ESPN NBA

• Wizards owner Ted Leonsis: "Last night there was a pick-up game played at Verizon Center on our practice court. There were many NBA players in attendance and a few NBA All-Stars played as well. I stumbled into watching purely by accident. Gilbert Arenas played last night. It was a very good evening of basketball. Gil -- our All-Star --matched up against another NBA All-Star. It was quite a show and quite a display of talent. I won’t comment yet on Gilbert or who was in the gym last night but suffice to say Gilbert looked trim, fit and explosive. His shot was sweet and he did one left handed dunk that was something to see. It had everyone talking. I was impressed and am happy." (Update via an email from Unprofessional Foul: Was it Chris Paul?)
• Andrew A. McNeill of 48 Minutes of Hell uses some sharp diagrams to illustrate San Antonio's prompt, low-risk, stay-at-home defensive principles.
• On the heels of the presentation of the prestigious Fields Medal to French mathematician Cedric Villani, Tom Ziller of AOL FanHouse asks, "Does defense really come down to atomic physics?"
• Steve Perrin of Clips Nation on Eric Gordon's inclusion on Team USA's final roster: "He came in less well known than many of the other players, a fact that Coach K acknowledged last week. But his work ethic in practice and his solid play on the court has given Team USA no choice but to keep him. He may be less flashy than the other guards on the team, but coaches tend to covet solid unspectacular play, especially from their role players. EJ plays unrelenting man to man defense, he doesn't need the ball on offense, he moves the ball well, and in the end Coach K and his staff appreciated the little things he was doing. It hasn't hurt that he has lived up to his reputation as a knockdown shooter."
• It hasn't been all confetti and champagne for the Lakers since 2000. Jeff Skibiski of Forum Blue & Gold walks you through the Lakers' 10 most forgettable moments of the decade.
• Michael Schwartz of Valley of the Suns says Phoenix could actually field a five-man small forward unit if it wants to: "Such a small forward lineup could put Hedo Turkoglu at the point, Josh Childress at the two, Grant Hill at his natural three, Jared Dudley at the four and Earl Clark at the five."
• Dudley asks a pretty interesting question via Twitter: "Imagine if the NBA had Int rules.. U think the All Star teams would be different?"
• Jeremy Wagner of Roundball Mining Company on why the grass is greener for Carmelo Anthony in Denver.
• Milwaukee did some intriguing things to its roster this offseason -- some of them curious, some of them clever. However we size up John Hammond's maneuvering, one thing is clear: The Bucks should finish at the rim at a measurably higher percentage this upcoming season.
• Mark Cuban says it's time to stay liquid: " If you don’t fully understand the risks of an investment you are contemplating, it’s ok to do nothing. In times of massive uncertainty like we are facing today, doing nothing is a valid and IMHO preferable investment strategy. Just put your money in the bank."
• Rob Mahoney of Pro Basketball Talk on Andre Iguodala's role on Team USA: "Iggy is easily Team USA's top perimeter defender, but offensively, he moves the ball, is a decent spot-up option (just don't ask him to shoot off the dribble...yeesh), and is a good positional rebounder."
• Some video of Wizards draft pick Kevin Seraphin.
• When Gary Grant ruled the world ... for one night.
• How to apply your childhood piano lessons to your NBA viewing habits.
• If the Wizards win 50 games this upcoming season, credit the new red stairs in the Verizon Center.
• Via J.E. Skeets, Living and Dying by the Jazz unearths some sharp threads from Jerry Sloan's playing days with the Bulls.
• FreeDarko revisits how Kwame Brown came to be a No 1 draft pick and the hazards of the pre-draft workout.
• In retrospect, exactly how bad for Cleveland was the Luke Jackson pick at No. 10 in the 2004 draft?
• Press row will be a cozier place next season in Miami.
• Somewhere in Italy is a bedroom treasure trove of NBA goodies.
• The Warriors have made crafty use of the D-League in recent seasons. Rasheed Malek of Warriors World tells D-League Digest's Matt Hubert: "Players such as Kelenna Azubuike, C.J. Watson and Reggie Williams are some of the players who’ve secured multi-year deals from NBA teams after initially being called up by the Warriors from the D-League. Add in other players such as Anthony Tolliver and Chris Hunter who’ve experienced significant playing time with the Warriors and it’s clear that the Warriors are the model franchise when it comes to utilizing the D-League."

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

• Mark Cuban puts the kibosh on Dirk Nowitzki playing for the Germans in the European championship.
  
• Dave Berri is much more bullish on the Rockets in 2009-10 than most observers, and appraises the team from -- no surprise -- a very Berrian persepctive: "... wins are about more than scoring.  And when we measure these players contributions to wins (via Wins Produced), we see that Houston has fewer problems than people believe.  Consequently, I think it's possible that Morey's considerable reputation is about to become further enhanced." 
  
