Well, not so much about basketball maybe, but still like in most things I find a angle to get some thoughts of basketball. Basketball is played with passion, skills and in most cases better when you feel good as a human.
Sometimes you can be a little bit down as a player for playing bad, as a coach for loosing to much and all you need is a little sign, words spoken or something little that will change you back ind gear.
Well this morning when a walked to work I was tired in pain and feeling I should never had left the bed. I came to my work and got this as a view just outside the store I work in.
This changed my mood totally and the whole day went pretty fast and all cause of some lights with other elements in the sky creating this faboulus view.
Maybe its a word from your coach, from a friend, or its just you deciding how your day will be, but it sure is easier when you get some help to make this day as great as possible. Today the sky helped me.....
Another thing thats makes me happys i anklebreakers actually more than dunks in most cases. Some nice videos from youtube
Ever had that feeling that you are missing some hours every day to do all the stuff you wanna do. Well, I have that feeling right now.....working 37 hours in 4 days and will have 3 games with boys 98 and 1 want to watch 2 games livem. Actuall I have 2 games with my other teama also on sunday, but I have to work so I`m not coaching those games.
I had 2 weekends straight without any musts, not a game, not a practise, so its not so bad. I remember one season my and my fellow coach of a team sat down and checked before the season how many days that was gonna be free of basketball.
This was in beginning of september and he realized in february there will be one day free and then no, no, no maybe....summer :-)
We had fun that year, but we spent more hours in the gym then at home it felt like:-)
My life now is different with a normal job and basketball on the side, but I`m as tired as a ever been, even though I have had more freetime this season than in 17 years as a coach. Since the trainaccident in september I´m fighting problems with a bad shoulder and I have pain 24/7 and cant afford not to work. Shoulder needs rest and rehab, but bills need money and everyday is fight.
I have had tough times in my life but this is the hardest in many ways and i refuse to loose, but I like I always wich of my players to do their best in every situations, and I ask of them to find solutions not to just see the problem. Last week when I talked about these things again (Im like a parrot), when I said try to find solutions, one kid asked "do you do that?"
I think I can without a shadow of a doubt say that I do just that, but sometimes you need that little extra, some call it luck, some call it karma I dont really care what you call it, but I could need some of that now :-)
"I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person." - Rita Mero
All Star weekend has passed and I managed to watch 3 different All Stars events during this weekend. I didn`t watch everything of course, but parts of NBA`s, Danish and Swedish All Star events.
Watching NBA`s all star event like kills the other All Star events in so many ways. But I still believe its very important to have those events for lots of reasons, but then you always can discuss how to do them and so on....
I have had one of those rare totallt free basketballweekends in the last 17 years, but yes like you read above a watched some on TV:e and internet.
Today its tuesday and I have practise with boys 98 whick always is the highlight of my week, the keep me smiling true a tough period in my life. Here is one example last weel was winterbreak here in Denmark and many was on skitrips and so on. When I came to practise last thursday I had no clue how many we where gonna be on the practise. There was 8 players out of 17 ready to practise, but the fun part that put a smile on a very tired coach was, when I was told that most of them had been in the gym since 13:00 and our practise started at 16:00.
When players at this early age already practise by themself, without any coach telling them to do it, you know you have something special. Then there is a will and not something forced by coaches to practise extra. Promising but to early to say what it will lead to, but there is a smile on my face every practise cause I know I´m captain of this ship and my job is so much more simple when the boats floats by itself.
Todays practise wil be a little special so I hope everybody show up. We will have visit by 2 of the best players from our leagueteam Hørsholm 79ers, which are currently on 4th position in the league. They will run some drills and talk with them.....a perfect restart after the winterbreak and little extra motivationboost for the players.
Swedish all star weekend is arranged in Sundsvall and the feeling from way over here in denmark is that they have made an effort to do something special.
I tried so hard to stay up last night to watch the Blake dunkcontest, but failed at the last seconds falling asleep. But he won, but should he have done that? I was actually disapointed in his choice of dunks.....But NBA marketing works in mysteriuos ways.
Here is a link to Swedish All-Star on webb TV, they start airing at 18:00 Swedish time.. Swedish All-Star - Sundsvall
Today its 3 competitions, 3 point, dunk and skills challenge, the all star game is aired on monday.
Well, most basketballfans knows that this weekend its All-Star mania in the USA and over the world, a big event with so many things happening.
NBA`S all star games has not really got me hooked at all. Yes, I love the event and how its done, but I have always had a problem with games not played hard and with that real competition and unless its the Harlem Globetrotters playing their games this way, its just not for me.
I will though watch highlights of Blake Griffin and I will watch the 3point competition and the others like the Blake Griffin dunk contest,the only way he can`t win that is if NBA tells him not to win.
It will not even be a competition, but more of a show off what this monster can do.
I hope he does something like this shown in the video here under, game over!
The one thats nr 1 in the video would be a great final dunk :-)
Apparantly there has been made several interviews with import players here in denmark from the highest league and their thoughts of the referees. These interviews have been linked from official pages on the net also for the league.
As a coach I have had many bad refs, but also many good refs just like I have had bad and god players. Complaining and bitching about it never creates a better situation, these talks should be before and after the seasons.
In countries like Denmark, Sweden and so on refs do it as a extra activity and most of them out of pure passion for the game. Refs in our contries will never be as good or better until they get the possibility to train and prepair as our players do. The development of our players the last years and also the jobmarket for players has really opened up and that means many different countries are represented in our leagues and all coming with different qaulity of their "Home" referees.
I would be the first to say that the referee level should be much better, but if we dont create the possibilitys for the refs to get better. We including I should really shut up and play after the set up for the games that we have made. Its only the clubs, federations that can change this and its costs money so odds for it to happen aint that great.
But its one thing that you bitch a little and another when you thoughts become offical thoughts and I believe that all league players should shut up and play the game and if they think the refs suck, well get better and play in another league then. Its really that simply.....
Sometimes its much easier as a coach or as a player to focus on other things than your own stuff. But to put these thoughts out there in the middle of the season and with the teams starplayers.
If I coached a player whom said these things out to media I would be furious and very disapointed because I would have made a terrible scouting work on that player I brought to my team. The playoffs are around the corner and well guess what refs are human to and humans get mad and sometimes hold things against the ones whom said them.
We also should remember another thing and that is the facts, yes we have few great referees, it is our own fault and these interviews will not make a bad situation better. Maybe and yes maybe it will create a discussion that will lead into better things, but its not the time for it in the middle of the season.
Maybe some refs will take this very bad and stop to ref at the highest level and guess what now other less educated, less experinced refs will take their place and then players complaing maybe will be more like Darkos Milics? :-)
Shut up and play.....complain via the right channels and think before about the effects of what you will say.
And coaches controll your players they will have effects on you whole club and youthsections and people watching the games.
Basketball dont need a witchhunt from the bleeches and I`m afraid these interviews has given the green light for just that.
