The following is a post from NBA.com written by Idan Ravin (aka The Hoops Whisperer), who first became known to me because he was Carmelo Anthony’s hoops trainer. Idan has also trained various other NBA All-Stars. Knowing that I don’t copy-paste much of other people’s work unless I find it compelling, read this.
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Welcome to this week’s Morning Tip. This week’s guest columnist, Idan Ravin, has become one of the league’s most in-demand personal trainers. In an ultra-competitive business where people are desperate for access to athletes, Ravin has built an amazing clientele, working with the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Rudy Gay, Gilbert Arenas and others, mainly through word of mouth. Known as the “Hoops Whisperer,” Ravin keeps his methods for improving the NBA’s elite close to the vest. But this week, Ravin shares his appreciation for the journey that many pro players make to the big time. Hope you enjoy it.
I’m often asked whether the NBA players I train are “good guys.” An interesting question because it suggests people want to find a way to humanize the professional athlete and make them more familiar. Television, print and the Web bring the NBA player into our homes. We see them compete, win, lose, succeed and struggle.
But it is still not enough. They want to know, “What are they really like?”
In my eyes, they are like you and me. There are good days and not-so good-days. They can be careful and careless. They can make good decisions and not-so-good decisions. It is not as important for me to share with you whether they are good or bad guys, but, rather, that we can find inspiration from their unlikely journey.
It’s easy to say you want to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, banker, consultant, journalist, graphic designer, architect, etc. After all, there’s a traditional path to take and inevitably there’s someone you know who has taken this journey. It is palatable. There is a path of bread crumbs you can follow until you make it “home.” In other words, “If I go to school, get good grades, get good standardized test scores, excel with my internship, then I will eventually reach my goal and succeed.”
Now, imagine an 8-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, or Inglewood, or Riga, Latvia, or Bologna, Italy, or Vancouver, Canada, or Berlin, Germany telling his mother he wants to play in the NBA when he grows up. The numbers don’t lie: there are 30 teams and 13 to 15 roster spots, but at least 20 million children/teenagers/men that play organized basketball around the world. The odds are frightening. Yet, each NBA player started at this point. I call it Point A or, “I have a dream and I am crazy enough to believe I can do this.”
The dream starts with a bounce of a ball, and a hoop, somewhere in some park or gym around the world. For the sake of this story, let’s call our 8-year-old Billy. At an early age, Billy learns the game by playing in the park and devouring every bit of information he can to develop his game. For the next eight years, he continues to practice, to play and to improve. He becomes a very good player in his age group and attracts the attention of AAU travelling teams and high school coaches. He selects a travelling team that complements his style of play. The travelling team swallows up his summer. It is an enormous time commitment. Along with practice, he plays in multiple summer tournaments around the country.
For the next two years, he plays well with his AAU travelling team. He catches the eye of several top universities. These schools would like to recruit him but they have some reservations regarding his ability to play other positions in college, as well as the strength of his high school schedule. They suggest he transfer high schools so he can play against the top high school talent in the country. After talking it over with his family and his AAU coaches, he elects to leave behind friends and family and transfer from his neighborhood high school to a small prep school located in rural Virginia.
Billy packs two bags and leaves his family and friends behind. When he arrives on campus, he is shocked to see this small campus is nothing more than a few buildings, a gymnasium and a cafeteria hidden in a small town. Each day becomes the same until he eventually loses track of time: 5 a.m. wake-up call; weight room, practice, school, practice, homework, lights out. Billy has traded his adolescence for a goal and a dream. Unlike other teenagers his age, Billy has no weekends at the mall, dates, time to hang out with friends. But his sacrifices pan out. He becomes a starter on the team and excels against the other top-ranked prep schools.
Billy receives college basketball scholarship offers from many top ranked Division I programs. He narrows his choice of schools to Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State and Connecticut. He visits each of these schools. He meets with the coaching staff and team, and tours the campus and facility. He eventually selects a school after analyzing which team has an NBA system and has produced the largest number of NBA players at his position. He announces his decision to the media. He receives several nasty e-mails and phone calls from third parties disappointed he didn’t select their schools.
