Hey everybody. Long time lurker, first time poster. A buddy and I, being basketball nerds of the highest degree, went down to Vegas to check out the last two days of the summer league. I know I always look forward to the insights I read on this site, so I thought I would share my impressions with you all. Sorry in advance for the length, but I just got back from the casinos and I can't sleep, so I figure this is a good way to pass time in Vegas without losing money.
Team Analysis:
Warriors: I saw two Warriors games. In the first game (against the Celts) Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins looked great. Ellis was scoring at will in the first half and it was not until he stopped driving to the basket every possession that the Celtics pulled away. Biedrins looked strong and aggressive; he could surprise some people this year.
Despite a solid stat line, Diogu was unimpressive against the Celtics. He seemed overmatched by Perkins, Jefferson, and (occasionally) Coppenrath. He made up for this, however, by completely abusing the Suns, shooting 13 for 15 in a game where he took a lot of long jump shots.
Celtics: Tony Allen was on another level than everyone else, which is impressive because everyone on the Celtics roster was good. One guy to look out for is Justin Reed, who always seemed to be around the ball. Gerald Green looked lost for the most part, but showed flashes at the end of the Warriors game when he and Tony Allen started trading off spectacular dunks.
Blazers: Telfair is the fastest penetrator I have ever seen live. His handles are amazing, he always makes the right pass, and he has a better shot than I expected.
Despite all of this, the Blazer that impressed me the most was Travis Outlaw. It turns out the unfortunately named Blazer forward is more than just a draft day punchline. He has unbelievable elevation on his shot, is a tenacious rebounder, and could create scoring opportunities for himself better than anyone I saw at the camp. Look for him to have an impact this year.
Webster was mediocre. He played within the system to a fault, showing little aggression or athletic ability. His shot reminds me of JJ's shot two years ago in that it always looks like it is going in, but rarely does. He has potential, but don't expect anything from him next season.
The Blazers also had a 7'4 guy named Sinanovic who actually played pretty good defense. He wasn't spectacular, and did nothing against the Cavs, but he might be a name to watch for. Ebi Ere played very well also.
Cavs: The Cavs went undefeated despite their highest profile player being Luke Jackson. Their best player was was probably Azubuike, who is quite the slasher. They also have a couple of nice big men in Loncar and Oyebedije. They really had nobody noteworthy, but had much better teamwork than any other team, and constant substitutions allowed them to run constantly. Gilchrist was unimpressive.
Mavs: Pavel is gigantic (narrowly edging out Ha Sueng Jin as the biggest guy there, but getting crushed by the Korean in the biggest head contest) and he can slam dunk. He was also the slowest player I have seen here, and should have never been considered a top 3 draft pick. Both Powells looked good, and Mbenga would be a nice pickup if Dallas unexpectedly let him go. Other than that, nothing much here, as Harris and Daniels both sat out.
Kings: The Kings were a two man team. The Suns missed out on Garcia, who did everything on the court effortlessly and played stellar defense. Kevin Martin was probably the best scorer in Vegas, though he loses points for getting blocked by Pavel on one of the first possessions.
Pistons: Darko was entirely unimpressive. He has a decent shot, but his release point is so low that it can easily be blocked. He looked apathetic in both games I saw him, though he ended up on the floor a surprising amount. In warm-ups he seemed to be fooling around, taking no real game shots. He probably put up decent stats, but clearly intimidated nobody, lacking any aggression or initiative.
Maxiell was fun to watch, as he is very powerful and an excellent defender. Acker was one of the better penetrators here. Probably the most impressive Piston, though, was Amir Johnson, who frequently attacked the rim with tenacity and showed a lot of basketball acumen for a youngster.
Hornets: Chris Paul and J.R. Smith were on a different level than the compettition, and had the highlight of the camp with a half court, one-handed alley-oop connection. Everyone else on the Hornets, including David West, was virtually invisible.
Clippers: Livingston didn't play, but he sure signed a lot of autographs. Kaman was their best player, as well he should be. He may be taller than seven feet, and he moved better than any big man in Vegas. He also seemed to have a bit of a mean streak to him. Chalmers also played well, but nobody else particularly stood out.
Nuggets: Kleiza is a keeper. He had a really nice shot. Flores was pretty good too. Hodge played alright, but did nothing worthy of the 20th pick. Sanchez was surprisingly tall, but not surprisingly good. I was generally paying attention to the Suns for their first game, and the Clippers worked them in their second, so I relly don't have much else to say about them.
Wizards: Blatche is supremely talented, but I can see why he slipped in the draft. He plays selfish ball and tends to disappear for long stretches when he is not the focal point of the offense. I can't even recall who else was on the team, but i do remember that nobody else stood out.
