http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0710suns0711.html
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/3157
Suns want Banks to lead
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 10, 2007 10:26 PM
LAS VEGAS - Marcus Banks scored 42 points in a game Monday and missed one shot in a scrimmage Tuesday.
Banks is being more vocal, directing on-court traffic and giving off-court encouragement to the rookies and raw hopefuls on Phoenix's NBA Summer League team.
Yet, it is still a work in progress with Banks, a point guard Phoenix sought to trade in February and again last month. He's in the first year of a five-year, $21 million deal.
Banks has more talent than most of the players here. He is fast, strong and can be a defensive menace. And if he shot last season like he has this week, he might not have fallen out of the rotation.
The trick for Phoenix and Banks is to make him fit, whether it is to get value out of him in games or by trade. It was a square peg for a round hole last season when Banks had the worst plus-minus ratio of any Suns regular. Even in Banks' finest moments the team did not always thrive, just as Phoenix lost Monday despite Banks' league-record tally.
"It's learning that fine line between being able to get team productivity and being able to contribute offensively," said Suns assistant Phil Weber, the summer team's head coach.
Banks gets that. He always has been good about stating what he should do. Executing the concept is the next step.
"Basically, just running my team," Banks said of what he needs to get out of summer play. "That's what I want to focus on. I know I can score at will and do those things but I also want these young guys to understand it's more than just scoring. It's about a team. It's about encouragement and having fun out there."
Banks started and ended the first half showing a better understanding of what he needs to do as a point guard Monday. On the game's first play, Banks blew by Cleveland's Shannon Brown dished to Alando Tucker for a score. When the half ended, Banks stood ahead of his teammates and slapped each one's hands as they came off the floor. In between, he implored teammates to move faster and called for outlets before they even had the rebound.
But after the first play, Banks had two assists in the other 31 minutes. And when he took over with hot shooting, Banks' teammates were out of the flow.
Banks' scoring was necessary because many Suns were tentative in the summer opener, which was illustrated when Banks fed Pape Sow late in the game and Sow fumbled it because he never expected it.
"He's here, and I think that shows a lot," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He's working hard and trying to be a leader. I think it's a good step.
"He probably needs to learn how to incorporate his scoring ability with the ability to run the team at the same time. That's probably the hardest thing for a playmaker to learn."
Banks did a little more of it in a Tuesday scrimmage win against Detroit. At one point, Banks guided two players through a two-man game by command, and the Suns scored without Banks touching the ball. He was encouraging, telling Sow, "Take your time," after a miss, just as he told D.J. Strawberry, after Strawberry was stripped Monday: "Move it (pass) . . . That's OK, though."
After all, Banks often was benched for the same misdeed when he pounded the ball in one spot or froze rather than keeping the ball moving. He made only 5of 29 three-point shots last season but went 4 for 5 on threes Monday and hit his only three-point shot Tuesday, when he cut back his turnovers. The only shot he missed was a rolling jump hook through the lane, a la Steve Nash. But Phoenix isn't expecting him to be Nash. They just want the quick-striking, defensively tough point guard they signed.
Banks looks more comfortable here in his hometown, where he can drive his orange Lamborghini from his off-season house to his college arena.
"My main thing is to have a leadership role to the guys, get to know D.J. and 'Tuck' (Tucker) and give them a feel of what it might be like," he said. "It could be a great situation. I want to grow as a basketball player. This is my job. Their job is to coach. My job is to play. I want to get better every day, no matter what it takes."
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PaulCoro/3157
Suns win, Suns win
Well, sort of.
The Suns staff wanted to count it so it could be Steve Kerr's first GM victory. But even though Phoenix's summer team beat Detroit 85-76 on Tuesday afternoon, the game was just an unofficial scrimmage in an empty arena. Well, everything at NBA Summer League is loosely official anyway because the vast majority of the players won't be in the NBA come November.
Marcus Banks shot the ball well again, hitting seven of eight shots to score 15 points by my extremely unofficial stats. He again did a lot of scoring damage in the fourth, hitting a three and two jumpers in a 90-second stretch to keep Detroit away. I might have missed a turnover but I only had him for three so there was improvement there, although his instincts to run a team did not just suddenly show up.
The guy that continues to stand out to me is Otis George. The former Louisville career backup was scoreless in the first half but had a 12-point third quarter and finished with 16 points. He's got a nice mid-range shot, is always active and rolls off his screens really well when he does not move too early for offensive fouls. He's a thin 6 feet 9 so that may be what hurts him in the end.
As for the other summer starters, Pape Sow scored 10, Alando Tucker had seven and D.J. Strawberry had six but the two draftees closed the game with a pretty fastbreak that showed some of the chemistry they are forming.
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