NBA Summer League in LV

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

7/17

Detroit
Austin Daye with another solid performance. For someone so skinny, he really plays well inside. He had another double-double last night with 20-10. He continued to be more effective inside and on the boards than I expected and was very physical on defense. The thing I liked is even when he was muscled down there, he still at least tried hard to hold his position.

Cleveland
Another downer for Danny Green. He's just seemed to lose all his confidence. Shot 2-7 and missed all three from distance while scoring only six points. He's going to need a real good training camp to make the rotation.

Sacramento
Tyreke Evans returned to the starting lineup and looked more like his old self. Didn't shoot so well (6-16) but looked better as a point guard. Got where he wanted on the court and made good passes. Wasn't as aggressive as before as far as posting or going to the basket but we know he can do that.

New York
If Toney Douglas needed to prove himself as a shooter to make the league, forget it. Shot poorly again (4-14 and missed both 3s) but he worked himself to a 15 point night. Wasn't as much of a setup man here and overall, was a decent game but not great. Jordan Hill struggled with his shot. He only went 3-11 for eight points but again, you like the shots he's taking. He was more aggresive on the boards with 12 and you like to see a guy step it up in other areas when one is off.

Minnesota
Wayne Ellington played well again. The knock on him was that he wasn't athletic and couldn't create his own shot but he's actually doing that here. He's a long range shooter so you don't expect him to shoot 50% so his line of 6-14 (4-9 on 3s) for 19 points is about what you'd expect. Jonny Flynn had maybe his best game. He scored 21 and added five assists and shot 7-11 from the field. The thing I like about him more than a lot of these other point guards is that he doesn't settle for the bailout three. He'll get something good, either for himself or a teammate. He's really good at getting past his initial defender and making the defense collapse. Gerald Henderson got good minutes but didn't play a good game. Shot really bad (3-10) and looks like he's not even half the player Ellington is. Paul Harris has probably played himself off the roster. Only got in for a few minutes and did nothing at all.

Washington
Aminu was again a non-factor. Made both of his shots but only scored four and gave them only one board. He looked so good in college but looks scared here. Tyrese Rice, same thing. He just is having a hard time. If a point guard is not going to shoot well (2-7), he needs to be passing well. Didn't have a single assist last night.

Oklahoma City
James Harden was solid again if not great. He relied on the three a little too much but was hitting them (4-9). Finished with 20 and five assists. He's probably assured himself the starting role once the season starts. BJ Mullens continued his up and down play. Missed a lot of easy shots and looked rushed. Scored seven on 3-9 shooting but was good on the boards with seven. I just can't say which way I think he'll go. Livingston didn't play.

Chicago
I was saying earlier about Hill producing in other areas when his offense was out, well that's what James Johnson did here. Only shot 2-11 from the field although there weren't many bad shots. But he added 10 boards and seven assists and played an overall solid game. Very strong and physical player and creative with the ball. Taj Gibson didn't play.

Denver
The real Ty Lawson showed up. He finally looked comfortable on the court and his teammates looked better with him. He was very aggresive on offense with 11-16 shooting for 26 points and five assists. Still had quite a few passes that will be assists in the real games that these guys couldn't handle. What's great with him is he's always pushing. He's really good at looking ahead after getting the outlet or the inbounds pass and even though he's not getting an assist, he's putting the defense on their heels. I thought it was the best point guard performance of the tournament.

Portland
Jerryd Bayless is just not impressing me. You can see he's got ability but he's not making the step from a rookie to a guy that's ready to move to the next level like a guy like Nick Young or Anthony Randolph did. They are playing him at the point a lot because he's not going to get much time at the two with Roy in Portland and it's just not working for him. He dribbles too much and is not a willing passer. Shot 8-17 for his 19 points but didn't really have an impact. Dante Cunningham didn't play.