Five months later, the pressure escalates as Billy arrives on campus. He must manage 12 school credits per semester, at least 15 hours of basketball practice each week, mandatory lifting sessions, school work, classes, mandatory study hall, new found popularity and the high expectations from himself and the public as a highly recruited player. Each game is nationally televised and so each game brings its own internal and external pressures. Billy battles through sprained ankles, a dislocated finger and a bout of food poisoning he sustains while on the road. Nevertheless, he plays well . He leads his team to a top 20 ranking, a second-place finish in the conference and the Sweet 16 of the NCAAs.
Billy catches the eye of NBA scouts. NBA scouts project him as a top 20 pick in the upcoming Draft. Billy must now decide whether to hire an agent, to declare for the Draft and forego his remaining collegiate eligibility, or remain in college. His college coach and others in the university encourage him to stay in school. Meanwhile, his family and AAU coach, who love him but who also are expecting to be taken care of, encourage him to declare for the Draft. Billy elects to trust his instincts and declare for the NBA.
However, now he faces the monumental task of interviewing and hiring an agent, lawyer and financial advisor. This is new terrain for him. He understandably doesn’t know which questions to ask or what to look for when retaining the services of these professionals. He again turns to his intuition to guide him in the process of retaining advisors and counsel. Only three weeks after the college season ends, Billy selects an agent, declares for the Draft and withdraws from school.
Billy packs two bags, again, less than two years after starting his senior year of high school, and relocates to a new city to prepare for the Draft. For the next seven weeks, six days per week, he wakes at 6:30 a.m. to begin his two-hour on-court training sessions. From there he immediately visits with a strength coach for an hour weightlifting session. If he is lucky, he sneaks in a short nap before returning to the gym in the late evening. And it begins again the next day.
In May, Billy begins to crisscross the United States, auditioning for every NBA team with a first-round pick that has interest in him. He flies in the evening, squeezing his 6-foot-5 frame into middle and window coach seats. He is met at the airport and taken to his hotel. He changes to jeans and a collared shirt and heads to dinner for a quasi-interview with the team’s front office and staff. He returns to his hotel and heads to bed so he can be fresh for the morning workout with the other top players at his position.
He arrives early for his workouts. Each team puts Billy through a set of rigorous on-court drills to evaluate his basketball IQ and skill set. From there, he meets with the team’s strength and conditioning coach, who puts him through rigorous strength, speed and conditioning drills to evaluate his physical talents. He then meets with the NBA team’s front office, where he again interviews with the general manager, assistant general manager and director of player personnel. He repeats this process 10 times with 10 teams over the course of two weeks.
In late June, Billy is selected with the 17th pick of the NBA Draft. The next day the team flies him to the NBA city to sign a contract, meet the local media and begin preparing for Summer League. Summer League is more intense then he imagined. All eyes are on him. He is expected to perform immediately and begin to master a playbook as thick as a telephone directory. The NBA does not have much patience and it does not issue much positive reinforcement. There is no time for hugs and kisses. Performance and work product are the metrics for success. The game at the NBA level travels at supersonic speed. Every player is big, fast and with a “Harvard-like” style basketball pedigree.
Billy plays well in Summer League. Veterans camp is several weeks away so Billy elects to remain in the city to continue to prepare for the season. Many of his friends do not understand why Billy does not want to vacation and begin to spend his money. Billy recognizes the pressures associated with NBA life and the expectations of a first-round pick. It is now the end of September and camp is scheduled to start. Two practices per day, film sessions, team bonding exercises and a heightened intensity from players, coaches and front office alarm Billy.
He faces grown men who will do anything to earn a roster spot. Many have families to feed. Billy faces veterans who are 10 years older, who will do what is necessary to ensure the young rookie does not capture all the minutes at the position. This means hard fouls, mental games and physical play. For several of these veteran players, it is also a contract year. They challenge Billy even more because they need the minutes on the court to puff up their statistics, so they have more leverage when negotiating their next contract. Nevertheless, Billy remains focused, poised and plays well in camp. He earns a start for the opening regular-season game.
