Who Is the Best NBA Point Guard?

With the NBA season less than 10 games the point guards have dominated this season. If the MVP award were given today, several point guard are making strong cases. The question so far this season and asked by Kenny Smith..."Who is the best point guard in the NBA"? Well lets meet the contestants:

*For argument sakes Chris Paul & Deron Williams will not be mentioned*

Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings - Young Money is not having a sophomore slump already dropping a triple double in the first week. Some say the Kenny Anderson clone is the best point guard in the Central Division. Once his jump shot matches his quickness and passing ability, you'll have to consider the Compton native one of the best. 14 points 7 assists 4 rebounds

Russell Westbrook

 Russell Westbrook - The FIBA game did wonders for the former guard out of UCLA. He's not a true point guard but very explosive and finishes very hard at the rim. Compliments Kevin Durant very well. 20 points 7assist 6 rebounds

Derrick Rose

Derrick Rose - "I WANT TO BE MVP" That's what Pooh said in the latest issue of SLAM. Already strong, fast, explosive, great passer. So far Simeon's finest has proven to be a leader of this team and is not afraid of Miami. He worked on his jump shot over the summer and if automatic, he'll be the king of the PGs hands down. Expect him to be in the running for MVP all season long. 27ppg 8assist 5 rebounds

Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo - Right now the Black Irish PG is not only the best player on his team, but if the MVP award were given today Rondo would win it in a landslide. Rondo is a classic lead guard and has dished out 60 assist over 4 games (Stockton being the other). Still has a tendency to over dribble but his passing ability is second to none. Jason Kidd never worked on his jumper and he's one of the best ever. 11 points 16 assist 6 rebounds

John Wall

John Wall - Whatever John Calipari is doing it's amazing. Flashes of Derrick Rose are completely accurate. Speed, finisher, #1 overall pick, athleticism, court vision, potential rookie of the year. FYI...he's only a rookie.

Omari

Sports Basketball Expert

For more info please visit my Basketball Blog

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Omari_Prince

Basketball Shooting - 3 Common Shooting Problems and How to Fix Them

Basketball shooting is an art, but it is an art that improves with practice. Does natural shooting talent help? Of course it does. But even without natural shooting ability, most players should be able to develop good, reliable shooting ability with the right guidance and repetition of the skill.

Players should be taught how to hold the ball on the fingertips, to be sure their elbow is under the ball when they raise it, to use leg power to give their shot strength, to snap their wrist for back spin, to put arc on the ball. These are the basics of shooting a basketball, and not every player is taught well at a young age, which is regrettable. But even those that are taught to shoot properly will occasionally need an adjustment, will fall into a bad habit or have an off game (or season). Everyone makes mistakes.

Here are three common problems basketball players have when shooting the ball, along with what they can do to fix the problem and become better basketball shooters:

1. The shot is short. Is there a more common shooting problem? Probably not. If the ball is hitting the front of the rim, the player's shooting form may not need a major change, but rather a more minor, and yet very important, adjustment. When shooting the basketball, the power comes from the legs. Not the relatively small and weaker arm and shoulder muscles, but the strong, powerful leg muscles. Shooters need to use their leg muscles to give power to their shot - i.e., the shooter needs to bend his legs as he is setting up the shot, then explode upwards into the shot release.

Another possibility is that the shooter isn't following through on the release. As the ball is leaving the shooter's hands, he needs to snap his wrist down, as if he is draping his hand over the rim. This snap of the wrist - follow through - gives the ball a little extra power in its flight as well as giving it backspin, which causes it to bounce softly on the rim if it misses, and maybe roll in as opposed to bouncing away.

2.The shot falls to the left or right of the basket. Likely a problem squaring up. When the shooter sets up to shoot, he should be squared to the basket - i.e., a line drawn across his shoulders should be perpendicular to a straight line drawn from the shooter to the basket. This means the player's body will be facing directly to the hoop, and the ball is more likely to fly in the direction the body is facing.

