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Its not the championship but Im glad Spurs took it and Kyle Anderson was a key player.
First of all, congrats to this Spurs squad for taking home the summer league championship. After the disjointed play witnessed in Salt Lake City, it never even crossed my mind that the Spurs would be the last team standing in Vegas. But by the end of the tournament, this was by far the most entertaining Spurs summer league team I've ever watched. They didn't have much in terms of big-name talent but they played together, played hard and made the organization proud. Well done, guys.
-It's not hyperbolic to say Kyle Anderson was the most dominating and impactful force in Vegas. He played a smart brand of basketball throughout that was at a level above everyone else. Most of his success was due to his smarts and his precise play. When Anderson is going right, it seems like each of his moves are calculated based on information gleaned from seeing things unfold before everybody else. On offense, he did well on perimeter isolations and post-up opportunities. The Suns threw hard double-teams at him and all that did was allow him to show off his elite passing skills. Back in SLC, he was really hurting the team defensively. But by the end of the Vegas run, Anderson had actually figured out how to be an asset on that end. From smart closeouts to playing the angles to avoiding reaches to utilizing his length in the paint, he really figure it all out as the games progressed. Anderson is such an unusual player that I have no idea what he's going to do this year for the big boy Spurs but I now definitely think he deserves a legit chance, at least early in the season, to earn a permanent role in the rotation.
-The biggest difference between SLC and Vegas was the addition of Jonathon Simmons. From his first minutes on the court, he played with an insatiable hunger and it was contagious. I went from wondering why the Spurs guaranteed his entire first season of his two-year contract to thanking my lucky stars that they did. It simply can't be overstated how hard he played. On offense, he was always looking to turn the corner to get into the lane. When he wasn't expertly finishing in the paint, he was making excellent passes versus the defenses that had to collapse in order to contain him. I also thought it was really impressive that he had the wherewithal to play point guard whenever the chips were down. The number of tools he flashed, even on the summer league level, was exciting. Defensively, Simmons was also a difference-maker. He was energetic on the ball, attentive off the ball and rarely if ever lost focus. What's Simmons' future? There's a decent chance that this could go down as the highlight as his basketball life. But I'm cautiously optimistic that the Spurs may have found another diamond if he can continue to grind away the rough edges. It doesn't take much imagination to picture him as a useful 8th or 9th man at some point.
-In a bit of an ironic twist, after watching Jarell Eddie's worst shooting performance in Vegas, I'm more adamant than ever that the Spurs should offer him enough money to get him into training camp. Sure, he wasn't shooting it straight tonight, but for once he didn't play completely one-dimensional; for once he actually looked like a basketball player. His defense wasn't especially good – mostly due to his slow feet – but he competed. He did all he could to stay in front of the quick Suns perimeter players (oh, and that block at the rim was rather shocking). On offense, he dribbled effectively and exhibited an amount of athleticism and determination I had never seen out of him before. Plus, shooters who continue to fire away even while they struggle – shooter amnesia, if you will – are the type of gunners who do well under Pop. Eddie will always be a specialist but the Spurs could use another perimeter threat and I doubt they can get one better than him at the 15th man slot.
-I'm happy Treveon Graham played so well in the championship game. He's been hammering that rock since the start of the Salt Lake City league. I think he's a good defensive player and can be useful on offensive end, particularly in transition. The issue with him is that he's basically a 6-foot-4 small forward; three inches taller and Graham is probably an NBA player. I'd like to see him in Austin because it'd be worth the effort to see if he can develop guard skills.
-According to reports, Cady Lalanne has already agreed to sign directly with Austin. That's good news. While he's not a great prospect, it's possible to imagine him as a future fifth or sixth bigman. If he can add a three-point shot and work on his coordination, the rest of his tools are decent enough to give him a shot to make it in the NBA.
-Brandon Davies is pretty darn close to being an NBA player. If he can work on his body by adding bulk without losing his mobility, he'd be right there at the precipice. He fills that futuristic power forward skill-set by being as comfortable away from the basket as he does under the rim, while being able to get out and run like a small forward.
