Lionel Messi wrote:I'm all for telling them they can't ride motorcycles or any sort of dangerous vehicle. But telling them they can't play pickup basketball in the summer is just silly.
Maybe if they're just coming off of a significant injury (i.e. Greg Oden) then you don't want them participating in any unnecessary physical activity unless it's set up or approved by the team.
I also agree that our young guys need some kind of personal coach or trainer making sure they aren't forgetting any techniques or important fundamentals or even helping them improve their game. I get the feeling that most of these guys have a personal trainer anyways though, but that's just for conditioning and working on their body.
It'd be pretty damn expensive having a coach with all these young guys during the summer though, and it's not like they're training 24/7. These guys need some freedom too.
I'm not saying they shouldn't be playing basketball in the summer: they not only shouldn't be forbidden from doing so, they probably
should do so. But these kids (and that's what they are: kids, for the most part) aren't necessarily clued in to what is the best use of their time. They need instruction, they need supervision.
Nobody's saying we need to have a coach for everybody on the roster, either. But the players in their summer debriefing should have an extended meeting with the S&C staff and player development staff and a comprehensive summer regimen (diet, offseason physical development, skill development) should be presented to them and they should be held accountable for reaching their targets. The S&C staff should be in contact with them and should be advising them in proper places and forae for playing during the summer.
I think the organization has treated kids like they're adults far too often.