Similarly, it could be that the shooter's elbow is out. The elbow of the shooting hand should be as directly under the ball as possible. The arm acts as a fulcrum, and the straighter that fulcrum is, the straighter the ball will fly. Think of those big catapults that he king's army used centuries ago that, when released, would throw big rocks at castles to break apart the castle walls. The shooting arm is the catapult, the ball is the rock. As long as the catapult is pointed straight in the right direction, the rock hits its mark.

3. The ball skims the rim and circles out or slams hard off the rim and bounces out - no 'shooter's roll'. A couple of possibilities here: if the ball is circling the rim and spinning out, it could be that the ball is being released off the side of the hand, or at least not off the very center. The shooter needs to be sure that on the release, the ball is rolling off the middle finger, and not one of the other fingers. Besides helping the ball to fly straighter, this should also mean the spin on the ball will be back spin, and not side spin.

If the ball is hitting the front or back of the rim and bouncing out, it could be there is not enough arc on the shot - the shot is flat. Shooters need to have lots of arc on the shot if they want to get that shooter's roll, where the ball comes down on the rim, stops dead or bounces around lightly, and then drops in. To get that requires the ball to come down from above the rim - not launched like a missile from in front of it.

Every practice should have a few minutes set aside for players to practice their shooting on their own - the first 10 minutes or so immediately before the actual practice begins is the best time to do this. During this time, the coaches can walk around and make necessary adjustments, depending on what they see. If no coaches are available at the time, players can pair up and watch each others shooting and try to pick out problem areas.

You can find more about how to coach basketball shooting, as well as a variety of shooting drills, on the Basketball Shooting Skills page on my Better Basketball Coaching website.

Gary has been coaching varsity basketball for over fifteen years. Read more of his coaching advice on his website http://betterbasketballcoaching.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Donovan

The Secret To Basketball Training For Perfect Shooting

If anyone asked you what you need in order to become a superb basketball player, what would you say? Most people would answer that you need master the game and its basic techniques such as basketball shooting with specialized basketball training. The answer is good, but it is not all correct. To become a perfect basketball player as much as you need training you need practice and at the same time you need to have that fire in your belly that drives to learn more than anyone else because you want to be the best. Listed below are a few key traits of champions in any field:

1. Hunger to be first. You need to want it happen and want it bad enough to visualize it. You need to see it before your eyes as it has already happened. You are the best; you are the champion; you have played the perfect game. The more you develop this hunger within you, the more you have the chance to become this champion.

2. Practice. When asked what lead them to success, most of the champions answered, 'fourteen to sixteen hours of practice every day'. This is known as dedication. You need to hone your body in becoming a perfect tool for your favorite sport and for that you need to practice, practice, practice, practice and practice more. There are no two ways about this.

3. Practice with better players than you are. You want to learn, go for players who are better than you in some or other aspect. Watch them, copy their style, improve on it and make it your own. It would not do to play against people who play at a lower level than you for this would actually sap your caliber. You would feel good in comparison and instead of striving to get better, you would learn to stagnate for in your eyes you are already the best.

4. Find a tough coach. If you want to succeed, find a coach who shares that hunger with you. This person should want it as bad as you do, so he or she could push you so hard that you would outdo yourself. Do not worry about coping up; your body is a phenomenal machine, it continuously improves on itself. With time, you would be able to realize that the more you push yourself the better you become and that there is always scope for more.

5. Practice round the year. Champions do not prepare only before the event takes place, they train round the year. They train and practice so they stay in shape and keep the body's reflexes sharp and in control. This is why, when you want to become the best basketball player, there is not off-season for you as your coach would tell you, if you chose the right one. You need to keep your mind and body in shape and tuned to perfection in the sport. The more you practice, the closer you would be to becoming the champion of basketball.

Coach Stewart Wrighter operates a basketball web site that offers basketball shooting videos and training aids and coaching/instructional videos along with lots of free coaching content. He also offers basketball training techniques which are helpful for coaches and parents alike.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stewart_Wrighter