• Courtney Lee is still smarting over the trade from Orlando to New Jersey, says former teammate Dwight Howard. 
• Kurt Helin of Forum Blue & Gold on Magic Johnson's post-Laker life in Los Angeles: "After Magic left the Lakers he did not leave Los Angeles, he invested in it. He invested in the urban, poor neighborhoods that nobody else would, and got big name companies to join him (but not without considerable work). He showed corporations they could make money in areas that before they had feared to tread, and while those floodgates have never truly opened, they are more open now than they have been."
• Brian Grant has never been to a hockey game, but he's built a strong friendship NHL lifer Brent Peterson, now the Nashville Predators head coach. Both men suffer from Parkinson's disease.
• Quentin Richardson is in perpetual motion. Somehow this no longer seems so far-fetched.
• I like this piece by Shoals on J.R. Smith and representational issues that arise when we size up ballers. 
• Another senseless death, this time in Milwaukee over ... a car. 
• Suns rookie Earl Clark was a big basketball card collector as a kid, and just handed down his collection to his nephew. 
• Charley Rosen gives us (in alphabetical order) his best NBA defenders. Not on the list? Dwight Howard and LeBron James.  
• In honor of Sunday's premiere of "Mad Men," John Krolik of Cavs the Blog puts together power rankings for the year's best ads. 
• Clippers center and Texan DeAndre Jordan is an avid fan of Kornheiser and Wilbon ... and, apparently, our friends to the north. From DJ's twitter feed: "PTI! I'm waiting on the Canadian flag wave! That's my favorite part of the show!"

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

The Las Vegas Summer League is a lot like the Sundance Film Festival of the NBA. Whereas the pageantry of most NBA games has gotten out of control, Summer League games are small indie productions. The event certainly has its share of fanfare, but it also allows participants to brush shoulders with some notables they wouldn't ordinarily have access to during the grind of the NBA season. Just as festival-goers at Sundance might find themselves sitting next to an A-List movie star in a cozy bar, it's not unusual for Summer League attendees to sit down in the stands at Cox Pavilion, only to look over and see a high-profile general manager in cargo shorts and flip-flops.

Since team executives, agents, player development personnel, and veterans who've come to watch their younger teammates are all convened in one place for 10 days, Summer League is one big, casual schmoozefest, and a great place to take inventory of the state of the NBA.

What were all those big names talking about in Las Vegas this year? Here were eight hot topics:

A Lot of Competent Players, but Only One Sure-Fire All-Star
Since early spring, the 2009 talent pool has been regarded as a one-man draft. By and large, NBA folks left Las Vegas with that consensus intact. Blake Griffin was the story of Summer League. Though he wasn't able to replicate his explosive 27-point debut, Griffin's 19.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game stood out. There were other players who matched his statistical output, but few generated the enthusiasm Griffin did among those who got a look at the full roster of rookies. "It's not only his work ethic and competitiveness," said one scout. "It's the balance, athleticism, body, and control. The stuff he can't do yet? It'll happen in no time." When asked how many certain All-Stars would materialize from the class of 2009, interviewees set the over-under barely above one, with Tyreke Evans earning a few votes. Despite the low expectations for stardom, many observers were pleasantly surprised by the depth of solid, if unexceptional, players. The prevailing opinion in Vegas was that the 2009 group is a far cry from the notoriously fruitless class of 2000. Though there was little unanimity, James Harden, Austin Daye, Wayne Ellington, Jonny Flynn, DeJuan Blair, and Earl Clark were all mentioned as possible contributors, or "third options" as one assistant general manager put it. But conversations about potential greatness consistently and almost exclusively returned to Griffin.

Anthony Randolph: All grown up? (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Anthony Randolph is Ridiculous
Summer League play always warrants a disclaimer, because the level of competition falls way short of what guys will confront in an NBA game, but the Warriors' 20-year-old forward seemed almost too advanced for Summer League play. Normally jaded execs and crusty sportswriters alike had their jaws agape watching Randolph command the game when he was out on the floor. Randolph came into the league as a candy dish of disparate talents, but he's graduated from curiosity to crackerjack. He has a band of admirers who gush over his range of talents, and that group got a lot bigger in Las Vegas, as his skill set was on full display. Randolph saw the court, ran the floor, passed the ball, blocked shots, got to the line, and drained mid-range jumpers as well as anyone in Summer League. In his four games, he averaged a Summer League-high 26.8 points per game on 60.9 percent shooting from the floor. He also got to the line 39 times and blocked 12 shots. But it was about more than the stats for Randolph. There's a moment when a player's talents unify into a single, coherent package. Judging from Randolph's performance, that moment has arrived.

The Global Economic Crisis
There's an area behind the near basket at Cox Pavilion where European coaches, general managers, and scouts sit and talk shop during the games. The NBA presents Summer League as a showcase of their future stars, but the real business in Las Vegas is being conducted by these guys, along with the agents and bridge-builders who are trying to get jobs overseas for the less recognizable names on Summer League rosters. Although there wasn't a visible black cloud hanging over this corner of the gym, the anxiety was palpable. They had a lot to be stressed about. Basketball clubs the world over are suffering, but none more than those in Europe. After years of escalating salaries and profits, the market has collapsed. "I've told all my European guys to expect, on average, salaries to go down between 30 and 40 percent," one European agent said. "It's definitely a buyer's market." This dynamic puts pressure on everyone -- the players who are facing a pay cut (even if they're coming off banner seasons), the agents who are terrified to communicate this to their clients out of fear of getting fired, and the teams who still haven't filled out their rosters because they're short on cash. The result is an impasse with neither players nor clubs budging, and a few teams on the verge of economic collapse.

Salary Cap Troubles & the NBA Financial Situation
The international game is in meltdown mode, while the NBA game is suffering from its own set of monetary issues. In Sections 104 and 115, where most of the NBA execs and team personnel sit, the dominant conversation of the week was about the financial pinch NBA franchises are feeling. In his press conference here in Vegas, NBA Commissioner David Stern said that fewer than half of NBA franchises made money last season. Ticket sales, sponsorships, and television contracts are all down. With the salary cap and luxury tax level dropping -- and scheduled to do so for the foreseeable future -- teams are having to calibrate their spreadsheets. This affects everyone: owners, general managers who are under pressure to build legitimate NBA rosters, free agents sitting on the sidelines, their agents, and also the journeymen and undrafted rookies trying to earn a spot on an NBA roster. To save money, a team that would normally carry 15 guys might trim that number down to 13 -- meaning fewer jobs. And players who would've inked rich, multi-year deals are finding that, with some exceptions, they have fewer suitors, with thinner wallets.

