TrueHoop: Stephen Curry
Lakers, Rockets win in unusual manner
February, 10, 2012
Feb 10
2:32
AM ET
A snapshot look at an abbreviated NBA schedule on Thursday:
Lakers win, but it wasn’t easy
The Los Angeles Lakers won one the hard way in Boston.
The Lakers went 1-for-15 (6.7 percent) from 3-point range in their overtime win over the Boston Celtics. The last time they shot worse than that and won on the road was on December 16, 1999 (won at Atlanta, 95-88, despite going 0-5).
The Lakers have won four straight games in Boston, the last three by one point, and the last two coming in overtime.
Kobe Bryant snapped a streak of three straight games in which he shot under 40 percent from the field (he was 11-for-24 in this one) and scored 27 points.
Kevin Garnett, who was 19-for-27 from the field in his last 2 games, was 6-for-23 in this one. As noted in the Daily Dime, the 17 misses were his most in a game since December, 2004.
Feat of the Night
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored 36 points while going 13-17 (77 percent) from the field.
A check of Basketball-Reference.com shows that the last Warriors player to shoot that well and score that many points was center Rony Seikaly on December 30, 1994. Seikaly totaled 38 points on 12-14 (86 percent) from the field in a loss at the Mavericks.
Also of note: Steve Nash had his 12th game this season of at least 10 points and 10 assists. At age 38, leads the NBA in 10/10 games, with one more than 21-year-old Ricky Rubio and 27-year-old Deron Williams.
Streakbusters
Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan had their streaks of 14 and 13 consecutive All-Star selections come to an end when they were not picked to the All-Star team on Thursday.
The Golden State Warriors extended their streak of consecutive seasons without an All-Star selection to 14. Their last All-Star representative was Latrell Sprewell in 1996-1997.
Plus-Minus Note of the Night
The Houston Rockets won again with their bench in a 96-89 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Dragic
Each of the five Rockets starters had a plus-minus of -13 or worse. But all five subs that head coach Kevin McHale used finished with a +17 or better.
Reserve point guard Goran Dragic was a +27 against his former team, the best plus-minus tally of his 232-game career. He finished with 11 points and tied a career high with 11 assists.
This was the second straight big game for the Rockets bench, which scored a season-high 66 points in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
Lakers win, but it wasn’t easy
The Los Angeles Lakers won one the hard way in Boston.
The Lakers went 1-for-15 (6.7 percent) from 3-point range in their overtime win over the Boston Celtics. The last time they shot worse than that and won on the road was on December 16, 1999 (won at Atlanta, 95-88, despite going 0-5).
The Lakers have won four straight games in Boston, the last three by one point, and the last two coming in overtime.
Kobe Bryant snapped a streak of three straight games in which he shot under 40 percent from the field (he was 11-for-24 in this one) and scored 27 points.
Kevin Garnett, who was 19-for-27 from the field in his last 2 games, was 6-for-23 in this one. As noted in the Daily Dime, the 17 misses were his most in a game since December, 2004.
Feat of the Night
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry scored 36 points while going 13-17 (77 percent) from the field.
A check of Basketball-Reference.com shows that the last Warriors player to shoot that well and score that many points was center Rony Seikaly on December 30, 1994. Seikaly totaled 38 points on 12-14 (86 percent) from the field in a loss at the Mavericks.
Also of note: Steve Nash had his 12th game this season of at least 10 points and 10 assists. At age 38, leads the NBA in 10/10 games, with one more than 21-year-old Ricky Rubio and 27-year-old Deron Williams.
Streakbusters
Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan had their streaks of 14 and 13 consecutive All-Star selections come to an end when they were not picked to the All-Star team on Thursday.
The Golden State Warriors extended their streak of consecutive seasons without an All-Star selection to 14. Their last All-Star representative was Latrell Sprewell in 1996-1997.
Plus-Minus Note of the Night
The Houston Rockets won again with their bench in a 96-89 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Each of the five Rockets starters had a plus-minus of -13 or worse. But all five subs that head coach Kevin McHale used finished with a +17 or better.
Reserve point guard Goran Dragic was a +27 against his former team, the best plus-minus tally of his 232-game career. He finished with 11 points and tied a career high with 11 assists.
This was the second straight big game for the Rockets bench, which scored a season-high 66 points in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
Thursday Bullets
November, 10, 2011
11/10/11
1:40
PM ET
- Ben Swanson of Rufus on Fire writes that, given all we know about Michael Jordan's competitiveness, it's not surprising he'd be leading a charge of hard-line owners to secure as much revenue as possible.
- Kate Fagan covers the Sixers for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She also played basketball at the University of Colorado while the school was confronting a recruiting scandal and understands the complicated culture of big-time college sports: "Big-time athletic programs are not entirely unlike nation-states. Everyone wears the colors, says the pledge, and sings the school anthem. Everyone worships the logo, recites the fight song, and reports up the chain of command. Everyone's committed to defeating a common enemy: Ohio State or Nebraska or Michigan. This is what makes college athletics galvanizing and wonderful. And also, for anyone who has been inside it, it's what can make college athletics frightening. When you're inside, you're often a rah-rah believer. Blind acceptance exists that coaches and administrators, those who have established the institution's culture, possess absolute authority."
- On Friday night, the University of North Carolina will play Michigan State on the USS Carl Vinson, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that hauled the body of Osama bin Laden to his burial at sea. Tarheel alma mater Danny Nowell is excited for the game. At HoopSpeak U, Nowell explores many of the same contradictions and mixed feelings Fagan has about the fervor of college sports in places like Chapel Hill and State College.
- A French parody of MTV Cribs featuring a muppet Tony Parker, which concludes with some curious plant life.
- I've received a number of emails from Canadians who maintain the NBA lockout is illegal under Ontario law, even though the NBA has a labor exemption under antitrust law in the United States (which allows it to impose things like a salary cap which would be illegal in other commercial sectors). Law professor David Doorey of York University looks at Ontario's Labor Relations Act and asks some interesting questions.
- Noam Schiller of Hardwood Paroxysm has a memo for new Warriors head coach Mark Jackson: "According to BasketballValue.com, Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Dorell Wright, David Lee, and Andris Biedrins played almost 687 minutes together last season. in that time, they were outscored 1553 to 1484, for a net efficiency rating of -4.60."
- ClipperBlog's Jovan Buha writes that Los Angeles native Tayshaun Prince could be an interesting fit for a Clippers team that's been looking for a solution at the small forward spot since the Taft Administration.
- Tom Haberstroh has a conversation about the lockout with the hilarious, insightful, sometimes goofy and always thought-provoking behavioral economist Dan Ariely.
- Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire occupy Sesame Street.
- Several weeks ago, Knickerblogger's Robert Silverman observed Chris Bosh's charity fashion event at Saks Fifth Avenue: "All I could think about while staring at the huddled masses was the original (and awesome) 1978 Dawn of the Dead -- where zombies have overtaken a mall and are riding the escalators, numbly staring at stuff they couldn’t afford in some half-remembered haze, doomed for all eternity to repeat the pointless, boring, soul-deadening rituals of their former so-called life." Silverman goes on to explain, in further detail, how sports are like zombie movies.
- Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro speaks about the influence the late Jim Valvano, who was fond of reciting poems to his players at N.C. State.
- Seattleites take note: Metta World Peace feels for you. Among the other things he misses: "I miss the refs running down the court like they have hot tomales in their pants. I miss Charles Barkley commentating."
- On his Twitter feed, Larry Sanders offers relationship/break-up advice: "When a good thing goes bad it's not the end of the world, it's the end of a world that you had with one girl."
- From a discussion at Wages of Win about the salaries and earnings of NBA players: "That’s right; the lottery [not the NBA draft lottery] has produced almost twice as many millionaires in the last year as the NBA has in the last twenty years!"
