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Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

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  • #1

    Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

    http://blogs.pacers.com/2013/09/29/agness-observations-training-camp-2013/>>
    > >

    Posted by: Scott Agness Posted date: September 29, 2013 >>
    >

    The Pacers opened training camp at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Sept. 28. The team will have three two-a-days — Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday — before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Oct. 5.

    In addition to my stories from camp, I’ll share my daily observations from each practice below.


    Sunday, Sept. 29 (PM) — Practice No. 4

    + Danny Granger hit his predetermined workload number so he sat out most of tonight’s practice. He was allowed to do light shooting but that’s was it. “They’ve got a plan for the workload that they’re putting on the knee,” said Vogel. “When he reaches a certain level, he’s done for the day.” He was sitting down in a chair for the entire 25 minutes the media was able to watch. And during that time, a cheerful Danny had no problem yapping at teammates, as usual.

    + This group appears to have no problem scoring the ball. In one drill to work on scoring at a high rate, the team set a high standard on day one and nearly topped it tonight. Three guys run the length of the court. One lays it in, another spots up for a three, and the final guy shoots a jumper — all worth one point. In their first time running it (on Saturday), their total was 116. Sunday night, a little more tired, they made 111. That number is impressive because associate head coach Nate McMillian’s had great shooting teams in Seattle, and the best they’d get was 120. Vogel said he thinks the drill originated from George Karl, who most recently coached the Denver Nuggets for nine seasons.

    + The team ended the day in the same fashion as yesterday — at the free throw line. This time, they each shot two and if both were off the mark, the whole team had to run to half court and back before completing the full lap. Once again, George Hill and Paul George fought over who would finish each sprint first. George made a diving slide in one attempt to cross the baseline and win. As a group, they made their first 10 in a row. Mahinmi (1), West (2), Jackson (1), and Hibbert (1) were responsible for the misses.

    + Frank Vogel after their second consecutive two-a-day: “They’re in great shape. They got lively legs. There’s great energy and enthusiasm to this year’s camp.”

    + The NBA’s Competition Committee unanimously voted for the NBA Finals to return to the 2-2-1-1-1 format from 2-3-2, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports. This issue now has to be approved by the owners. Vogel upon hearing about it: “I think the (2-3-2) format just impacts the teams when you have an East Coast/West Coast final. I think that’s the only time it really matters. If there’s midwestern teams like ourselves in the 2014 NBA Finals, the travel isn’t going to be that bad.” It’s worth noting that Vogel was grinning as he said that final sentence.

    + The team has the morning off and will reassemble at 1 p.m. on Monday. Prior to taking the court, they are holding a security briefing ahead of their trip to the Philippines and Taiwan.


    Sunday, Sept. 29 (AM) — Practice No. 3

    + Danny said he felt great and wasn’t experiencing any soreness in his knee after the team’s first two-a-day session on Saturday.

    + Rookie Solomon Hill, George Hill and Rasual Butler stayed well after practice concluded to get up extra shots. The later two, with the help of coaches Nate McMillan, Dan Burke and a number of rebounders, put up 3-pointers for more than 50 minutes following practice. The goal was to nail five straight 3s in each of the five spots. Great showing by these three.

    + Paul George had his left shoe off and his sock rolled up to the middle of his foot. He said it’s nothing, just a blister from new shoes. (Must be nice to have that problem).

    Saturday, Sept. 28 (PM) — Practice No. 2

    + Tonight I was allowed to watch more of practice than usual. Media is usually restricted to about 15 minutes, but I was able to take in roughly double that. During that time, the team mostly worked on shooting and conditioning.

    + Vogel to the team in the midst of a drill: “We want to be the nastiest, most physical team in the league.”

    + The team toed the baseline to end practice and one by one they went to the free throw line. Miss, and the whole team has to run a down-and-back. Beforehand, Vogel asked if anyone knew where the team finished last season. A few were close, but nobody was correct. Vogel informed them that they were 19th in the league (74.6 percent) and that wasn’t high enough to win a championship. Everything coach says and has them do is with a championship in mind. Rasual Butler, Chris Copeland, Darnell Jackson and Paul George each missed, meaning the team (17 players) shot 76.5 percent.

