

    Mike Dunleavy. Michael was asked to carry a tremendous load this year and he may have worn down physically a little as the year went on. The NBA season is a marathon. I'm asking Mike to take the whole concept of conditioning to a different level by training harder and longer than he ever has. In his past years in the NBA he hasn't been called on to be a go-to guy and we need him on the court because he makes our movement on offense very, very effective. After he does, he'll be just as fresh toward the end of the season as he is on opening night.

    Travis Diener. After having surgery on his foot, Travis' goal this offseason is to recover and recondition himself so he can effectively explode up the court on fast breaks next season. And he’s one of the smaller guys in the NBA and plays with a tremendous amount of energy but you’re always worried about him having a collision with somebody a lot bigger than he is, so anything we can do to protect his body by working on flexibility and strength is great. And he didn’t shoot the ball with consistency. He is not used to getting as many shots as we’re giving him and he has to be able to get them off quickly. It was great scoring in college, but he didn’t have to play against the athleticism of the NBA. So I think he’ll do things that are natural to him, which is work on his ability to shoot off of movement and to shoot with speed.

    Stephen Graham. He should continue to do what he always does, work as hard as anybody on planet Earth. When his number's called next year, I want him to be ready to go and that means he needs to be ready mentally to play a big role. He is a man with a lot of pride, knows that he has a great opportunity here at the Pacers, and will play in the summer league along with Shawne Williams. We just feel that Stephen has to be a guy that will compete for minutes next year.

    Marquis Daniels. Marquis will work a lot on his stand-still open 3-point shots. He really had a good finish to the year from the standpoint of recognizing that when he has his feet set, he can be a good 3-point shooter. I don’t think he’s ever going to be a great 3-point shooter, but we want him to be a consistent 34 percent, 35 percent 3-point shooter. So I’m sure he’ll work a great deal on shooting. The rest of the game is instinctive to Marquis, but he needs to get up thousands of shots during the summer.

    Jeff Foster. I don’t tell Jeff to do anything. Jeff loves to be in the weight room and is always ready when the season starts. I think Jeff was pleased with his new role as a passer and there’s not a lot you can do about practicing passing. But he also knows that our staff has a lot of confidence in his ability to knock down a stand-still open shot and so I think that he’ll want to prove, not only to us but to the rest of the league, that he’s a very effective shooter.

    Jermaine O'Neal. Jermaine just needs to rehab. He has a number of exercises that he has been given to rehab and strengthen his legs and his knee in particular. We’re confident that he can get back to full speed, but it’s just going to come down to his diligence and continuing the rehab process that he spent the last half of the season working on.

    Troy Murphy. Murph needs to work on learning to take charges. I think it’s an important element in his game. He really moves well, has a great basketball IQ, and we would like him to become a guy that can help us protect the basket better than we have as a team. If he can learn to take charges, that would be a step in the right direction. He's a great shooter and has a great deal of pride in his body, so I have no question that he’ll follow the conditioning program.

    Ike Diogu. He needs to play as much basketball as he can. The more he’s on the court, five on five, the better off he is. Ike is a well-conditioned athlete, he’s strong, he takes pride in his conditioning, he always stays at the top level from a physical conditioning standpoint. He needs to be in a full-court setting as much as possible, playing five on five, and guys prefer to do that, anyway.

    Shawne Williams. Shawne should just be going into his senior year in college next season, so he needs to spend as much time as possible here in Indianapolis working with our coaching staff. Every phase of the game is important to him, every fundamental of the game – ball-handling, shooting and moving without the ball in particular. He also needs to strengthen his body, make sure his body is ready to play at a higher level than it has in the past so he might be able to play one of the big spots when called on. His summer program is as important as anybody on the team. He needs to continue to grow as a player.

    The Pacers are committed to excellence. I know the guys will continue to work hard on their homework assignments and be ready for next season.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: O'Briens homework assignments

    Tinsley's omission makes it clear that he's not in the Pacers' plans for next season. One way or another, he'll be gone.

    Harrison, too.
    "I'll always be a part of Donnie Walsh."
    -Ron Artest, Denver Post, 12.28.05

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    • #3
      Re: O'Briens homework assignments

      Originally posted by blanket View Post
      Tinsley's omission makes it clear that he's not in the Pacers' plans for next season. One way or another, he'll be gone.

      Harrison, too.
      Not resigning Harrison was a given once TPTB decided not to extend him. I would like to believe that Tinsley would be moved....but until I see him in another uniform...I'm inclined to expect him to be on the roster next season. I have zero problem with swapping Tinsley for some equal contract at a position of need that makes sense for us ( like getting Jared Jeffries or even Gadzuric )....but I just think that it is near impossible to move him without doing something that we don't want to do ( give up some trading asset that we don't want to ...as in Foster, Shawne or some future consideration ie Draft picks ).
      Ash from Army of Darkness: Good...Bad...I'm the guy with the gun.