- Zach Lowe of The Point Forward on the union's disclosure of some vivid details of Thursday's negotiations: "It was an extraordinary public accounting of a private negotiation, one clearly fueled by anger over the alleged misrepresentations Silver and Holt gave reporters a few minutes earlier. We have seen nothing quite like it so far in these talks. It is discouraging. And the anger matters. The two sides need to cool off now, and it is unclear when they will meet next."
- Belgrade is a basketball hotbed. When Serbia took on France in EuroBasket 2011, you could hear hoots, hollers and moans emanating from alleyways in the Serbian capital. Acie Law has joined Partizan Belgrade and has been blown away by fan passion: "I've never seen anything like it, you don't see fans like that in the United States."
- A nice story in the Sporting News about SEEDS Academy, Amadou Gallo Fall's basketball school in Senegal. The piece includes a clip of a documentary, "Elevate," by filmmaker Anne Buford -- San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford's sister.
- Rex Chapman on owner-player vengeance: "League owners possess much resolve. They've vowed athlete-payback 4ever. Branded into memory are their yrs of daily P.E. dodgeball beatings."
- One ancillary benefit of the lockout? Stars like Stephen Curry who traditionally deliver boilerplate quotes are now expressing their sincere opinions.
- Raja Bell to Dan Le Batard and Stugotz on 790 AM in Miami: "I feel like that is their target to shoot just below the bar, so it looks like they are negotiating and in fact there is not a real attempt to negotiate.”
- If you didn't catch HoopSpeak Live yesterday, you missed some compelling stuff from Bomani Jones and Larry Coon. Jones speaks about how $5 million players have $5 million dollar bills, while Coon revisits the contentious issues that are dividing the camps in the labor negotiations. Equally as entertaining, with a whole lot of whimsy, is Zach Harper, who stops by 48 Minutes of Hell's 4-Down Podcast.
- John Wall in a Dougie-off at a Reebok promotional event.
- LeBron James gets zinged on twentysomething dramedy "Happy Endings." (Hat Tip: Ball Don't Lie & Your Man Devine)
- Magic big man Brandon Bass tells Zach McCann that he's spending his time in Orlando working out with Jameer Nelson, Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson. On his to-do list? Extending his range beyond 18-20 feet.
- J.J. Hickson makes aliyah, as he signs with B'nai Hasharon in Israel, replacing Trevor Booker on the roster.
- Can you name all the D-League teams? You've got four minutes on the clock. Go.
- Metta World Peace would like some company. Via his Twitter feed: "It's not a weird question to ask where the fellas at. I can't entertain 100's of ladies alone. My party yesterday was all girls."
Getting fired the Smart way
March, 21, 2011
3/21/11
11:35
AM ET
Ethan Sherwood Strauss writes/edits for HoopSpeak.com and Warriorsworld.net. He lives in Oakland and wallows @SherwoodStrauss on Twitter.
I don’t know Warriors coach Keith Smart, and I don’t think he’s doing a good job. But it’s painful to watch him slowly lose what I’m guessing is a dream vocation. Every now and again, I show up to Oracle, volley post-game questions from the folded chairs. After losses, Keith appears close to a crying rage. A losing coach bottles torrents. And I’m this bespectacled dork, bleating into his ears, clawing for some damning quote by which to screw him over.
Smart once approached after a presser, wondering why I had “something against Monta.” He towered over as I tried to say what should have been, “It’s hard to convey nuance when asking brief questions.” Whatever I spoke melted into a mumbled shrug as my eyes ran away from his glare.
(I’m just a nerd, obsessed with efficiency. There is no media agenda here, sir.)
As he walked away, I felt ridiculous. Suddenly, it was embarrassing to be a 5-11 twentysomething with bad facial hair, assessing a basketball coach’s performance--between tweets. I used to only watch these games on the TV, a device that never got mad at me. How had my livelihood become about judging his livelihood? It was similar to the shame I felt after Al Thornton tweeted me, in response to snickering digs. Thornton’s handle says “a driven country guy with an old soul.” He was born and raised in Perry, Georgia, where the population hovers near 10,000. At Florida State, Al slowly worked his way off the bench, finally blooming as an upperclassmen. The improbable NBA journey must have been doubted along the way by unathletic haters like myself. What does he think about the avatar in glasses who dares mock his game?
A few times this season, Smart cited “the tape,” as though obscure snippets of Warriors footage contained what I lacked in maturity and common sense.
“See you look at the stats...I watch the tape.”
To a weary coach, mastery of “the stats” could appear a youthful alchemy obsession--a beginner’s chemistry set. “The tape” may well represent all that escapes outsiders. Sure, I can re-watch Warriors games. But I won’t know the exact offensive sets or defensive schemes. I won’t know who’s hurting, who loafed through practice. “The tape,” is his coaching gravitas, the moat between Smart and marauding critics. With every loss, a little bit of that moat evaporates.
Before games, Keith’s gregarious, quick to smile. It’s easy to see how he held a happy locker room through a losing season slog. Reporters grumble about his vague, meandering quotes, but there’s presence behind the vocalized nothing. When basking in a win, Smart can tease writers into laughter. He’s confident and at ease, like so many former pros are.
But no one thinks he’s staying. The new ownership needed Keith to exceed expectations and he underwhelmed. Matt Steinmetz -- the guy who broke the Sprewell choking incident -- went so far as to call Smart’s ouster what should be a “forgone conclusion.”
So the coach is a dead man walking, except we can’t really say it to his face. He’s bound by a certain etiquette as well. In a home loss against the Mavs, Smart benched Stephen Curry for a crucial crunch time stretch. Curry had been playing poorly, the benching did not spring out of the air like some Nellie flight of whimsy. But, Keith refused to flesh out its logic, stating that the choice just wasn’t a “big deal.” The coach won’t trash his young star, even when the situational politics might call for it.
To reference Steinmetz again, the Curry-Smart relationship is chief among the reasons for this expected firing. There’s something strict and paternal in the way Keith handles his best player. A bad mistake often leads to a quick hook, while veteran Monta Ellis is free to frolic. It’s as though Smart’s trying to hone Curry’s mastery of split-second decisions through punishment. The process looks ridiculous to my eyes, like Keith’s foolishly channeling that Bobby Knight schooling, seeing if he can yell life’s rhythms into submission. I wouldn’t be shocked if Smart cites “the tape” as a rebuke to Curry’s frustrations.
If Stephen Curry played five more minutes per game, I’d hazard that his coach would have a chance. I’d also wager that Golden State would have a few more wins. This is why Smart’s Curry-handling might be an instance of misguided integrity. Keith will sacrifice job security in pursuit of his path. Eventually, “the tape” won’t save him. Eventually, his young star will have a new coach.
I don’t know Warriors coach Keith Smart, and I don’t think he’s doing a good job. But it’s painful to watch him slowly lose what I’m guessing is a dream vocation. Every now and again, I show up to Oracle, volley post-game questions from the folded chairs. After losses, Keith appears close to a crying rage. A losing coach bottles torrents. And I’m this bespectacled dork, bleating into his ears, clawing for some damning quote by which to screw him over.
Smart once approached after a presser, wondering why I had “something against Monta.” He towered over as I tried to say what should have been, “It’s hard to convey nuance when asking brief questions.” Whatever I spoke melted into a mumbled shrug as my eyes ran away from his glare.
(I’m just a nerd, obsessed with efficiency. There is no media agenda here, sir.)
As he walked away, I felt ridiculous. Suddenly, it was embarrassing to be a 5-11 twentysomething with bad facial hair, assessing a basketball coach’s performance--between tweets. I used to only watch these games on the TV, a device that never got mad at me. How had my livelihood become about judging his livelihood? It was similar to the shame I felt after Al Thornton tweeted me, in response to snickering digs. Thornton’s handle says “a driven country guy with an old soul.” He was born and raised in Perry, Georgia, where the population hovers near 10,000. At Florida State, Al slowly worked his way off the bench, finally blooming as an upperclassmen. The improbable NBA journey must have been doubted along the way by unathletic haters like myself. What does he think about the avatar in glasses who dares mock his game?
