I flew to Las Vegas to watch a day of the NBA Summer League. Wow. The Cavaliers played the Knicks in the first game. I swear that if you put the And1 team on the floor and went shirts and skins, you could not tell which team was which and the level of play would not deteriorate any further.
Las Vegas as a city must appreciate bad basketball more than any city on earth. The gym was packed during the day, although most of the people are there are angling to get a job, and next week the superstars of tomorrow will strut their stuff for college coaches. That's three straight weeks of unorganized, fundamental-less basketball in the same city. No wonder they gave the city the All-Star Game!
The Raptors vs. Nuggets game might have been even worse. How is Hassan Adams an NBA player? Who wants a shooting guard with questionable ball handling ability and not outside shot? As I watched this game, featuring Adams and Dahntay Jones and others, I wondered how much the guys on the And 1 Tour make, and if they are worried guys like Adams and Jones might take their job. I don't think there was a legitimate NBA player in this game, though I love Bobby Jones as a player.
In the Cavs' game, Will Conroy came off the bench as a PG. I was sitting around some NBDL guys, and apparently they do not like Conroy. However, thus far, he is the only PG I have seen. Mardy Collins and Anthony Roberson played PG for the Knicks and Mike Green started for the Cavs - I like Green, but I like Conroy better. Denver started Taurean Green and Toronto started John Lucas. I think Jaycee Carroll played the point off the bench for one of these teams, but honestly, it's all starting to flow together. Roberson shot well and is a poor man's Monta Ellis or Leandro Barbosa, but he is not a PG. Green might be a PG, and he shoots well, but he just wasn't very impressive. Conroy, to me, was the only one who truly played with the personality of a point guard. Otherwise, the Summer League seems to be the spot where combo guards go to learn to be a point guard (and fail).
Finally, Portland played the Wizards. The Wizards flight arrived at 2:30PM and they played at 5:00PM. Portland is the best team I saw all day and Jerryd Bayless was the best player. Bayless did absolutely nothing to convince me he can play PG, ever, but he did impress as a guy who got to the rim at-will. He was a steal for the Blazers. Petteri Kopponen was a revelation. The kid can play. However, if they sign him, the Blazers will have two foreign PGs that McMillan probably will never play, in favor of Balyess and Blake. I also liked Josh Davis, formerly of Wyoming. He's a solid player. Dee Brown belongs in the NBA. He played the point for the Wizards. Javale McGee took some horrendous shots and committed a bunch of fouls, but he showed decent form and a nice hook inside.
Donte Green nocked down 3 three-pointers in a row when I watched the Suns play the Rockets. The Suns won, but looked awful while I watched them play. I watched the first quarter of the Minnesota vs Dallas game and marveled at the number of shots Corey Brewer took.
If you like combo guards, fouls, turnovers and undersized bigs, the NBA Summer League is for you. If you're a young player, develop your PG skills or post skills because wings are a dime a dozen, but finding a true PG or a true post player is virtually impossible.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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3 comments:
Bayless seems not a PG in personality
Nope. But, he's a player. Better than he showed at Arizona where I thought he was overrated entering the draft (when he was thought to be the #4 pick). He's a steal for the Blazers.
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