Phoenix
Goran Dragic finally showed something. He was aggressive out there and played pretty well. Had 17 and eight assists and looked a lot more in charge of the team. It's still a long way to go for him but at least he showed some signs. Earl Clark stepped back a little. He stayed on the perimeter too much for me and didn't take advantage of some matchups I thought he could have. Finished with 8-7 but wasn't really the factor he should have been. Dowdell is looking like a one-game flash. Only scored six here on 3-7 shooting and missed both 3s. Last two games have been below average for him.

Think Green's play has been affected by Cleveland signing Anthony Parker? Is he just pressing?
Bayless really should have stayed in school, he would probably be much further along now.
I think Toney Douglass makes the team regardless of what he does.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Think Green's play has been affected by Cleveland signing Anthony Parker? Is he just pressing?
Bayless really should have stayed in school, he would probably be much further along now.
I think Toney Douglass makes the team regardless of what he does.

I do think Green is pressing a little bit. What it looks like is a case of a guy having a real good first outing and thinking it was going to be easy. The second game wasn't as good as the first but it was ok. This is not college though. The players here are working hard to catch the eye of someone and the coaches are too. They have made some adjustments on him and he hasn't figured out things. After his first bad game, it looked like he was a little tentative last night. I don't think it would have anything to do with Parker though.

I don't think that Bayless' problem is that he came out early. You look at guys like DeRozan and Harden and Evans. Sure, they had a year of college but they more than likely didn't need it. Jennings didn't need it. Some guys just know how to play and look like what they don't have yet, they'll get. I am not sure Bayless needed it. I think if Bayless had gone to a situation like Harden did where he would have been given every opportunity to start and show what he could do, that would have helped. But going to Portland didn't help because he's just not going to see much time playing behind Roy. Last year at the summer league, Bayless killed it, leading the league in scoring. What's happening here is that they are trying to get him to play more of the point because that's where he's going to see the court in Portland and he's just not making the transition. It's made it hard to really evaluate him because if he was playing his natural position, I think he'd again be among the better players here. But at the point, it's just not there.

Toney Douglas will be on the Knicks roster for sure. He is a very good floor general. He has such command of the team that it always looks like he's doing more than he is. He's good at getting the defender off balance and getting to spots that he wants and then getting the shot he wants or making the good pass. The shots will start falling and once they do, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him starting for NY.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

I do think Green is pressing a little bit. What it looks like is a case of a guy having a real good first outing and thinking it was going to be easy. The second game wasn't as good as the first but it was ok. This is not college though. The players here are working hard to catch the eye of someone and the coaches are too. They have made some adjustments on him and he hasn't figured out things. After his first bad game, it looked like he was a little tentative last night. I don't think it would have anything to do with Parker though.

I don't think that Bayless' problem is that he came out early. You look at guys like DeRozan and Harden and Evans. Sure, they had a year of college but they more than likely didn't need it. Jennings didn't need it. Some guys just know how to play and look like what they don't have yet, they'll get. I am not sure Bayless needed it. I think if Bayless had gone to a situation like Harden did where he would have been given every opportunity to start and show what he could do, that would have helped. But going to Portland didn't help because he's just not going to see much time playing behind Roy. Last year at the summer league, Bayless killed it, leading the league in scoring. What's happening here is that they are trying to get him to play more of the point because that's where he's going to see the court in Portland and he's just not making the transition. It's made it hard to really evaluate him because if he was playing his natural position, I think he'd again be among the better players here. But at the point, it's just not there.

Toney Douglas will be on the Knicks roster for sure. He is a very good floor general. He has such command of the team that it always looks like he's doing more than he is. He's good at getting the defender off balance and getting to spots that he wants and then getting the shot he wants or making the good pass. The shots will start falling and once they do, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him starting for NY.

My point with Bayless is that he needed to play more which he obviously would have in college. You cant help who drafts you but he seems like the type of player who is only going to get better by seeing minutes.

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

My point with Bayless is that he needed to play more which he obviously would have in college. You cant help who drafts you but he seems like the type of player who is only going to get better by seeing minutes.