The Point Guard Class
Several point guards who came to Las Vegas made strong impressions. Jonny Flynn, despite all the turmoil surrounding Ricky Rubio, stood out. Though many in Vegas questioned the wisdom of playing Tyreke Evans at point guard long-term, few doubted that his strength, size, and capacity to get to the rim would make him a scoring machine. Observers had reserved praise for Brandon Jennings and Stephen Curry, the former for his unrefined shot, the latter for looking more like a gunner than a floor general. Some of the mid-first-rounders earned a lot of praise. Dallas' Roddy Beaubois led Vegas point guards in oohs and aahs, zipping through the lane in traffic and filling it up from beyond the arc. Of all the point guards in Las Vegas last week, Darren Collison was among the most polished before going down with an ankle injury. After starting Summer League 1-for-15 from the field, Ty Lawson bounced back to turn in three dominant performances, averaging 23.7 points over that span. Lawson is the kind of point guard who needs to be surrounded by scorers to excel. He'll have that in Denver.

LO, AI, Booz, and the Blazer
s
As much as NBA fans love speculation about trades and free agency, nobody appreciates the rumor mill quite like the NBA chattering class. Talk of the disintegration of Lamar Odom's negotiations with the Lakers provided plenty of fodder for late-night dinners. The same was true of the l'affaire Allen Iverson, where Carlos Boozer may land, and what the Blazers will do with the money they threw at Paul Millsap. The Odom situation was far and away the most intriguing to the insiders. Odom and the Lakers are in the second act of a romantic comedy: They need each other. The Lakers would slip measurably without Odom, and Odom needs the Lakers to solidify his place among the Lakers greats -- or at least the Lakers very, very goods. The Iverson and Boozer matters exemplify the financial issues mentioned above. So far as Portland, few teams run as much informational interference, and even some of the wiliest insiders were stumped about what the Trail Blazers might do.

The Death of the Back-to-the-Basket Game
"Name one guy here who can hit a jump hook over their left shoulder," an NBA assistant general manager asked. "I can't think of one." Whether it's the trickle-down effect of the European game, the rule changes implemented by the league a few years ago, or college teams appropriating Mike D'Antoni-style basketball, the vast majority of the young bigs who were in Las Vegas are face-up players who work either along the perimeter or out of the pinch post: Anthony Randolph, Earl Clark, James Johnson, Taj Gibson, Dante Cunningham, DaJuan Summers, Austin Daye, and even Blake Griffin. Is this a momentary trend, or will the pendulum eventually swing back? "If I were a big man about to enter college, I would develop that back-to-the-basket game," the executive said. The implication: At some point, those skills will be at a premium, and that kid will be impossible to defend. Forward-looking teams are all about buying low and, right now, traditional post players are undervalued because they don't conform to the current climate of the NBA game.

Dysfunctional Organizational Structures Breed Dysfunctional Franchises
What is going on with Minnesota? That was a popular topic of conversation among senior NBA people in Las Vegas. The team still has no coach. Though it had one of the Summer League's most prolific players in Flynn, there's no telling if the system he played in over the 10 days will be the one installed by a new coach -- whoever that might be. This makes the Summer League evaluation process a lot less useful. Who's in charge? CEO Rob Moor? General manager David Kahn? Will the new coach be fully empowered to do his job? Critics also looked at Memphis. How did the Grizzlies end up with Hasheem Thabeet? Because owner Michael Heisley reportedly made the call. The Clippers, too, generated buzz this week with the Iverson speculation. While owner Donald Sterling wants to make a splash with Iverson, Clippers management would like to target Ramon Sessions. These historically beleaguered franchises all have one thing in common: There's no clear hierarchy that allows basketball people to make basketball decisions. The best franchises have well-defined roles that emanate from the top. Owners allow their senior executives to do their job. Those executives give their head coaches full reign, and so forth. Look no further than the San Antonio Spurs.

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

• When Austin Daye was being sized up as a pro prospect, one of the first shortcomings mentioned by his naysayers was his lanky build. Watching him up close in Las Vegas, Daye seems wholly unintimidated by back-line defenders. He actually initiates contact off the dribble, and it rarely throws him off his drive. He's gotten to the line 16 times in the past two games. He also recorded a double-digit rebound total for the third consecutive game. 
• DaJuan Summers has the proverbial nose for the ball. When Pistons point guard Sean Singletary drove baseline, Summers made a hard basket cut down the lane to collect the pass. When his man left him alone on the weak side, he crashed the offensive glass. That's how you get 15 shot attempts even though your team isn't running stuff for you. Summers hit only five of those 15 shots in his final Summer League game, but helped himself as much as anyone over the course of the past week.
  

Jonny Flynn didn't start ... but finished frequently. (Jack Arent/NBA via Getty Images)

• After a silent first quarter against the Pistons, Cavs rookie Christian Eyenga got involved, did some nice work off the dribble against Daye, and worked hard defensively against the Pistons guards. Eyenga was the quickest guy on the floor when he was out there. The Cavs haven't been looking for him at all this week -- and he never calls for the ball -- so it's been hard to get a feel for the full range of his skills.
  