I hope that was helpful. I'll post Suns analysis in a few minutes, but the post was getting so long i figured I should break it up.
Team Analysis:
Warriors: I saw two Warriors games. In the first game (against the Celts) Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins looked great. Ellis was scoring at will in the first half and it was not until he stopped driving to the basket every possession that the Celtics pulled away. Biedrins looked strong and aggressive; he could surprise some people this year.
Despite a solid stat line, Diogu was unimpressive against the Celtics. He seemed overmatched by Perkins, Jefferson, and (occasionally) Coppenrath. He made up for this, however, by completely abusing the Suns, shooting 13 for 15 in a game where he took a lot of long jump shots.
Celtics: Tony Allen was on another level than everyone else, which is impressive because everyone on the Celtics roster was good. One guy to look out for is Justin Reed, who always seemed to be around the ball. Gerald Green looked lost for the most part, but showed flashes at the end of the Warriors game when he and Tony Allen started trading off spectacular dunks.
Blazers: Telfair is the fastest penetrator I have ever seen live. His handles are amazing, he always makes the right pass, and he has a better shot than I expected.
Despite all of this, the Blazer that impressed me the most was Travis Outlaw. It turns out the unfortunately named Blazer forward is more than just a draft day punchline. He has unbelievable elevation on his shot, is a tenacious rebounder, and could create scoring opportunities for himself better than anyone I saw at the camp. Look for him to have an impact this year.
Webster was mediocre. He played within the system to a fault, showing little aggression or athletic ability. His shot reminds me of JJ's shot two years ago in that it always looks like it is going in, but rarely does. He has potential, but don't expect anything from him next season.
The Blazers also had a 7'4 guy named Sinanovic who actually played pretty good defense. He wasn't spectacular, and did nothing against the Cavs, but he might be a name to watch for. Ebi Ere played very well also.
Cavs: The Cavs went undefeated despite their highest profile player being Luke Jackson. Their best player was was probably Azubuike, who is quite the slasher. They also have a couple of nice big men in Loncar and Oyebedije. They really had nobody noteworthy, but had much better teamwork than any other team, and constant substitutions allowed them to run constantly. Gilchrist was unimpressive.
Mavs: Pavel is gigantic (narrowly edging out Ha Sueng Jin as the biggest guy there, but getting crushed by the Korean in the biggest head contest) and he can slam dunk. He was also the slowest player I have seen here, and should have never been considered a top 3 draft pick. Both Powells looked good, and Mbenga would be a nice pickup if Dallas unexpectedly let him go. Other than that, nothing much here, as Harris and Daniels both sat out.
Kings: The Kings were a two man team. The Suns missed out on Garcia, who did everything on the court effortlessly and played stellar defense. Kevin Martin was probably the best scorer in Vegas, though he loses points for getting blocked by Pavel on one of the first possessions.
Pistons: Darko was entirely unimpressive. He has a decent shot, but his release point is so low that it can easily be blocked. He looked apathetic in both games I saw him, though he ended up on the floor a surprising amount. In warm-ups he seemed to be fooling around, taking no real game shots. He probably put up decent stats, but clearly intimidated nobody, lacking any aggression or initiative.
Maxiell was fun to watch, as he is very powerful and an excellent defender. Acker was one of the better penetrators here. Probably the most impressive Piston, though, was Amir Johnson, who frequently attacked the rim with tenacity and showed a lot of basketball acumen for a youngster.
Hornets: Chris Paul and J.R. Smith were on a different level than the compettition, and had the highlight of the camp with a half court, one-handed alley-oop connection. Everyone else on the Hornets, including David West, was virtually invisible.
Clippers: Livingston didn't play, but he sure signed a lot of autographs. Kaman was their best player, as well he should be. He may be taller than seven feet, and he moved better than any big man in Vegas. He also seemed to have a bit of a mean streak to him. Chalmers also played well, but nobody else particularly stood out.
Nuggets: Kleiza is a keeper. He had a really nice shot. Flores was pretty good too. Hodge played alright, but did nothing worthy of the 20th pick. Sanchez was surprisingly tall, but not surprisingly good. I was generally paying attention to the Suns for their first game, and the Clippers worked them in their second, so I relly don't have much else to say about them.
Wizards: Blatche is supremely talented, but I can see why he slipped in the draft. He plays selfish ball and tends to disappear for long stretches when he is not the focal point of the offense. I can't even recall who else was on the team, but i do remember that nobody else stood out.
I hope that was helpful. I'll post Suns analysis in a few minutes, but the post was getting so long i figured I should break it up.