It’s now October 28. Ten years or so since he first began working toward his dream. He lines up for the jump ball. He looks around and witnesses the size, strength and experience of the players on the floor with him. For each game, each team will spend countless hours watching and scouting his deficiencies and tendencies so they can exploit him. Throughout the season Billy will continue to play hard and do what he loves. Yet, at the same time he has to learn the complexities associated with NBA life. These include dealing with the ego of the team franchise player, an overbearing head coach, a team filled with veteran players, a complex playbook, a new city, a new community, a new life, media, extensive travel and expectations from family and friends.
Billy’s journey to the NBA has been a journey filled with uncertainty each step of the way. But he had unshakeable resolve and commitment to his dream.
After two years, Billy has become a solid pro. He’s earned the respect of his teammates and coaches. He’s making good money and has a solid foundation in life. But he wants even more. He doesn’t just want to be good, even very good; he wants to be one of the best, a perennial All-Star, someone who leaves a mark on the game. That same drive that made him believe he could make the pros when he was 8 still burns in him, still pushes him. He knows that there are people out there that can take his skills and make them better, using their minds and their methods to push him even further.
And he comes to me. With one question: “How do I get better?”
I find inspiration from Billy’s story. The NBA is filled with guys like Billy. In many ways we are not so different. If you are a dreamer like me, you never think your dreams are crazy or farfetched. You just accept the uncertainty. You learn to trust your instinct, develop a talent for catching your balance on this very windy road while finding peace in your commitment.
It is an exercise in futility to compare any basketball player to Michael Jordan, but we always do it when something noteworthy happens with one of our current superstars.
MJ is seen by most of us, with our revisionist history, as perfect, so it’s a no-win for any player as soon as the comparison is even thought of. You lose a playoff series or a big game, MJ wouldn’t have lost that. You pass the ball, MJ wouldn’t have passed it. You finally win once you have better teammates, you’re not MJ — he would’ve did it alone.
Mike Jordan is my all-time favorite NBA player, so I have no negative MJ anecdotes to bring his legacy down to earth just for argument’s sake. I do know, however, that comparing yourself — or anyone else — to another person is the easiest way to stay unhappy with what you have or who you (or they) are.
Let’s just appreciate the current stars for what they do and who they are — and who they aren’t.
In his great book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell postulates that an individual reaches high proficiency in a particular vocation once he reaches 10,000 hours of practice/ activity in that field. Bill Gates on computers. Michael Jackson with singing and performing. Lil’ Wayne with rapping. Peyton Manning with football.
Well, it has taken me awhile, but i feel, at age 28, I have finally hit the 10,000 hour plateau in basketball. No, I have not been counting the hours or thought up any formula to calculate how much I have played and practiced over the last 14+ years, but I can feel it. I understand — and see for myself — that most players who start with the game as “late” (age 14) as I did don’t stay with it long enough to hit the 10k mark before their physical abilities decline. So I know, along with the stick-to-it-iveness I possess, I’ve been very lucky to make it this far.
That being said, I feel as good as I’ve ever felt both physically and mentally in the game….
Wait, wait wait. Waaay too cliché with that one. Let’s rewind.
I am the best I have ever been right now and I’m still getting better. I have the skills, the know-how, the toughness, the heart — I’m damn well put-together for a basketball player at the moment, if I may say so myself.
With that said, I’m getting ready for the next season, wherever that may be. You all will know soon. I addressed the NBA situation here last week, for those interested.
I’m ready to assume my spot in the game. More people need to know my name.
Aside from my continuing QOTD posts, I haven’t blogged shit in months.
I have always maintained the stance that I only get to writing when the inspiration hits. Something really interesting happening; a great synthesis of random thoughts forming a whole; something in the news that I have a crazy, unique angle on.