• Jon Brockman is a hoss. Even though he looks like a tree trunk, he actually moves his feet well, has the makings of a good team defender, and did a nice job on a couple of Toney Douglas-Jordan Hill pick-and-rolls. There's no offensive game to speak of, but a good find by the Kings.
  
• There's a good pick-and-pop player inside Jordan Hill, but it just hasn't materialized yet. Against the Kings, he demonstrated the mobility to work within Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni's system and get himself shots. "He's got a lot of offensive talents," D'Antoni said. "He just has to get a little stronger and get his jump shot down to where he's confident with it." Hill went only 3-for-11 from the field.
  
• Jonny Flynn didn't start on Friday, but he took sole ownership of the game when he checked in at the start of the second quarter. Time and again, Flynn would get a hard screen from one of his bigs (both Garrett Siler and Adam Parada did good work), then exploded through the middle into daylight, absorbing any and all contact. In the fourth quarter, Flynn unleashed the theatrics: a behind-the-back pass to Parada, a two-handed dish over his head backward to a waiting shooter, a kickout to the arc while he was airborne in traffic. He finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 from the floor, and a perfect 7-for-7 from the stripe.
  
• In eight days, James Harden has yet to take a truly questionable shot. He's the most measured rookie in his class on the court. Even his turnovers are of the "... but it was a good idea" variety. 
• James Johnson's game can be disjointed at times. It's not that he looks lost. It's just the opposite -- he's a small forward with too many choices. Johnson couldn't buy a shot Friday (2-for-11 from the field), but he made four or five beautiful plays for teammates -- including a pinpoint interior bounce pass in traffic between two defenders to find James Augustine for a layup. Johnson finished with seven assists. 
• There's one team out here playing at maximum effort: The D-League Select. On the pro squads, everyone has an individual agenda. A contracted, first-round stud is out there for an entirely different reason than the journeyman trying to catch the attention of a European scout. The D-Leaguers, some of whom had offers to warm the bench of an NBA Summer League roster but opted for DLS -- as they're known in abbreviation -- are collective underdogs. 
• David Thorpe on Ty Lawson: "When he has to be your best offensive player, he's going to look average. This is one of the reasons he didn't stand out in the pre-draft camp a year ago in Orlando. But give him four talented players around him, and he'll make that collective group better than most other point guards could -- especially if those players can run." Friday, Lawson was playing with Coby Karl, Sonny Weems, Ronald Dupree, and Cedric Simmons, so he stopped deferring. Lawson initiated the offense himself, keeping the ball off high screens to either drive or shoot. He poured in 26 points on 17 possessions. 
  
• Word association with Blake Griffin. 
• Zag Alert! Swingman Micah Downs carried Phoenix on Friday. He hit from distance, slashed from the wing, posted up his smaller defenders, racked up five steals, and was key in transition en route to 19 points on 12 possessions. 

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

• The Knicks' Toney Douglas continued to struggle shooting the ball, but he performed his primary function as floor general quite well. He gave the Knicks what they needed at the point -- game management, penetration and kicking, creating for others, and, most of all, solid on-ball defense at that position. Douglas now has 21 assists to only two turnovers in his two games. Not bad for a guy who started out as a combo guard. 

The Pistons' order of the Daye (Garrett Ellwood/NBA via Getty Images)

• Jordan Hill is at his strongest when he's facing up to the basket, but too often he rushes himself when he has the ball in the post. Several times on Wednesday, he lost track of where he was on the block, then flung an off-balanced shot up from close range. Hill also seemed a little passive as a post defender, even against the likes of Trent Plaisted. Hill stayed in close proximity on defense to his assigned man, but rarely tried to knock his guy off his spot. In general, the closer Hill was to the basket, the less comfortable he was.
• You have to love a player who's useful at any spot on the court. Austin Daye is that guy for Detroit. He's a new wave three -- able to work as the ballhandler on the pick-and-roll, drive to the cup from the perimeter, post up against most small forwards, use a screen the right way, and hit from long range. Against the Knicks on Wednesday, he finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds. 
• DaJuan Summers was the butter and egg man down low for the Pistons. I can't quite figure out whether to classify him as a small or power forward. IMG's Mike Moreau referred to him as a "Power 3." Whatever he is, Summers continued to leverage his ability to face up for opportunities to get inside. There's a lot of offensive weaponry there, and he can clean the glass, too. His scoring line: 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the field, and 5-for-7 from the stripe. 
• Joe Alexander did a much better job off-the-ball finding space on the floor where teammates could hit him for open looks -- not just on the perimeter, but in Scola-territory along the baseline at 15 feet. The Alexander-Taj Gibson matchup was an interesting one and it was anything but a pitching duel. Alexander finished 9-for-16 from the field, Gibson 6-for-9. Gibson was able to exploit his length against Alexander, while Alexander used his versatility and triple-threat skills to beat Gibson. Meanwhile, Gibson became the second player in Summer League to rack up 10 fouls. The Spurs' Ian Mahinmi was the first Tuesday against Denver. Gibson now has 19 fouls in two games. 
• Summer League is the perfect setting for an athlete like Amir Johnson to show off his wares under the basket. Johnson was an efficiency machine inside for the Bucks: 17 points on 11 possessions, along with eight rebounds. He owned the paint, gobbling up offensive boards, going up strong with the putbacks, either converting or getting fouled (11 free throw attempts for the game). Defensively, he was smart and physical, blocking shots and igniting breaks with sharp, quick outlet passes to Brandon Jennings. 
• After sitting out Phoenix's first Summer League game on Monday with back spasms, Earl Clark displayed his full range of skills in his inaugural effort on Wednesday. He initiates the bulk of his offense along the perimeter, but he can do so many things from there to disarm the defense: a pretty touch pass into the post off a dish from his point guard, a catch-and-shoot, a dribble drive and pass-off that results in a hockey assist. He also showed his defensive flexibility, bothering guards and bigs alike.  
• DeMar DeRozan is far more polished than advertised. He uses his quickness to build his game. As Mike Moreau said in David Thorpe's twitter thread, "Demar DeRozan really comes off the curl with speed, balance and elevation-very controlled. Will come off a decade's worth of pindowns."  He also rarely takes a bad shot -- uncommon among rookies and in Summer League, and particularly uncommon among rookies in Summer League. 
• Jason Thompson was an entirely different player Wednesday. He claimed his spot down on the block, called for the ball, forced the action off the dribble, made hard back cuts when he was fronted, backed his guy in with force when he wasn't, and worked his tuchus off on the offensive glass. His totals: 31 points and 10 rebounds. 
• Tyreke Evans didn't start for the Kings against the D-League Select team, and was very deferential when he checked in at the start of the second quarter and throughout the second half. He went 1-for-5 from the field, 3-for-4 from the line, with three assists in 23 minutes. Despite the off night, the change of speed on his dribble-drives was still ungodly.
  
• Chase Budinger has a beautiful stride into his catch-and-shoot motion -- we know that -- but Wednesday night he also showed the athleticism to put it on the deck, weave through traffic, and finish strongly. He moved well without the ball to get open looks, and even absorbed a few bumps on defense to stay in front of his man, something he'll have to do this fall to stay in the Rockets' rotation.
  
• Andray Blatche continues to be  one of the most confounding talents in the league. He flashed moments of sheer dominance Wednesday night with swift, whirling post moves off good recognition that made his defenders look silly. At other times, he tried to improvise and failed spectacularly. Blatche could be a top-shelf talent, but his preference for raw instinct over tactical strategy on a given play renders him inconsistent. He needs a plan. Still, between the potent face-up game at the top of the key, and the fancy footwork and explosiveness down low, it's hard to take your eyes off him. Let's see how he fares this season against NBA talent.
• Dante Cunningham: NBA body, NBA aggressiveness, NBA defense ... NBA player? He didn't put up the most efficient line of the night (22 points on 23 possessions), but his physicality made the Rockets' defense work. He often chose to back his defender in with a dribble or two, then launch a mid-range jumper with good elevation. When he recognized there was something better, he'd build a head of steam and get to the rim. More than anything, he was out there with a purpose, moving with the offense, mindful of where Jerryd Bayless was at all times. 

Ricky Rubio tempted the hearts of both Thunder and Kings fans -- but their respective GMs went with the conservative picks. Smart long-term thinking ... or overcautiousness?  Did the Spurs get the steal of the draft? And did Orlando help itself with Vince Carter? 

Royce Young of Daily Thunder: "I'd been calling for [James] Harden for almost two months now. I don't think there's any player that fits us better than him. Oklahoma City was statistically the worst team at shooting guard in the league last season. Harden is talented and can do multiple things. He can step on the court tomorrow and make this team better. I truly think he's going to be a fantastic player. But for some reason I feel like the guy that just let a girl get away. Ricky Rubio was the most unknown thing about this draft. Honestly, we have no idea what he's going to do. All we've got are some YouTube clips and six games in Greece to base anything off of. But there was just something about him. I have no idea what it is. He was intriguing. He was cool. He had potential we could only imagine. And the idea of him in a Thunder uniform just got very appealing in the last 48 hours ... Common sense says James Harden is the perfect pick. We can assume Rubio was the best player available, but we don't know that. But the desire to field a freaking cool team said pick Rubio. Not to say Harden makes uncool -- I mean, he's got a beard and he wore a bow tie! -- but the flash of Rubio can't be ignored. But Sam Presti is smarter than all of us and he's got the common sense. He doesn't care about alley oops and behind-the-back passes. He cares about wins and losses. And in three years when James Harden is the perfect complementary piece to the Thunder Three, I don't think you'll care about how cool the team is."

Zach Harper of Cowbell Kingdom: "The decision was made with Tyreke Evans as the newest member of the Sacramento Kings and it brought about mixed emotions and feelings. I honestly thought that Ricky Rubio was the best-case scenario for the team. He seemed to be perfect for guys like Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes to develop. He seemed to be a great guy to put alongside Kevin Martin to get him open, easier shots. He seemed to be the smartest business decision with instant national exposure surely to come and international interest after that. But in the end, the Kings didn't feel like he was tough enough and that Tyreke Evans was the best player now, five years from now, and ten years from now. And you know what? Geoff Petrie is probably right about all of this. The Kings biggest problem for years was having a glitz and glamour squad that made offense look easy and fun while defense was the great divide ... The Kings were soft both physically and in spirit .. The Kings clearly decided it was time for a change in philosophy and culture. They grabbed a veteran coach who has been there before. And now they've grabbed the player to match the toughness and offensive attack that go along with that coach. Tyreke Evans means no more moments of the Kings point guard being abused on either side of the ball. From now on, the Kings are the enforcer at the point for 48 minutes. From now on, the Kings are going to be tougher and more physical with their opponents. Shots to the mouth will be responded to."

