Summer League Game 9: Spurs vs. Sixers

[timvp]

The Spurs' second to last summer league game is underway. It started at 5:30PM CST. There's no live TV or radio broadcast for this game.

Hopefully Marcus Williams has some sort of breakout game.

Let's hope.

[timvp]

Pop usually goes to the last couple RMR games.

Most of the RMR games will be replayed starting tomorrow on NBAtv.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Spurs vs. 76ers will be on tomorrow at noon CT.
Spurs vs. Hawks will be on Thursday at noon CT.
Spurs vs. Jazz will be on Friday at 8:30PM CT.

[Mr. Body]

I just heard from someone who is at the game that Marcus Williams went 2-29 from the field and an offensive rebound, but that a couple of the layup attempts caught the side of the rim instead of the bottom, so it wasn't as bad as all that.

[timvp]

Spurs lose 98-86. Box score not out yet.


Salt Lake City (July 17, 2007) - The San Antonio Spurs shot 76.5 percent from the field in the first quarter of game two of the RMR on Tuesday evening and topped the Philadelphia 76ers, 32-25, after period one. The Spurs made 13-of-17 and went a perfect 3-of-3 from three point range. Thaddeus Young had ten points for the Sixers.

The Spurs maintained their lead through the first half, going into the locker room in front 52-42. San Antonio’s shooting percentage dropped, but not much (62.9 percent). C.J. Watson led the Spurs with 11 points and four assists, while Philadelphia’s Jason Smith led all players at the half with 13. The Spurs did finish the half with ten more fouls than the Sixers, and as a result, the Sixers shot 19 free throws, converting on 14.

The Sixers pulled to within three by the end of three, 68-65. Williams poured in seven points in the quarter and as a team, Philadelphia had four blocked shots. James White joined two of his teammates in double figures with 11 points and his team continued to win the battle in the paint, holding a 40-22 advantage.

Jumping out to a nine point lead, the Sixers were ahead 79-70 midway through the fourth quarter, their biggest lead of the game. A 9-3 run extended that lead even further and the Sixers would hang on to win 98-86.

Williams led the Sixers and all players with 24 points. He also had six assists. Louis Amundson added 17 points and nine rebounds for Philadelphia. James White had 20 points for San Antonio.

[AFBlue]

Here's the recap from NBA.com...

I'll bold the important notes. Unfortunately I can't get to the boxscore....probably because they're updating it.


Salt Lake City (July 17, 2007) - The San Antonio Spurs shot 76.5 percent from the field in the first quarter of game two of the RMR on Tuesday evening and topped the Philadelphia 76ers, 32-25, after period one. The Spurs made 13-of-17 and went a perfect 3-of-3 from three point range. Thaddeus Young had ten points for the Sixers.

The Spurs maintained their lead through the first half, going into the locker room in front 52-42. San Antonio’s shooting percentage dropped, but not much (62.9 percent). C.J. Watson led the Spurs with 11 points and four assists, while Philadelphia’s Jason Smith led all players at the half with 13. The Spurs did finish the half with ten more fouls than the Sixers, and as a result, the Sixers shot 19 free throws, converting on 14.

The Sixers pulled to within three by the end of three, 68-65. Williams poured in seven points in the quarter and as a team, Philadelphia had four blocked shots. James White joined two of his teammates in double figures with 11 points and his team continued to win the battle in the paint, holding a 40-22 advantage.

Jumping out to a nine point lead, the Sixers were ahead 79-70 midway through the fourth quarter, their biggest lead of the game. A 9-3 run extended that lead even further and the Sixers would hang on to win 98-86.

Williams led the Sixers and all players with 24 points. He also had six assists. Louis Amundson added 17 points and nine rebounds for Philadelphia. James White had 20 points for San Antonio

http://www.nba.com/jazz/Revue/2007_RMR_Game_Recap_Day_4_Game_2.html

[timvp]

Williams led the Sixers and all players with 24 points.

That might be as close as we get to Marcus Williams having a good game :rollin

[AFBlue]

Dammit....I wanna see that boxscore.

The article mentions White, Watson and one other in double figures...but it doesn't say who.

I wonder what White's stat line looks like and if this will help him stick with this team...

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

:tu @ James White getting all his 20 points.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

That might be as close as we get to Marcus Williams having a good game :rollin
:lol

[El_Mago]

James White with 20?

