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The Baseline Spin basketball blog by Bobby Gerould.
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July 30, 2010 ...Just
finished the Las Vegas Summer League statistical audit.
The
“awards” are linked here. July 21, 2010 ...In
case you missed it - we have been blogging on BlogSpot.com for the last week
while in Las Vegas. (It is an easier platform for my mobile setup). You can
view those entries by
clicking here. July 14, 2010 ...Notes
from Tuesday’s games. ...D.J. Strawberry impressed
me Tuesday in the Las Vegas Summer League with his ability to apply pressure
as a defender. He is a menace. ...Likewise the Kings’ Hassan Whiteside is having an impact by either
blocking or changing opponents shots. ...I loved Wayne Chism stepping up to take a charge—just as
he routinely did at Tennessee. ...Pooh Jeter looked
like a certified NBA Point Guard Tuesday. His shot has improved and he
already has the ability to run a team. ...It’s too bad I never hear anything
good about Joey Dorsey’s work
ethic because the guy is a highly efficient BIG. I can’t remember the last
time a summer team with Dorsey in the middle lost a game. ...One player I
didn’t know much about at all that has impressed me is Denver’s Shane Edwards. He runs the floor and finishes very
well. …We have watched 35 summer league contests from Orlando or Vegas in the
last nine days. ...Our Player of the Day for day five of the Las Vegas Summer
League was DeMar DeRozan. The
Raptors sophomore tore it up with 23 points (10-15 FG), and five rebounds in
just 20 minutes - helping his team beat the summer Rockets 100-91. DeRozan is
among the best athletes participating in Las Vegas but there is no shortage
of high flying cats. Rookie Terrico White - who
is balling with the Pistons - sports a 40” vertical jump (and a sickening
3.7% body fat). Were we fielding a
track team out of the athletes in Vegas - our club would have to include Ronald Dupree, DeRon Washington, Eric Bledsoe, Sonny Weems, and J.R. Giddens. Sprinters might be Roddy Beaubois, Ish Smith, John Wall, and Darren Collison. Our
“All Day Five Las Vegas Summer League Team” (their game efficiency rating).
PG: Ty Lawson - DEN
1.000, SG: Mark Tyndale - DLS
.739, SF: DeRozan - TOR 1.15, PF: Larry Sanders - MIL .764, C: Dorsey - TOR
1.142. Bench: Guards: Bobby Brown - TOR
.814, John Lucas III - CHI
.727, Aubrey Coleman - NO
.678, Forwards: Tasmin Mitchell - CLE
.789, Othella Hunter - DEN
.700. Centers: DeMarcus Cousins - SAC
.677, Courtney Sims - LAL
.677. July 13, 2010 ...Is
it arrogance, ignorance or stupidity that makes NBA teams play players out of
position? The Clippers come into question for trotting out Eric Bledsoe as a Point Guard, and Al-Faroqu Aminu as a Small Forward. A player’s height
and weight cannot be the only determining factor in where a player should be
positioned on the floor. Bledsoe has the stature of a PG but his ability to
run a team is suspect. He is a risky passer and as such—he is turnover prone
like crazy. He is not a PG now - and I have serious concerns about whether he
ever will be effective at that spot. He does throw some highlight reel passes
and he has vision but that is not what running a team is all about. In fact,
I would say, in many cases, it is about what you DO NOT do as a Point Guard
that can make your team successful. A real PG doesn’t try for the spectacular
and blazing fast play as much as he sets up his teammates with solid, simple
passes. Bledsoe is an amazing athlete - and I think he has a nice future in
the NBA. But for right now - he needs to be playing alongside someone who can
facilitate for the good of the team. Likewise - Aminu simply has very limited
Small Forward skills. His body type is perfect for the position but he is an
inconsistent outside shooter and his ball-handling is much more effective
from ten feet and in than it is with him on the wing. Finally - while I’m
picking on the Clippers summer team - why isn’t Blake Griffin playing? Why is DeAndre Jordan being asked to do anything other than
rebound and block shots? And why in the world did Marqus Blakely not get any playing time Monday?
...Our Player of the Day for day four of the Las Vegas Summer League was Scottie Reynolds. The undrafted Villanova
All-American scored 16 points (4-6 FG, 6-6 FT), with three assists, and two
boards in just 19 minutes for the summer Suns. Our “All Day Four Las Vegas
Summer League Team” (their game efficiency rating). PG: Reynolds - PHX .947, SG:
Landry Fields - NYK
.826, SF: Omri Casspi - SAC
.750, PF: Richard Hendrix - ATL
.809, C: Darryl Watkins - SA
.545. Bench: Guards: John Wall - WA.
.678, J.R. Giddens - DAL
.678, Deron Washington - MIL
.620. Forwards: Darrell Arthur - MEM
.807, Patrick Ewing Jr. - NYK
.666, Alade Aminu - ATL
.666. Center: Sean Williams - MIL
.526. July 12, 2010 ...Now
that the major free agents have signed with their respective teams for the
2010-2011 season - we are left wondering - who is left? Here’s a quick
breakdown of a handful of players we
consider to be the best of the available lot.
...You start with Nate Robinson.
“Little Nate” is a competitive guy that also happens to be a skilled NBA
quality athlete. He is just 26 years old and is already ranked among the top
25 Point Guards in the NBA by per-minute efficiency. ...I’m not a believer in
signing a hurt guy or a guy coming off an injury so I would begrudgingly turn
the other cheek on Al Harrington. But
as a disclaimer I want to say that, if healthy (he had shoulder surgery), he
would be the second choice over here behind Robinson as far as what is left.
...Luke Ridnour has to
be near the top of any remaining free-agent list. Ridnour had a fantastic
2009-10 season in Milwaukee where he rated 13th in PG efficiency. ...Off the
beaten path - if you wanted to gamble a bit - I like a few players that are
basically still unproven in the NBA. Chief among the unproven lot is Ian Mahinmi who spent time with the Spurs and
their D-League affiliate. Mahinmi’s efficiency is ‘through the roof’ but in a
very small sample size. He could potentially be THE steal of free-agency if
he can maintain his ridiculous NBA EFR of .738. His D-League EFR is also a
potent .711. |