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ccgeneral

Cody Zeller - New Orleans Pelicans

By ccgeneral, in Hoosiers in the Pros

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OliviaPope40    6,295

OliviaPope40
Posted

My rookie basketball season in the NBA is almost over. I have to say, it’s definitely been a fun year for me. The rookie year is definitely a learning year, on and off the court. It’s been a big change for me, moving to a new city where you don’t know anyone, living a different lifestyle. I feel like I’ve been able to settle in pretty well. Charlotte is a nice city.

On the court, it’s been about getting more comfortable and more confident. I’m getting there. I’ve been playing my best ball recently and I made improvements through the year. I can tell when I’ve started cheating on plays before they even happen. I’m just trying to improve every day.

I know that rookies are supposed to break down toward the end of a 82-game season. But my body feels good. I’ve been playing about 20 minutes a game so my body still feels fresh. Honestly, I think the worst might be games 25 to 35. In the beginning of the year, you’re just excited to get the season going and so many things are happening. You’re learning a lot. But 25 games in, the end of the season just seems so far away. You’re not even talking about the playoffs yet but just play game after game. Then you run into the All-Star break and after that, that’s when you can see the playoffs coming. People tell you that the season goes really fast after the All-Star break and it does. It’s especially big for us because we’re in this playoff hunt and every game is important.

The great part is in these games recently, everyone’s just been on the same page and we’re playing well. We’re winning so that always makes things more fun. There’s less than two weeks left in the regular season and we’re sitting in at the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference so there’s more basketball left for us.

Since I have brothers that played basketball in this league, I thought I had a head start on what to expect my rookie season. But going through it on your own is a little bit different. But I am having fun and any time of night that I think I’m having a bad day, I just remind myself that I’m playing basketball for a living and playing in the NBA. I’ve always dreamed of being in this position. So there’s not much that I can complain about.

 

- See more at: http://www.mensfitness.com/life/sports/nba-rookie-blog-cody-zeller-2#sthash.iw5In4Wg.dpuf

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OliviaPope40    6,295

OliviaPope40
Posted

• What’s the opposite of the rookie wall? Charlotte has played conservatively with Cody Zeller’s minutes and role all season — a decision that has paid off through both the unexpected utility of Josh McRoberts and Zeller’s gradual acclimation. Whereas the other members of this year’s rookie class are fading with fatigue, Zeller has actually picked up his production and efficiency over the past few months.

His post-All-Star shooting percentage is up to 50 percent after shooting just 38 percent in the games prior. He’s drawing fouls more consistently and competently than before, stabilizing his scoring contributions. His total rebound rate is up a solid three percent — from an equivalent rate to Kendrick Perkins to that of Anthony Davis. In a matter of months Zeller has gone from an overwhelmed role player who excelled in nothing in particular to a prospect of emerging, recognizable strengths. It’s a shame that Bobcats coach Steve Clifford likely won’t get the credit for that transformation that he deserves.

http://nba.si.com/2014/04/12/short-corner-cody-zeller-james-harden/

KingPG21 reacted to this

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OliviaPope40    6,295

OliviaPope40
Posted

He definitely isn't the bust some were making him out to be. I think he will be a solid contributor throughout his career.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

No he's not entirely a bust which is why I believe the summer league is not a good indicator of how much players will contribute to their team.

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KingPG21    6,512

KingPG21
Posted

He definitely isn't the bust some were making him out to be. I think he will be a solid contributor throughout his career.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

He should at the very least be able to carve out a niche as a big guy that can beat most people down the court, and has a relatively polished offensive game. 

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OliviaPope40    6,295

OliviaPope40
Posted (edited)

As a basketball player, I always grew up dreaming of playing on the biggest stages and in the loudest of environments. My first NBA playoff game was just that.

I've always loved playing in those type of high-stakes situations. Every possession is so intense, the crowd is so loud and everyone on the floor is locked in at all times. The older guys on the team were telling me what it would be like to play in the playoffs for the first time, but it was even more intense than they described. Every detail of every play matters so much. If you blink and let a team go on a 6-0 run in the second quarter it could be the difference in the game. There's not much room for error when you're in a seven-game series. Particularly against the two-time defending champions.