    + The team’s energy at the end of practice stood out most to coach Vogel. They set a high standard for a full-court layup drill that’s continuous for about five minutes. Then, when those handful of players missed their foul shots, guys were running very hard on their down-and-back. George Hill was first nearly every time.

    Saturday, Sept. 28 (AM) — Practice No. 1

    + Ahhh! Camp is finally here. I know all parties — coaches, players, staff, media and fans — were glad the NBA has returned and games are a week away.

    + Danny Granger was particularly upbeat after the first official practice of the season. He said he went through the entire practice without any discomfort. Click here for my full story on Granger from the day.

    + Lots of Pacers personnel eagerly watching from the bleachers at mid-court on the practice floor. Larry Bird, Kevin Pritchard, and Peter Dinwiddie of course, along with most of the team’s scouting department.

    + As many player stuck around to shoot more, Luis Scola took a seat on the sideline to watch. Frank Vogel went over to him and sat down to talk because he “respects his mind,” and wants to hear Scola’s take on what they’re doing each day.
    Last edited by Unclebuck; 10-02-2013, 10:13 AM.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices

    My excitement level for the upcoming season is at Reggie Miller circa late 90s/early 00s range. Can't wait for the season to start.
    Never half-a** two things. Whole-a** one thing.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices

      Originally posted by Scott Agness View Post
      [COLOR=black]+ The team ended the day in the same fashion as yesterday — at the free throw line. This time, they each shot two and if both were off the mark, the whole team had to run to half court and back before completing the full lap. Once again, George Hill and Paul George fought over who would finish each sprint first. George made a diving slide in one attempt to cross the baseline and win. As a group, they made their first 10 in a row. Mahinmi (1), West (2), Jackson (1), and Hibbert (1) were responsible for the misses.
      Thanks for the clarification, Mr. Agness -___-

      :P

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices

        Of course this is my favorite part of the stuff posted by Scot Agnes - quote from Frank - Vogel to the team in the midst of a drill: “We want to be the nastiest, most physical team in the league.

        Beyond that I wonder if Frank's appraoch to increasing the team;'s free throw % is fdifferent from last season. Speaking of FT %. Scola gets to the line a lot, and he shoots very well so that will help having Danny will help. We need lance to shoot better. I am expecing that we shoot at least 78%. (Pacers were 76.5 last season, so i am expecting 78.5 plus

        edit: check that Scola is only a 75% career FT shooter. so he isn't going to make much of a difference.

        I still think 78% should be a very attainable goal
        Last edited by Unclebuck; 09-30-2013, 03:18 PM.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices

          Originally posted by Unclebuck View Post
          Of course this is my favorite part of the stuff posted by Scot Agnes - quote from Frank - Vogel to the team in the midst of a drill: “We want to be the nastiest, most physical team in the league.

          Beyond that I wonder if Frank's appraoch to increasing the team;'s free throw % is fdifferent from last season. Speaking of FT %. Scola gets to the line a lot, and he shoots very well so that will help having Danny will help. We need lance to shoot better. I am expecing that we shoot at least 78%. (Pacers were 76.5 last season, so i am expecting 78.5 plus

          edit: check that Scola is only a 75% career FT shooter. so he isn't going to make much of a difference.

          I still think 78% should be a very attainable goal
          Missed free throws absolutely drove me mad last season, especially during the Heat series. David West missed 3 big free throws in overtime that would've put the Pacers up by 4 or 5 points with less than 3 minutes to go, IIRC.

          As quoted in the article in the OP, "Vogel informed them that they were 19th in the league (74.6 percent) and that wasn’t high enough to win a championship." He's absolutely right.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices

            One thing you never doubt with this team is their effort, and commitment..and as demonstrated here, it starts in training camp and in practice.

            Coach Vogel cannot get enough credit for the culture he has instilled in this team. Makes you proud to be a fan

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices

              Here are Agnes first hand impressions of practices 5-7. Click on the link, there is some good stuff in there, but it wouldn't copy and past very well. There is some good stuff on Copeland and Scola

              http://blogs.pacers.com/2013/09/29/a...ing-camp-2013/
              Last edited by Unclebuck; 10-02-2013, 10:25 AM.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

                The team ended the day in the same fashion as yesterday — at the free throw line. This time, they each shot two and if both were off the mark, the whole team had to run to half court and back before completing the full lap. Once again, George Hill and Paul George fought over who would finish each sprint first. George made a diving slide in one attempt to cross the baseline and win.
                I would kill to watch one of these practices. There are a few things as cool and as well organized as a tightly knit championship level pro sports team preparing for the season.


