angelbelow
07-19-2010, 06:30 PM
Hey everyone, I was in attendance for the last two days of the Vegas Summer League and CD was right - it was a great experience, one that basketball junkies should definitely check out.
The Spurs, IMO, had the best camaraderie compared to the rest of the teams. Blair, Anderson, Temple, were extremely supportive and attentive during the games (timeouts etc.). When the spurs hit the floor there was always a teammate there to help. Surprisingly, I did not see this type of relationship with the rest of the teams. Example, during the Knicks and Wizards game, Leo Lions (sp?), who at the time was dominating for the Knicks (hitting 3's, 2's, rebounds, putbacks, dunks) appeared to hurt his shoulder. I did not see one Knick player go over to check if he was okay, they just went back to the bench.
I think our chemistry had a lot to do with us going 5-0. You can just tell everyone knew their role, from Lomers to Gee.
Alonzo Gee - As another poster mentioned, he does look like hes about to cry... pretty much all the time. I thought it was important for him to hit the 3s that he did in game 4 and 5. Hes very explosive and agile and his defense was solid through out.
CJ - His defense on Bledsoe stood out to me. Bledsoe, up close, was visibly frustrated by the defensive pressure that CJ was putting on him. Even then, Bledsoe is a blur, he desperately needs to work on his finishing ability though. CJ was more or less the same. Well composed and confident, great defensive pressure, but lack of ball handling, play making, and his shoot selection isnt the best.
Clippers - Al Foruq Aminue, or however you spell his name, sucked. He was out muscled, out hustled, and he didnt even appear to care. Bust in the making IMO. D. Jordan was one of the few bright spots but I think he plays too emotionally. He let Watkins get under his skin which led to a few turnovers. He let Lomer's (yes, Lomers) get into his head as well. There was a sequence in the 4th where they were trading blows and Lomers started smiling. Jordan responded by posting up and losing the ball because he went too hard and lomers just pulled the chair.
Sofo (baby shaq) - In case anyone is interested... Very poor showing during the Clipper game. When he caught the ball on offense, its as if he expected to automatically score without working. Therefore, he naturally lost the ball or attempted low percentage shots because he was "surprise" to see people actually guarding him. His effort was maybe 50-60% on both ends of the court. Other than that huge block on Cuffe, he wasn't very active on the defensive end. One thing is for sure, he was the crowd favorite lol.
Neal - Very confident shooter. He appear to be timid to drive and endure contact. We sat in front of his father and wife - both were very knowledgeable and good people. They were saying that there was a difference in physicality and athleticism between SL comp and the European competition. This might be why Neal hasn't be very active in driving the ball to the hole, he may just be transitioning his style of play and just relying on what hes most comfortable with, which is shooting.
Watkins - Despite being visibly out of shape, I think it was noticeable that his IQ surpasses his skill level. He got under a few peoples skin on defense and on offense he had a few nice rolls to the basket... but he mostly fumbled the ball.
Grizzles - Coach (Damon) Stoudemire wasn't very vocal from what I saw. Thabeet needs a lot more work, I know he exploded couple games ago but he struggled in this one. I don't know if it was cause he was scared that Blair was on the bench but out worked physically and mentally. You could tell that he was exhausted after just a few possessions.
Wilkerson - Beast of an athlete. If he can nail those 18-20 footers regularly and compound that with his explosive finishes, he could be worth a look sometime in the future. He needs to get stronger and learn how to box out better. For a guy in his position, hes probably a below average rebounder.
Denson - Gives the effort, but has no swagger. In both games, Denson and Lomers were the first ones out to shoot around during halftime.
Squeaky Johnson - A lot shorter in person, but his playmaking skill is easily the best on the team.
James Anderson - Appeared to be healthy, didn't walk around with a limp or with any gingerness. Looked good shooting around but only took 3 or 4 shots so not a large sample size.
Dejuan Blair - His jumper looked good, I think he was 5 for 5 from about 10-15 feet during the halftime shoot around. Again, not a large sample size but you can tell hes working on it. He also looked healthy and mobile. Blair was VERY vocal, there were the few times where he lead the timeouts or pre-quarter preparations. He was also active in pulling players aside to talk with them during games. Blair maybe be maturing before our eyes.
