“Continuous efforts – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Winston Churchill If we never quit, we will never fail. We only fail whe…
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How to Make it to the NBA (For Guards)
Posted: March 18, 2013 in NBA, TrainingTags: Ball-handling, Ballhandling, Beastmode, Beastmodebasketball, Chris Paul, Handles, How to make it to the league, How to make it to the NBA, James Hardin, Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving, Lebron James, NBA, NBA Dreams, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Super Handles, Taps, Tony Parker, Top Three Fundamentals, What should I work on
Knowledge is Power! Also, the sooner you get that knowledge, the more powerful the knowledge becomes!
To make it to the NBA, a guard only has to MASTER 3 key fundamentals:
- Ball-handling
- Midrange Shooting/Scoring
- Making the “Open” Three
I didn’t learn how important these three fundamentals were, until my second year in college, and by then it was too late. Tragic. (Again, the sooner you acquire the knowledge, the more powerful the knowledge becomes – remember this!)
Fundamental #1: Ball-handling aka “Handles”
There are three main reasons why mastering your ball-handling is so important.
First, when you are young, you hope you grow to be very tall. All of us guards dream of becoming 6 ft 6 or taller like Kobe Bryant or Lebron James. But the truth is, we don’t know how tall we will become. To solve this problem and still give yourself the best chance to make it to the league, guards must work hard to become the best ball-handler in their city and then become the best ball-handler in their state!
The second reason why ball-handling is so important is to eliminate the fear of ball pressure. When we are younger, we all hated to be pressed! Some older players still hate ball pressure or the full court press. Great ball-handlers love to be pressed! When you become a great ball-handler, you will love defenders who pressure you because you will know that they can never take the ball from you. You will also know that when you shake them, you have an opportunity for a fast break and a chance to score. This leads me to the most important reason why ball-handling is so important.
Third, excellent ball-handlers can score “off the dribble.” A great ball-handler can get his shot off at any time. Either by attacking the hoop for a lay-up or dunk, pulling up for a short jumper or floater, or by creating space for a jumper like a “fade-away” or “step back.” Having great handles allows guards to become great scorers – and we know how important being able to score off the dribble is to NBA scouts. Being able to score off the dribble is the most important skill a guard can have! Just ask the following players: Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Dwayne Wade, Steph Curry, Jamal Crawford, Kobe Bryant, James Hardin, Russell Westbrook, Monta Ellis, Tony Parker, Deron Williams, Brandon Jennings. Again, having the ability to score off the dribble at any moment, is the most important skill a guard can have!
Guards, to make it to the NBA, you must become the best ball-handler in your state! Get to Work!!
– Coach Beast
(Fundamental #2: Midrange Shooting/Scoring – Coming Soon!!)
Lebron James Remains Loyal
Posted: September 14, 2012 in NBATags: Cleveland Caviliers, King James, Klutch Sports Management, Lebron James, Miami Heat, More Than a Game, New Agent, Rich Paul
Lebron James just left veteran agent, Leon Rose to sign with his long time friend, Rich Paul. Rich Paul’s new sports agency, Klutch Sports Management will be based in Cleveland, Ohio – where Lebron and his three childhood friends grew up. The King is not just remaining loyal to his friends, he is still supporting Cleveland business even though he left his home team on bad terms.
Lebron remained loyal to his high school sweetheart who is the mother of his sons by marrying her this past year.
Lebron remained loyal to his closest friends by allowing them to manage his business deals.
Now, Lebron is showing his ultimate loyalty by allowing Rich Paul to seek and secure all of his endorsements and future business deals. Lebron’s finances are now in the hands of one of his closest friends. Many people would call that stupid.. I call it Loyalty!
Much Respect for the King,
Coach Beast
1992 Dream Team vs. 2012 Dream Team – Lebron and Kobe Win! (Part III: Match-ups)
Posted: July 27, 2012 in NBATags: 92 Dream Team, Beastmode, Dream Team vs. Dream Team, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Olympics
(This article has been divided into 3 parts, Advantages, Breakdown, and Match-ups. Check out Part I and Part II here on Beastmodebasketball.com)
In Part II of this article, I broke down each team’s line-ups. Now lets match-up these lineups and see why the 2012 Dream Team would win!
Starters vs. Starters
1. Michael Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant (Although Kobe Bryant is one of the Top 10 ballers of all time however, Michael Jordan is the greatest baller of all time!)