For the most part, I have transferred a lot of my great thoughts and words of wisdom to video form — check out my YouTube channel for those. A lot of what I would’ve written about, I speak on now.
Any who, think of the following scenario. I know many of us have had this play out in our lives from time to time…
There is some change, long overdue, some move we need to make in life. But our laziness, lack of urgency, plus the fact that the status quo — though not great — is not hurting or causing us more discomfort than we can handle, prevents one from getting off our collective asses.
That one was me. This was the relationship I had with my HP laptop, over the last 6 or so months.
Alas, the motherboard (defined in layman’s terms: an expensive piece of a laptop that usually costs you more than a new laptop would) of my old laptop got fried somehow, and that was that. When I asked that repair shop guy why/ how this happened, he replied: “Why do people die from heart attacks or cancer at age 30?”
One thing that showed me is that things can end at any time — only change is guaranteed in this life, nothing more. Personal relationships, business deals, fortuitous situations that make things easy for us, life itself — any and all of these can end any day, and we find ourselves behaving as if we have eternity to do the things we want to accomplish.
So now I’m back, new laptop in lap, and it’s time to go to work.
And a funny thing has taken place in this no-computer-having time — really about the last 60 days or so: I have a helluva following out there, and demand for my name is at an all-time high, and rising.
That’s somewhat crazy, and somewhat not.
Crazy because I haven’t even had my signature on a professional basketball contract in 18 months. In my visions back in 2003, I’d always figured that playing — in actual pro games — would be the way my name would ring out.
Not crazy, on the other hand, because shit — I’m connected to my people and they know where to find me. Simple as that. I made it that way, and it will remain that way.
DreAllDay.com has set high-water marks in readership/ site visitors every month in 2010 so far, even with me not able to check the stats for the final 2 weeks of May. That makes me feel good. As for YouTube… Well if you’ve been to my YouTube channel, you know what it is.
So, enough talking. I’m on the verge of reaching critical mass on this here Internet, and I gotta make it before the next motherboard fries. There is no Plan B.
As my Twitter followers already know, I ran the SobeFit Magazine 5K last Sunday in South Beach. It was my first ever distance, or official race of any kind for that matter. Knowing that a 5K race is 3.12 miles, I knew I could finish in the Top 100 of a 1,600-person field. My usual sand run on the beach is longer than that, and race-day adrenaline would kick in when it mattered.
I had three goals for race day:
Finish in the Top 10 in my age group (25-29 yrs).
Finish in under 20:00 minutes.
Experience the thrill of catching a bunch of people from behind throughout the race, and not be passed by anyone myself.
As we (we meaning, the 1,600 runners/ walkers participating) approached the starting line, I noticed bunch of serious- looking runners moving to the very front of the pack in anticipation of the starting horn. I found a spot on the edge of the pack about 50 feet back, right on the sidewalk.
The horn went off and and off we went. Now, no one’s official race time begins until they cross the actual starting line (everyone had electronic tags on their shoes), so I slowly jogged towards it. When I crossed it and was “on the clock,” I, literally, ran into an unforeseen obstacle: though I knew I would be easily passing about 150 or so folks in front of me, going around all those people in a space the width of Ocean Drive is a task. Especially when the last thing I wanted at the moment was to bump into anyone or knock down a 40-year-old woman or some 16-year-old kid. I estimate the ensuing gauntlet cost me 30-45 seconds. (Look at these for an idea of having that many people running at the same time)
I knew there would be a handful of about 30 runners who do these runs religiously and would dust everybody off; and I mentally had myself placed at the next tier. So when we hit the halfway mark at 19th & Washington and I saw a couple of long-legged chicks and (*stereotype alert!!!*) African-looking dudes already heading back towards 14th street, my expectations were aligned with reality.
Finish- line shot. Who is this fool standing in the middle of my shot???
So I chugged along, getting into that mental physical exertion zone in which you don’t even feel anything anymore. I knew my knees were not on good terms with concrete before even deciding to do the race (which is why I rarely play basketball outside or run on pavement), but I was at the point where the only thing I was conscious of was the next person I needed to hunt down and pass, and the steadiness of my breath.