The Spurs, IMO, had the best camaraderie compared to the rest of the teams. Blair, Anderson, Temple, were extremely supportive and attentive during the games (timeouts etc.). When the spurs hit the floor there was always a teammate there to help. Surprisingly, I did not see this type of relationship with the rest of the teams. Example, during the Knicks and Wizards game, Leo Lions (sp?), who at the time was dominating for the Knicks (hitting 3's, 2's, rebounds, putbacks, dunks) appeared to hurt his shoulder. I did not see one Knick player go over to check if he was okay, they just went back to the bench.
I think our chemistry had a lot to do with us going 5-0. You can just tell everyone knew their role, from Lomers to Gee.
Alonzo Gee - As another poster mentioned, he does look like hes about to cry... pretty much all the time. I thought it was important for him to hit the 3s that he did in game 4 and 5. Hes very explosive and agile and his defense was solid through out.
CJ - His defense on Bledsoe stood out to me. Bledsoe, up close, was visibly frustrated by the defensive pressure that CJ was putting on him. Even then, Bledsoe is a blur, he desperately needs to work on his finishing ability though. CJ was more or less the same. Well composed and confident, great defensive pressure, but lack of ball handling, play making, and his shoot selection isnt the best.
Clippers - Al Foruq Aminue, or however you spell his name, sucked. He was out muscled, out hustled, and he didnt even appear to care. Bust in the making IMO. D. Jordan was one of the few bright spots but I think he plays too emotionally. He let Watkins get under his skin which led to a few turnovers. He let Lomer's (yes, Lomers) get into his head as well. There was a sequence in the 4th where they were trading blows and Lomers started smiling. Jordan responded by posting up and losing the ball because he went too hard and lomers just pulled the chair.
Sofo (baby shaq) - In case anyone is interested... Very poor showing during the Clipper game. When he caught the ball on offense, its as if he expected to automatically score without working. Therefore, he naturally lost the ball or attempted low percentage shots because he was "surprise" to see people actually guarding him. His effort was maybe 50-60% on both ends of the court. Other than that huge block on Cuffe, he wasn't very active on the defensive end. One thing is for sure, he was the crowd favorite lol.
Neal - Very confident shooter. He appear to be timid to drive and endure contact. We sat in front of his father and wife - both were very knowledgeable and good people. They were saying that there was a difference in physicality and athleticism between SL comp and the European competition. This might be why Neal hasn't be very active in driving the ball to the hole, he may just be transitioning his style of play and just relying on what hes most comfortable with, which is shooting.
Watkins - Despite being visibly out of shape, I think it was noticeable that his IQ surpasses his skill level. He got under a few peoples skin on defense and on offense he had a few nice rolls to the basket... but he mostly fumbled the ball.
Grizzles - Coach (Damon) Stoudemire wasn't very vocal from what I saw. Thabeet needs a lot more work, I know he exploded couple games ago but he struggled in this one. I don't know if it was cause he was scared that Blair was on the bench but out worked physically and mentally. You could tell that he was exhausted after just a few possessions.
Wilkerson - Beast of an athlete. If he can nail those 18-20 footers regularly and compound that with his explosive finishes, he could be worth a look sometime in the future. He needs to get stronger and learn how to box out better. For a guy in his position, hes probably a below average rebounder.
Denson - Gives the effort, but has no swagger. In both games, Denson and Lomers were the first ones out to shoot around during halftime.
Squeaky Johnson - A lot shorter in person, but his playmaking skill is easily the best on the team.
James Anderson - Appeared to be healthy, didn't walk around with a limp or with any gingerness. Looked good shooting around but only took 3 or 4 shots so not a large sample size.
Dejuan Blair - His jumper looked good, I think he was 5 for 5 from about 10-15 feet during the halftime shoot around. Again, not a large sample size but you can tell hes working on it. He also looked healthy and mobile. Blair was VERY vocal, there were the few times where he lead the timeouts or pre-quarter preparations. He was also active in pulling players aside to talk with them during games. Blair maybe be maturing before our eyes.