Kukoc talks fundamental basketball at Bulls/Sox Academy
In the international, fast-paced game that is today's NBA, basketball fundamentals can be "less required" than they were in the past, three-time champion Bulls forward Toni Kukoc said Friday.
But that doesn't make the core skills of ballhandling, footwork, shooting, free throws and defense any less important for kids learning the game, such as the 60 or so teens and youngsters Kukoc coached this week at the Bulls/Sox Academy in Lisle.
One day after the Bulls selected 20-year-old Arkansas forward Bobby Portis in the NBA draft, Kukoc wrapped up his second annual fundamentals camp for athletes ages 6 to 17.
"The kids wanted me to come back," said Kukoc, the "Croatian Sensation" who won three championships with the Chicago Bulls in 1996, '97 and '98. "We're having a great time. This week just went by really, really fast."
Kukoc, 46, presided over the camp as Daryl Thomas, lead basketball instructor, ran participants through dribbling and passing drills Friday afternoon.
Kukoc would high-five a kid in one line of players, then head to the other side of the court to show what a crisp jump-stop and chest pass look like. He'd applaud when players handled the ball cleanly, or if they didn't, he'd give instructions here and there over the echoes of sneaker squeaks and bouncing basketballs.
When Kukoc came into the league in 1993 from Croatia, he said Europeans were expected to be solid fundamental players with excellent shooting, dribbling and passing abilities, while many Americans focused on the "physical part" of the game - quickness, jumping and strength. Now, Kukoc says, coaches like his former teammate and new Bulls leader Fred Hoiberg get to find some players who focus on fundamentals and others whose athleticism dominates.
"They can get a couple players with the really good fundamentals and then build around that core with the guys who are defensive players, rebounders, the guys who are pure scorers, shooters," Kukoc said.
He thinks Hoiberg will find success building around the Bulls' core of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and company.
"He's a player's coach. He talks a lot with the players. He works with them to find out each of the players' personalities," Kukoc said. "I had a chance to talk to him the other day and shared some interesting thoughts about how the game should be played, which way we should go. It should be a good year."
Kukoc's fundamentals camp took place in the town that produced Wisconsin basketball star Frank Kaminsky, who was chosen ninth in Thursday's draft by the Charlotte Hornets.
Kukoc said he remembers meeting Kaminsky when Frank was young and he has high expectations for the 7-foot-1 Benet Academy alum now that his NBA days are about to begin.
"He was improving every year. He went from a guy that just kind of rebounded OK, passed OK and shot the 3-point shots, into a guy last year that really showed a lot of skill underneath the bucket and playing with his back to it," Kukoc said about Kaminsky. "He got better in distributing the ball, with looking for other guys. He became overall a really good basketball player."