 

Every second of Game 1 felt like it was in overtime to me. Every possession felt so big. You're always on the spot. The 82-game regular season is such a grind and sometimes you'll play four games in five nights and someone on your team won't have their best in one of those games. But everyone on your entire team needs to be playing at a high level to win a playoff game, especially against a team as talented as Miami. If you don't have all five guys on the floor fresh and playing hard, you're in trouble. Coach (Steve) Clifford and the staff have done a good job preparing us and Big Al (Jefferson), Kemba (Walker) and Gary Neal have played in big games and given us advice, too.

It's not as shocking to be on the same floor as the Heat as it used to be when I first came into the league at the beginning of this year. We played them four times during the season and now once in the postseason and playoffs, so it feels pretty normal now. Once you get past the first few minutes of the first preseason game, the awe starts to wear off and you have to treat LeBron James just like just another player.

 

We were with Miami the whole game in Game 1, but just made a few too many mistakes to win. Leading into Game 2 on Wednesday, we've been trying to correct a couple of things that went wrong, particularly cutting down on turnovers. They scored off a lot of those turnovers and turned them into fast-break points and we can't afford those types of mistakes.

Miami is so different because they will put four shooters on the floor, including at the four, which is where I usually play. They'll put LeBron James or Shane Battier or Rashard Lewis there and put Chris Bosh at the five. Other times, they'll switch it up and put Bosh at the four and bring in Chris 'Birdman' Andersen. That's a lot of different looks for me to prepare for. It's tough for bigs like me to play against those spot-up shooters because we're not used to running out to the perimeter and closing out. You don't have a lot of room for error against Miami.

 

Playing on the biggest stage this spring is an awesome experience. The two tournaments are different, but the NBA playoffs does have the some of the same kind of buzz as the NCAA tournament, which I played in last year with Indiana. I'll watch the other playoff games at night just like the fans. The end of Oklahoma City-Memphis on Monday was pretty crazy.

We're hoping to cut down on our mistakes in Game 2 and make some adjustments. We're looking forward to bringing playoff basketball back to Charlotte for our fans. I was talking to some guys who were here the last time the Bobcats were in the playoffs (2009-10) and they said it was some of the best atmospheres they'd ever seen. I'm looking forward to playing in more big games like that.

As told to Matt Dollinger of SI.com.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nba/news/20140423/cody-zeller-rookie-diary-nba-playoffs-bobcats-heat-lebron-james/#ixzz2zkTqep8V

Edited by OliviaPope40

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OliviaPope40    6,295

OliviaPope40
Posted

May 13, 2014

The NBA and FIBA announced today that Charlotte Bobcats forward Cody Zeller will participate in Basketball Without Borders Asia in Taipei, Taiwan from June 13-16. Zeller will be among 20 current and former NBA players and coaches participating this summer in Basketball Without Borders (BWB), which will also feature a first-time camp in Rome and a return to Johannesburg, South Africa.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to participate in the Basketball Without Borders initiative,” Zeller said. “I always look forward to the chance to give back and help teach the game that I love. I’m excited to represent my team and help the people of Asia learn about the game of basketball.”

Zeller will be joined by fellow NBA players Nicolas Batum (Portland Trail Blazers), John Salmons (Toronto Raptors) and Ronny Turiaf (Minnesota Timberwolves). Eight-time NBA All-Star Yao Ming will make a one-day appearance. BWB Asia 2014 will bring together the top 50 players born in 1996 or 1997 from more than 20 Asian and Oceanic countries.

Zeller’s appearance marks the second straight year the Bobcats have had a player participate, joining center Bismack Biyombo, who took part in BWB Africa in 2013.

Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development program, has reached 1,700 campers from more than 120 countries, with 28 BWB campers drafted into the NBA. BWB features NBA players and coaches training top youth players and leading daily life-skills seminars on values such as leadership, character development, and living a healthy lifestyle. Through NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, the NBA players and coaches participate in community outreach efforts highlighted by the creation of places for children and families to live, learn or play.

