Reply With Quote
Also, I'm virtually certain Hairston will play for the Spurs summer league team.
For the record, Nichols said he had not received a summer league invitation, only an invite to a mini camp. If he performed well there, then he hoped summer league would follow.
I think that invitation is a mere formality, but he feels as if he has to earn it.
Also, I'm virtually certain Hairston will play for the Spurs summer league team.
I'm hoping is the unofficial sure starter at SF for SL, and earns that right for the preseason, and season.
Austin Nichols won French League MVP. Hooray, Austin.
Congrats to him.
He ends the season in a shooting slump (4/34 form 3pt range in the last 5 games of the season) but, when you consider the whole season, the MVP le is well deserved.
I guess that the two keys that will decide if he makes in the NBA or not will be:
- Has he enough range to shoot well NBA 3's?
- Can he play good defense on NBA players?
Nichols will play at Mavs mini camp to day and tomorrow :
http://mavsblog.dallasnews.com/archi...ing-off-1.html
Maybe he won't end up with Spurs' SL team...
OT: Mavs will have a nice mini camp with a lot of quality players.
Good find. It appears as if he's still trying to play his way onto a summer league team. If he doesn't land on the Mavs summer league team, that's probably not a very good sign about his NBA potential. The Mavs have been pretty good at identifying talent for their summer league teams in recent years.
That's a pretty impressive list. Taft, Adams and Gelabale are intriguing. Although I'm not sure what the point is of inviting McInnis.
Blake Ahearn!
Anthony Tolliver!
Do the Mavs hire strongly based on players corporate knowledge of the Spurs system?
I didn't scroll down far enough when I first clicked the link. That is kinda funny.Anthony Tolliver!
Do the Mavs hire strongly based on players corporate knowledge of the Spurs system?
Nichols good be a great pickup IMO. could be a better player then maybe young and summers in the draft and could use the picks more to concentrate more on getting some bigs to help out timmy down low.
Austin Nichols: Breaking In
As promised, we’re back with another look at the summer of French League MVP Austin Nichols. Nichols, who has been a busy little bee, just completed a Spurs mini camp. His hope is to stick with the team for summer league and training camp, but he’s on more than one radar. Teams are interested in the sharp shooting wing. Last week he participated in a short camp in Dallas and he has a camp in Cleveland on the 27th and 28th of this month.
This is a summer of big opportunities for Austin, and he’s doing his best to make the most of it. Prior to his mini-camp tour, Nichols spent time with trainer Phil Handy. We spoke briefly about what he was working on to improve his game, and he was kind enough to describe his typical day.
“In the morning I’m hitting the weights pretty hard. Really working on trying to improve my upper body strength and my core. The idea is to become more explosive. After the weights, we’re doing pool workouts to improve my endurance,” he began.
“After we’re through with all that, I hit the court with Phil. We work on my footwork (both shooting and ball handling) as well as ball handling itself. I have to tighten up my footwork so I can do everything faster while staying efficient. I know that’s what the NBA demands. I also work on my ball handling because I have to get better at creating space for myself and my shot.”
That’s sounds like a full day, but part of the benefit of working with a trainer is pushing yourself a little harder. So, I wasn’t surprised to learn that Nichols’ days extended into the evening.
“At night, I come back to the gym just to get some shots up. I’m working on getting out of my comfort zone while trying to maintain my speed, form and follow through when I’m tired.”
Austin Nichols is an accomplished professional basketball player, but not all professional leagues are created equal. And the one constant I hear from him is his desire to work as hard as he can to make an NBA roster. But you know what they say about all work and no play. I was happy to learn that Austin took a short vacation between the conclusion of his season and joining Phil Handy in Menlo Park.
Clearly, Nichols is putting in the time to get better on the court. I was curious if he had begun to gear himself up for the mental rigors of the process he is now undertaking.
“The mental process I like to take is being over prepared. I try to push myself beyond my capabilities so that I can be as prepared as possible. And I try to block out any negative thoughts, trying my hardest to keep a positive state of mind and leave it all on the court.”
Discouragements do come. Nichols inbound flight to Dallas was delayed, forcing him to arrive late to the start of their mini-camp. But he’s upbeat. He sent a message from his iPhone at the conclusion of his first day of Spurs camp to check in and say things were going well.
Woody Allen once joked that those who can’t do, teach. And those who can’t teach, teach gym. Did all my questions about metal preparedness and drills and diet come across as analysis paralysis to Nichols?
“I think that people like you do their job, and it’s your job to analyze. It’s inevitable that some over analyzing occurs, but as a player all you can do is play. That’s what being a professional is to me. Being able to do your job regardless of what is said or what’s going on.”
So, what would surprise me? What is missed in all the gym teacher questions?
“I don’t know if this would qualify as a surprise, but it’s important for a basketball player to refine all the things that don’t show up in the box score. You have to be a perfectionist. Phil constantly tells me how it’s important to be sharp and efficient at the little aspects of the game (footwork, ball handing, etc) because once you’re good at those things you can build and become a better player. So when going through a drill I try to pay attention to every detail of the move that I’m doing to get it as sharp and efficient as I can. So, it’s not just about making shots. It’s about the good foot work that creates the space to make the shot. We work hard at those things.”
Austin and I plan to talk later this week about the specifics of a Spurs mini camp. For now, he’s heading back to the gym prior to Cleveland. Look for another update shortly.
http://www.48minutesof .com/2009/...s-breaking-in/
Nice. I'd really like to see him with our SL team. He seems like a better prospect than any of the players that we could potentially get in the second round.
IMO he would be pretty much in the same mold like Danny Green, but with more experience.
Agreed...but the experience factor is what I feel gives the edge over most of the swingman prospects we would look at. With 4 seasons overseas, I think he would be more ready to contribute off the bench this season.
Hmmm. This seems fair. If true, I'd rather the Spurs went with a player like Nichols and drafted international in the second: Llull, Claver, De Colo, Gladyr, etc...
In other words, there are players available in the first that could offer immediate help, not so many in the second. But there is talent in the second, and maybe by swinging for the fences on three different guys the Spurs can connect on one. Besides, I rank Hairston and Williams in front of everyone the Spurs can draft in the second. Maybe not in terms of ceiling, but in terms of shoring up the back end of the roster. Sign Gist, let him and Hairston play in Austin. Draft and stash Llull, Claver and Gladyr. Try to move into the first for something closer to an impact player. That would be my strategy.
I think picking euro with the last two picks would be fine, but they should try and get someone with their first second if they don't happen to get a first round pick. Like you said there is some talent so take a chance though it is low and they might get a role player instead of a euro prospect you might never see.
give that guy a # 40 jersey and call him Willie Anderson 2.0
hi
how are you ?
I hope that Austin will play in NBA because he is a good man
Anyone know where he wound up? He is not listed on any SL roster.
AFAIK, he hasn't played SL games. He is said to sign with another French team (Orléans). Either he was injured or was very bad during teams mini-camps.
Weren't you high on him a year or two ago? Is he still developing well?
I've never talk about him before he was said to play with Spurs SL team few months ago.
Haha, nevermind. I think I was thinking of Quinton Hosley for some reason...COMPLETELY different guy.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