The course had us hang a left at 14th street and then a right on Ocean, with the finish line at 8th & Ocean. Here I made my second mistake (the first being, not going to the front for the starting horn): I started my finishing kick (that last burst of energy to close it out) too early, and my kick was over by 11th street with 3 blocks to go. I passed 4 people during my kick, though (most priceless: the surprise/ ‘I knew it’ looks they registered when this dude in 3XL basketball shorts passed them). One really stubborn girl passed me back around 9th street. She eased up, however, in the last 60 feet or so, and I caught her ass at the finish line (not that it really mattered in the big picture; her time was determined by when she had actually passed the start line, as was mine — just the principle of it all).
Results were posted and I came in… 36th overall. 19:13, a pace of 6:11/ mile. 5th in my age group. Then the part that killed me: The top 3 in each group got called up to the stage, presented with an additional medal, and posed for photos with Marta Montenegro (EIC of SobeFit Mag). I missed a stage appearance by 0:04 fuckin’ seconds.
Despite that disappointment, I had reached all of my goals and didn’t even feel tired or sore afterwards (false alarm — sore quads Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). SobeFit had a good finish-line photo of me (and another right after i crossed the line), but they are charging people (?!?!) for their photos. $14.95-$75.95 for a photo of yourself finishing a race we all paid $25 to enter. Ridiculous.
Overall I had a great experience doing something new, and I will be doing more 5Ks this year and beyond with the lessons learned in this one driving me forward. All I gotta do is remember 3 words:
For those not up on my YouTube exploits (I’ll be hitting the 1 Million Video Views mark in about 72 hours), I have been doing a weekly VLog in which I answer whatever questions My people wanna ask. Here’s Volume 5, split into 4 parts:
Those of you who have been following for awhile (and ALL of my college associates) may recall this post from Fall 2008 about one Mr. Mark Anthony Librizzi. “Breeze,” as we’ll call him — all according to the copy & pasted article from the Centre Daily newspaper — had drunkenly stolen a police cruiser from outside a bar, drove it home, and told a friend exactly what he had done. He was later arrested for the offense.
I am writing to you in regards to the Friday, October 3, 2008 posting involving my client M. Anthony Librizzi. on the ‘There’s Only One Dre Baldwin’ blog. The subject matter is slanderous. All charges against Mr. Librizzi have been dropped. Legal action will be taken if the post is not removed within 48 hours. A defamation suit against you will be filled ( <<< I can’t make this stuff up. -Dre) with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Google and other said parties will be informed of the objectionable content.
On a serious note, I’m actually very disappointed in this email. Disappointed that Sophie had the idea that she could send me an email posing as a lawyer and that I would actually buy it. A back-handed-bitch-slap in the face to my intelligence. Disappointed that Sophie has no idea what “slanderous” means. Disappointed that “Founder” Sophie Lily Weinstein’s name is not mentioned on the Synergy Media L.L.C.’s website. Disappointed that Sophie is the founder of a company and doesn’t even have an email address at the domain of the company (feel free to friend Sophie on Facebook. Breeze too, while you’re at it).
(shaking my head at myself for even writing this post…)
I’m even more disappointed in Mr. Breeze. Disappointed that the Catherine Bateson quote on his profile (“Storytelling is fundamental to the human search for meaning“) is almost as ironic as this Sports Illustrated cover from March 2000. Disappointed that his professional resumé states that he was at West Chester University from 2002-2006 when Breeze PLAYED 17 BASKETBALL GAMES FOR PSU-ALTOONA IN 2003 (as they say on Twitter, smh). Disappointed that Breeze doesn’t know that I have some personal experience, pertaining to Breeze, that would embarrass him worse than anything I have ever blogged about in 5 years online — that is, if he wants to take it there. Or maybe Breeze does know, and he’s just stupid.
(my stomach hurts from giggling.)