Graydon Gordian of 48 Minutes of Hell: "Those looking to react negatively to what was an unequivocally great night for the Spurs will look at the questions surrounding [DeJuan] Blair's knees and claim he isn't all he is cracked up to be. They will say he slid to 37 for a reason. I have two responses to that: First, there is no way in Hell the Spurs could have landed a more talented player at 37. Yes, there are a couple questions surrounding our early second round pick. Welcome to the reality of having only second round picks. Second, even if Blair's knees are a long-term issue, they are exactly that: A long-term issue. With the Jefferson trade, the Spurs announced their intention to make a run for a 5th title and make it now. Aside from Blake Griffin, I would argue no big was more prepared to come onto an NBA squad and readily earn significant minutes than DeJuan Blair. The truth of the matter is, being able to select Blair with the 37th pick is an unmitigated coup. Blair was a dream, someone we mentioned just in case the front office became unexpectedly aggressive and moved up into the lottery. Well, sometimes dreams do come true."

THE FINAL WORD
Orlando Magic Daily: Five reasons the Vince Carter deal makes sense for Orlando.
Nets Are Scorching: Courtney Lee -- and a whole lotta cap space --  is coming to the swamp. 
Valley of the Suns: Earl Clark and PHX -- a nice fit.

(Photos by Jesse D. Garrabrant, Jennifer Pottheiser, Andy Lyons/NBAE via Getty Images)

Watch Earl Clark play basketball, and it's clear he could have the most potential of any player in the 2009 draft. He's 6-10, can do just about everything, and starred on the best team in one of the toughest conferences in NCAA history. So why is he projected to go in the middle of the first round? Kevin Arnovitz investigates.

The summer after eighth grade, Earl Clark's knees started to hurt. Really hurt. His folks took him to a doctor to see if there was something structurally wrong with his body. it turned out to nothing more than growing pains -- the kind a 6-foot kid gets when he sprouts six inches in matter of months.

"I couldn't play for a while," Clark said. "I was growing too fast."

Sizing up Earl Clark is a tricky business. (Photo by Andy Lyons via Getty Images)

As a 6-foot guard in middle school, Clark excelled at running his team's offense from the perimeter. He could handle the ball and pass. "Before I started growing, I was a guard, so I always had those skills," Clark said. "They never stopped being there."

The growth spurt morphed Clark into a big man, even if only by stature. He went from being a guard's guard in eighth grade to, at 6-6, one of the bigger players on the floor in his freshman year. Size like that invites certain expectations by coaches, teammates, and recruiters. Nobody cares that in your formative basketball years, you cultivated a specific set of skills and sculpted your game around them. A basketball team has tasks that need to be performed by big men. If you're tall, those responsibilities are going to fall to you, even if you remain the best perimeter player on the floor, with a love of playing outside.

"I needed him to be a post presence," Clark's coach his senior year at Rahway High School, Chris Remley, said. "That took the ball out of his hands, and he didn't like that very much." 

Clark achieved a steady balance during his high school career. He still thrived on the perimeter, where he was a comfortable and practiced player. He gradually learned how to exploit his length up front, even though that project was less fun for him. What emerged was one of the most versatile talents in the nation by his senior year of high school. Clark took his game to Louisville, where he starred for Rick Pitino. Last season, the Cardinals were the regular season champions of the best league in college ball -- the Big East -- and 6-9 junior forward Earl Clark was their best player.

When team executives and player development people talk about Clark, they rhapsodize about his tools as a basketball player. Then, in the same breath, they qualify that praise with a litany of ifs: If he can apply those tools all the time. If he wants it bad enough. If he can learn how to compete at an NBA level. It's these lingering doubts about his inner desire, the observers say, that have Clark projected to go in the teens on Thursday, rather than in the two-through-eight range.

Something strange happens when you ask where these impressions come from. The observers back off a little and, almost uniformly, tell you that they're just relaying the conventional wisdom on Clark.

Conventional wisdom doesn't manifest itself out of nowhere, right?  It has to come from someplace. Finding that place can be a bit of a scavenger hunt. 

Top Five Talent 
Last season at Louisville, Clark averaged 14.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.2 turnovers in 34.3 minutes per game. His production has him projected as the 12th best collegiate prospect in John Hollinger's Draft Rater.

Finding evidence of Clark's full array of skills is an easy task. Some of his best performances came in Louisville's biggest games -- in the Big East Tournament, which Louisville won to secure the top seed in the NCAA tournament, and during the Cardinals' run to the Elite Eight. 

Clark's effort against Providence in the Big East Tourney opener was one of the most complete games of the college basketball season by any player at any position. Clark scored 24 points (making 10 of his 15 field goal attempts), grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out seven assists, and blocked a couple of shots: 

• [1st half, 5:52] When Clark's game is characterized as "versatile," the label usually refers to his offensive game. But Clark's range as a defender in Rick Pitino's system shouldn't be overlooked. During his career at Louisville, Clark has been utilized in the backcourt of Pitino's patented press, on the perimeter against dynamic scorers and, most often, on the back line of Pitino's 2-3 zone. Here, we see Clark slide over from the weak side to block Geoff McDermott's shot. When McDermott picks up the remains, Clark elevates and again blocks McDermott's shot. As the ball ends up in the hands of Terrence Williams -- who pushes it ahead to Edgar Sosa -- Clark races ahead of the pack to put himself in position for the alley-oop, which he converts with ease. 

Clark tends to begin offensive possessions out on the perimeter, but moves gracefully and purposefully off the ball to generate good shots:

• [1st half, 4:05] A beautiful possession that begins when Clark leaves the ball up top with his big man, Samardo Samuels. Clark deftly cuts to the basket and catches the entry pass from Samuels down low in traffic. Up against two Providence defenders, Clark creates space for himself by forging ahead with his right shoulder, then flings a soft left-handed hook off the glass for the two.
  