A few times this season, Smart cited “the tape,” as though obscure snippets of Warriors footage contained what I lacked in maturity and common sense.
“See you look at the stats...I watch the tape.”
To a weary coach, mastery of “the stats” could appear a youthful alchemy obsession--a beginner’s chemistry set. “The tape” may well represent all that escapes outsiders. Sure, I can re-watch Warriors games. But I won’t know the exact offensive sets or defensive schemes. I won’t know who’s hurting, who loafed through practice. “The tape,” is his coaching gravitas, the moat between Smart and marauding critics. With every loss, a little bit of that moat evaporates.
Before games, Keith’s gregarious, quick to smile. It’s easy to see how he held a happy locker room through a losing season slog. Reporters grumble about his vague, meandering quotes, but there’s presence behind the vocalized nothing. When basking in a win, Smart can tease writers into laughter. He’s confident and at ease, like so many former pros are.
But no one thinks he’s staying. The new ownership needed Keith to exceed expectations and he underwhelmed. Matt Steinmetz -- the guy who broke the Sprewell choking incident -- went so far as to call Smart’s ouster what should be a “forgone conclusion.”
So the coach is a dead man walking, except we can’t really say it to his face. He’s bound by a certain etiquette as well. In a home loss against the Mavs, Smart benched Stephen Curry for a crucial crunch time stretch. Curry had been playing poorly, the benching did not spring out of the air like some Nellie flight of whimsy. But, Keith refused to flesh out its logic, stating that the choice just wasn’t a “big deal.” The coach won’t trash his young star, even when the situational politics might call for it.
To reference Steinmetz again, the Curry-Smart relationship is chief among the reasons for this expected firing. There’s something strict and paternal in the way Keith handles his best player. A bad mistake often leads to a quick hook, while veteran Monta Ellis is free to frolic. It’s as though Smart’s trying to hone Curry’s mastery of split-second decisions through punishment. The process looks ridiculous to my eyes, like Keith’s foolishly channeling that Bobby Knight schooling, seeing if he can yell life’s rhythms into submission. I wouldn’t be shocked if Smart cites “the tape” as a rebuke to Curry’s frustrations.
If Stephen Curry played five more minutes per game, I’d hazard that his coach would have a chance. I’d also wager that Golden State would have a few more wins. This is why Smart’s Curry-handling might be an instance of misguided integrity. Keith will sacrifice job security in pursuit of his path. Eventually, “the tape” won’t save him. Eventually, his young star will have a new coach.
Griffin posterizes a car for dunk title
February, 20, 2011
2/20/11
1:44
AM ET
SPRITE SLAM DUNK CONTEST
Blake Griffin was a heavy favorite to win the dunk contest and he didn't disappoint, capping his night with a dunk over a 2011 Kia Optima after receiving a pass through the car's moon roof from Los Angeles Clippers teammate Baron Davis.
Griffin
Taller players tend to struggle with the voters when it comes to the dunk contest, but Griffin - at 6'10" - became just the third player 6'10" or taller to win the contest. Griffin joins Larry Nance in 1984 (6'10") and Dwight Howard in 2008 (6'11").
JaVale McGee, who lost to Griffin in the finals, would have become the tallest to win the contest at 7'0".
FOOT LOCKER THREE-POINT CONTEST
James Jones of the Miami Heat came away with the victory as he scored 20 points in the final round. Jones is the third Miami player in the last five years to take home the title, joining Jason Kapono in 2007 and Daequan Cook in 2009. The Heat have won four overall, tying the Celtics and Bulls for the most in the event's history.
Jones has been shooting the ball well this season, sporting a 42.1 three-point percentage, which is his highest at the All-Star break since the 2007-08 season when he was at 46.7 percent with the Trail Blazers. Jones was able to win the contest despite not receiving any passes. We mention this because Jones does not have an unassisted field goal this entire season.
TACO BELL SKILLS COMPETITION
Stephen Curry took home the title with a time of 28.2 seconds. It was the fastest by a winner in the event since Deron Williams set an event record of 25.5 seconds in 2008. Chris Paul was making his fourth appearance in the event, most of any player, but did not advance past the first round.
HAIER SHOOTING STARS
The Atlanta team made up of Al Horford, Coco Miller and Steve Smith came away with the win. Team Texas was trying to become the first team to repeat as champions since the event's inception at the 2004 Los Angeles All-Star weekend. The Atlanta victory came in 70.0 seconds, which is the slowest time by an eventual winner, smashing the previous "record" of 58.4 seconds by the 2009 Detroit team of Arron Afflalo, Katie Smith and Bill Laimbeer.
Blake Griffin was a heavy favorite to win the dunk contest and he didn't disappoint, capping his night with a dunk over a 2011 Kia Optima after receiving a pass through the car's moon roof from Los Angeles Clippers teammate Baron Davis.
Taller players tend to struggle with the voters when it comes to the dunk contest, but Griffin - at 6'10" - became just the third player 6'10" or taller to win the contest. Griffin joins Larry Nance in 1984 (6'10") and Dwight Howard in 2008 (6'11").
JaVale McGee, who lost to Griffin in the finals, would have become the tallest to win the contest at 7'0".
FOOT LOCKER THREE-POINT CONTEST
James Jones of the Miami Heat came away with the victory as he scored 20 points in the final round. Jones is the third Miami player in the last five years to take home the title, joining Jason Kapono in 2007 and Daequan Cook in 2009. The Heat have won four overall, tying the Celtics and Bulls for the most in the event's history.
Jones has been shooting the ball well this season, sporting a 42.1 three-point percentage, which is his highest at the All-Star break since the 2007-08 season when he was at 46.7 percent with the Trail Blazers. Jones was able to win the contest despite not receiving any passes. We mention this because Jones does not have an unassisted field goal this entire season.
TACO BELL SKILLS COMPETITION
Stephen Curry took home the title with a time of 28.2 seconds. It was the fastest by a winner in the event since Deron Williams set an event record of 25.5 seconds in 2008. Chris Paul was making his fourth appearance in the event, most of any player, but did not advance past the first round.
HAIER SHOOTING STARS
The Atlanta team made up of Al Horford, Coco Miller and Steve Smith came away with the win. Team Texas was trying to become the first team to repeat as champions since the event's inception at the 2004 Los Angeles All-Star weekend. The Atlanta victory came in 70.0 seconds, which is the slowest time by an eventual winner, smashing the previous "record" of 58.4 seconds by the 2009 Detroit team of Arron Afflalo, Katie Smith and Bill Laimbeer.
Rondo dishing, Howard swishing
November, 9, 2010
11/09/10
12:31
AM ET
By Kevin Conlon and Mike Lynch, ESPN Stats & Info
ESPN.com
ESPN.com
The Dallas Mavericks topped the Boston Celtics on Monday night in Dallas, but it was Rajon Rondo's latest stat-sheet stuffing performance that caught our eye. Rondo posted 15 assists and five steals, pushing his season averages to 14.8 APG and 3.1 SPG.
• Rondo now has at least 10 assists and three steals in five straight games. That is the longest such streak by an NBA player since John Stockton did so in five straight in 1991-92.
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his 118 assists through eight games are the second-most an NBA player has ever had in the first eight games of the season. That record belongs to Stockton, who posted 135 assists in his first eight games back in 1989-90. Stockton set a still-standing NBA record that season by averaging 14.5 APG.
• He has posted at least 15 assists in a game five times this season. That matches the total number of 15-assist games that every other NBA player combined has had so far this season.
• Rondo has had at least five steals in a game seven times over the last two seasons. Only Monta Ellis has done this more often over this span.