I wouldn’t say this about Breeze, but, being that she’s a PSU grad, Sophie Lily Weinstein is probably smart. So, to Sophie:
As you asked, the issues you mentioned have been resolved — swiftly — by Yours Truly. The smart thing for you and your client would be to digest this post and then forget that this ever happened. I will do the same. Since we’ve never met, Sophie, allow me to share something about me: I have a penchant for taking things too far. I also have a bad habit of, one way or another, embarrassing people who come at me the wrong way (and it seems to have gotten worse with age). You can be smart or you can be stupid. Do your client a solid, and make Penn State proud.
Below is a post comment email I recently received from “Tom,” who came across a post from my old blog titled “Fa’ Shizzle,” one of my favorite pieces to write. I’m posting his comment in its entirety with no retorts (for now). Read away.
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I watched a few of your ball handling videos on YouTube and thought that you might have a few deeper insights into foot work and positioning in regards to scoring zones on your website DreAllDay.com, which has unfortunately led me here.
I’m white, 21, and a basketball player. Obviously playing a predominately black sport, and playing it well I might add, has given me a a solid mix of friends and acquaintances and the only thing I will never understand about black culture is the use of “N word.” (well that and their fascination with self-serving rappers like Mike Jones and Snoop circa 2009.) Why is it okay for one group to express rights that another group cannot? Equality, unwavering equality should be our ultimate goal. Black America is still not a free America, not completely, but by making ethnic/cultural distinction, as well as affording ethnic privileges to a select few, only separates us further. Part of today’s racism still lingers from yesterday’s mentality, but it also stems from how the hip-hop culture portrays itself. You wanna be a gansta? Well don’t expect to be taken that seriously.
By forcing this lifestyle down our throats you force us to take notice of just how different we really are. The actions of a popular few are defining an entire generation of Americans, black and white.
On top of the damage you’re doing to your own culture, it’s also unfair. Logically a word is just a noise that we associate with an object or idea. So why the uproar? Intelligent, rational people will understand that the only words that matter are the ones that motivate love or hate. The casual use of the “N word” does neither. And who made you or anyone else a member of the secret English police? Who has the right to say what I can and cannot say. I live in TN and hear Christian propaganda every time I start a conversation or turn on the radio, but until I hear those words uttered by a public official in an official statement or at a public proceeding I have no right to be angry, they are merely expressing their right to free speech. I believe on your FAQ someone asked why you talk shit or something of that nature and your response was free speech. Why the double standard? Equality is not a destination, it is a journey. A journey that no one person can undertake alone, yet each step must be taken individually. As we approach our goals the dangers of complacency become more prevalent, allowing falsehoods to permeate our collective minds, turning reality into reality TV and taking power away from the free spirit. Damning us with popular culture.
Also why the distinction between Latin cats and Asians? Asians suffered the same plight Latinos face today in the late 1800′s to early 1900′s. The Irish, Polish, and Italian immigrants also faced prejudice and persecution, it just wasn’t as well documented. How about Native Americans? And why do mixed ethnicities get a pass? What if a half black, half white guy looks and acts white, can he say it? How about a 1/8 black, 1/4 Latino, 5/8 Asian guy? Could the late Michael Jackson say it? How about Steve Martin’s character from “The Jerk”? If I have a black child can I say it? If teach black lab to speak, is this a word I should omit from it its vocabulary? Or is it cool because it’s black?
How about s non-American black person, they face none of the same prejudices you do, have they earned the right to say the heralded “N word”?
Anyway, nice ball handling vids, watched some of your shooting videos, pretty consistent mechanics, just a little slow on the release (maybe its different in person) Well I hope you make it to the NBA, and I hope you continue to motivate young people to get out of their houses. Peace.
I’ve been getting the same question asked of me in different forms over the past month-and-a-half or so by many people: Dre, Where are you playing this year?
Rightly so, and I’m pleased that so many folks wanna know wassup — so here it is:
I don’t know yet.