Nice.

[AFBlue]

That might be as close as we get to Marcus Williams having a good game :rollin

I know, I saw the "Williams" and started to get excited...

Then realized they were talking Louis Williams, combo guard for the Sixers. BTW, this kid has torn up both Vegas and now this summer league. He's got to be a player for their future...

[AFBlue]

Anyone thinking Marcus Williams on the third guy in double figures?

I'm gonna say Sommerville...

[Slinkyman]

Anyone thinking Marcus Williams on the third guy in double figures?

I'm gonna say Sommerville...

i'll guess it was pooh jeter

[AFBlue]

Well the other damn boxscore for the night comes up. Incidentally, Shelden Williams had another 20pt outing. Perhaps this kid is finally turning into the double-double machine the Hawks were counting on when they drafted him...

[CubanMustGo]

So it would really be nice to hear something about why Pooh is suddenly playing for us instead of Sacto.

[CubanMustGo]

And would someone tell the gotdamned Jizz front office that nobody wants to see box scores in friggin PDF format.

[Darkwaters]

Box score is up now: http://www.nba.com/media/jazz/rmr07Game09.pdf

White played a pretty decent game except for his 6 TOs (ouch).
Williams forgot to show up in the box score.
Watson with 4 assists and 0 turnovers...uncanny
Melzer, DNP

[timvp]

Marcus Williams came off the bench. 20 minutes, six points, one assist, no rebounds and three turnovers.

If it's possible, I think he's hit a new low.

[mystargtr34]

Derrick Byars did ok. But hes nearly James White old

[Mr. Body]

Byars was one of Mr. Body's short list of 4-5 players the Spurs should have taken over Williams. Perhaps I was mistaken on him, but he did have a much better game tonight while Williams has nothing to offer the NBA.

[mystargtr34]

You cant seriously be judging guys after 5 Summer League games. Its about confidence, finding a 'niche' within a team. Not everyone has been brought up to pound the air out of the ball then go one on five with 5 seconds left on the shot clock. Hes only 20 playing against grown men - give him a chance

[Bruno]

You cant seriously be judging guys after 5 Summer League games.

Welcome to Spurstalk :
On the one hand, a player like Butler was out of shape, had a bad attitude, has done nothing in nba this year and was so-so in summer league despite being in the league for three years and people called him a great prospect.
On the other hand, Williams is a young rookie (he is a sophomore) who plays his first pro games and sucks badly and people called him a bust without giving him some time.
Go figure. :rolleyes

[Darkwaters]

Welcome to Spurstalk :
On the one hand, a player like Butler was out of shape, had a bad attitude, has done nothing in nba this year and was so-so in summer league despite being in the league for three years and people called him a great prospect.
On the other hand, Williams is a young rookie (he is a sophomore) who plays his first pro games and sucks badly and people called him a bust without giving him some time.
Go figure. :rolleyes

If Butler was just so-so then I seriously don't want to know what Williams is.

Don't kid yourself, Butler looked very good with considerable frequency.

[Bruno]

If Butler was just so-so then I seriously don't want to know what Williams is.



Welcome to Spurstalk :
On the one hand, a player like Butler was out of shape, had a bad attitude, has done nothing in nba this year and was so-so in summer league despite being in the league for three years and people called him a great prospect.
On the other hand, Williams is a young rookie (he is a sophomore) who plays his first pro games and sucks badly and people called him a bust without giving him some time.
Go figure. :rolleyes

[Darkwaters]

sucks badly

If Butler has been "so-so" then Williams is far beyond "sucks badly". Far far beyond that.

Butler has looked downright dominant for extended periods of time during SL. He has shown the ability to score down low, solid FT shooting, great vision and passing skills and a high BBIQ.

Williams has shown that he can run up and down the court (albeit, slowly) and pull off a very good Sue Storm impersonation. Saying that he simply "sucks badly" when Butler is so-so is giving Williams too much credit.

[Extra Stout]

You cant seriously be judging guys after 5 Summer League games. Its about confidence, finding a 'niche' within a team. Not everyone has been brought up to pound the air out of the ball then go one on five with 5 seconds left on the shot clock. Hes only 20 playing against grown men - give him a chance
Roster spots are scarce on the Spurs. If a player cannot even provide decent minutes against inferior-grade summer-league players, how on earth is he going to make the Spurs' team?