Let's take a look at some other notes from Monday's action:
• Dwight Howard led the Orlando Magic to a win over the Atlanta Hawks as he put up 27 points and 11 rebounds. He has scored 79 points over his last three games and has scored at least 18 points in each game this season. Howard has displayed a little more range in his offensive arsenal this season. According to Hoopdata, Howard has hit eight field goals from 10 feet and beyond this season after hitting just 19 such shots all of last season. Perhaps his summer work with Hakeem Olajuwon is paying some dividends.
• Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph had his third straight double-double and seems fully recovered from the tailbone injury he suffered in a season-opening loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He put up 23 points and 20 rebounds as the Grizzlies avenged an earlier loss to the Phoenix Suns. It's his fifth career 20-20 game, with three of them coming over the last two seasons. Dwight Howard is the only other NBA player with three 20-20 games in the last two seasons.
• The Golden State Warriors improved to 5-2 on the season as they picked up their first road win of the season over the Toronto Raptors. Stephen Curry scored a season-high 34 points, with 16 of them coming in the fourth quarter. The 5-2 start is the team's best seven-game start since a 6-1 start to the 1994-95 season. Unfortunately for the Warriors, that team finished 26-56 and failed to make the playoffs.
• Rondo now has at least 10 assists and three steals in five straight games. That is the longest such streak by an NBA player since John Stockton did so in five straight in 1991-92.
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, his 118 assists through eight games are the second-most an NBA player has ever had in the first eight games of the season. That record belongs to Stockton, who posted 135 assists in his first eight games back in 1989-90. Stockton set a still-standing NBA record that season by averaging 14.5 APG.
• He has posted at least 15 assists in a game five times this season. That matches the total number of 15-assist games that every other NBA player combined has had so far this season.
• Rondo has had at least five steals in a game seven times over the last two seasons. Only Monta Ellis has done this more often over this span.
Let's take a look at some other notes from Monday's action:
• Dwight Howard led the Orlando Magic to a win over the Atlanta Hawks as he put up 27 points and 11 rebounds. He has scored 79 points over his last three games and has scored at least 18 points in each game this season. Howard has displayed a little more range in his offensive arsenal this season. According to Hoopdata, Howard has hit eight field goals from 10 feet and beyond this season after hitting just 19 such shots all of last season. Perhaps his summer work with Hakeem Olajuwon is paying some dividends.
• Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph had his third straight double-double and seems fully recovered from the tailbone injury he suffered in a season-opening loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He put up 23 points and 20 rebounds as the Grizzlies avenged an earlier loss to the Phoenix Suns. It's his fifth career 20-20 game, with three of them coming over the last two seasons. Dwight Howard is the only other NBA player with three 20-20 games in the last two seasons.
• The Golden State Warriors improved to 5-2 on the season as they picked up their first road win of the season over the Toronto Raptors. Stephen Curry scored a season-high 34 points, with 16 of them coming in the fourth quarter. The 5-2 start is the team's best seven-game start since a 6-1 start to the 1994-95 season. Unfortunately for the Warriors, that team finished 26-56 and failed to make the playoffs.
- Tom Haberstroh of Hardwood Paroxysm looks at which players produced the least amount of value relative to their salaries last season: "The cases of Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Michael Redd illustrate the devastating effects that a serious injury can have on a team’s books. The Rockets were set to receive nearly nothing for their $40 million investments in Yao and McGrady but a midseason deal with the Knicks handed McGrady’s albatross over to Jim Dolan in exchange for long-term cap relief. In general, $40 million equates to about 18 wins above replacement so the Rockets 42-win season becomes even more remarkable considering what they lost due to injury."
- Team USA will play Lithuania on Saturday, then Spain on Sunday in a couple of exhibition matches. Jay Aych of The Painted Area on the matchup with Spain: "Spain might not want to show its full arsenal to Team USA in an exhibition game. Team USA could be planning the same thing, so we might not be able to glean much from this matchup." The idea of a team not showing its entire hand is something we occasionally hear in pro football, when two teams who are likely to face each other in the playoffs have a less consequential late-season meeting. But we it's not something normally seen in basketball, which tells how much anticipation there is for a U.S.-Spain contest in the FIBA Championships next month.
- In an American player's psyche, how important is it that he and Team USA play well over the next month? Patrick James of Daily Thunder says it's more important than you might think, particularly for Kevin Durant: "[F]or anyone who cares either way if Durant vaults into the highest echelon of NBA stars, the most compelling reason to put importance on the World Championship is the knowledge that Durant himself cares deeply."
- Over the past 12 months, Durant has seen his name (and face) recognition skyrocket. He tweets from Madrid: "Is it rude for people to ask for pictures while ur eating?"
- Tom Ziller of AOL Fanhouse breaks down the individual performances in yesterday's Greece-Serbia brawl. Ziller on Sofoklis Schortsanitis: "But Greek Shaq's most gully episode comes in the chase of Krstic, best seen at the 35-second mark. You can tell how feared someone is by how fast their enemies retreat. Krstic can't get away fast enough. When Krstic throws the chair at Sofo (47-second mark; listen for the crowd reaction), Schortsanitis doesn't even blink. Swag-ger."
- Using FastDraw, Rob Mahoney of The Two Man Game diagrams a gorgeous misdirection set the Mavs ran last season for Jason Kidd and Rodrigue Beaubois.
- Filp Saunders once said that "defensively, the team always takes the personality of their players." John Townsend of Truth About It looks at the implications of that theory for the 2010-11 Washington Wizards.
- Lou Williams has gradually become a pretty efficient basketball player. Jordan Sams of Liberty Ballers contrasts the Sixers guard with Aaron Brooks, a point guard with a much higher Q Rating -- but maybe a lesser game.
- At Basketball Reference Blog, Neil Paine develops a method to measure which players have played for the best offenses over the course of their careers. Hint: a roster spot on the 2005-10 Phoenix Suns helps a guy's ranking tremendously.
- The Trail Blazers' play at a slow pace, which can lead the less careful observer to conclude Portland has a pretty good defense. In reality, the Trail Blazers haven't been very efficient on the defensive end of the floor. Dave of Blazers Edge senses that Portland has the ingredients to become a top-flight defensive squad, but still has some fundamental issues to solve before it gets there.
- Via WEEI's Green Street, Paul Pierce tells CSNNE he wants to finish his career in Europe.
- Ben Steele of Order of the Court digs into Scottie Pippen's infamous decision to stay on the bench for the final 1.8 seconds of Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals.
- It's hard to find a coach who has had a more fascinating quarter century than Nolan Richardson.
- Jeremy Wagner of Roundball Mining Company and Rahat Huq of Red94 have a dialogue about Carmelo Anthony. Wagner on Anthony: "There are few players who can score in as many was as Carmelo can, yet instead of exploiting the advantages the team earns due to the attention he receives from the opposition Melo frequently forces his way into the teeth of the defense in an attempt to prove he can do it. Carmelo has never made that leap from I can do it, to we can do it and as a result makes things more difficult on himself than it needs to be which leads directly to the surprising void between his talent and his lack of efficiency."
- Fellow bloggers offer Wagner their best packages for Anthony.
- At Philadunkia, a full examination of the Ed Stefanski era in Philadelphia.
- Manu Ginobili to George Hill over Twitter: "Get that corner three ready, man!"
- Stephen Curry tweets: "my pops came out to Spain to watch his boy play. Dang that means a lot!"
Jeremy Lin makes good
July, 23, 2010
7/23/10
2:44
AM ET
The Bay Area's newest rock star is Jeremy Lin, an undrafted rookie guard from Harvard whose primary résumé item until recently was being the first player in Ivy League history to record 1,450 points, 450 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals. The Dallas Mavericks were the only team to extend Lin an invitation to summer league to play behind highly touted guards Roddy Beaubois and Dominique Jones.
Then something phenomenal occurred in Las Vegas:
Lin matched No. 1 overall draft pick John Wall possession for possession down the stretch of Lin's fourth summer league game.
Cox Pavilion is usually a fairly subdued venue, a place where people mill about, and where executives, scouts and media schmooze with only one eye on the game. But for about 15 minutes last Thursday, the place had all the intensity of an NBA playoff game.
Here was Lin tying up Wall on a drive, forcing a jump ball. Then Lin drained a 3-pointer, which he promptly followed with a 360 degree spin move in traffic. After that, he snatched a rebound away from JaVale McGee.
Those are just a few of the highlights.
On Wednesday, the kid from Palo Alto agreed to a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, his home team. Throngs of media turned out for Lin's introduction.
We caught up with Lin by phone on Thursday:
So how insane is this?
Awww, man. Very, very, very insane. Obviously, this is like my dream come true, playing in the NBA with this team. It's been a day or two and it still hasn't sunk in. I'm still riding this emotional high. It's been unreal. It really has.
In some sense, was this route better than being drafted -- where you might've been stashed or banished to the bench or even gone unsigned as a second-rounder?
It's way, way better. Now looking back, I'm so happy that I went undrafted. There are a lot of people who are going to get stuck in situations, or could've been in a better situation somewhere else, but they got drafted so that team has their rights. I honestly believe it was a blessing in disguise to go undrafted because if I were drafted, I wouldn't have had that opportunity to test the field and take offers from different teams. That's what helped me a ton in the end.
How important is the [Asian-American] identity stuff?
You know, it's important but not as important as my being a Christian. That's first and foremost the most important thing to me when it comes to my identity.
Is it more important to your folks?
No. We believe in the same thing. That's how our house is and how I was raised. We've always taken our Christianity and our walks with God as our first priority.
Let's talk about summer league last week. The John Wall Game ... which suddenly became The Jeremy Lin Game. All business stopped in that gym during the fourth quarter. Everyone was gripped by what was going on down on the floor.
Roddy [Beaubois] was hurt so I got a chance to get a little more playing time in the first half, which helped a lot because I got a chance to get comfortable. Going into the fourth quarter, we were down. I wanted something to happen. I was just, like, playing. It just felt like it was college again. I was just, like, out there. It felt very, very comfortable and very relaxed. It was such a natural feeling. It wasn't like that with most of the other games. In those other games, it was more like, "Wow, this is a job interview. I have to perform well." I had that kind of pressure. But in the Washington game, going against John Wall in the fourth quarter, trying to come back, I was just playing off instincts. It was the best quarter I had in summer league at the best possible time. If the Dallas Mavericks weren't scheduled to play the Washington Wizards, I might not be in the NBA.
So your feeling is that the Wall matchup was the decisive factor for your getting that contract from Golden State?
That was the biggest thing by far. Like you said, business stopped and that's what everyone was watching. Because it was John Wall. Nobody was really paying attention to me before that. But after that, people started talking about me.
You said you were relaxed, but you seemed pretty bent about that charge call on your 360 spin move.
I mean relaxed in that I wasn't thinking about how big the game was. I was just focused completely on the game. I wasn't thinking, "Oh, this person's watching so I have to perform well." You know what I mean?
Relaxed in a larger, just-go-out-and-play sense?
Right.
There were a couple of huge plays in that sequence.
That charge call on the spin move? I didn't even see the guy, so I had no idea if it was a charge. But I heard the crowd's reaction, so I immediately assumed that it wasn't. But looking back on the tape, it was a pretty tough call. I was shocked because the whole gym was rooting for John Wall the entire game from the very beginning. So at first I was like, "John Wall must've taken the charge." I didn't know if it was him or not, but that was the first thing that came to my mind. Then, I realized, "Wait, they're rooting for me." I was like, "Whoa. What just happened?" Because, like, thirty minutes ago everyone was rooting for him.
So what changed?
I'm not even sure.
Are you a pure 1? A 2? Does it matter?
I'm a 1, but I can also play the 2. But I'm naturally and primarily a point guard. A lot of people don't realize that I didn't play the 1 in college. I played the 2. In summer league I was splitting time. In my eyes, I'm an NBA point guard and that's my natural position. I believe that.
You’ll probably be seeing more minutes -- albeit practice minutes -- against Steph Curry and Monta Ellis than anyone else in the league. Do you have a scouting report on those two guys?
Steph Curry is a playmaker and we all know he can score and shoot. But he's really, really smart. He knows how to see angles and get into the lane. He's just a complete offensive player. We saw at the end of last season how good he is. Monta Ellis is a big-time scorer and a very explosive offensive player. He's really quick and primarily a slasher. I'm looking forward to learning a lot from both of those guys. I can't wait to see them play and pick their brains --
And guard them for two hours a day.
That's going to be awesome! I'm going to learn a lot. That's going to help me so much.
Have you gotten a call from either Joe Lacob or Peter Guber yet?
No. I've talked to Larry Riley, Bobby Rowell and Travis Schlenk.
Is there a shoe or merchandise deal in the works?
That's something for my agent. It's been so crazy, I haven't really had any time to think about it. Things have been so busy. I know there's interest in terms of different companies but I don't know exactly what's going on.
Is self-branding in any way a small part of your ambition? Will it be cool to have a shoe?
It would be cool, but it's not a goal or anything.
When you hit the scene at Harvard and you guys started to win, was there an academic celeb scene at Lavieties Pavilion?
Not that I noticed. But Arne Duncan showed up.
What was your favorite class at Harvard?
Sociology 128: Methods of Social Science Research. Basically, it was a semester-long sociology experiment. My friends and I did an experiment on the differences between athletes and non-athletes when it comes to motivation and results in the classroom.
And?
The non-athletes had the highest GPAs, then the walk-ons next, then the recruited athletes. That's what we anticipated. But one of the other interesting things we found was that some of the athletes thought that they would've gotten better grades had they had more time. But then some of the non-athletes thought that some of the athletes were lazier or naturally not as smart. So there was a difference in perception of why that disparity exists -- but the disparity is indisputable.
Do you think there's a sense of entitlement among some athletes?
I think there's a sense of entitlement for both.
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
Jeremy Lin beat the traffic in Las Vegas, and earned an NBA roster spot.
Jeremy Lin beat the traffic in Las Vegas, and earned an NBA roster spot.
Then something phenomenal occurred in Las Vegas:
Lin matched No. 1 overall draft pick John Wall possession for possession down the stretch of Lin's fourth summer league game.
Cox Pavilion is usually a fairly subdued venue, a place where people mill about, and where executives, scouts and media schmooze with only one eye on the game. But for about 15 minutes last Thursday, the place had all the intensity of an NBA playoff game.
Here was Lin tying up Wall on a drive, forcing a jump ball. Then Lin drained a 3-pointer, which he promptly followed with a 360 degree spin move in traffic. After that, he snatched a rebound away from JaVale McGee.
Those are just a few of the highlights.
On Wednesday, the kid from Palo Alto agreed to a two-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, his home team. Throngs of media turned out for Lin's introduction.
We caught up with Lin by phone on Thursday:
So how insane is this?
Awww, man. Very, very, very insane. Obviously, this is like my dream come true, playing in the NBA with this team. It's been a day or two and it still hasn't sunk in. I'm still riding this emotional high. It's been unreal. It really has.
In some sense, was this route better than being drafted -- where you might've been stashed or banished to the bench or even gone unsigned as a second-rounder?
It's way, way better. Now looking back, I'm so happy that I went undrafted. There are a lot of people who are going to get stuck in situations, or could've been in a better situation somewhere else, but they got drafted so that team has their rights. I honestly believe it was a blessing in disguise to go undrafted because if I were drafted, I wouldn't have had that opportunity to test the field and take offers from different teams. That's what helped me a ton in the end.
How important is the [Asian-American] identity stuff?
You know, it's important but not as important as my being a Christian. That's first and foremost the most important thing to me when it comes to my identity.
Is it more important to your folks?