Advantage Jordan – 1 point for 1992 (1 to 0)
2. Magic Johnson vs. Chris Paul (In 1992, Magic was returning from retirement. Magic was slow, older, and only on the team for ceremonial stake. Chris Paul is now in his prime and Magic couldn’t possibly keep up!)
Advantage Chris Paul – 1 point for 2012 (1 to 1)
3. Charles Barkley vs. Lebron James (Both players are similar, however, a slight edge goes to Lebron because of his athleticism. Also, Lebron is an NBA champion and Charles Barkley is not!)
Advantage Lebron James – 1 point for 2012 (1 to 2)
4. Karl Malone vs. Kevin Durant (Karl Malone is a “hall of famer” but only because of John Stockton. Without Stockton, Karl Malone is just an above average power forward. Karl Malone had a great jump shot but was undersized and had no post moves. On the other hand, Kevin Durant has led the league in scoring the past couple of years with a point guard that has a “shoot first pass never” mentality. If Kevin Durant played with John Stockton, Durant would average 40 points per game!)
Advantage Kevin Durant – 1 point for 2012 (1 to 3)
5. Patrick Ewing vs. Tyson Chandler (Patrick Ewing was near his prime in 1992. Also, Patrick Ewing was a beast on both offense and defense. On the other hand, Tyson Chandler is only a defensive threat.)
Advantage Patrick Ewing – 1 point for 1992 (2 to 3)
Key Reserves vs. Key Reserves
6. David Robinson vs. Kevin Love (Although I believe the rebounding edge would go to Kevin Love, David Robinson’s athleticism would allow him to guard Love away from the basket. However, Kevin Love would not be able to consistently guard David Robinson on the post.)
Advantage David Robinson – 1 point for 1992 (3 to 3)
7. Scottie Pippen vs. Deron Williams (Scottie Pippen was an excellent defender and could guard multiple positions. However, Pippen lacked an offensive game and the abiltiy to create for himself. On the other hand, Deron Williams is a good defender but is outstanding scorer! Deron can create for himself and for his teammates. With all that said, for these two players, there is no clear advantage.)
Even – 1 point for 1992 and 1 point for 2012 (4 to 4)
Chris Mullin vs. Carmelo Anthony (Many NBA fans don’t realize that Chris Mullin was the fourth leading scorer on the 92 Dream team. Mullin averaged 13 points per game which was ahead of Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. Mullin also lead the olympic team with three pointers made and three point percentage. Now, lets talk about Carmelo. In the final exhibition game versus Spain, Carmelo Anthony battled with and guarded Spain’s post players and still scored 27 points. It is quite known that Chris Mullin was very weak defensively, especially in 1992. However, Carmelo showed us against Spain, that when he puts his mind to it, he can defend. Moreover, when it comes to the question “Who is the better offensive player?”, the answer is Carmelo! Over a 16 year NBA career, Chris Mullin averaged 18.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. In comparison, within 9 NBA seasons, Carmelo has averaged 24.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. It’s clear, both the defensive and offensive edge goes to Carmelo.)
Advantage Carmelo Anthony – 1 point for 2012
1992 Dream Team – 4 points
2012 Dream Team – 5 points
When we remove “legendary status” from the equation and truly compare both teams, statistically – the 2012 Dream Team is superior to the 1992 Dream Team. Sorry, Jordan!
If you disagree, I welcome your comments and arguments. Comment below!
Coach Beast
1992 Dream Team vs. 2012 Dream Team – Lebron and Kobe Win! (Part II: The Breakdown)
Posted: July 27, 2012 in NBATags: 2012 Dream Team, 92 Dream Team, Beastmode, Dream Team versus Dream Team, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Lebron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Olympics
This article has been divided into 3 parts, Advantages, Breakdown, and Match-ups. Check out all three parts here on Beastmodebasketball.com
In Part I of this article, I outlined the advantages of both teams. Now, lets really break this down!
Part II: The Breakdown
1992 Dream Team
Starting Lineup
Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing
Best 3 Reserves
David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin
Clyde Drexler was good but in a tight game, he wouldn’t play much because Jordan would be on the court the entire game.
John Stockton was good but injured and too slow and only averaged 2.8 pts. per game and 2 assists during the 92 olympics.
Larry Bird is a legend but in 1992 he had a bad back and was way too slow to keep up with the 2012 team.
