DURHAM, N.C. — As the Nets finished up their first practice of the 2013-14 season Tuesday morning inside the gleaming men's basketball practice facility at Duke University, there was a never-ending series of chatter coming from the court.
As expected, there was a never-ending stream of consciousness pouring out of the mouth of Kevin Garnett, who has already become the team's vocal leader 24 hours into the new season. There was plenty of chatter from other players, too, including fellow newcomers Paul Pierce and Jason Terry, and also from the team's two lead assistants John Welch and Lawrence Frank — the de facto offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively — as they led the players through drills.
But one voice that wasn't often heard was Jason Kidd's. He'd step in and make a point when he saw the need, or chat with a player on the side when he felt he needed a word. It was a setup that seemed to perfectly fit Kidd's low-key personality, and the players seemed to buy into it.
"It looked good," said Terry, who spent several years playing alongside Kidd in Dallas, including winning the 2011 NBA title together, before adding with a smile, "It almost looked like they already rehearsed it.
"It just looks genuine, it looks second-hand, second-nature. Again, [Frank] is out there leading the drills and Jason comes in and makes his points and boom, we break and get it done."
Kidd's first official practice as the team's coach was deemed a success by everyone involved, as you would expect on the opening day of training camp for any team, let alone one with the talent and expectations this Nets team has. But what stood out was the intensity and energy in the gym, a marked change from a group last year that often seemed to lack that kind of spark, to the point Kidd called it a "vanilla" group after being hired this offseason.
"The energy was great today during practice," said Deron Williams, who was limited in practice as he continues to recover from a sprained right ankle. "I don't want to say it was night and day from last year, but it was just a different feeling.
"The energy was better, it was more intense … it's just a better feeling."
Kidd, too, seemed pleased with how the day went, and was ready to get to work trying to mold this group into the potential championship contender he and his players aren't shy about saying they expect it to be.
"It's just about me being able to help the guys," he said. "When I see something as a coach, good or bad, I let the guys know, and today we were going in the right direction."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
New Kidd in town leads 1st Nets practice
Dengan url
http://bahayaprostat.blogspot.com/2013/10/new-kidd-in-town-leads-1st-nets-practice.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
New Kidd in town leads 1st Nets practice
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
New Kidd in town leads 1st Nets practice
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar