Kevin Arnovitz Tweeting Summer League

July, 18, 2009
Jul 18
4:24
PM ET
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Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

David Thorpe is now the official leader in minutes played in Summer League action. After tweeting both the Orlando and Las Vegas Summer Leagues, we've had to wrap him in ice. I'll be taking over tweeting duties for the final weekend. 

I'm now a tweeting bigamist: I've opened another twitter account apart from my Clipperblog account (which I highly recommend if you're a DeAndre Jordan enthusiast and/or an Al Thornton skeptic ... or just a Clipper masochist).

Please subscribe to both, though today's proceedings will be via the kevinarnovitz account

I'll get going with the Mavs-Thunder at about 4:30 p.m. ET.

Follow along, won't you? 

  • That's a wrap. Back tomorrow.
  • Another Blair hoop, and one. He has a face-up game, too, in case he needs it.
  • DeJuan Blair could kill you with his bare hands. But I hear he's a really sweet guy.
  • TrueHooper Coleman Collins with an NBA spin move in the paint for 2.
  • Lawson taking matters into his own hands again. 15 Pts in Q1, 5-7 FGs, 3-3 3PM, 0 assists.
  • The number of Clippers fans in this building is astounding. I don't just mean folks in new breed Griffin jerseys either.
  • But everything else? A- or better.
  • George Hill: Almost -- not quite -- a capable catch-and-shoot guy. He'll get there.
  • Cunningham just laid out a vicious screen for Jeter. I like this guy.
  • Bayless: desperate to make things happen. It's not that he's forcing stuff. With the real Blazers, it would be working. Still, there's a recklessness to his game. Another crappy baseline pass after getting caught in traffic.
  • Blazers-Spurs: We pick up the action in the second quarter
  • Hell, they're even trapping Griffin 85 feet from the hoop!
  • Clips fans will have to realize that there will be nights Mike Taylor will kill you.
  • JaVale McGee -- a more refined DeAndre Jordan
  • Javaris actually put together a productive game. Mea Culpa: 17 pts, 4-8 FG, 7-10 FT
  • BG doing a decent job passing out of those double-teams. When it's Eric Gordon on that kickout, life will be much easier than it was today.
  • Rex Chapman in the house.
  • Americans will do anything for a free t-shirt. Remember that Pinky & The Brain episode when they decide they want to take over Earth? Their strategy: Give away tees on adjacent planet, which would lure all humans to that planet, leaving Pinky & the Brain earth all to themselves.
  • Griffin 6-13 FG, 3-8 FT, 8 REB
  • This is the first game Griffin has encountered where the defensive strategy against him has been: "Stop that man ... at all costs."
  • There's a point in most Summer League games when any semblance of offensive coherence disappears. We've reached that point.
  • BG: 1-for-6 from the line.
  • Blake Griffin could walk a tightrope between Library Tower and Staples down Figueroa his balance is so sick.
  • How much worse are the Clips w/o Gordon on the floor? Infinitely. Know what? That's a good thing. Your stud *should* be a difference maker.
  • Baron sitting alongside Dunleavy. Kumbaya
  • McGee blocks a DeAndre Jordan jump hook. There aren't 12 guys on the planet who can do that.
  • Most bigs get themselves in trouble on the baseline. Not McGee. Can hit a jumper in the paint too.
  • I'm becoming a JaVale McGee guy very quickly. I couldn't bear to watch the Wizz last season much, but this guy has some serious skills.
  • Baron Davis in the house. Makes dramatic entry. Wearing the fedora...but, alas, without the bullets.
  • WAS trapping Griffin every time he touches it inside 12 ft. His pass-outs aren't bad, but LAC lacks the shooters to make WAS pay.
  • WAS is swarming Griffin low. He's gotten a couple of garbage baskets and his line isn't bad 4-6 FG, 4 boards, 9 pts.
  • As Taylor brings ball up, he calls, "Come here, Blake." When Blake isn't calling for the ball, his teammates are calling him!
  • WAS isn't screwing around: Trapping Blake on the baseline everytime he gets the ball there. Idea: Get it to him in the middle of the floor.
  • Go ahead and put Mike Taylor on the All-Slow-the-Hell-Down team with Robin Lopez
  • Nice to see Young take it inside. Great spot-up shooter. But with guys crowding him now, he should be putting it on the deck and attacking.
  • McGee has quick feet, and long, loooong arms. Makes him really useful in the basket area.
  • Eric Gordon not playing. He's got USA basketball coming up. "We don't want to kill him," says Clippers official.
  • Ugly Q1: WAS 15, LAC 12. Young cold. DJ not getting opportunities around the rim.
  • Irish fans: McAlarney checks in. Sweet, sweet stroke. America's children need to watch this guy shoot the ball.
  • Griffin steals a post entry pass...a bad post entry pass from McKie
  • Clipper Darrell yelling "MVP" as Griffin steps to the line. Well...at least he finally has some new material.
  • McGee is very, very active near the rim for WAS
  • Griffin's FTs need work. Tighten it. Don't bring the ball up from so low.
  • Griffin assaulted by McGee at the rim. Flagrant. Griffin goes down hard.
  • Post set for DeAndre. Double-team comes. He whips a pass to a cutting Xmas. Not something he either could've or would've done last year.
  • Clips are going to trap Nick Young, it seems. Probably not a bad idea since Crittenton can't shoot.
  • Griffin from 20 along the baseline. Washington giving him *some* space out there, challenging him to hit.
  • The Clips run an interesting set: Griffin gets ball @ elbow. Jordan screens hard, gives Griffin an opening left for dribble-drive ... gets called for charge.
  • Re: Javaris C. When the best thing you can say about a PG is that "he's big," well...he sucks.
  • Gotta move to Clips/Wiz game, natch.
  • Zabian Dowdell > Dragic. Would be more capable as PHX's backup.
  • Re: Lopez. When you're the biggest guy on the floor, you can afford those beats to size up what's in front of you. That's a luxury. Take it
  • Robin Lopez is good...but he needs to slow the hell down. Collect-Quick Beat-Quick Beat-Speed. Not Speeeed-Speeeed-Speeeeeed.
  • Sorry. Don't mean to turn this into Thabeet hatefest...but he just got blocked on the offensive end by Clark.
  • Earl Clark gets offensive rebound over Thabeet, who has 0 rebounds.
  • Board comes off MEM basket and literally hits Thabeet in the face, then drops into Dragic's hands.
  • Thabeet just got beat by Downs on a rebound under PHX hoop. Micah freaking Downs.
  • It took 2:14 for me to notice that Thabeet was in the game.
  • Micah Downs is on my all Make Good team for Summer League. PHX has a lot of multi-taskers out there.
  • Clark can pass low from the elbow exceptionally well. Just hit Griffin on a baseline cut while being crowded.
  • Oy. PA announcer at Cox -- who has had his issues -- just announced "Darnell Arthur" as the starting F for the Grizz.
  • Was thinking about wright on the way over here ... It's not all his fault. In 100 words or less, someone please tell me what B. Scott regards as Wright's function in NOH's offense...
  • PHX-MEM momentarily.
  • We've got a 5-point game here, but I wanna set up shop next door for PHX-MEM. Flynn: 24 pts in 22 mins, 7-8 FG; 6-6 FT; 4 ASS; 4 REB
  • Mad Ant and Euroleaguer Earl Calloway would better the Hornets by no
    t launching PUJITs.
  • Wright: 6-9 FGs but rarely sets up anywhere but the arc on halfcourt sets.
  • Life isn't as fun when Jonny Flynn isn't in the game.
  • Another transition coast-to-coast drive for Flynn, more contact at the rim, another pair of FTAs -- his 5th and 6th. in 21 mins of play.
  • I miss Darren Collison. Get better.
  • Vegas: 113 degrees today. I bought one of those silver visor-ish things for my windshield. I like the heat and it's 42 degrees in TMC.
  • Flynn can swing a skip pass on the money while trapped better than anyone in Summer League.
  • I know Kurz took a lot of crap for being the guy Nelson used to punish those he wanted to punish, but he's an NBA player if Matt Bonner is.
  • Mr. Garrett Siler. A very Chuck Hayesian game. Knows his strengths and limitations. Accentuates the first; minimizes the second.
  • Why is Corey Brewer leading the Wolves (tied with Flynn) in shot possessions? What good could possibly come of that in any organized game?
  • Flynn finally misses. 6-7 FG; 4-4 FTs, 4 dimes
  • Noticing a lot of guys get a day off during the 5-day schedule. Sort of like resting a catcher on a day-after-a-night ... unless you're Russell Martin, in which case you catch 208 games per season.
  • No Marcus Thornton sighthing yet for N. Orleans. Disappointing.
  • There's J. Johnson with a gorgeous pass, even though he had a clean layup attempt. Is that a good thing? Can't tell.
  • J. Johnson with disastrous out-of-control drive. The man has all the talent in the world, but no plan to channel it.
  • Josh Shipp checks back in for CHI. Interesting juxtaposition: Collison lighting it up in the big gym; Shipp, UCLA's other Guard struggling .
  • Back at CHI-NYK.
  • Cusworth: Harvard man. Was 2-2 from the line this week.
  • So MIN gets to choose who on NO gets to shoot free throw. They choose Brian Cusworth...who proceeds to hit the first...and the second!!
  • Collison goes down hard. Limping off the court. Not good. Crowd with appreciative, muted golf cheer.
  • Collison Checks out after 11:30 mins -- 16 points, 7-7 FTs
  • Q1: Flynn: 4-4 FG, 2-2 FT, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, mouths agape.
  • OMBuddha: Flynn crossover, then stepback vs. Collison, then nails 3PM.
  • Flynn starting to leverage the openings he's getting off those screens and finding shooters. 3 assists in a blink of an eye.
  • MIN's Garrett Siler: Best screener in Vegas.
  • Rob Kurz with a long J. Still think he can be a good stretch-5 in this league. Defends better than you think, too. See Blatche's FRI line.
  • C. Brewer slammed into press row a few days ago, almost destroying $10K in computer/video equip. Most damage he'll inflict all season.
  • Flynn-Collison: As advertised. But where the hell is Julian Wright? Effectively absent. There he is with an ill-advised dribble-drive and fallaway with his shooters open behind him.
  • Flynn finally realized that he has to fight like hell through those Barron/Tolliver screens if he's going to have a chance to stop Collison.
  • Collison: 2 drives, 2 fouls drawn. 4-4 FTs. And another...though this time he drew contact and sank the layup. 3-3 6 points in 2:45 of play.
  • Gonna head over to T-Wolves/Bees in a sec. Darren Collison/Jonny Flynn Matchup should be stellar
  • There you go, Toney! Now 2-for-3
  • Unnamed Assistant GM: Biggest story of Summer League -- Almost half the league is over the cap.
  • Coach K on Toney Douglas: The guy I least like facing in the ACC. Defensive POY in the ACC. Trying like hell here. A guy to root for.
  • Don't always understand J. Johnson's decisions. Shot selection. Pass selection. Help decisions. Even when he delivers a beaut of a dish...
  • Jordan Hill took his mean pill today. Nice.
  • Yaroslav Korolev would warm my heart with a 14 pt, 5 reb, 3 assist effort.
  • Silly time here now. Starters out. Next up: Bulls v. Knicks. Hue Hollins will be officiating the game.
  • Would like to see Beaubois use Nivins a little on a PNR. Nivins did a nice job rolling to open space at 12 and deserved a feed.
  • Tony Durant sighting!
  • Beaubois on consecutive possessions: 1. streaking down lane for easy layup on a sharp feed; 2. 3PM on a kickout.
  • Nivins owns the offensive box for DAL, and Serge Ibaka is no chopped liver. Never liked that idiom. My Aunt Lena's chopped liver is gold.
  • If you're an OKC PG, it's your life's mission to find an Ibaka-Beaubois mismatch on the weak side block. Shame!
  • OKC: The only team to compete in both ORL and LV Summer League, and the weariness is starting to show - actually it's been that way all week
  • RT @The_REAL_SHAQ In an interview @NBASummerLeague James Harden said the guy he'd most like to dunk on is you.Thoughts? http://cli.gs/WRYT1V
  • Harden has a little more Evans in him than is first apparent. He can power his way to the cup.
  • First possession: SWAT!
  • Serge Ibaka checking in: Let's look at his defense, shall we?
  • Nivins -- contested baseline jumper from 17. So he's got a little range, too.
  • Livingston back where he belongs: At PG. Hoorah!!
  • Beaubois navigates traffic better than a Vespa on the 405
  • Nivins: Continues to show good skills in the post.
  • Moussa Seck nearly decapitated Luke Jackson.
  • Chalk one up for wind sprints: DAL 32, OKC 22.
  • As a Clipper guy, I'm having a hard time getting used to seeing Shaun Livingston at the 3. Just seems so bizarre.
  • Earl Watson cut by OKC, which makes sense because Kyle Weaver is turning into one of the more serviceable backup PGs in the league.
  • Beaubois: 3-3 FG, 3 dimes in 7 minutes thus far.
  • The Mavs coaching stuff was so disgusted after the Mavs' loss on Wed, that they made the team run wind sprints after the game.
  • Mavs-OKC is underway.

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