Kawhi 4th in Rookie Ballot

[naico]

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/05/15/rubio-finishes-second-in-rookie-of-the-year-voting/

Player 1st 2nd 3rd Total

Kyrie Irving, Cleveland 117 2 1 592
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota - 49 23 170
Kenneth Faried, Denver 1 30 34 129
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio 1 9 15 47
Iman Shumpert, New York 1 7 7 33
Klay Thompson, Golden State – 5 15 30
Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento - 6 10 28
Brandon Knight, Detroit - 6 3 21
Chandler Parsons, Houston – 3 5 14
MarShon Brooks, New Jersey - 1 1 4
Kemba Walker, Charlotte - – 3 3
Josh Selby, Memphis - – 1 1

:toast

[DBMethos]

Not bad, young grasshopper.

[coyotes_geek]

Can't really argue with those results.

[VBM]

Surprised Isaiah Thomas is that low

[Mugen]

I'm a fan of Faried but Kawhi has the much higher ceiling and I'd take him over the Manimal any day.

[Fireball]

Another proof that the front office of the Spurs is doing an excellent job of scouting players. There may be better players behind him on the list, but he was the perfect match for San Antonio ...

[Leetonidas]

I thought Mar$wag would be higher with how Nets fans think he's the next Kobe :lol

[loveforthegame]

Not bad. I was afraid he'd be lower.

[Dex]

2nd year in a row the Spurs have ended up with a Top 5 rookie (Gary Neal 5th in 2011, Kawhi Leonard 4th in 2012).

Not bad for a team that is perennially stuck picking at the bottom of the first round (though Kawhi was a draft-day trade and Neal was undrafted).

[coyotes_geek]

How the hell does Josh Selby pick up a 3rd place vote? :lol

[TDMVPDPOY]

faried and rubio above KL? is this a fkn joke

IT needs to be higher for what he has shown playin with 2 idiots on the kings....

[FromWayDowntown]

Unsurprisingly, Kawhi appears to be a lock to make either 1st or 2nd team All-Rookie. That will mean that almost half of the current Spurs made an All-Rookie team -- and that all of them made an All-Rookie team with the Spurs:

Kawhi Leonard (2012)
Gary Neal (2011 - 1st)
Dejuan Blair (2010 - 2nd, with James Harden)
Manu Ginobili (2003 - 2nd)
Tony Parker (2002 - 1st)
Tim Duncan (1998 - 1st)

[Malice]

Many scouts had Leonard as a top 5 prospect last year. Many GMs thought his ceiling was high but thought his shooting was suspect. Of course Chip does wonders with the Spurs players in perfecting their shot.

Honestly, if Kawhi was a sorry team like Irving, he would more than likely be 2nd if not ROY this year. He just played in the Spurs System where you really don't know who is going to be the top scorer on the team night in and night out. I think he was voted so high because of his defense which was supberb against the likes of Durant, Gay, Pierce, etc. Almost everyone he guarded had a drop in ppg and FG%. And to think this guy is only 20 and will only get better, stronger and wiser.

Kudos again to the Spurs FO. If they bring over Lorbek next year, the Spurs might have another top 5 rookie prospect.

Last 5 All Euro team players drafted by the Spurs - Manu, Splitter, Scola. Spurs didn't draft Lorbek but he has been on 2 2nd teams and made the 1st team this year, basically he was voted the best PF in Euro this year and 2nd best the previous two years. He would be a nice upgrade over Bonner or Blair at this point.


Whats the story on Chip? What is he, a horse whisperer for NBA player's jump shots or something?

[timtonymanu]

Good for Kawhi! He basically finished 3rd in his draft since Rubio wasn't drafted in 2011.

[Malice]

Spurs front office, just doing what they do...

[Dex]

Whats the story on Chip? What is he, a horse whisperer for NBA player's jump shots or something?

The Los Angeles native is one of the most highly sought out shooting coaches in the country and has worked with numerous NBA players including Steve Kerr, Grant Hill and Larry Hughes.

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/engelland_050718.html

[WeNeedLength]

The Los Angeles native is one of the most highly sought out shooting coaches in the country and has worked with numerous NBA players including Steve Kerr, Grant Hill and Larry Hughes.

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/engelland_050718.html

Larry Hughes.

:lmao

[NRHector]

He could have been 1st if he wasn't playing with a stacked team

[coyotes_geek]

Larry Hughes.

:lmao

It's just proof that Chip is indeed human. :)

[scanry]

Q & A with Chip from 2009

When you’re working on reconstructing a shot, what’s the length of time that it takes, say from when your first assessing his mechanics to when you’ve reshaped his shot?

