Parker aims to fix his inconsistent shooting

[Notorious H.O.P.]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...r.c9637bf.html

It's going to get worse before it gets better but hopefully it isn't too bad to start.

Spurs' Parker aims to fix his inconsistent shooting under tutelage of a new assistant

Web Posted: 10/30/2005 12:23 AM CDT

Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
Fifteen minutes after the Spurs end practice, Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel continue to trade shots in a corner of the gym. Tony Parker, the only other player still on the floor, also is working late. Again.


Parker shoots on the opposite court, firing a series of 17-foot jumpers behind the foul line. After making five, he repeats the process from the left elbow of the lane. He does the same from the left wing and the baseline.

Swish. Clang. Clang. Swish. Clang. Swish. Swish. Swish.

Parker finishes with free throws. Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland has watched the entire session.

Sometimes he offers Parker a few words of encouragement. Once, he asks him to spread his feet. Mostly he just watches.

Whether on the road or at home, post-practice or pregame, the scene has been replayed for much of the past month. Parker shoots, Engelland watches. Together, they hope to build a better shot for the Spurs' point guard.

Parker has already learned this much: It's not going to be easy.

"It's like two, three steps backward," Parker said. "A little bit like Tiger Woods when he changed his swing. I totally change everything, basically. The way I hold the ball, the way I do my routine, everything. I just start from scratch."

Parker's teardrop runner rates among the best in the league, and his pull-up jumper has also proven effective, helping him shoot a career-best 48.2 percent from the field last season. But when he's shot with his feet set, whether at the foul line or from a distance, his stroke has more closely resembled Charles Barkley's backswing than that of Woods'. Last season, he made only 27.6 percent of his 3-point attempts and 65 percent of his free throws, both low-water marks for his four-year career.

Parker's postseason struggles also have been a result of his inconsistent shot. Too often, he's been unable to make teams pay for sagging off him and packing the lane.

"I saw the limits of my technique with my old shot," Parker said. "I think if I want to go to the next step, I have to change a couple of things."

With Parker's six-year, $66million contract extension beginning this season, the Spurs decided it would be wise to also invest in one of the game's best shot doctors. Engelland, whose distinguished list of clients includes Steve Kerr, Grant Hill and Shane Battier, became available this summer when his contract with Denver expired.

Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer and former director of basketball operations Danny Ferry encouraged coach Gregg Popovich to add Engelland to his staff. No one needed to remind Popovich the team had unsuccessfully tried everything from European shooting drills to state-of-the-art video equipment to improve its woeful free-throw shooting.

"I finally found someone I thought was not just professional enough, but knowledgeable enough, credible enough and understood pro athletes enough to become a part of the family," Popovich said. "He also has a track record of players that he's worked with, who are players I know and respect. I know full well how far they've come under his tutelage."

Kerr was in eighth grade when Engelland first began working with him in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Engelland, who is four years older than Kerr, went on to play for Duke, but the two returned to their high school each summer to work out. They reunited during Kerr's first season with the Chicago Bulls.

A "less-is-more" coach, Engelland downplays his role in helping mold the most accurate 3-point shooter in NBA history. Kerr, however, says otherwise. "Steve told me," Parker said, "he became a great shooter because of Chip."

The Spurs joke that Engelland will have to be a miracle worker to improve their foul foul shooting. The average free-throw percentage for the league's 30 teams last season was .756. Not since the 1992-93 season have the Spurs shot that high.

"I think it's daunting if you look at the overall team percentage," Engelland said. "But if individual players improve their shooting, then the team's shooting will get better."

The Spurs have too many poor free-throw shooters for Engelland to spend considerable time with each. Tim Duncan, whose struggles at the foul line have been well do ented, may occasionally ask for a few words of advice, but he usually likes to work out his problems on his own.

"I think, through osmosis, (Engelland) will help Timmy," Popovich said with a laugh. "Timmy has a different deal in his contract. Timmy's free-throw improvement will be through clairvoyance and intuition."

Parker's will probably require a change in his mechanics. He said Engelland has asked him to use his thumb more when shooting 3-pointers or free throws — not unlike how he holds the ball for his teardrop.

"Good form doesn't lie," Engelland said. "You can see occasional players who are unorthodox that maybe have extreme confidence in their technique, but the great shooters have great form. It usually goes hand in hand."

It also takes considerable time. Parker's goal is "to have only good games" by the end of the season. Becoming a "great shooter," he said, may take two or three years. That he's trying to retool his shot during the season requires additional patience.

"I'm just going to keep doing the Tiger Woods," he said.

Brent Barry, who went through a similar process in college, has already seen some improvement in Parker's shot, even if the stats don't always suggest as much. In eight exhibition games, Parker took only two 3-pointers, missing both. He made all six of his shots — half of which were at least 15 feet — in Thursday's third quarter against Philadelphia.

With the Spurs clinging to a one-point lead with 10.5 seconds left, the Sixers sent Parker to the free-throw line. He rimmed out his first foul shot, then did the same with his second.

During the ensuing timeout, Parker took his seat on the bench and sighed. Engelland patted him on his left shoulder.

"Learning to recover off a couple of misses is much better than just making shots," Engelland said. "The process comes not just with the makes but the misses.

"You have to learn to know yourself. In good teaching, the person you're working with learns to coach themselves right in the middle of the game."

[Brodels]

I'm glad that Tony is doing what he needs to do to improve, but I'm not full of optimism about his latest attempt to shore up his jump shot. We heard that he was working on it last summer, and possibly even the summer before, and he's starting over again now.

I applaud him for his work, but this is something that could have been fixed earlier.

I hope it works. I think Tony is close to as good as he's going to get with his current perimeter shooting ability. But it he adds a deadly jumper, he'll take that next big step everyone is waiting for him to take.

[Rummpd]

Parker gets a steady outside shot he becomes a true all star. Interestingly, TJ Ford o the Bucks who is coming back from a spinal problem x 1 year = spent hundreds of hours this summer working with John Lucas on a similar shooting flaw.

Both are so quick that if defenders have to respect the outside shot - watch out!

[ducks]

tony worked on his shot last year

did he work on it with anyone though?

[grjr]

I'm very encouraged by Timmy's free-throw form this year. After watching the playoff games on NBATV the other day it's clear how much better his release timing is this year. When you couple the earlier release with the added arc it provides it makes him a much better free throw shooter. Timmy's outside shot looks better so far too but that may be because he is currently healthy and rested.

I think maybe people have forgotten a little just how "money" Tim's 17 foot banker was his first couple years in the league. I remember thinking how awesome it was when Tim would drain shot after shot in close playoff games in the 4th quarter. There was just no way to stop him.