2009-10 Summer League Post Mordem

[Wizard Mentor]

Caleb was able to get these guys play HARD. The results of the games were obviously important to him, and the guys really tried to win instead of showcase their individual talents. In the end the Blazers went 4-1 with the only loss coming in a close game where two 85+% FT shooters each missed a pair at the end of the 4th. I'm sure we had some of the fewest points allowed during summer league, even though we pushed the ball up the court a lot.

KPs draft philosophy seemed to be to draft players who play hard, and these guys did that.

MVP: Dante Cunningham: A- - generally very efficient. Smart, tough player. Still hasn't quite proved he's not a tweener on defense, but I think he will.

Most Consistent Player: Armon Johnson B+ - very reminiscent of Greg Anthony (minus the 3pt shooting). Won the PG battle against Mills in the minds of many, including me.

Others:
Pendergraph: C - Rebounded and defended well, but didn't show he could do more. Got his shot blocked a lot. His LVSL MVP aspirations show he doesn't understand the game yet. Future with the team a bit cloudy as he is a bit undersized.

Mills: Showed he has NBA speed and 3pt range. Poor decision-making and defense have doomed him in Portland, though.

Babbitt: Trying to figure out how to fit into the game offensively and defensively. Started to figure it out in the last two games. Needs more time to get comfortable, but showed NBA offensive ability. Last game was ridiculously good: 22 pts on 8 shots!

Elliot Williams: Incomplete, he did not play. Still intrigued by the 48" vertical though.

 

[Further]

Overall it made me feel good about our draft. I don't see any stars in the draft, but I see Armon and Luke as deserving of their selections and both seem like good-fit players as well. Just what the doctor ordered.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Overall it made me feel good about our draft. I don't see any stars in the draft, but I see Armon and Luke as deserving of their selections and both seem like good-fit players as well. Just what the doctor ordered.

I absolutely agree.

Here are the summer league standings, FWIW:
http://www.nba.com/summerleague2010/standings/

 

[jlprk]

Change in store for Summer League?

In its seventh year, the Las Vegas Summer League is thriving. Attendance is up and teams from both conferences have quickly filled up the available slots. But with a lockout looming, the league could be forced to close its doors in the summer of 2011.

Warren LeGarie is hoping to prevent that. LeGarie, the high-profile agent who started the league, said he has explored the possibility of filling the slots next summer with teams from the NBA's D-League (which would not be affected by a lockout) and European national teams. LeGarie said he has talked to representatives from several national teams, all of which have expressed interest in playing in Las Vegas.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_mannix/07/16/vegas.notes/index.html

 

[Natebishop3]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/chris_mannix/07/16/vegas.notes/index.html

Who will watch?

 

[The Sebastian Express]

Armon

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Freeman wrap up video:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2010/07/video_joe_freeman_on_the_portl.html

 

[Wizard Mentor]

ESPN Day 10 wrap-up:
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/18369/day-10-las-vegas-summer-league-roundup

Luke Babbitt will be deadly as a catch-and-shoot threat and will give Portland the spacing it needs when he's on the floor at either forward spot. On dribble-drive, Babbitt's handle is strong enough, but he had trouble finishing at the rim this week through traffic. In his final game, Babbitt made an adjustment. He was still aggressive off the dribble, but looked to draw and absorb contact. Babbitt got to the stripe eight times (8-for-8) after earning only 13 attempts in his first four games.

 

[jlprk]

Who will watch?

There are 3 kinds of players to replace. The purposes of Summer League are for each team to 1) identify weaknesses of its new guys so that set plays can be planned, 2) have the youngest players from the previous season work on their weaknesses, and 3) give tryouts to others to fill out the bottom of the roster.

In a lockout, players who have signed an NBA contract couldn't play, but about 3/4 of Summer League participants aren't under contract. I don't think the 3/4 would need to be replaced. The bottom 3/4 of the current league would still show up. So LaGarie must only be planning how to replace the vacant 1/4.

At first, I thought he'd have to replace a whole leagueful of players, but now, I imagine the change is simply to invite about 2 more D-Leaguers, and 1 more European, than the average roster already has.

 

[jlprk]

Caleb was able to get these guys play HARD.

They didn't play any harder than before, The difference was that Bayless wasn't there, hogging the ball and the attention of the most easily starstruck fans. Everyone else got to contribute, which made this a real team, instead of one man's self-showcase.

 

[THE HCP]

So let me guess, you'd rather have Armon Johnson then Bayless?

 

[VanillaGorilla]

So let me guess, you'd rather have Armon Johnson then Bayless?

Yes.

 

[THE HCP]

^^^ Mistaken! And if this happens, we will be in big trouble!

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Blazersedge has their review up:

http://www.blazersedge.com/2010/7/19/1576307/summer-league-2010-review

My first observation is also the easiest: this was the most energetic, fun, and free Portland Trail Blazers Summer League squad in years. Part of that boiled down to the situation. For the last few years the Blazers have featured Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Martell Webster, Jerryd Bayless...lottery picks around whom the Summer League team was centered. Those guys played with pressure on their shoulders. Other players watched and deferred, knowing who the focal points were. The result was teams heavy on talent and light on continuity. There were no featured players this year, just a few second-year guys plus three draftees who were introduced in the same breath and with nearly the same status. Everybody played like part of the team. No doubt coach Kaleb Canales was an integral part of that dynamic as well. He further cemented his reputation as a guy players like, respect, and want to play for. Summer League is Summer League, but this outing didn't hurt Canales any.

click the link for more info on individual players

 

[jlprk]

So let me guess, you'd rather have Armon Johnson then Bayless?

Yes ! (Hey, better late than never.)

I'd rather have anyone, including Sergio, over Bayless. Sergio in his rookie year, that is, when he had confidence.