[AFBlue]

Roster spots are scarce on the Spurs. If a player cannot even provide decent minutes against inferior-grade summer-league players, how on earth is he going to make the Spurs' team?

The Spurs didn't draft a domestic player at the top of the second round just to cut him after a handful of summer league games.

If you read the analysis of him by Ludden and some comments from the coaching staff, it's clear that they're willing to give him a pass and focus on his positive attribute...defense.

He's also going to cost them next to nothing next year, is 20yrs old, has plenty of potential, and contrary to intial reports...he is a coachable, hard worker.

Some kids just start out slow and then get comfortable in a system.

I'm not saying this kid will be a superstar, and he could in fact turn out to be utter crap....

BUT, I'm giving him more than 3 weeks of summer league games to prove himself.

Bottom Line: He'll be a Spur for at least a year, so I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he's just a late bloomer.

[Bruno]

Butler has looked downright dominant for extended periods of time during SL. He has shown the ability to score down low, solid FT shooting, great vision and passing skills and a high BBIQ.


Having some good low post move and some nice assist isn't enough to have a good summer league.
Butler wasn't in a good shape, his defense wasn't good and he was foul prone.
Butler has averaged 12/6 in Vegas, "so-so" fits well to his SL performance.

[objective]

where did Butler finish at with regard to dunks?

iirc correctly at one point he as 0-7 wasn't he?

[coopdogg3]

Props to CJ for his 4 assists and 0 TOs.

[AFBlue]

Props to CJ for his 4 assists and 0 TOs.

I get wary anytime I see the Spurs FO, coaching staff, or writers giving this kid props....

Makes me think they're legitimately looking at bringing him in when the ship out Beno....and I'm not too sure about that.

[coopdogg3]

I get wary anytime I see the Spurs FO, coaching staff, or writers giving this kid props....

Makes me think they're legitimately looking at bringing him in when the ship out Beno....and I'm not too sure about that.

Eh, Beno and CJ provide the same skill-set: jack and crap. And CJ would cost less, so I'm OK with it.

[Darkwaters]

I get wary anytime I see the Spurs FO, coaching staff, or writers giving this kid props....

Makes me think they're legitimately looking at bringing him in when the ship out Beno....and I'm not too sure about that.

Thats why I love having my security blanket around...Jacque Vaughn.

When the shit hits the fan he can at least salvage the backup PG spot.

[mardigan]

Does anyone know more about that Admunson kid on the 6ers? Hes been a monster in the summer, was wondering what his situation looked like

[AFBlue]

Does anyone know more about that Admunson kid on the 6ers? Hes been a monster in the summer, was wondering what his situation looked like

Not sure, but with the Sixers being so thin at the PF spot, they'd be crazy not to sign him to a min-type deal.

If they're stupid enough to let him go, I'd say the Spurs should make a run at him.

[timvp]

Man, I missed the replay of the Spurs vs. Sixers on NBAtv (the game from the 13th). It was on today at noon.

That was the only game of RMR I wanted to watch. :madrun

[AFBlue]

Man, I missed the replay of the Spurs vs. Sixers on NBAtv (the game from the 13th). It was on today at noon.

That was the only game of RMR I wanted to watch. :madrun

DVR saves lives....






Or improves them at least....

[timvp]

DVR saves lives....






Or improves them at least....
I would have DVR'ed the game but I didn't know it was going to be on at noon.

[AFBlue]

I would have DVR'ed the game but I didn't know it was going to be on at noon.

Just paused my DVR about three minutes in to do this post....



Marcus Williams looks much better than average on defense in the game thus far. He's blocked two of Thaddeus Young's shots already and is staying on his hip.

He also had nice form on one of his jumpers that he hit...but was unfortunately called off because of a traveling violation. He then proceeded to jack up a shot with the old ugly form....but at least there's ability to re-form it.

Anyways...I'm gonna go back to watching the game, but just wanted to say that Williams has excellent defensive potential and is already solid in that area from what I can tell.

[Darkwaters]

I'm watching it myself right now (I'm in the middle of the second quarter). I counted 3 blocks by Williams in that first quarter....as well as a nice Sanikidze 3 ball. One thing that bugs me though is just how slow Williams' release is.