No. We believe in the same thing. That's how our house is and how I was raised. We've always taken our Christianity and our walks with God as our first priority.
Let's talk about summer league last week. The John Wall Game ... which suddenly became The Jeremy Lin Game. All business stopped in that gym during the fourth quarter. Everyone was gripped by what was going on down on the floor.
Roddy [Beaubois] was hurt so I got a chance to get a little more playing time in the first half, which helped a lot because I got a chance to get comfortable. Going into the fourth quarter, we were down. I wanted something to happen. I was just, like, playing. It just felt like it was college again. I was just, like, out there. It felt very, very comfortable and very relaxed. It was such a natural feeling. It wasn't like that with most of the other games. In those other games, it was more like, "Wow, this is a job interview. I have to perform well." I had that kind of pressure. But in the Washington game, going against John Wall in the fourth quarter, trying to come back, I was just playing off instincts. It was the best quarter I had in summer league at the best possible time. If the Dallas Mavericks weren't scheduled to play the Washington Wizards, I might not be in the NBA.
So your feeling is that the Wall matchup was the decisive factor for your getting that contract from Golden State?
That was the biggest thing by far. Like you said, business stopped and that's what everyone was watching. Because it was John Wall. Nobody was really paying attention to me before that. But after that, people started talking about me.
You said you were relaxed, but you seemed pretty bent about that charge call on your 360 spin move.
I mean relaxed in that I wasn't thinking about how big the game was. I was just focused completely on the game. I wasn't thinking, "Oh, this person's watching so I have to perform well." You know what I mean?
Relaxed in a larger, just-go-out-and-play sense?
Right.
There were a couple of huge plays in that sequence.
That charge call on the spin move? I didn't even see the guy, so I had no idea if it was a charge. But I heard the crowd's reaction, so I immediately assumed that it wasn't. But looking back on the tape, it was a pretty tough call. I was shocked because the whole gym was rooting for John Wall the entire game from the very beginning. So at first I was like, "John Wall must've taken the charge." I didn't know if it was him or not, but that was the first thing that came to my mind. Then, I realized, "Wait, they're rooting for me." I was like, "Whoa. What just happened?" Because, like, thirty minutes ago everyone was rooting for him.
So what changed?
I'm not even sure.
Are you a pure 1? A 2? Does it matter?
I'm a 1, but I can also play the 2. But I'm naturally and primarily a point guard. A lot of people don't realize that I didn't play the 1 in college. I played the 2. In summer league I was splitting time. In my eyes, I'm an NBA point guard and that's my natural position. I believe that.
You’ll probably be seeing more minutes -- albeit practice minutes -- against Steph Curry and Monta Ellis than anyone else in the league. Do you have a scouting report on those two guys?
Steph Curry is a playmaker and we all know he can score and shoot. But he's really, really smart. He knows how to see angles and get into the lane. He's just a complete offensive player. We saw at the end of last season how good he is. Monta Ellis is a big-time scorer and a very explosive offensive player. He's really quick and primarily a slasher. I'm looking forward to learning a lot from both of those guys. I can't wait to see them play and pick their brains --
And guard them for two hours a day.
That's going to be awesome! I'm going to learn a lot. That's going to help me so much.
Have you gotten a call from either Joe Lacob or Peter Guber yet?
No. I've talked to Larry Riley, Bobby Rowell and Travis Schlenk.
Is there a shoe or merchandise deal in the works?
That's something for my agent. It's been so crazy, I haven't really had any time to think about it. Things have been so busy. I know there's interest in terms of different companies but I don't know exactly what's going on.
Is self-branding in any way a small part of your ambition? Will it be cool to have a shoe?
It would be cool, but it's not a goal or anything.
When you hit the scene at Harvard and you guys started to win, was there an academic celeb scene at Lavieties Pavilion?
Not that I noticed. But Arne Duncan showed up.
What was your favorite class at Harvard?
Sociology 128: Methods of Social Science Research. Basically, it was a semester-long sociology experiment. My friends and I did an experiment on the differences between athletes and non-athletes when it comes to motivation and results in the classroom.
And?
The non-athletes had the highest GPAs, then the walk-ons next, then the recruited athletes. That's what we anticipated. But one of the other interesting things we found was that some of the athletes thought that they would've gotten better grades had they had more time. But then some of the non-athletes thought that some of the athletes were lazier or naturally not as smart. So there was a difference in perception of why that disparity exists -- but the disparity is indisputable.
Do you think there's a sense of entitlement among some athletes?
I think there's a sense of entitlement for both.
- Zach Lowe of Celtics Hub explains how you assemble a strong 21st century defense. The recipe for success? Focus on the two areas in the half-court where opponents put up the highest effective field goal percentage: The 3-point line and the immediate basket area.
- Kurt Helin of Forum Blue & Gold explores what's eating Andrew Bynum.
- Capologist Larry Coon at the New York Times' Off the Dribble blog says that if Eddy Curry is willing to leave some money on the table, he's imminently buyout-able. The sticky point? Curry's player option.
- A pessimistic Jeremy Schmidt of Bucksketball sizes up the state of the Milwaukee Bucks as we head into 2010. Among Bucksketball's revelations: Contrary to popular belief, there's no evidence to suggest Scott Skiles hates rookies.
- The Painted Area presents its All-Underachiever Team for the decade.
- Sports Media Watch lists its five biggest NBA stories of the decade. At first blush, the list that seems a bit dated in current context, though it's easy to forget how much both the game and the league's persona has evolved over the past ten years.
- Rob Mahoney of Two Man Game enumerates all the reasons why Dallas' road win over Denver last night was extremely satisfying. Not only did the Mavs overcome Dirk Nowtizki's off night, but the Dallas defense brutalized one of the most potent offenses in the game. More than anything, though, when you watch Dallas you see a team of grown-ups that knows how to execute its stuff on both ends of the floor.
- Geoff Lepper of 48 Minutes.net wonders if Stephen Curry can learn to be a better defender.
- John Krolik of Cavs the Blog elaborates on how LeBron James deployed his emerging post game against an undersized Rockets team.
- Rahat Huq sounds the alarm on Trevor Ariza: "I just don’t understand what is going on with Ariza. I don’t want to just criticize; I want badly to just understand the rationale behind what is taking place. I just can’t think of any logical explanation as to why this player is being allowed to frequently attempt feats which he has absolutely no hope of achieving. It’s become mind boggling at this point. I have said many times that I am all for experimentation and player development. But these have to be within certain limits of realism. You play David Andersen despite his defensive troubles because he will improve. You live with Jermaine Taylor getting blocked at the rim because he will learn from it and adjust his shot. These are areas where players improve from in-game experience. Trevor Ariza cannot compensate for his complete and total lack of skill and body control with in-game experience. It just won’t happen. Letting him take in-game reps at creating off the dribble is completely counterproductive – he just can’t do it. Maybe he’ll improve over the summer, but affording him such a leash during the season is simply hurting this team."
- More great visuals from Kyle Weidie of Truth About It illustrating the Wizards' woes.
- Knicks highlights and lowlights from the decade, courtesy of Knickerblogger. Needless to say, the latter outweighs the former.
- Philadunkia poses that age-old conundrum for underachieving teams whose seasons appear over: At what point do you throw your rookie point guard into the deep end to see if he can swim rather than stick with your unexceptional, but proven veteran? Jrue Holiday and Willie Green are the respective players in questions.
- Cringe-worthy montage of various Sacramento Kings performing in-studio covers. (Hat Tip: Cowbell Kingdom)
By Henry Abbott
In his diary on GQ.com, the rookie Warrior Stephen Curry talks about a prank his teammates tried to pull on him before his first regular-season game:
In his diary on GQ.com, the rookie Warrior Stephen Curry talks about a prank his teammates tried to pull on him before his first regular-season game:
Before heading out to the court, that was probably the most nervous I got all night. Everybody was piled in the hallway. You could hear the crowd, the music playing. We all got pretty excited. One of our captains gave a good speech to get us motivated.