At this very moment I am unsigned. I’ve been here before, in ’07 when ended up in Montenegro in December. Professional basketball is just as much business as it is the game on the floor, and things are even more so currently with everyone in the world watching their money a bit closer than usual. The work I have put in over the past 5 years has me in a position to set my worth for my next contract — I’ve paid dues and expect to be paid back — so when the right situation materializes, I’ll be there. And that could be anywhere on the globe.
I’ll say now that I’ll be finalizing my plans for the basketball season within the next 4-6 weeks, maybe sooner. ‘Till then, I’ll be laying groundwork for the future, working out and doing some other things that I won’t speak about right now.
So we have made it another year. I am very thankful for that. I can still walk, talk, run and jump, and I’m thankful for that.
As I go through the course of day-to-day activities, it gets easy to get so used to what I have that things can be taken for granted, which is why a day like Thanksgiving is a perfect time to think and reflect on just how good we all have it.
I am thankful for having the opportunity to do the things I’ve always wanted to do, and thankful for knowing there is a lot more to come. And I’m thankful for all of the great people — family, friends, business associates — that have an effect on my life.
I’m thankful for everybody who has ever come across DreAllDay.com or Dre himself; everything that has happened in my life up to this very moment has made me who I am. And I wouldn’t change a thing. So if I don’t say it enough, Thank You to you all.
This is a review from my Favorite Books list; the link from which will be also on the Books Page.
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“”That was supposed to go in,” he groaned. “How did that not go in?”
More than twenty-two years have passed since that night… And I still don’t have an answer for him. For everything else, I have answers.
I think.”
Bill Simmons is my favorite online author, favorite NBA writer/ observer, and I hope he watches me play someday and writes at least a paragraph about what he sees. With all that said, you must believe me in my saying that is completely without bias that if you are a fan of the NBA (whether it be from its beginnings or circa now), you MUST read this 700-page manifesto.
It took me 30 days and I did it in chunks. TBoB is one of those rare read-100-or-so-pages-in-one-sitting-and-not-even-notice books — something I don’t think I will be able to say about Obama’s Audacity Of Hope, which got bumped (for the fourth time!) when I received TBoB in the mail. Simmons tackles topics that bball fans love to discuss, such as who was better between Russel and Wilt, the definitive list of the best players of all time (in order), his ultimate hypothetical team, the Greatest Team of All Time, and much much more.
If you’re unsure and would like a risk-free trial reading of the man devoted enough to own the title of “The Sports Guy,” just go here to his online page at ESPN.com.
Dre Baldwin has not always been a superstar, on his personal website he writes interesting stories about how he used to spend countless of hours on the playground, practicing all parts of his game. As we all can see his hard work has paid off. Dre has played in many of the best leagues in Europe: and yet he is still trying to take his game to the next level – the NBA.
We caught up with the Dre and if he makes it, he promises he won’t let his online fans down..
1) Where are you going to play this season?
I am going to play wherever the best overall situation is going to be. I have not signed yet.
2) We have all seen your many NBA workout videos on YouTube. When is your plan to play there and what team would you prefer to play for?
I want to play in the NBA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! I feel I can step on a practice floor and compete right now at that level. Of course we all know the business does not work that way so in the meantime I’ll be working hard and keeping my eyes and ears open.
3) What kicks will you be rocking this season and why?
I grabbed a couple pairs of the Nike Hyperdunks as soon as they dropped back in Summer 2008 and I have played in Hyperdunks every day since. I think I’ll be sticking with them for the time being, unless I come across a pair of Nike Shox BB4s (the Vince Carter “Boings”) or Nike Flightposites. Both are older, out of production kicks that I had in the early 2000s so I’m not holding my breath. The Hyperdunks are great for me.
4) Will you keep your website then/if you make it to the NBA, will it affect your activity there?