[AFBlue]

I'm watching it myself right now (I'm in the middle of the second quarter). I counted 3 blocks by Williams in that first quarter....as well as a nice Sanikidze 3 ball. One thing that bugs me though is just how slow Williams' release is.

I thought I even saw a fourth....but yeah I don't even know what the stat-sheet said.

His release is painful though....like he has a hitch in the wrist-flick or something.

Got interrupted....but on to quarter #2

[Darkwaters]

Stat sheet said 2 blocks.

We should synch up our players so that we can comment on the game together in this thread! Like a live game thread, but with replay and all!

PS: There is a nice play later where Williams bricks a shot and Sanikidze cleans up the glass with flair. :toast Enjoy.

[Darkwaters]

We should sign Louis Amundson

[barbacoataco]

I don't see how people can compare Williams' performance to Butler/White. Butler actually played for the Knicks, and White has been in and around the league for 2 years, practicing with the Spurs, and he is 24. White and Butler are far more developed than Williams. Of course they are going to play better.

[Darkwaters]

I don't see how people can compare Williams' performance to Butler/White. Butler actually played for the Knicks, and White has been in and around the league for 2 years, practicing with the Spurs, and he is 24. White and Butler are far more developed than Williams. Of course they are going to play better.

White has only been in the league one season and played in just a handful of actual NBA games. Butler has been in the league 3 seasons now, but hes only a couple years older than Williams. Sanikidze is only a few months older than Williams and has not played a single second of NBA time, is playing in his first summer league, and played sparingly for his team in Spain last season. All of these players looked much better than Marcus.

That being said, I think he makes the roster for at least a year. Watching this game today (with the vastly improved camera angles and coverage) it is apparent that while Williams is highly flawed offensively, his defense is noteworthy.

[Darkwaters]

My analysis:

Viktor Sanikidze: 15 pts (4-11 FG, 2-6 3pt, 5-6 FT), 6 RBD, 2 STL, 1 TO

This is the one game that he played significant minutes in and it is also his best of the SL. Viktor was the best player on the floor in the 3rd quarter when he scored 10 points, stole the ball for a fast break and grabbed several rebounds...and he didn't even play the whole quarter, logging only about 8 minutes to do all that. Most of Viktor's points came in ways that he could realistically translate over into the NBA. Viktor got out in transition and was open with good frequency (surely he would have had a handful of extra points if Watson didn't always have blinders on). He shot a fair amount of three pointers tonight preferring entirely to spot up when he fired away. His form looks different than it did earlier in the summer league (to me at least). Its almost like the coaching staff has critiqued his form as his release seems significantly quicker now. Viktor spent a lot of time making cuts to try and get open and was not especially prone to standing around as some players can be on offense. He was obviously more into the defense and rebounding and contributing where he could. He always seemed interested on defense and did well even when guarding players like Thaddeus Young. Viktor continued to crash the boards fairly well but spent a lot of time out on the perimeter thereby limiting his ability to pull in boards. Frankly, his 6 rebounds figure is just plain wrong. I counted at least 8 boards on the night...not that it really matters. Sanikidze spent a lot of time guarding Vanderbilt's Derrick Byars who took only 3 shots and scored a meager 2 points. To be fair, Byars didn't seem to have his head in the right place tonight, but Viktor's length obviously bugged him. Sanikidze played the passing lanes very well tonight which led to several near steals. Unfortunately, several of his near steals ended up being foolish fouls that could have been prevented. But the effort is clearly there. Sanikidze was credited with 2 steals for the game. One of them was the result of Marcus Williams stripping the ball and Viktor simply collecting it up off the floor. But the second steal started a 1 on 1 fast break that ended up sending him to the line for 2 FTs. His anticipation coupled with his long arms could really hinder players from making good passes down the line. Viktor's slashing game is really underdeveloped. It is hard to judge his handle since he doesn't like to put it on the floor extensively. However, he did take the ball coast to coast near the end of the game...resulting in a blown layup however. All and all, this was a wonderful showing by Sanikidze. The skills that he brought to the floor tonight all seem to be ones that he could legitimately translate to the NBA and his stats are not simply the result of him "beating up" on younger players.