Then my teammates tried to play a joke on me. As soon as we said "1-2-3 Warriors!" we got in single-file to take the court, and I was the first person in line. When we got to the end of the tunnel, I turned around, and they were further down the hall than I thought they'd be. Because I'm the only rookie, they had planned to let me run out on the court by myself and then kind of look around all dumb -- and then they'd come out eventually. But since I saw them, they couldn't really pull it off.
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 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.
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) |
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
So much for Anthony Randolph's record of 42 Summer League points. With the Warriors forward sitting out Golden State's final Summer League game, the other Anthony -- stepped in and topped his teammate's 48-hour old record with 47 points. Anthony Morrow shot 18-for-26 from the field, including 7-for-9 from beyond the arc.
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Anthony Morrow goes for 47: Maybe it's the mohawkMorrow put on a shooting clinic in Cox Pavilion, draining his first seven shots in the first quarter. The Hornets' Marcus Thornton was assigned to Morrow and, believe it or not, did a decent job as a lock-and-trail man, chasing his man around screens, and contested almost every shot.
Didn't matter. Morrow's quick release and unconsciousness rendered poor Thornton irrelevant.
I then did the unthinkable as the first quarter expired: I stepped across the way to watch the Spurs and Thunder.
Holly MacKenzie of SLAM and The Score hung around and offered a report. With 4:31 left in the fourth quarter of a blowout, Morrow tied the record with a 3-pointer. From that point on, his teammates looked for him on every possession. With the crowd swelling with anticipation, Morrow got oooh and ahhs every time he touched the ball. He drained a jumper with 2:16 left, breaking the record to a huge cheer. Morrow then brought the house down at the 1:16 mark with his seventh 3-pointer of the game.
When Morrow checked out of the game with 37 seconds remaining, he got a standing ovation from the Cox Pavilion crowd.
After the game, Holly took in the scene:
At the conclusion of the Warriors/Hornets game, a crowd of kids gathers to try and get an autograph from Morrow. Morrow finishes with media and throws his jersey into the throng of kids, only to have them lunge at it and break the security barricade fighting for it. A younger fan desperately clutches the jersey while another fan struggles to rip it away from him.
While this scene is unfolding, I am interviewing Steph Curry and the two of us stop to watch what's going on. We are both a little unsure of what to do to comfort the boy who is about to cry. Curry then stops the interview, goes over and gives the boy who lost out on the jersey his game-worn shoe.
Posted by Kevin Arnovitz
Five days down, five to go at Las Vegas Summer League. Some teams are nearly through with their schedule, while others are just rolling into town. Since we're halfway through, it's a good moment to take inventory of what we've seen so far, and hand out some early awards.
Keep in mind that some teams have played only a single game and some stellar performances might not be acknowledged (read: Jerryd Bayless):
All-Rookie Team
- Tyreke Evans (SAC): Evans' one-on-one power game has produced a sick line. In three games, Evans has averaged 24.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Most impressively, Evans has attempted 41 free throws in three games. His transition to point guard is a work in progress, but he'll be a scoring machine no matter where he plays on the floor.
Tyreke Evans has shown the ability to score points at will.
(Garrett Ellwood/NBA via Getty Images) - Blake Griffin (LAC): Griffin followed up his momentous 27-point, 12-rebound debut Monday night with a hum-drum 16-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist performance. Griffin directs traffic on both ends of the floor, and has been a pleasant surprise on pick-and-roll defense -- something he didn't encounter a whole lot at the college level.
- Darren Collison (NOH): The Hornets' first-round pick has brought the discipline and patience of his UCLA pedigree to the pro game. He matched George Hill mano-a-mano in his first game, then came back Tuesday night with 23 points. He's also a perfect 16-for-16 from the stripe in his two games.
- Roddy Beaubois (DAL): Before the Mavericks' rookie point guard took a scary spill Monday night in his third outing, he was electrifying crowds in Cox Pavilion with his combination of speed and range. He ran up 34 points against the Rockets Saturday night, including 7-for-12 from beyond the arc.
- Jodie Meeks (MIL): The second-round pick out of Kentucky might not be one of the more athletic two-guards here, but he has lit it up from midrange, averaging 16.7 points per game on 60 percent shooting. The Bucks' brass is said to be very, very pleased.
All-Sophomore Team
- Anthony Randolph (GSW): Quite simply, the most dominant, skilled, devastating player in town. On Tuesday, his 42 points tied a Summer League record. His current averages through four games: 26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks on 60.9 percent shooting from the field.
- George Hill (SAS): Hill has demonstrated a complete command of the Spurs offense. He has picked his spots offensively, and finished -- unlike last year, when he shot eight percent from the field in Summer League action. He's averaging 20.5 points per game and getting to the line at will.
- Eric Gordon (LAC): In his two games, the Clippers' second-year guard has muscled his way to the hole for 21 and 22 points, respectively. His 21-for-22 totals from the free-throw line demonstrate that strategy is working well.
- Robin Lopez (PHX): The question surrounding Lopez has been one of resolve, but Lopez looked fierce in his first Summer League game, racking up 24 points, 16 boards, and a couple of blocks.
- DeAndre Jordan (LAC): Jordan's athletic attributes have never been in question. Whether he could package it all together into a coherent low-post game was another matter. So far, Jordan has dominated the interior for the Clippers. He's shooting 15-for-19 from the field. He's shown sharp recognition in the post and is winning every race to the basket.
All-Vets & Journeymen Team
- Quincy Douby (TOR): Douby has been working hard on his game, and his effort is paying off in Las Vegas. He's shooting the ball efficiently from distance, racking up assists, and keeping turnovers to a minimum. Toronto may not have room for him in their backcourt, but his 19 points per game on 61.1 percent shooting should catch someone's attention.
- Nick Young (WAS): The Wizards haven't even unpacked, but Nick Young's first game Tuesday night was a revelation. The third-year guard went insane, running up 36 points on 13-for-19 shooting, against the Cavs' hapless perimeter defenders.
- Adam Morrison (LAL): It might not be the most efficient stat line of the week, but Morrison has put together a nice series of games. He's scored from distance, off cuts, and by putting the ball on the deck. It's a long road back for Morrison, but this week has served as a solid stepping stone back to respectability.
- David Monds (LAL): The forward spent last summer in the D-League, and has been a solid contributor to the Lakers' 3-1 Summer League record thus far. He's averaging 14 points and five rebounds, and only 0.5 turnovers per game. He's also shooting an efficient 64.1 percent from the field.
- Walker Russell, Jr. (D-League Select): A sentimental choice off the D-League Select roster, Russell is a creative, pass-first point guard. He sees the floor with an uncanny awareness of exactly where his teammates are, and where they want the ball. His pinpoint passes were the highlight of the Select team's victory over the Timberwolves.
All-The-Week-Isn't-Working-Out-So-Far Team
David Thorpe shares his thoughts about who's had a disappointing week in Vegas:
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Stephen Curry (GSW): The good news for Curry is that he's been able to get shots -- largely because the ball has been in his hand. He's picking his opportunities. Unfortunately, he's picking far too many of them. Although he's averaging 19.5 points per game, he's doing it on only 31.4 percent shooting. His assist/turnover ratio? 4.5 to 3.75.
Curry has struggled with his shooting touch, while Randolph can't seem to miss.
(Garrett Ellwood/NBA via Getty Images) - Donte Greene (SAC): Greene is a bit of collateral damage playing next to Tyreke Evans. He needs the ball in the right spots, and Evans can't deliver those passes yet. So Greene is struggling to score efficiently, shooting only 8-for-27 over three games.
- Mike Taylor (LAC): Taylor can shoot, is lightning quick, and plays with spirit. But he's not been able to put it together and doesn't look like a rotation point guard.