That’s hard to say. I think everybody is different. Everybody comes from a different place. They have different habits. They have different scarring. Are you in the middle of the season having games to play? Or are you during the summer when there is a no judgment period and you’ve got a long time before you have a game to play. All those have to be taken into consideration before you touch anybody’s shot.

There are some guys on the team and in the NBA who’ve got pretty unorthodox shots but still shoot the ball at a pretty high clip nonetheless. Do you find yourself being happy with that- what works for them works for them- or do you find yourself wanting to play shot doctor?

Not at all. The most important result is making shots. So if someone can kick it in at a higher rate, we’ll allow him to kick it in. If they can get that shot off in a game. We look at their results, and if they can make shots- if they can do 40% from the 3-point line, 45, 46% from the field, and 80% from the free throw line- we’ll let them be, whatever they do.
So, Michael Redd, who has an unorthodox shot. If he can make shots, we just encourage him and help rebound for him.

There are some guys who have a pretty sweet shot from 18-20 feet and then they push out to that 3-point range and their percentage drops off pretty dramatically. Is that something about their mechanics? Is there something that make’s you think, if you’re working with a guy, “we’re not going to worry about the 3-point shot”?

That’s a great question. Certain techniques can hold up to 18 feet. Elton Brand, for example, who shoots over his head but has a limited connection with his legs and his upper body, and its way back over his shed- that shot, that technique doesn’t take you back to the 3-point line. But he never shoots threes, his game isn’t the 3-point shot. If he was a two guard, he would have to have a reconstructed shot. But he has a beautiful, soft touch. He’s an undersized big who shoots way over his head, so his range doesn’t connect.

I think the form you can see on some peoples shots, they’ll translate. In Al Jefferson’s case, who shoots a nice one-handed shot, playing with Minnesota tonight, his shot translates to 18-feet. He doesn’t need to shoot a 3-ball. It varies for different guys, depending on what their technique is.

What is the key for that range? Is it the use of your legs?

It would be where your release point is, coupled with your motion together with your legs. So it would be, How do you combine those two. How you are using your elbow and your wrist. So it gets pretty complicated, what holds you back from that.

As someone who works very technically with people, how much does psychology impact the shot? And when you’re working with guys, how much do you work on their psychology?

Well, it’s funny. Technique is the first thing. They see results. They get better. Their technique improves. They practice. They’re patient. Once the technique gets better, the mind has to grow with it. That takes longer. The ball tells the truth. If they see the ball going in more then they did before, they start believing in it more. I’m pretty enthusiastic and positive but you can’t cheat the ball. I can say the guy’s doing great but if the ball doesn’t go in, they’re like “something’s amiss.”

So the beauty is, if they see the balling going in, and you keep them patient- moving out one foot at a time as they develop- then they develop a confidence by seeing the ball go in. Your words can help and the cheerleading can be great, but the most important thing is seeing the ball go in.

There are a lot of guys who have a nice mid-range shot and then they get to the free throw line and it falls off. Maybe it doesn’t fall of flat percentage-wise, but you’d think the fact that- is that a psychological thing or is that a technique thing?

The first thing that comes to mind is rhythm. When guys are shooting a jump shot they have natural rhythm typically. When you shoot free throw there are so many variables. Guys subbing in. Am I tired? I have to worry about my defense. Am I getting back on defense? A lot of variables. And everybody is watching them. They lose their rhythm. So I think free throws get tough because people lack rhythm at the free throw line but on their jump shot they have rhythm. And I think a bunch of people are better when they have rhythm.

Is there an age at which you say “I can’t improve on this guys shot. He’s been doing this too long. He has bad habits”? You say forget it, let him do what he’s doing.

The first issue is, the player has to want to get better. If they want to get better- that’s the great thing about basketball and a lot of things in life. If you want to get better at something, there’s ways to do it and shootings one of them.

How much does fitness play into a guys shot? Do you find that, if their in better shape, better arm strength, better stamina, Is that helping their shot remain…

Legs and a jump shot go hand in hand. Second half of the season, second half of a game and the fourth quarter, conditioning is a huge part of it, mentally and physically. It’s huge.

How does one become a shooting coach? What was your personal path that you found yourself the shot doctor?

Accidental. I played basketball. Shooting was one of my strengths. I went to Duke. I was doing clinics through my playing days. I’d do the clinics and teach shooting. Eventually that led to doing talks at camps, running my own little camps, boys and girls. Then I started to get more elite players, higher up. And one thing leads to another. It was accidental. It was never a planned path.

How much does your assessment of guys shots and their shooting potential affect the draft decisions you guys make?

That’s the only question I’m not going to answer.

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/the-ball-tells-the-truth-an-interview-with-chip-engelland