Saturday, January 17, 2009

Seeing the whole picture

Interesting note in the LA Times about how Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lakers center Andrew Bynum often meet at Bynum's home to review video.

In many cases, they spend less time looking at Bynum and more time focusing on the other nine guys on the floor.

"I try and show him what's happening because a lot of times during the game, he can't see the whole picture," Abdul-Jabbar said. "If I get together with him, I can show him what's happening, what's causing these things to happen."

In addition, according to the article, Kareem has tutored Bynum on how to respond when Kobe is double-teamed.

"That leaves three guys guarding the four remaining guys," Abdul-Jabbar said. "If [Bynum] starts moving at that point and knows the right place to go to, he's going to probably be four or five feet from the closest defender. Therein lies opportunity."

They've also discussed what do with the ball after grabbing a rebound.

"James Worthy was great at anticipating a rebound, and he'd be running, he'd take a dribble or two and then he'd get it to Earvin [Johnson] in the middle of the court, and that's a dangerous situation," Abdul-Jabbar said. "[Bynum] has got to learn how to recognize these things. He gets a rebound and he wants to give it to someone [close]."