Better hope they did their summer homework

By Mike DeCourcy - SportingNews

October 13 is the lucky day this year. First day of practice.

But if that's the first day the guys on your favorite team start getting ready for the season, then they -- and you -- are out of luck. That process should have begun about the day last season ended, especially for a few key players who had pressing needs to address.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis: jump shooting. The Tigers lost their top three scorers -- a total of 43.8 points per game. Replacing that production has to start with the most talented guy. That's CDR.


In the NCAA Tournament, Douglas-Roberts did some pretty cool things that made folks realize how gifted he is. He, however, did not deliver a double-figures scoring game after February 22 and did not make a 3-pointer in his final dozen games.

Douglas-Roberts, a 6-6 wing, is terrific on the drive, and if he can combine that ability with a jump shot he could lead the still-talented Tigers to another comfy NCAA Tournament seed.

Brandon Rush, Kansas: attacking. In order to make a point about a certain player's needing to be more aggressive on offense, you'll sometimes hear a television analyst -- or even a coach -- say the guy in question has to be "more selfish."

Wrong. It's not selfish for LaDainian Tomlinson to run forward with a football while a bunch of guys block for him. It's Tomlinson's job. He gets the glory, but that's the game. And so it is with Rush. His first job is to score, and 13.5 points per game for a player with his skills (47.2 percent on 3-pointers) getting his minutes (31.7 per game) isn't enough.

Rush has to be hungrier. The best way to show he has changed is by driving the ball into the lane, not by simply taking more shots. He attempted only 71 free throws last season -- one every 14.7 minutes. Only one Jayhawks regular shot free throws less frequently.

Sean Williams, Boston College: post moves. In his first two seasons, Williams could afford to be a shot-blocking sideshow because Craig Smith manned the low post. Another big body in that area would have gotten in the way.

Now, the Eagles need a replacement post scorer. Small forward Jared Dudley will get some of that responsibility, but he has too much value as a perimeter shooter and creator to be rooted in the block. Williams is an astounding athlete and will be able to handle a bigger role on offense.

The Eagles' flex-based schemes can generate opportunities for inside baskets without Williams' having to defeat double-teams, but he's still going to have to be comfortable converting them. A good many of his baskets -- he has only 195 points in two seasons -- have come on tip-dunks when following teammates' misses from the weak side. He'll have to leave the cleanup to someone else this season.