• [2nd half, 13:54] Critics often point to an unwillingness by Clark to work in the post, but as you go through video of Louisville's games, you see several instances when Clark recognizes an opportunity on the block and exploits it. After a broken offensive possession by the Cardinals, the ball squirts out to guard Jerry Smith out on the perimeter. Clark assertively calls for the ball in the post. With his back to Providence's biggest defender, Jonathan Kale, Clark goes to work -- he backs Kale down with his right shoulder, spins baseline, the launches a turnaround jump shot that falls through.

The most alluring quality of Clark's game might be his instinctive ability to know where both his guards and big men are on a given play. 24 hours after Louisville's win over Providence, Clark had a different sort of game against Villanova. He made only six of 14 shots from the field for 17 points and mustered only seven rebounds. But in a profound way, Clark seemed almost more integral to the offense:

• [1st half, 4:05] Villanova has been applying pressure the whole game on Clark -- even out on the perimeter. When Clark receives the pass out on the left wing, he's immediately swarmed by Villanova's Scottie Reynolds and Corey Stokes. Clark puts it on the deck, starts a dribble drive, but then picks up the ball. He sees that Terrence Jennings has gotten deep position underneath. He elevates for a running jumper, but instead delivers a gorgeous pass over the top of three defenders that hits Jennings in the hands. It's an easy layup for the big man, but it's almost entirely Clark's doing. 
• [2nd half, 10:44] Just as he did against Providence, Clark demands the ball in the post. He clearly likes the matchup against Shane Clark on the left block. The ball goes into Clark there. He waits patiently to see if a hedging Rey
  nolds is going to slough off Louisville guard Andre McGee to double down on him. When Reynolds commits, Clark kicks the ball out to McGee for a 3-pointer. This is a very pro-like possession, and Clark demonstrates a professional level of patience and execution. He realizes that his value on the play will come not from working down low for his own shot, but by leveraging his mismatch to draw the double-team and, ultimately, a wide open 3-point attempt for one of the shooters.
  
• [2nd half, 6:52] Clark recognizes what's happening on the floor at a given moment in time. He holds the ball up top. When Jennings draws the 6-foot-1 Corey Fisher underneath, Clark immediately reads the mismatch from the perimeter and fires a pinpoint pass to his big man so that it can be exploited. 

Clark can create offense in a variety of ways, though he doesn't always do so efficiently. He attempted only 3.8 free throws a game last season (and hit at only a 64.7% clip at the stripe). His effective field goal percentage dipped below 50% in 2008-09, and he turned the ball over 3.6 times per game -- both red flags for a forward.

There are those who say that the flaws in Clark's overall game can be found in these stats -- forget about the intangible "if" elements that may or may not plague him. These flaws can also be seen in games like Louisville's blowout loss at home to Connecticut where Clark withered against Jeff Adrien -- hitting two of 16 shots from the floor, while hauling down only three rebounds against three turnovers. Clark barely stepped foot into the paint that night, content to settle for long jumpers on perimeter pick-and-pop plays. 

Clark's naysayers outside the world of analytics don't mind these numbers. They're actually quite sold on Clark's talent. They worry about two things: Whether Earl Clark truly understands the level of competition that awaits him in the NBA, and whether he has a natural position. 

Whatever Earl Clark lacks in intensity, it didn't prevent him from leading the Cardinals to the Big East Championship and a top seed in the big dance. (Jim McIsaac via Getty Images)

The Intensity Rap
When Clark was told that there is a legion of basketball people out there that don't think he's a killer, he was befuddled.

"I averaged nine rebounds a game in the Big East," Clark said. "How can you do that, how can you play for Coach Pitino for three years, and not be a killer?" 

Clark's skeptics would respond that he didn't work that hard to get those 8.7 rebounds. They believe that because Clark is so uniquely talented, and so much better than everyone else he's played with for most of his 21 years, that he never had to grind to be effective. They point to the UConn game as an example of Clark's inability to elevate his offensive game against an elite defense. Why not challenge Adrien off the dribble? Why not get Thabeet and company to collapse and use playmaking skills to find shooters on the perimeter? 

His high school coach, Remley, recalled the 2006 state high school championship game between Rahway and Haddonfield, led by 7-foot-1 center Brian Zoubek, who went on to play for Duke. "I thought [Clark] would make Zoubek look slow," Remley said. "But Earl looked like he was in a hole, like he was 6-2. He couldn't do anything." Clark finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Zoubek went for 27 points and 18 rebounds in Haddonfield's 71-37 win. 

Other than the UConn game and Remley's testimonial of a game Clark played three years ago in high school, I had trouble finding too many instances of Clark taking plays off. I watched hundreds of sequences on video, taking special care to study Clark's body language, which had been labeled as languid and carefree by some. Though Clark has a sleepy expression at times, it rarely translated into performance. That Providence game? Clark flashed few facial expressions that afternoon; he was too busy dominating the action. But for those desperate for a little show of emotion, Clark punctuated his assist on that interior feed to Jennings described above with an emphatic fist pump.

"I'm not going to start screaming and barking on the court," Clark said. "That's not who I am. If people don't like my persona, I can't do anything about it. I'm just a basketball player."

It's hard not to sympathize with Clark's protests. Would he be a more desirable ballplayer if he got down on all fours like Kevin Garnett and snarled? Is it possible that a player can harbor an inner intensity that doesn't surface in external behavior or mood? 

