REACHING OUT

In the coaching profession, some are better than others at reaching out and helping.

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Billy Bayno looks back on a time when Rick Majerus helped him…when he really didn’t have to.

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune on Majerus and Bayno.

“He certainly went out of his way to help me when there really was no reason to, when there was no relationship there,” Bayno said. “I just think that’s his nature. He was pretty much Jesuit educated, a highly intelligent guy and he really cared about people. I never, ever forget that. I was blown away at the time he did it.

“When you see a guy like that, he just wants to make you be a better person.”

HOOPS135@HOTMAIL.COM

TWITTER: @CoachFinamore

SATURDAY’S CLOSE OUT

I hope everyone had a great 2011 and that you are looking forward to 2012.

Thanks for reading the blog and I appreciate those that add their comments.

Watched a lot of basketball last night.

This NBA League Pass is unreal!

So many games to choose from. Free preview now until January 8.

Keeping my fingers crossed that my wife allows me to subscribe.

But kudos to NBA TV, which we do have for giving us Bulls-Clippers.

Of course it was built up as the D-Rose vs Chris Paul show.

But believe it or not, it’s more than that.

The Bulls team are for real.

Chicago pulled out the victory 114-101 in LA.

The Bulls were 29-34 from the free throw line. Clippers 12-20. Biggest difference was right there. Rose shot 11, Paul attempted just 1.

Rose finished with 29 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds. Paul scored 15 points and dished out 14 assists. “It was like two heavyweights going at it, punch after punch,” said Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau on the Rose vs. Paul matchup.

Blake Griffin scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for LA. I know everyone is enamoured with Griffin’s dunks but I’m more impressed with his footwork. You can tell he worked on it during the off-season. One thing I would like to see him eliminate is dribbling through his legs; really doesn’t need it.

Chicago moves to 3-1. Clippers 1-2.

The Heat went into Minnesota where they pulled off the 103-101 win on a gorgeous sideline out-of-bounds play late in the game; LeBron James to D- Wade for the lay up. Ricky Rubio played well for Minnesota with 12 points and 12 assists.  James had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists.

Kevin Love scored 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the T-Wolves.

Miami is 4-0, Minnesota 0-3.

WEEI Sports talk Radio out of Boston on the Celtics win over the Detroit Pistons last night. More important, they got Paul Pierce back.

“I was expecting to be me,” Pierce said. “I don’t settle for anything less. I work tremendously hard. I did a lot of things and did what I could do, other than practice. I just stayed focused, got my shots every day, I was on the [exercise] bike, and Doc [Doc Rivers] wanted me to be aggressive and just play the way I play, and that’s what I tried to do.

“It felt good. I think the rest of my body is a little bit more sore than anything, since I haven’t had any physical contact or up-and-down basketball in quite a while.”

I’m looking forward to closing the 2011 year with some good college basketball games on TV today:

Louisville-Kentucky 12 noon

Creighton-Wichita State 6PM

IU-Ohio State 6PM

Happy New Year!

Hoops135@hotmail.com

Follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore

SET PLAY

Good article on Memphis head coach Josh Pastner via the New York Times.

“You know what it is?” Pastner said, explaining his motivation. “It’s wanting not to look back and say we should have done this, we should have done that. You want to maximize your time, which doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to win a lot of games; it just means you can look back and have a peace of mind knowing you gave it your best shot.”

I’ve known Josh for close to 12 years.  The guy is the best.  Big time is not in his vocab.  The guy is all about the team and people.

More New York Times material on the Minnesota Timberwolves and Johnny Flynn’s transition from Syracuse to Minnesota.  You think people are still talking about Ricky?  Flynn made a big time drive to the rim last night for the go-ahead basket leading the Timberwolves to the win over the Jazz.

“Any time, you ask a player to do something that they’re not comfortable with and haven’t done before or experienced with, there’s a good amount of irritation and frustration that goes along with it, and I understand that,” Rambis said. “He’ll get to that point. He’s already made huge advances where he’s making the right decisions and doing the right things with the basketball.”

DRIVE-DETERMINATION-DESIRE!

-COACH FINAMORE

HOOPS135@HOTMAIL.COM

TAKIN’ IT BACK OLD SCHOOL

Boston Herald on head coach Kurt Rambis and the assistant coaches (Reggie Theus and Bill Laimbeer) he has hired in Minnesota.

“I like to be around guys who have aspirations,” Rambis said. “I’m not intimidated by that at all. I want them to be head coaches again someday, just not here. They can get their own jobs.”

In a profession where there are a lot of paranoid, insecure people, Rambis has chosen to improve not only his team but his staff.

KSL.com talking to Jerry Sloan and his appointment with Springfield next week.

“You don’t get here without a lot of help from a lot of people,” Sloan said. “I’ve had tremendous support throughout my career with people who worked hard and played hard and tried to do the right thing.”

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 24-7

WEAK-HAND DAY AT CAMP

Tomorrow is our third and final day of Boys Basketball Camp at Jackson Community College.  The kids have done a great job.  I am proud of the group.   Tomorrow we will emphasize the ‘weak-hand’.  We will work on weak hand dribbling and weak hand layups.  I want everyone to leave our camp being able to make a weak hand layup.

USA Today on new T-Wolves head coach Kurt Rambis.  I’m happy to see him get a chance.

“I know losing is part of it and if the players handle the situation, I’ll help guide them through that,” Rambis said. “Developing a distaste for losing yet all the while growing from the experiences so they can help avoid it in the future is going to be paramount for me as a coach and it’s going to help them learn as players when we finally turn this franchise around and start winning.”

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com