Question: What does a coach do when he doesn't have a job? What advice would you give coaches who are between jobs?

First, stay as close to the game as possible. One way to do that is by doing TV and radio. When I was let go by the Golden State Warriors after the 2003-04 season, I got a job working as an analyst on the ESPN radio game of the week.

This past season, I worked on Comcast SportsNet broadcasts of Big West and West Coast Conference games. It's a natural thing for coaches to gravitate to, as we can provide insight into the game and add a coach's perspective. It also gives us a chance to continue studying the game, scouting players, identifying trends and gathering ideas.

I also attended some training camps and practices. I feel I've learned more by sitting out than I would have as an assistant coach. Last fall, I attended the Lakers' training camp. When I was out of a coaching job before, I went to Hubie Brown's training camp with the Memphis Grizzlies. I ended up sitting side-by-side with Mike Fratello, and became his assistant coach in Memphis after Hubie retired a few months later.

Attending training camp as an active observer gives you the chance to study how other coaches run their camps. You get ideas of what works and what doesn't. It's like being in a classroom, in some ways.

It's important to choose carefully what kind of camp you want to attend, based on logistics and what kind of system you want to learn. I chose Hubie Brown because I think he's the best in the game -- kind of like taking a master's level course from a respected professor of the game. The same goes for Phil Jackson. Like Hubie, Phil has great respect for the coaching profession to open his camp and allow me to watch and learn. And like Hubie, he's one of the best in the business.

I've gotten into the habit of planning a practice every day as if I'm part of a coaching staff. I date it, give it a practice number and plan out drills for the day. This type of daily ritual stimulates me to come up with new drills, ideas and schemes. It also allows me to apply some of what I've learned while observing a lot of other terrific coaches.

I'd literally pick a different NBA team each week of the season, and act as if I'm part of that team's staff. I do it in alphabetical order -- so the first week, I was with Atlanta, the next week I was with Boston, and so on. The practice would vary depending on the team's personnel, schedule, strengths and weaknesses, upcoming opponents, and so on.

For instance, if the Hawks were my team of the week, and they had a game on Tuesday, I would watch the game and plan out their practice on Wednesday. On top of the written plan, each practice session also has 15 minutes of film work of what we would need to review and improve upon.

If you're not coaching, it's important to map out everything -- your day, your month, your year. It starts in the summer. What summer leagues will you attend? What training camps? What will you do during the season? Postseason?

I also visited college teams that came to the Bay Area. One of those teams was Arizona State, as I've always thought Coach Herb Sendek does a great job, so I went to their shootaround and practice. I did the same thing with a number of other teams that came to town.

I also traveled to attend different college practices. I've made it a point to see all different levels, from mid-majors to the top. I spent a week in McComb, Ill., watching Western Illinois. I spent another week at the University of Kansas, and another in Hattiesburg, Miss., watching Southern Mississippi. I also had the opportunity to watch St. Mary's practice a lot.

That's one of the wonderful things about coaching and coaches -- they typically like to share and exchange ideas. It's a part of the coaching network that's unique to coaching.

In some cases, I had the honor of talking to players and teams either before or after practice. That's not something I take lightly. It really was an honor for me. At the same time, as a coach, it's nice for your guys to hear another voice from time to time. If the team walks away remembering just one small thing, then it was worth it.

Another way I've remained engaged with the game is through clinics. I've worked clinics in Greece, Brazil and China. I was in Beijing this month as part of Adidas Nations with Paul Silas, Marc Iavaroni, and Eddie Johnson.

Like most coaches, I can't get enough basketball, so I watch 2-3 games a night -- NBA, college, women's -- whatever is on NBA TV, TNT, ESPN or my local channels.

Plus, I go to games all over Northern and Southern California -- Warriors, Stanford, Cal, St. Mary's, Santa Clara, San Jose, San Diego, UCLA, USC, Clips, Lakers, college and AAU tournaments -- you name a gym, I've probably been there in the last 18 months.

Lastly, it's nice to correspond and talk with other coaches, tossing around basketball-related thoughts, exchanging ideas, making suggestions, giving and receiving advice, offering up observations, and so on. I probably send out over a 100 e-mails and texts every day.

Beyond coaching, the time between jobs has also been a chance to reconnect with my two young sons. It's been so great for me to be able to spend time with them, take them to school, have dinner with them, help with their homework -- stuff that's really hard to do when you're coaching.

There's a difference between retiring and sitting out a season or two. When you retire, you walk away, though you might still watch a game now and then or chat with coaching friends.

When you're between jobs, it's an opportunity to improve and learn. You have time to do things and take advantage of opportunities you can't do during the grind of a typical season.

When you come back, you not only come back refreshed -- you come back as a better coach.

Eric Musselman is the former head coach of the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, and a regular contributor to Pro Basketball News.