Marcus Williams: 13 pts (4-14 FG, 5-5 FT), 8 RBD, 4 AST, 2 BLK, 5 TOs

Marcus started the game and looked very tense. His first two touches resulted in traveling calls as he tried to slash to the basket without putting the ball on the floor. But Marcus calmed down and began to look more comfortable by the 2nd quarter. In fact, in the 3rd when Viktor was playing so well a lot of it was facilitated by Marcus Williams' crisp plays. The two seemed to really play well together that whole quarter as they seemed to be aware of each other's position on the floor. The first thing though, that grabbed you about Marcus' performance was the sheer number of blocked shots he was getting. I counted 3 blocks in the first quarter, but PHAT TONY believes he saw 4. Williams would go on to block another shot later in the game. The stat sheet saying that he only got 2 is just plain incorrect. While blocks are always nice, these plays were almost exclusively against Thaddeus Young, the 12th pick from this years draft, only adding to the allure of his repeated defense ability. Williams was able to frustrate him much of the night with his length and kept up with him pretty well. Now, by no means did Marcus shut Mr. Young down as he still managed to record 19 points. But without Williams' presence it clearly would have been more. Offensively, Marcus still has a lot of work to do, but his confidence started to show up later in the game. Marcus touched the ball much more frequently on offense and was able to help manipulate the game to a point (as indicated by his 4 assists). But while increased confidence was able to fix some aspects of his offense it clearly had no effect on his fugly shot. Its just plain gross. Moving on... Marcus was able to crash the boards pretty well and yank down some good rebounds. While several of those weren't exactly ones he had to work very hard for, several of them required him to get into the pack and pull them away from somebody. All and all, good game for Marcus. His shooting was pretty pathetic, but otherwise I saw very good things from him here.

CJ Watson: 18 pts (6-11 FG, 1-1 3pt, 5-6 FT), 2 RBD, 3 AST, 3 TO

Still not interested.

[pad300]

My analysis:

Viktor Sanikidze: 15 pts (4-11 FG, 2-6 3pt, 5-6 FT), 6 RBD, 2 STL, 1 TO

... The skills that he brought to the floor tonight all seem to be ones that he could legitimately translate to the NBA and his stats are not simply the result of him "beating up" on younger players.



Dude, he's 21 years old,born in 86. The only guy on the sixers roster who's younger than him is Thaddeus Young... I'm pretty sure everybody else got through 4 years of college, or entered the league 2+ years ago.
Player YOB
Louis Amundson 1982
Edin Bavcic 1984
Christian Burns 1985
Derrick Byars 1984
Rodney Carney 1984
John Cox 1981
Herbert Hill 1984
Bobby Jones 1984
Rashad Jones-Jennings 1984
Gerry McNamara 1983
Shavlik Randolph 1983
Dustin Salisbery 1984
Jason Smith 1986
Louis Williams 1986
Thaddeus Young 1988

PS. As you may have guessed from the DOB's, there's a reason why Amundson appears so much more physically capable and focused than the 22 year olds he's playing against...

[Darkwaters]

Dude, he's 21 years old,born in 86. The only guy on the sixers roster who's younger than him is Thaddeus Young... I'm pretty sure everybody else got through 4 years of college, or entered the league 2+ years ago.
Player YOB
Louis Amundson 1982
Edin Bavcic 1984
Christian Burns 1985
Derrick Byars 1984
Rodney Carney 1984
John Cox 1981
Herbert Hill 1984
Bobby Jones 1984
Rashad Jones-Jennings 1984
Gerry McNamara 1983
Shavlik Randolph 1983
Dustin Salisbery 1984
Jason Smith 1986
Louis Williams 1986
Thaddeus Young 1988

PS. As you may have guessed from the DOB's, there's a reason why Amundson appears so much more physically capable and focused than the 22 year olds he's playing against...

Ok, substitute the word "younger" for "inferior" and then the concept is more accurately portrayed. The point is that if Viktor walked into the YMCA and started schooling guys I really wouldn't be impressed. The same goes (to a much lesser degree) with Summer League. But my point is that the skills he shown look like they would translate against superior talent.

[coopdogg3]

How did White look?

[Marcus Bryant]

How did White look?


http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/78/fullj.getty-74640371cb009_spur_parade_4_04_28_am.jpg

[coopdogg3]

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/78/fullj.getty-74640371cb009_spur_parade_4_04_28_am.jpg

:lol Not really sure why I found that funny, but I did.

[Darkwaters]

How did White look?

Thats the game he didn't play in.