- Bobby Brown (MIN): Sorry to break fellow Titan Marc Stein's heart, but for a team that just drafted two rookie PGs, Brown hoped to show this week that he could be part of the Timberwolves' backcourt rotation. That's looking unlikely. He's shooting 35.7 percent from the field, and not giving the 'Wolves much else.
- Luc Mbah a Moute (MIL): Mbah a Moute has already proved he's a rotation player in this league. He was hoping to show that he can be more than just a tough defender. Thus far, that hasn't happen
ed.
Posted by Kevin Arnovitz
- The best pure passer in Las Vegas this week? Try Walker Russell, Jr. from the D-League Select team. Russell lives for threading needles, lobbing alley-oops, dishing on the break, and swinging skip passes to the weak side. He couldn't care less about his own shot. There are 150 players here this week with more electric games than Russell, but few of them are more enjoyable to watch, and none of them are having more fun on the floor than Russell.
- Ahmad Nivins looks like a pro player -- long, muscular, athletic, and coordinated. The but that usually follows this profile is ... lacks fundamentals, or doesn't have a post game. With Nivins, though, that doesn't appear to be the case. He displays good footwork, moves around the floor with purpose, and is a beast on the boards. When you ask folks here why he dropped to No. 56 in the draft, you get a lot of shrugs, followed by a soft endorsement of his skills. He's had a nice week thus far -- 14 points and 6 rebounds per game on 51.6 percent shooting from the field. The only apparent drawback is that he looks waaaay too wound up on the court, and that intensity occasionally works against him.
- Funniest moment of the day came before the first ball was tipped. In the opening introductions of the Timberwolves-D-League Select team, Wayne Ellington was introduced as hailing from Duke. As Ellington trotted onto the floor, he did a double-take -- Whaaa?! -- then cracked a big smile as the public address announcer corrected himself, noting that Ellington went to North Carolina. "That was ridiculous!" Ellington said of the PA's snafu. "I had to go over and say something to the guy."
- Kurt Helin watched the Pistons-Warriors matchup. Looks like Stephen Curry is fitting in just fine with Golden State's system: "[Curry] is a gunner to the point of recklessness - but what fan doesn't want to see that. He has not met a shot he didn't like. Making said shots... well, maybe that will come with time. He was 4 of 14 in his first game, 8 of 22 in his second, 7 of 19 in the third. In case you're not up for the math, that is 34.5%. He's better from three - 39 % - and tends to drain those if you leave him open. Not only do the fans not care, neither do the coaches. 'The shots he's missing now he will make soon, he's learning to make decisions,' said Keith Smart, who coaches the Warriors Summer League team. You can see how Curry could fit well as a point guard - a shoot-first point guard, sure, but he has the ball handling skills and made some good decisions trying to set up teammates. In the third game, with some Warrior regulars around him, Curry was clearly trying to set people up. Of course, then he would jack up a 28-footer."
- Blake Griffin was the story of the evening for the Clippers, but DeAndre Jordan continues to flash glimmers of hmmmmm. He went 8-for-9 from the field against the Lakers in 27 minutes. Jordan was on the receiving end of some alley-oops, but he also worked the post for a few of those buckets, something he had trouble doing effectively last season. It wasn't all pretty for Jordan -- four turnovers, and an 0-for-5 night from the line. But when he slows down and works deliberately (but assertively), his athleticism is a tough matchup for 95% of the bigs in the league.
- David Thorpe had an interesting tweet-servation about Griffin that, at first, seems counter-intuitive, but makes a lot of sense when you watch the rookie up close: "Griffin is a special athlete. Not because of his explosiveness. It's the combination of athleticism, power, balance, and coordination."
- Jerryd Bayless has a Summer League scoring title to defend, and he got 22 points in his first game. His seven assists and eight free throw attempts are probably more important to the Blazers' brain trust.
- Dante Cunningham put on a show for the Trail Blazers faithful (who, needless to say, travel well), from Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: "While general manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan scrutinized Bayless from the stands, Cunningham stole a lot of their attention. The second-round pick from Villanova started at power forward and showcased a nice midrange jump shot, a nose for the basketball and sturdy defensive prowess. He finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, making 8 of 17 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws. After the game, he was chosen to man an autograph zone in the lobby of the arena, where he scribbled his name on jerseys, shirts and hats and posed for pictures with fans -- many of whom sported Blazers jerseys. 'If he can knock that (midrange shot) down consistently, he's going to be a player,' McMillan said. 'And I think that's going to come. His rotation and everything is good. He just needs to keep shooting when he's open.'"
- I didn't get a chance to see the Kings-Bucks game, but Tyreke Evans put up eye-popping numbers that had the campus abuzz: 33 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists. What's more? 19 free throw attempts, 17 of them successful. Evans is the most physical guard in Las Vegas this week (with Eric Gordon coming in second).
- The Warriors have Anthony Randolph and Anthony Morrow mic'd up for Summer League games.
Posted by Kevin Arnovitz
- Austin Daye has been playmaker extraordinaire for Detroit. On the Pistons' first possession Saturday, he whipped a sharp pass from the perimeter to Trent Plaisted underneath for an easy two. On his team's second sequence, he took his man straight off the dribble to the rack for a layup. A minute later, on a pop-out, Daye nailed a silky 3-pointer. A few possessions later, he flew in from the weak side for an offensive rebound and a vicious putback slam. And that was only the first eight minutes. For all the talk about Daye lacking an NBA body, it's hard not to draw the comparison to another lanky, versatile Pistons small forward who's done well for himself in the league.
- DaJuan Summers: Picked up where he left off Friday. After posting 24 points on 18 possessions along with seven rebounds Friday, Summers again worked his inside-out game for the Pistons on Saturday to the tune of 19 points and six rebounds. Summers executes that inside-out game with smarts. He recognizes mismatches in the halfcourt. Against a slower defender, he drives to the hole. Faced up against a shorter guy, he'll get separation and launch a jumper.
- Anthony Randolph should have a Summer League exemption. It's really not even fair to the rest of the competition: 24 points on 10-of-13 from the field, 11 boards, five blocks. We saw him finish with his right, run the break in transition coast to coast, post, shoot from the perimeter. It was the full Randolph canvas on Saturday, and he's far and away the best talent here over the first two days.
- David Thorpe on the process that combo guards like Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry will have to endure to make the transition to point guard: "Some guys have the gift, but there are 30 starting point guards in the NBA and not all of them have it. Chris Paul and Steve Nash do. But Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups aren't great passers, yet they're great point guards. It took Chauncey four teams to figure out how to play point. Will Evans figure it out? Possibly. But that's up to him, his willingness to learn, and also the organization. You can teach it, but you have to put strategies and structures in place to make that happen. You can't let him run free at the expense of learning how to run the team. That's on the team and the coaching staff."
- On a day when the Mavs inked future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd to a three-year deal, the best point guard in Las Vegas was Dallas rookie Roddy Beaubois. He dazzled, scoring 34 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field (7-of-12 from 3-point range), recorded eight assists against only two turnovers. "He brings us a different dimension," Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle said. "We don't have this kind of angular speed, or supreme-type athlete at the point guard position right now. So he gives us a different look." Carlisle was cautious in his praise. It's only Beaubois' second NBA game, and he still has to learn how to play an NBA brand of defense. "When you come from a mid-league in Europe to the NBA, you have to ratchet up your level of awareness," Carlisle said.
- Personal highlight of the day: I happened to have iTunes open on my laptop before the first game. David Brody, who works for the Summer League and has been at the controls for music in the Cox Pavilion, informed me that my playlists were showing up under the shared list in his iTunes. He offered to let me put together a playlist for the day to be played during warmups and timeouts. Of course, I happily obliged. Featured artists included Eric B. & Rakim, Z-Trip, James Brown, Le Tigre, De La Soul, and Daft Punk.
TRUEHOOP CONTRIBUTORS
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