                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

                  A little help

                  Agness continuation of blog

                  Tuesday, Oct. 1 (PM) — Practice No. 7

                  + Much to everyone’s relief, two-a-days are now over. The team completed their third and final one on Tuesday and afterwards, some were more tired than others. Once the team broke it down, Hibbert headed back towards the locker room and told coach Popeye Jones, who coaches the bigs, “I gotta go get off my feet.” And surely Hibbert isn’t alone.

                  + Granger was held out, as previously scheduled. Before leaving the court, however, he made 100 jumpers — 10 from each of the five spots. My unofficial tally had him connect on 68 percent of those shots. Watch below.

                  + Many of the guards also stayed behind to get more shots up. G. Hill, Watson and Johnson worked at one end while Sloan, Howard, S. Hill and Butler completed a shooting drill at the other. The later group had to hit two in a row from each of the five spots before leaving. If they missed two in a row from one spot, they had to go back to the previous spot. Butler quickly finished and watched from the team’s bench. Vogel spoke highly of Butler after today’s first session. “He makes every shot he takes,” he said.

                  + Coach Vogel and Luis Scola has another long conversation following practice. And once again, it was initiated by coach. Vogel is always seeking out more information and it’s become apparent that he holds a high regard for the forward.
                  See Also: Vogel has no interest in moving training camp

                  + The team will return to the court at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

                  Tuesday, Oct. 1 (AM) — Practice No. 6

                  + The media was able to sit in on a good portion of the end to practice — maybe 45 minutes. The team scrimmaged during that entire time, and there was even a pair of referees brought in. That’s mainly done to free up the assistant coaches and allow them to coach more.

                  + With referees on hand, Stephenson has no problem trying to argue a call in his favor. Standing alone, about seven rows up at mid-court, Larry Bird just smiled. I’m sure he enjoys seeing Stepehenson’s competitiveness.

                  Related: Stephenson Hopes Hard Work Pays Off

                  + Granger looked sharped. I think part of the reason we were allowed to view more of practice was to see first hand what Granger was able to do and how he looked, beyond just getting shots up. He was active, made shots, and had no hesitation driving into the lane. After driving towards the goal, a couple times he got a shot off and a few other times he dished to the post player who was more open.

                  + Vogel continues to mix and match guys when they scrimmage. Having so many quality pieces, the coaches want to see various groups — small lineups, quick lineups, shooters, etc. — while also making sure guys are getting comfortable to build familiarity. Chemistry is extremely important and one of the more important tasks at training camp.

                  + The three teams during this session — Blue: Watson, George, Granger, West, Mahinmi; White: G. Hill, Stephenson, S. Hill, Scola, Hibbert; Red: Sloan/Howard, Johnson, Copeland, Butler, Armstrong/Jackson. The white team had the most success.

                  + Copeland’s shooting and scoring ability will be a huge asset to this team, but beyond that, the threat of his shot will open things up for others. He has such a quick release that many guys today were jumping, only to see Copeland step around or fire the ball to a teammate. His passing was on point. Wednesday will be two months since he had his left knee scoped. Also worth noting, when the white team went small in the final scrimmage, Copeland replaced Hibbert and defended West; Scola matched up against Mahinmi.

                  See Also: West Draws Line in the Sand for Pacers

                  + Scola took the role of a coach a couple times, wanting to call timeout to set up a play and putting guys on his white team in the right place.

                  + Rasual Butler, who’s hoping to stick with the team, caught the attention of those watching after blocking Mahinmi’s shot in transition.

                  + IUPUI mean’s basketball head coach Todd Howard and assistant David Padgett watched practice from the stands. George Hill highly respects Howard, who was an assistant when he played for the Jaguars (2004-08).

                  Monday, Sept. 30 — Practice No. 5

                  + Emphasis at today’s practice, their first on the main floor: post offense, weak-side defense, strengthen defensive rebounding, the need to attack the basket and play a punishing offensive style with their numerous frontcourt weapons.

                  + Chris Copeland’s shooting has wowed a number of those watching practice. He is getting time at both the 3 and 4 positions, which is an even greater challenge because he’s new to the team.

