Mostly we get our basketball fix from chumps like myself or the staff hired by your local newspaper. It’s all very enjoyable and produces the debate that runs sites like these, but at the end of the day it is more or less an opinion constructed mostly by observation rather than practice (Mind you that I’m a deadly three-point shooter).
So while we’re waiting for Delfino to decide between the Toronto cold and the Siberian winter, I thought we’d talk some basketball with an actual coach. My guest on today’s podcast is Steve Finamore, he’s entering his 3rd year as head coach of Jackson Community College in Michigan. He spent two seasons at Michigan State as a student-assistant coach under Tom Izzo. He’s originally from Brooklyn, NY where he coached HS and AAU basketball (against Jack Armstrong). And he’s been a skill development coach for many HS, college and NBA players including Al Horford and Charlie Bell.
You may listen by clicking on play button below or directly in iTunes. You can also download the file.
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Follow him and read his blog. Some bullet points after the jump.
- Feels that he expected Chris Bosh to develop a post-game by now but isn’t concerned that it hasn’t, it’ll come in time. We compare Bosh’s game to what he taught Horford.
- If a rebounding allergic Bargnani is to play center he’ll need a banger at the PF to make up for what he lacks. Chris Bosh averaged 10 rebounds a game and could be that guy but his game is also perimeter oriented which is a bit of a problem.
- Likes the way Jose Calderon sets up a team in the offense but figures a running PG needs to be risk-taking and make early outlet passes for him to be successful.
- Says the NBA has turned into a jump-shooting league with not many great shooters. Players don’t work on their outside shooting as much as they need to and feels that moving the three-point line back will discourage the misuse of the three.
- Feels the pick ‘n pop is used too much in favor of the pick ‘n roll. The screener often doesn’t move after setting the screen which kills the offensive set. When he was working with Charlie Bell, they wanted him to focus on pick ‘n pop a lot more than the roll which he supposes is what Scott Skiles wants to run.
- The short 24-second shot-clock is one of the main reasons the league for one-on-one play in the league. When a play breaks down, there isn’t enough time to run another one and players try to salvage the possession by going one-on-one.
- Thinks that Iavaroni is a great assistant even though he struggled as a head coach. Gives an example of football defensive coordinators who turn out to be terrible head coaches. Iavaroni will bring toughness to our team-defense.
- Says Jay Triano in Team USA workouts brings an energy which really gets the players going and playing hard in practice.
- Saw Jay Triano and other Canadians play way back in the 70’s under Jack Donohue, said the quality of ball was decent.
- Says Jack Armstrong prefers to broadcast because he remains undefeated in the booth.
- Thinks the shooting-guard is the toughest position to defend. When asked about DeRozan, he was confident in his athleticism and intelligence to do the job. Said he liked his passion in college and how he played with a degree of controlled recklessness.
- Morris Peterson and him developed a very good relationship in Michigan State.
- Listen to the interview for more…
17 Raps
Off-topic but why is Jay Triano coaching Team USA when he’s canadian??
They like what he has to offer. He was fired from the Canada job and the USA Basketball people recognized that it was a mistake (just like Steve Nash did).
Also coaches can be of any nationality, it’s only the nationality of the players that matters for these teams
Definitely!
David Blatt – an Israeli coached Russia to the European championship in beating Spain in Madrid in 07
“They like what he has to offer.” It’s speaks volumes that the USA has sought out Jay on these occasions. I wish more Raptors fans would acknowledge that Jay is in fact an elite level coach (his USA stints are clear evidence – they have a ton of talent to draw from). Comments from Steve Nash and fellow NBA coaches also support the view. It’s frustrating to see some fans throw him under the bus – he’s a class act and a heck of a coach.
ignorance. its the same fools who miss sam.
The traitor! j/k
First and foremost Triano is a basketball coach, having the chance to coach the best in the world only adds to his CV.
Besides, the coaching staff on Team Canada needs no outside info they got Leo… p
ffft team USA can only dream.
If they moved the 3 point line back Kapono would start catching it out of bounds
At least he would be expanding his repertoire, now he has two go to moves, traveling or stepping out of bounds. He’ll be keeping defenses on their toes with his unpredictability
Damn Arse, you don’t know about Ro Russell? Step ya game up! :D
His AAU team/alumni is basically going to be the National Team in 2012. Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Devoe Joseph, Myck Kabongo, Junior Cadougan, Mo Walker, etc are all going to be solid prospects for the NBA in 2011-2012.
Thanks for having me on, I had a great time. I will be a loyal follower of the Raptors this season. As for Jay Triano working with Team USA, that only goes to show how good he is with skill work. He was taking them through drills.
1) Great podcast. I really enjoyed it! :)
2) Bosh was 5th in FTA per game last season with 8.0 FTA and shot 80% making 6.5 FTM. Anyone who says he doesn’t get to the line enough better check the stats. Also Bosh was 8th in PTS+RPG+APG. I think he could be one the 2nd All-NBA team next year – maybe even the 1st team.
3) I was at the Bulls game Finamore mentioned at the end of the podcast. The Raps gave up a 10+point lead in the fourth. The game went into overtime and the Raps pulled out the win. They executed in the OT whereas Ben Gordon took every shot (good/bad/ugly) for the loss.
Great podcast. 2 comments:
1. Coach was very realistic and honest about the raps’ skills and weaknesses. Fans need to be more realistic and less emotional and pessimistic in their views of players. Bosh is a star player and seemingly a good guy. Basketball as sports theatre is so much more personal than the other major sports and how the fans react makes a difference. I think that with consistently better fan support we’d get consistently better Bosh and raptors. Harping on the negative, a great Toronto tradition, doesn’t help.
2. Which PF/C skill set is worth more in a trade, a banger (Al Horford-esque but maybe better) or a face-up scorer (Bosh). If the face-up scorer can deliver a premium in a deal, then having 2 should ensure that we’ll be able to find a banger if we find out that Bosh and Bargs can’t gel together at a high level.
I know who Bosh is, a 4 time all-star, 6th in RBs, 9th in Pts, 5th in FTA, the only PF in the top 10 in both skills. He is top 5 as a PF in the NBA, and top 10 as a forward, in a guard dominated league.
Who the hell is Al Horford?
I meant Al Jefferson. The interview kept saying Horford. Jefferson is the other 20-10 guy from Minnesota but one who plays a different style from Bosh and has been frequently compared and contrasted w Bosh in this space.
Hey guys, I just read on some post that the raps might play a game against phili in london in preseason. I also read that the home opener is gonna be against cleavland.
AP and Jamario return!
BullHorns…..HeadBang….BullHorns…HeadBang….Raaaaaaa…..
Why do I feel like Biting off the head of a bat..?.. Classic Song!
Wow you interviewed somebody that really knows his stuff and history about the NBA.
Arsenalist…you gotta keep pullin’ for interviews. Great work! Get on the horn and keep callin’ people. People enjoy your work. Maybe an X-Raptor?
BullHorns…BullHorns….!!!