These are difficult questions to answer, which is why fifteen teams are now using BBIQ to evaluate a player's core personality and makeup. Given the reputation Clark has developed as a less than assertive player who lacks an inner fire, you might expect him to perform poorly when measured for mental toughness, court awareness, and competitive instinct. But according to those who have seen the results of his BBIQ test, Clark rates high in coachability, resiliency, and appears to display a strong need for dominance (a good trait). Go figure. Clark's advocates like to add that he comes from a nurturing two-parent family (something that's seen as a predictor of success in certain quarters), and hasn't had any reported academic or personal issues. 

Could it be that when some execs and coaches try to quantify intensity and willingness to grind that they look at the wrong things?

Stan Jones, an assistant coach at Florida State, drew an interesting parallel. "It takes a keen eye to tell the difference between motor -- or false effort -- and a true competitive edge," Jones said. "You don't win the Big East Championship with guys who aren't competitive."

In court mannerisms, Clark reminds Jones a little of John Salmons. "They're not the kind of guys who are chewing up the floor and spitting nails," Jones said. "They may not visually look like they're intense, but they're getting plenty done."

Jones' delineation makes a lot of sense, but many general managers and coaches don't have the patience and inclination to play mind reader. Why take a chance on a guy who might give you his all each and every night when you can choose a player who's certain to do so? This is the line of thinking that Earl Clark is up against. 

The Plight of the Forward Tweener
In terms of timing, there's something a little ironic about the concern that Clark doesn't have a natural position -- the other major worry about Clark. We just witnessed an NBA Finals that featured a menagerie of unique talents like Lamar Odom, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and Pau Gasol. The positional landscape of the NBA is changing before us, yet we cling tightly to an orthodox understanding of the game. 

Back-to-the-basket power forwards are nearing the point of extinction; The face-up "four" has become the norm. Even most of Clark's critics concede that with his size, length and court awareness, he's probably capable of guarding both positions. The question they ask is: Where should a team situate him offensively?

Is it possible that indictment #1 (Earl Clark doesn't look like he's trying) is directly related to indictment #2 (Earl Clark do
esn't know what kind of player he is)? Is it a coincidence that guys who are classified as "versatile big men” are often regarded as flighty? We've seen Odom, Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Turkoglu, and Lewis each take flak for being whimsical. How can a guy with that size and that range of skills disappear like he does?!

Clark embodies this basketball archetype. When he falls below the radar on the court -- whether it was in that horrendous game against UConn or in a hostile road environment like Morgantown, West Virginia -- it isn't so much that he's unassertive. It's often a case of not knowing which of his many skills to assert on a specific play. A player like Clark can look like he's taking plays off when, in reality, he's paralyzed by choice. 

When Clark gets twitchy on a halfcourt possession, he often holds the ball overhead along the perimeter. He looks over at the weak side, then down low, then back up at his point guard. There's a moment you think he'll put the ball on the deck and drive past his defender, and sometimes he'll start his dribble move that way. Only Clark doesn't display the tunnel vision of a fierce slasher. You can riffle through dozens of clips before you see Clark simply put his head down and drive for the hole. He hesitates, will look for a kickout or a cutter, maybe back it out, or just stop in his tracks. It's the tentativeness of someone with too many options. 

Watching Clark at moments like these evokes memories of Lamar Odom's early days with the Los Angeles Clippers. Odom came to the pro game with a vast array of skills, almost none of which were wholly NBA-ready. He'd recognize a mismatch -- for instance, a hulking big man guarding him on the ball along the perimeter. Odom's initial instincts would be spot on, and he'd blow by the big man without much effort. But he'd ease up before he got to the hole, which would allow a lanky weak side defender to challenge the play and force him to his weaker right hand. Prior to arriving in the NBA, Odom never needed more than 80% speed to finish an elementary play like that.

It took Odom a couple of seasons to summon a level of effort he'd never before had to apply on the basketball court. He'd have to finish 20% more assertively. His passing game -- which he lorded over much smaller players in amateur ball -- would have to be 20% more precise. He'd have to play 20% less upright on defense because the competition was that much quicker. Above all, he'd have to get comfortable playing 20% harder.

For guys like Odom in his first couple of seasons -- and now Clark -- this might come across as an affront. Are the critics suggesting they haven't been giving it their all this whole time? 

Not exactly. When only 80% has ever been required of you to succeed, you might not even realize that you're not working at full capacity. Why would you? Clark's sum effort is uncalculable -- not by scouts, not by BBIQ, not by the Louisville coaching staff, maybe not even by Clark himself. It's entirely possible that Clark's mannerisms distort our perceptions. We won't know until he's playing at the NBA level, an uncertainty that impatient NBA front offices don't want to entertain.

Just a Basketball Player
Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Clark to classify his game. He initially began to roll out some general talking points about his versatility, his defense, and wanting to combine all his skills and bring them to the next level. Then he paused for a beat. 

Maybe he lost his train of thought, or maybe he was exhausted from having just finished a workout for his umpteenth team in the last two weeks. Maybe he was just tired of talking about himself. 

"I think I'm just a basketball player," he said.

Clark isn't just any basketball player -- he's the enigma of this year's draft class. He has advocates who think his multifaceted skill set is brilliantly suited to a pro game that increasingly rewards versatility at both ends of the floor. He also has an army of doubters who expect him to be the next Tim Thomas -- a boundless talent who lacks the drive to make good on those promises.

Clark realizes there's nothing he can say or do right now to sell anyone on his competitive spirit. When asked about it, he's quick to point out that his team got the best from him when it mattered most last March. Will that be enough to persuade an NBA GM with a Top 10 pick? Only a few more days until we find out.