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      • #4
        Re: O'Briens homework assignments

        "I don’t tell Jeff to do anything."

        Why would he need to? You gotta love Jeff.

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        • #5
          Re: O'Briens homework assignments

          That was an interesting read. Thanks!
          Play Mafia!
          Twitter

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          • #6
            Re: O'Briens homework assignments

            Wow. So Tins is definetely gone. I wouldn't be surprised to see a buyout.


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            • #7
              Re: O'Briens homework assignments

              Ike Diogu. He needs to play as much basketball as he can. The more he’s on the court, five on five, the better off he is.
              Oh the irony.

              JOB homework - read his own comments


              Now personally I get why Ike wasn't playing and I think his HW should be severe double-team practice. Have 2 coaches/assistants run at him, maybe with brooms too and make him find a 3rd person either standing or moving for the pass. Show him every look and every type of target you can think of (spot up wing, skip pass, lane cuts, coming off high screen, etc).

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              • #8
                Re: O'Briens homework assignments

                I'm pretty pleased with Tinsley's HW assignment. No HW should please him too, so he can spend more time clubbin'.

                ...or maybe he's transferring to a new school....or maybe he just flunked out.

                Who really cares as long as he's not on the floor...

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                • #9
                  Re: O'Briens homework assignments

                  Schoooooooool's out. For. Tinsley!

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: O'Briens homework assignments

                    Agree with some, strongly disagree on others.


                    Travis Diener has one thing he needs to work on offensively, and that's getting comfortable shooting 3s WITHOUT moving. The only reason he's a poor shooter is because he drifts during the release. Dunleavy had the same problem two years ago, straightened up, and now his % is much higher. Why O'Brien doesn't emphasize that is beyond me.


                    Totally agree with Murphy. It's about the only he can do defensively to be productive. Maybe he can focus on boxing out too. Murphy'd get 15 rb/game if he knew how to box out.


                    Marquis needs to work on his decision-making.


                    Ike just needs playing time...and a lot of film time.


                    Jermaine needs to share some of his ego with Dunleavy.


                    I have mixed feelings on his comments for Mike. Dunleavy was the most durable player on the team last year, but at the same time, his second half numbers, especially 4th quarter, were horrible compared to his first half numbers (i.e. McGrady). Still, it's not his #1 area for improvement. If I were him, I'd spend my entire summer improving my lateral movement and getting lower in his defensive stance. He's smart, and I think he's quick enough..he just doesn't do it.

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                    • #11
                      Re: O'Briens homework assignments

                      And I have to wonder if this is some kind of reverse psychology on Tinsley. 99% chance it's not, but I have to wonder if this is some kind of last ditch effort to challenge him. Maybe the "chip on the shoulder" approach would work for Tinsley.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: O'Briens homework assignments

                        Originally posted by Jim O'Brien
                        A great team has synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

                        I'm glad he said this. So many fans shout for a "1A" option, a superstar, a go-to-guy, somebody who can carry the team on his back, etc.

                        Jim O'Brien understands that the Pacers aren't going to have that guy, if he even exists. So O'Brien's going to coach the players to work as a team, to work within a system. O'Brien didn't waver from his defensive scheme last season because the scheme is the thing. He's the best coach this mediocre team could have at this stage in the process of rebuilding.
                        And I won't be here to see the day
                        It all dries up and blows away
                        I'd hang around just to see
                        But they never had much use for me
                        In Levelland. (James McMurtry)

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                        • #13
                          Re: O'Briens homework assignments

                          I guess it's good that Danny is working to make his 'first step' better.
                          But that's something your pretty much either born with or you aren't.
                          You can refine the mechanics and utilize deception better. But you're
                          either explosive or you aren't.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: O'Briens homework assignments

                            Originally posted by Rajah Brown View Post
                            I guess it's good that Danny is working to make his 'first step' better.
                            But that's something your pretty much either born with or you aren't.
                            You can refine the mechanics and utilize deception better. But you're
                            either explosive or you aren't.
                            That's true to a degree, but only to a degree. He'll never have Wade's first step, but he can improve his own. Even a small amount of quickness can be the difference between taking your guy off the dribble or not. He should be able to get that edge with a good trainer.

                            I'm with Nap on Ike's homework. Holy cow, you really think he needs more 5-on-5 time? Then get him some! I think the same is true of Shawne Williams. Speaking of which, Shawne and Graham are going to summer league, but what about Ike?

                            I'm shocked that Tinsley didn't get a mention. Do they plan on moving him? Sure. But they plan on moving JO, too, and he still had homework. That's just a big F-U to Tinsley.
                            This space for rent.

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: O'Briens homework assignments

                              Wow - can you even imagine the FU's that came out of Tinsley's mouth if he read this. If he wasn't pouting before he sure as H will be now.
                              The best exercise of the human heart is reaching down and picking someone else up.

                              Comment

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