But I'm saying that by playing in college and getting minutes, it may have further hurt him. Take a guy like Harold Miner. I played against him in high school and he was a terror. Same thing when he want to college. But his college coach did him no favors by playing him the way he did. Anyone that watched knew that he wasn't going to be the type of post up player in the pros that he was in college. He needed to be working on what he would need to be good at on the next level. But instead, the coach used him in the way that was best for his team's success and not for Miner's future. I'm not saying he was wrong to do so but that's what happened. When Miner got to the NBA and had to play guard, he couldn't do it. By contrast, you look at how Curry was used at Davidson last year. Partly out of necessity but partly because he was helping him, the coach played Curry at the point to give him experience at the position he'd have to play in the NBA. If Bayless would have had a coach like Miner did, he might have gotten a lot of minutes and free reign of an offense but never had to develop the point guard skills. That would be fine if he went to a team that needed a shooting guard. Not so much by going to Portland. So college wouldn't have improved him, in my opinion, unless he would have been used as a point guard, which he more than likely wouldn't have been. I think he could play good minutes for someone in the NBA right now as a two guard.

[Antitrust32]

Is Jrue Holliday at the camp King? If you've seen him please let me know what you think.

I think the pick might be a bust...

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Antitrust32

Is Jrue Holliday at the camp King? If you've seen him please let me know what you think.

I think the pick might be a bust...

Philly and the Nets had a combined team in Orlando Summer league.

[Cannon Shell]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insid...Rookies-090717


1. Blake Griffin, Clippers
There is nothing left for Griffin to prove this summer. He is the most talented rookie and he plays the hardest, too; an exceptional combination. Veterans around the league should take note: This is not your typical rookie, and he'll provide them with bruises and posterizing moments to prove it.

2. James Harden, Thunder
He plays like a 10-year vet -- nothing is rushed or forced -- and he was the best passer on the floor every time he suited up. Factor in his ability to shoot, score and make plays on both sides of the ball, and the case can be made that he should have gone No. 2 overall in the draft.

3. Tyreke Evans, Kings
Can he crush opponents as a scorer? Yes. Is he a triple-double threat? Yes. Will he have a chance to break some kind of rookie free throws-per-game record? Perhaps. Sure, Evans has a lot to learn about playing the point guard position, but with his enormous talent, he's starting with very high expectations.

4. Tyler Hansbrough, Pacers
He was not the most efficient scorer in Orlando, but those of us who watched him know just how effective he was for the Pacers. His energy not only hurt his opponents
5. DeMar DeRozan, Raptors
Smooth and patient, with explosiveness and a sweet jumper. I love how DeRozan rarely dribbled himself into trouble and how crafty he proved to be around the hoop. And he rebounded and defended, too. He looks like he'll be able to contribute earlier than expected.

6. Toney Douglas, Knicks
I've tried to avoid citing statistics in summer league because I'm not sure they are that accurate, but I've witnessed Douglas' masterful execution of the Knicks' offense: 22 assists to just two turnovers so far. He has also shown the defensive chops everyone talked about before the draft.

7. DaJuan Summers, Pistons
He is sneaky good and played intelligently all week. He was outstanding in three of his four games in Vegas, where he wasn't focused just on scoring.

8. Austin Daye, Pistons
It's fair to suggest that Joe Dumars had an excellent draft. Daye is talented, as everyone knew, but he's also tougher than he looks. His biggest problem -- turnovers -- is mostly a result of his lack of strength. But when he gets bigger, watch out.

9. Darren Collison, Hornets
He easily could have been in the top six of this list. I love how he controlled his team and created all sorts of scoring opportunities for his teammates. He also played really well with Marcus Thornton -- the two rooks have potential as a backcourt tandem off the bench this season.

10. Jodie Meeks, Bucks
Meeks earned bucket after bucket this week, from near and far. He has a powerful body and a pure shooter's stroke. And he plays with supreme confidence