                  + Granger sat out Monday’s practice, but there’s nothing to worry about. Again, he’s just following a pre-established workout plan, which doesn’t allow him to practice three days in a row or take part in two-a-days. It’s a wise decision because camp is such a grind even for the healthy players. No need to overdue it now. He’ll be back on the court for Tuesday’s morning practice. While he has been on the court, Frank Vogel says Granger has been “one of the more dominant players out there.” And for the preseason slate: “I’m going to play all through the preseason,” Granger said.

                  + Already noted in his workout schedule, Granger will sit out on both Thursday and Sunday.

                  + Vogel couldn’t be happier with the effort he is receiving and he believes the first five practices have been very productive. “These guys are working their tails off,” he said.

                  + Vogel: “Solomon Hill has just been a blessing with how far along he is as a rookie.” Click here to read more about the rookie.

                  + Vogel said he hasn’t yet thought about minute distribution in games.

                  + There is definitely a different, even more positive vibe to camp this year. Guys are up beat despite the grind of camp, they genuinely enjoy being around each other and are excited for their first game together on Saturday. Plus, they all seem to be on the same page. Roles don’t matter; winning a championship does.

                  + Luis Scola has already made a big impact in the locker room. He’s lifting before every practice and guys are enjoying playing alongside him. Hibbert appreciates Scola’s business approach and noted that he’s fun to play with because “he’s really wise beyond his years.” As for the same type of optimism towards the bench last year and how it compares, ”I think we’re good,” Hibbert said. “Last year I was very optimistic. I’m optimistic this year but I think these guys can help us make the next step. …All in all, the confidence is high, everybody’s working. Everybody came (to camp) in great shape.”

                  + Sunday night after practice, Hibbert socialized with members of the NBC comedy ‘Parks and Recreation” over dinner. The show is in town to film an NFL-based episode and Hibbert wanted to spend time with producers, writers and everyone involved. He confirmed that he’s not making a cameo this time.
                  After a practice last December, Hibbert took rookie Miles Plumlee with him to St. Elmos, where they had a very brief role in one of the episodes.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

                    Copeland sounds like he is playing extremely well. Man....the 29th can't get here fast enough.


                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

                      Originally posted by Trader Joe View Post
                      I would kill to watch one of these practices. There are a few things as cool and as well organized as a tightly knit championship level pro sports team preparing for the season.
                      I remember back in 1993 going to watch a Pacers training camp practice (Larry Brown's first year) at Purdue. The whole practice was open to the public. Larry Brown often allowed anyone to just wander in. It was 20 years ago so I don't remember specifics, but enjoyed it a great deal.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

                        This made me have a wow moment:

                        + The three teams during this session — Blue: Watson, George, Granger, West, Mahinmi; White: G. Hill, Stephenson, S. Hill, Scola, Hibbert; Red: Sloan/Howard, Johnson, Copeland, Butler, Armstrong/Jackson. The white team had the most success.
                        I read the Blue team lineup, and thought "Geez, they stacked the deck in their favor." Then I read the White team lineup and realized that they might be even better. That really hammers home the "this team is deep" thing.

                        Realizing that Copeland and OJ aren't on either of those squads is extra gravy.

                        Everyone compares the optimism for the bench last year to this year. There is a shred of truth to that. However, I think most people thought the bench would be solid-to-good (and we wrong). This bench has the potential to be great, especially if Granger is healthy.

                        I dont think I have ever been this excited for a pre-season game.
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                        • #13
                          Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

                          Something tells me Soloman Hill will see more time than we anticipated. Everything we hear about this guy from the coaches is just them gushing on how ready he is. Plus it would help keep Granger fresh.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

                            Originally posted by ilive4sports View Post
                            Something tells me Soloman Hill will see more time than we anticipated.
                            That's what the coaches keep saying. But where are the minutes gonna come from? I want to see Pulp more this year, as well, but who loses minutes?

                            Clearly the only solution is to blow everybody out and have lots of time available for our Victory Squad: Ian, Copeland, Solo, Pulp, and Sloan.
                            This space for rent.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Pacers.com reports from first 4 practices. UPDATE - post #7 - reports on practices 5-7

                              Solomon reminds me of another small forward we drafted a few years back....


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