 

[hasoos]

I have no idea how people are comparing Armon to Greg Anthony. What because he is 6'3" tall and went to school in Nevada? WTF? He isn't half the player Anthony was.

IMO all the guards who played on the summer league roster are not NBA worthy, and are projects at best.

 

[andalusian]

I'd rather have anyone, including Sergio, over Bayless. Sergio in his rookie year, that is, when he had confidence.

That's just crazy talk. JB's PER was better, his WS/48 was twice as much as Sergio's best year as a Blazer, his TS% was better, he actually tried to play defense, and then came the playoffs - and he actually played better!

JB has his issues, for sure, but that Sergio talk is just silly.

 

[hasoos]

Yes ! (Hey, better late than never.)

I'd rather have anyone, including Sergio, over Bayless. Sergio in his rookie year, that is, when he had confidence.

In case you haven't been paying attention to current events, Sergio is not an NBA player anymore. Chances of 1 team making a mistake are good. The chances of 3 making a mistake, with one being NY who doesn't give a rats ass if you play defense? Zero.

 

[MickZagger]

I have no idea how people are comparing Armon to Greg Anthony. What because he is 6'3" tall and went to school in Nevada? WTF? He isn't half the player Anthony was.

IMO all the guards who played on the summer league roster are not NBA worthy, and are projects at best.

Both solid defenders, left-handed, play a cerebral game.

I have no doubt that if Johnson would have stayed another year, he would have been drafted just as high as Anthony was.

I think at 21, its too soon to say that he is half the player that Anthony was.

 

[blazerboy30]

I have no idea how people are comparing Armon to Greg Anthony. What because he is 6'3" tall and went to school in Nevada? WTF? He isn't half the player Anthony was.

In all seriousness, did you watch the SL games? The comparison to Greg Anthony (without the 3pt shot) seems pretty decent to me.

 

[hasoos]

Both solid defenders, left-handed, play a cerebral game.

I have no doubt that if Johnson would have stayed another year, he would have been drafted just as high as Anthony was.

I think at 21, its too soon to say that he is half the player that Anthony was.

No actually it's quite easy. Saying they are even on the same page defensively is a slap in the face to Anthony. Anthony was one of the best defenders at his position in the NBA during his run, and nobody would want to play against him for that reason alone. By the time he was in the NBA he already had an NCAA championship and had taken part in one of the most successful programs in NCAA history at UNLV. Armon Johnson didn't even make the tournament. Last I heard, nobody in the NCAA was fearing facing that "dreaded defender Armon Johnson".

 

[Wizard Mentor]

looking at the stats ( http://www.nba.com/summerleague2010/stats/ )

Ibekwe was 2nd in blocks/min, and probably top 5 in reb/min, easily outrebounding league leader Cousins on a per min basis.

 

[MickZagger]

No actually it's quite easy. Saying they are even on the same page defensively is a slap in the face to Anthony. Anthony was one of the best defenders at his position in the NBA during his run, and nobody would want to play against him for that reason alone. By the time he was in the NBA he already had an NCAA championship and had taken part in one of the most successful programs in NCAA history at UNLV. Armon Johnson didn't even make the tournament. Last I heard, nobody in the NCAA was fearing facing that "dreaded defender Armon Johnson".

Not sure what his college teams success has to do with how good he is, or is going to be. I'm sure if Johnson was playing with Augmon and Larry Johnson he would of had more success in college.

I never heard of anybody fearing playing against the "dreaded defender Greg Anthony" while in college.

You're comparing a young guy just drafted into the league with a rookie just getting his feet wet. Without a doubt I think that Johnson with his size, determination on defense and skill level can match what Anthony did. 7.3ppg and 4 apg is very do-able.

I'm not saying he's going to be a star, but can have a career similar to Greg Anthony (who was never a star, but a bench player who knew his role).

 

[blazerboy30]

Greg Anthony was 24 in his rookie season, and was clearly not an offensive star. He shot 37% from the field and 14.5% from 3 (yes, very small sample size). The fact that the 3-pt sample size was so small suggests that he wasn't a good shooter.

So, two guys who play tough defense and a smart game, without much of a shot or offensive game. Seems like a fair comparison.

 

[jlprk]

In case you haven't been paying attention to current events, Sergio is not an NBA player anymore. Chances of 1 team making a mistake are good. The chances of 3 making a mistake, with one being NY who doesn't give a rats ass if you play defense? Zero.

Sergio wasn't dumped by any NBA team because he couldn't be their top sub at PG. He was dumped by 2 teams to give time to a high draft pick playing at his position. At his 3rd team, he was the one who dumped the Knicks. Unless the Knicks get someone better than him, he would have started this Fall for them. I'm not saying he's the greatest, I'm just saying he is 10 times the PG that Bayless is. Faint praise. Bayless will be gone in a year.

 

[MickZagger]

Sergio wasn't dumped by any NBA team because he couldn't be their top sub at PG. He was dumped by 2 teams to give time to a high draft pick playing at his position. At his 3rd team, he was the one who dumped the Knicks. Unless the Knicks get someone better than him, he would have started this Fall for them. I'm not saying he's the greatest, I'm just saying he is 10 times the PG that Bayless is. Faint praise. Bayless will be gone in a year.

Sergio isn't in the league because he's garbage. You know it and I know it.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I have no idea how people are comparing Armon to Greg Anthony. What because he is 6'3" tall and went to school in Nevada? WTF? He isn't half the player Anthony was.

IMO all the guards who played on the summer league roster are not NBA worthy, and are projects at best.

Well almost every rookie point guard (despite their pedigree or potential) are projects, but I think you are wrong about Armon, he's an NBA player -- how good of an NBA player remains to be seen, but I think he's eventually a rotation guy (just my gut feeling).