Good question! I’ve seen a couple professional athletes fall back on their online activity and social networking over the past year or so. A few times it has been after they posted something that drew unwated attention and some just stay away completely out of fear that teams may think the player is not dedicated to their full-time work. Neither of the above is the case with me, however, and let’s face it — most people KNOW me because of / from my online activity, not the other way around. So to answer your question, I will NEVER stop my social networking/ website activity because I have reached a new level in my profession. My Internet fan base/ following is very important to me and I wouldn’t isolate myself from those people to appease an employer. I would, however, not be as ‘wide-open’ as I am now in terms of my choice of words and commenting on certain other NBA players’ situations/ actions. Employees are subject to rules.
5) Who is your favorite player besides yourself and what do you especially like about him?
My favorite all-time player would be Mike Jordan because of his competitive spirit, winning attitude and leadership. Not to mention all the highlights! Also Scottie Pippen because of his all-around game and that my playing style has been favorably compared to Scottie. Another forgotten player I’ve always liked is Steve Francis, I would really want to work out with him sometime.
Ever since I posted this vid (and this one too) I have been asked the following question, in many forms, over and over again:
Does Air Alert really work? I got it from a friend, but I heard a bunch of other people say it messes up your knees. Is this true? Or does Air Alert actually increase your vertical?
Time for me to give one definitive answer that I’m sure many of the question-askers will not have read before I get asked it again, but since I will have spoken on it I can refer them to my blog now.
Air Alert, or any other workout plan for that matter, is a set of instructions to be followed. A set of words on paper. An inanimate object. Just like a stack of money on a table, it does nothing until acted upon. Just like money, AA is neither good nor bad — it is impartial and powerless by itself.
Someone told me (some training technique or program) (works, doesn’t work, will injure me, etc.)… what should I do?
You should do it yourself and form your own opinion.
When dealing with a workout program, YOU — the person performing the actions prescribed –work. AA works if YOU work. If you don’t work, neither does the program. If I have $1 million dollars in the bank, I am not powerful simply because I possess that money. When I put that money into action in certain ways, I can become powerful. But having the money alone does not equal power. Got it?
If a friend tells you some program will hurt you, you have a decision to make. Buy your friend’s opinion, or form your own opinion. I’d choose the latter, but that’s just me.
In life, programs, schemes, and objects work just as well as the person possessing them. And buy your friends’ opinions only if you want to be exactly like them.
This is a review from my Favorite Books list; the link from which will be also on the Books Page.
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“There are some college coaches, many in fact, who cannot adapt to the pro game. Their whole thing is their system. They bring in players and say, ‘You will play this way,’ even if their skills aren’t right for playing that way. One thing I always noticed about [Coach K] was that he changed the way he ran his offense every year based on the players he had. That’s the kind of flexibility you need n the pros.”
I didn’t think I would ever pick this book up off my shelf, but when I found myself with no apparent options more appealing, I decided to give the first chapter a shot at pulling me in. I came to find that author John Feinstein is a great writer who was able to make the story of an old basketball coach interesting to me. It didn’t hurt that Red Auerbach had a helluvalotta opinions on all topics basketball.
Aight, so GoDaddy.com did some unexpected server changes that fucked up my site for about 60 hours this week, thus DreAllDay has been inaccessible for the last 2 days and my first week stats are all fucked up, being that no one could visit the site. I got on the phone with the GoDaddy support staff yesterday and got that all cleared up, though, along with a new IP address. They always do great customer service there.
In other news, I’ve been completing a move of my own this week and still have a place full of boxes to be unpacked. More importantly, we are on our way to Pittsburgh this weekend for the wedding of my main man and college roommate B Battles. B is not on Twitter or MySpace; actually he is pretty quiet on the Internet front. He was Team MVP my last 2 years at Altoona and he owned the PS2 that I dominated Madden on back in 2003-04. Congrats ahead of time, my dude!
And I have come up with my theme for the upcoming basketball season: Kick In The Door! I have had tremendous success in the game and there are still barriers to entry to other places I want to get to via bball. So I’m done knocking and ringing doorbells. I’ma have to force my way in. More on this later. Here are Some new photos (the smile or the mean-mug???):