Since its inception, the NBA and FIBA have staged 36 BWB camps in 21 cities across 18 countries on five continents. More than 150 different current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined nearly 140 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams.

http://www.nba.com/bobcats/news/zeller-participate-2014-basketball-without-borders-asia

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OliviaPope40    6,295

OliviaPope40
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In a decision that was a surprise to many, the Charlotte Hornets, known as the Bobcats at the time, took Cody Zeller with the No. 4 pick in the 2013 NBA draft last June. Going into Zeller’s sophomore season at Indiana, many had pegged him as a potential No. 1 overall pick, but his stock had fallen somewhat and most projections had him going in the bottom half of the lottery.

But after a strong NBA draft combine showing and encouraging workouts, the Hornets snagged Zeller at No. 4, the first move of an offseason that would also include the signing of free agent Al Jefferson and the re-signing of veterans Gerald Henderson and Josh McRoberts.

Suddenly, the franchise had a team that could compete for a playoff spot in a depleted Eastern conference. And for Zeller, unlike many rookies drafted that high in the lottery, Charlotte’s offseason moves, particularly the acquisition of Jefferson, would allow him to be eased into the rotation surrounded by a solid core of veterans.

The numbers

- Regular season: 6.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 42.6 FG%, 73.0 FT%, 13.12 PER, 17.3 minutes in 82 games.
- Postseason: 2.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 0.5 assists, 33.3 FG%, 50.0 FT%, 13.3 minutes in 4 games.

With Jefferson and McRoberts already established in the frontcourt, Zeller was brought along slowly by first-year head coach Steve Clifford and was primarily used as Charlotte’s first big man off the bench who provided energy.

After a first half of the season that was viewed as a bit of a disappointment, Zeller began to take off after the all-star break:

061114zeller.jpg

As the numbers above show, Zeller’s minutes only went up incrementally, but his production increased significantly enough that he landed on the NBA All-Rookie second team. At the all-star break, Zeller was not one of the nine rookies invited to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge on all-star weekend.

“I’m just trying to bring energy to the court on offense and defense. Just trying to be an energy guy and get offensive rebounds and play good defense,” Zeller told Inside the Hall in March. “It’s fun being a role player for a change, just to be an energy guy and come in and try to make an impact from that way instead of being the mean scorer like I’ve been in college and high school.”

“It’s a tough process going from college to the NBA. The game is so much different, both on and off the court it’s a big adjustment but I feel like I’ve made the adjustment pretty well. It’s definitely been a fun year for me.”

A look to the future for Zeller and the Hornets

The window for the Hornets to continue their ascent in the Eastern Conference is now as the franchise has a dominant big man in Jefferson, veterans in Henderson and McRoberts and a young nucleus that includes Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Zeller.

The Hornets also have a lottery pick in this year’s draft (No. 9 overall) as well as the No. 24 and No. 45 picks, plus salary cap space of nearly $17 million, which means the franchise could be very active in free agency.

“This year we have a lot of flexibility, and I’ve been speaking to that over the last three or four years,” team owner Michael Jordan said this week. “Flexibility is very important, and we are going to use every resource to try to better the team.”

So what does all of this mean for Zeller?

While the level of expectations for him will rise going into his second NBA season, he’s still going to be a complimentary piece on a team that is coming off a playoff appearance and has one of the league’s better coaches in Clifford. That should mean the Hornets will continue to bring him along slowly and put him in spots to succeed as big men typically take longer to adjust to the NBA.

At just 21, Zeller needs to continue adding strength, add more of a face-up game and get better on defense. It’s clear that Clifford is a major advocate for Zeller’s long-term potential, but he also realizes that putting him in the best position to be successful is key to his development.

“People think by throwing them out there, they get better. I don’t agree,” Clifford said during the season. “I want a role that 1) he earns and 2) that he can play well in. If that’s 16 minutes right now, then that’s what he needs to be.”

Clifford also told The Charlotte Observer in April that learning how to defend without fouling is a major point of emphasis for Zeller moving forward.

“That’s a big thing,” he said. “He has to be able to contain the ball, contest shots, make it harder on the other guy to get to shots, and do all that without fouling.”

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