bank shot, stop-and-pop, jump hook

["j.hironaka" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

	Since we are in downtime between the NBA draft and the Shaw league, I 
thought I'd post some old stuff I found on TSN on the various shooting 
techniques. What Sam Jones, Calvin Murphy and Bill Walton have to say is 
very relevant I think. Murphy's probably going to love Joe Forte.

--------

Sam Jones on the bank shot:
"The best thing about the bank shot is that it gives you two chances to 
score. Lay it off the glass softly, and if it does lie on the rim, it's 
probably going to fall in. That's why I can't understand why more players 
don't practice that shot. It's the great unused weapon. I guess everybody 
wants to see a swish these days, and the bank shot isn't cool. But if more 
guys shot it, trust me, it would become cool."

--------

Calvin Murphy on the stop-and-pop:
"The worst thing to happen to shooters is the 3-point line. Now it's all 
3-pointers or dunks, and the middle-distance stuff that made players of my 
day such effective and consistent scorers has disappeared. (Terrell) 
Brandon is the only player who gets into that area and takes that shot, and 
look how effective he is with it. What Brandon understands is that in the 
NBA today, defense is not played at the 15-foot level. It's played at the 
3-point line and under the basket. That middle area is undefended, and if 
you understand that, you can be an effective scorer.

"That's why I keep telling Steve Francis to exploit that area. Right now, 
he's able to go over people (with the dunk), but there comes a time when 
those legs go, and you have to figure out other ways to score. I'm always 
telling him to take that 15-footer because it's the easiest shot in the 
game. Why do you think they put the free-throw line there?"

-------------

Bill Walton on the jump hook:
"The footwork is different on the jump hook than on any other shot," says 
Walton. "It's the only time you don't move your lead foot in the direction 
you're going. On the jump hook, the lead foot is your pivot foot. So you 
position yourself between the defender and the ball. There's really no 
defense for it because the defender has to go through your body to reach 
the ball. No matter how big they are or how high they can jump, they're not 
getting to that shot. You also have the option of turning it into a drop 
step or a conventional jumper.

"Kevin McHale had the best jump hook I played against. Who's the best 
today? Probably Tim Duncan, but it's hard to say. As defenses have adjusted 
to keep Shaquille O'Neal from dunking as much, he has developed a soft jump 
hook off the boards. Scottie Pippen is a perfect example of how to use it 
in the low post, where it's easier to get that shot off than anywhere else. 
In close, the jump hook is vastly more effective than the turnaround jump 
shot.

"Duncan and Olajuwon use the shot on the baseline and coming across the 
middle. And Duncan is particularly good at reading the defense. He knows 
when to explode into the shot -- when the defender is off balance or has 
stiffened his knees or has moved in too close. Anybody can learn the move, 
but the great ones know when to use it at precisely the right time."

---------