This is some good stuff. David Thorpe, the guy who trained with Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas this summer, is putting some journalists through his training academy. It seems like these guys are going to be getting a good education with Thorpe. Hoopsworld has their first video up. http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=10163
Henry Abbot has a lot of coverage of this. Henry Abbot: Re-Capping Day One of Pro Training http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-34-122/Re-Capping-Day-One-of-Pro-Training.html
Camp Video: First NIght (Henry Abbot) <object width="440" height="361"> <param name="movie" value="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3617659"/> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/> <embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3617659" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed> </object>
How to talk to the media (Henry Abbot) <object width="440" height="361"> <param name="movie" value="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3619022"/> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/> <embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3619022" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed> </object>
Ballhandling with Mike Moreau <object width="440" height="361"> <param name="movie" value="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3619019"/> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/> <embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3619019" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed> </object>
The Morning of Day Three (Henry Abbott) http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-35-0/Training-Like-a-Pro--The-Morning-of-Day-Three.html
Talking Shooting with David Thorpe (Henry Abott) <object width="440" height="361"> <param name="movie" value="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3619957"/> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/> <embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3619957" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed> </object>
The Good Ol' Double Cramp (Henry Abbott) http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-35-4/The-Good-Ol--Double-Cramp.html
Towing Big Men Around (Henry Abbott) <object width="440" height="361"> <param name="movie" value="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3621323"/> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/> <embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3621323" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed> </object>
Actually Playing Basketball (Henry Abbott) <object width="440" height="361"> <param name="movie" value="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3621325"/> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/> <embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3621325" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed> </object>
Getting in a big tub of ice (Henry Abbott) <object width="440" height="361"> <param name="movie" value="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3621058"/> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"/> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/> <embed src="http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/player.swf?mediaId=3621058" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="361"></embed> </object> and a link to Abbott's long post on the entire experience after he got home. http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-35-12/Back-Home-from-Training-Like-a-Pro.html
The free throw advice that Thorpe's people are saying will make sense if you listen to it...but I'm not sure they they are exactly right, bashing the Tim Duncan swing. Duncan's problem is that he doesn't put up the soft free throw like most others around the NBA is, not the "Duncan Swing". At Ben Gordon's basketball camp this summer, he showed that you should start your free throw at that down position, while Thorpe says that is detrimental to your free throw. I think Ben Gordon, given his FT% (90.8%) relative to Luol Deng's (77.0%) and Tyrus Thomas (74.1%) is a more credible source on free throw shooting than David Thorpe. (Keep in mind, Gordon also learned under Skiles for a summer on how to perfect his free throws, (Skiles is 6th all time in free throw percentage at 88.9% for his career). So two very good free throw shooters say differently than David Thorpe, whose guy's are average at best from the line. (Don't get me on how Deng missed so many free throws during pressure times during the games).