2012 Dream Team
Starting Lineup
Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Tyson Chandler
Best 3 Reserves
Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams, Russel Westbrook
Andre Iguodala is a key reserve because of his defense and his ability to play shooting guard or small forward.
Kevin Love would be key against the 92 Dream Team because of his size and his rebounding ability. In fact, because of his ability to get 30 rebounds in a single game, Love might actually neutralize the 92 Dream Team’s rebound advantage!
If needed, Anthony Davis could be used to help defend the 92 Dream Team’s post players. Although Davis is inexperienced, his shot blocking ability would be an asset.
This is the end of Part II. Check out Part III to see why the 2012 Dream Team would defeat the 92 Dream Team. Beastmodebasketball.com
Coach Beast
1992 Dream Team vs. 2012 Dream Team – Lebron and Kobe Win! (Part I: Advantages)
Posted: July 27, 2012 in NBATags: 2012 Dream Team, 92 Dream Team, Dream Team versus Dream Team, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Lebron James, Magic Johnson
(This article has been divided into 3 parts, Advantages, Breakdown, and Match-ups. Check out all three parts here, on Beastmodebasketball.com)
Part I: Advantages
Oh, here it comes, “How dare you say this team could beat the original dream team!” “Don’t you know who was on that team – Magic, Bird, JORDAN!” “This year’s team doesn’t have any size, the 92 team had Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Barkley, and Malone” … on and on and on..
My response to these comments and comments like these is simple, so very simple! Check it out below!
1992 Advantages (3)
- Michael Jordan aka “The Greatest of All Time” (Magic, and Bird are legends but they were well past their prime in 1992. In fact, Larry Bird only averaged 8.4 pts. per game and 1.4 assists.)
- Size – Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Karl Malone..Enough Said!
- Charles Barkley – Led the team in scoring with 18 pts. per game.
2012 Advantages (4)
- Lebron “King” James – Three MVP’s and a Championship Ring
- Speed/Quickness – The Speed of this team would overwhelm the 92 Dream Team!
- Kevin Durant – 6’10 Shooting Guard with hops!
- Athleticism – Sure the 92 Team had Jordan and Barkley but the 2012 team has Lebron, Durant, Westbrook and Iguodala! (Imagine if Blake Griffin didn’t get injured and was still on the team!)
This is the end of Part I. Check out Part II here at Beastmodebasketball.com!
Coach Beast
Hello World. As I was watching Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between OKC and the Spurs, I felt like I was witnessing the “passing of the torch.” The western conference will now be represented by OKC for the next four or five seasons – if they can keep the team together. (Thats a big “if”!) The scoring machine of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden puts so much pressure on the opposing team’s defense. Speaking of defense, the defensive force down low with Ibaka, Perkins, and don’t sleep on the “charge taking” Collison make it hard for opposing teams to get easy buckets inside.
Again, if the management can keep this team together the capital city of Oklahoma may have a dynasty on their hands.
Train Hard,
Coach Beast
Beastmode Basketball Training will specialize in Instructional DVD’s that teach young ballers the skills they need to know to make it to the highest level. Our DVD’s will never be boring! Our DVD’s will never be dry! Beastmode DVD’s will feature NBA or WNBA ballers who will teach you the skills that make them great. You won’t have to worry if you are practicing the right drills, because you will learn the drills from professionals!
Our first DVD will feature Kobe Bryant teaching you how and why he performs most of his offensive moves using the “triple threat position.” He will also explain to you why all young ballers need a “beastmode” mentality. He states that “every time I step on the court, I am out to prove that nobody can stop me – except me.”
Kobe Bryant Black Mamba Releases on May 1st – and it’s free. Contact me for more details.
Follow me on this website, or twitter at coachbeastbmb. Or like my fanpage at facebook/beastmodebasketball.com
Train Hard,
Coach Beast
I am a former Mid-major Collegiate Basketball Player (Philander Smith College) who had dreams of playing basketball, professionally. I failed to reach my basketball goals because of ignorance with regards to training and ignorance with regards to preparation. I had the work ethic, I didn’t have the “know how.”
The mission of Beastmode Basketball is to help young ballers avoid making the same mistakes I made. Beastmode has been created to teach, train, and prepare young basketball players to play at the highest level.
– Coach Beast
The Beastmode “B” Represents the Burning Desire of Every Young Baller who dreams of playing in the NBA or WNBA!
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