-The most underrated player on this team was Darion Atkins. While he didn't do much on the offensive end until the championship game, he's a really, really good defensive player. Atkins has great instincts and was seemingly always in the right position. For being a player fresh out of college, I was blown away by his defensive IQ. Unfortunately for him, he's probably two inches in height away from being a legit NBA prospect. That said, I hope the Spurs can keep him in Austin because the kid knows how to play the game.
-For as much as Shannon Scott and Will Cherry struggled to run the show at the point guard position, let's give them credit for their outstanding defensive play – especially in the last three or four games. They were both really good at applying pressure and scooping up loose balls. With Anderson and Simmons being able to make plays, it turned out the Spurs didn't really need them to do much on the offensive end.
-It was cool to see how Youssou Ndoye's confidence blossomed in Vegas. At first, the native of Senegal was too timid to do much of anything. By the end, he seemed to be in the middle of the fray on every play. For being 7-feet and 250 pounds, he's surprisingly nimble and it appears as if he has some burgeoning skills. I'd like for him to get on the Austin team because it appears as if there's a chance he's a late bloomer with untapped upside.
-Honestly, heading into Vegas, I wasn't even sure Becky Hammon deserved her job as assistant coach. By the end, I'm convinced she's legitimate NBA head coaching material. She masterfully tiptoed the line between trying to win these games and trying to develop the players. Her rotations always had the big picture in mind. Her playcalling was fantastic; I was especially impressed with how she milked hot hands and took advantage of mismatches. She didn't hesitate to jump on a player when needed (for excessive celebration or loafing on defense, for example). All in all, it's now obvious that she more than deserves her job and has a bright, bright future.
-Again, nice job, team. Yeah, we'll all forget about this by next week, but it was high entertainment while it last. Congrats. That was fun.
Its not the championship but Im glad Spurs took it and Kyle Anderson was a key player.
Thanks for all your summer observations. Looking forward to 82 more this coming season
What do you think Jonathon Simmons needs to work on the rest of this summer before training camp begins? I've been looking for the Spurs to get another athletic player that can get to the rim and either finish or pass it out to the open man ever since Manu started toning down his game and not going to the rack as much. Do you think he could be a Manu lite version? How do you think his ball handling would fare at the NBA level? Does that need to be tightened up to play his game on the NBA level? It looks like he can be a little loose with it at times. Not sure how that would fare on the NBA level.
What do you think he needs to do to stick with the team? Obviously defense is the number one thing all players should work on so I won't talk about that much, but on offense, do you think he needs to work on his jump shot more, or should he be looking at playing to his strengths (getting to the rim and either finishing or passing)?
Also, he does have a guaranteed contract for the first year, is the second year a team option? Even though the first year is guaranteed, does that mean he will most likely stay with the Spurs for the whole season, or could they still let him go and eat that contract if his game isn't translating to the NBA and they hypothetically needed a roster spot? Basically, I'm just asking if that first year guaranteed means that he'll be with the Spurs the whole season regardless of how he plays or is that still not a given?
I don't think I've ever seen the Spurs fully guarantee someone that isn't a first round draft pick or that hasn't even played in another high level league before training camp even begins. Have they ever done it before with someone this unknown? They must really like him to do that IMO.
Last edited by Ice009; 07-21-2015 at 12:44 AM.
It was fun. A great way to showcase some of the upcoming talent both on the court and off.
Thanks TIMVP ! I'm pretty sure one thousand people told you this already but it's really good to have you back
As far as summer goes, it's just fantastic with the FA signatures and the great summer league
Timvp still sleeping on Simmons a bit .feels too good to be true but I'm on the bandwagon.
He will have his ups and downs but with Parker slowing down and ginobili on his death bed we need a guy who can break down defenses so pop will get him ready.Dudes gonna crack the rotation this year and make big plays for us.
btw, thanks for your effort in these post game write ups.
Last edited by steeledl; 07-21-2015 at 01:00 AM.
Yeah I agree about Simmons, dude looks hungry and his style of play in unorthodox. he's herky jerky and his motor is high on D. It'll be good to see him in camp and playing with the rest of the guys. That being said he could work on his J a little bit but the guy deserves that contract and it'll be awesome watching preseason this year
Timvp is the champ too!
first of all, thanks Timvp for your insightful comments on the game. I agree with you in each and every observation. A credit to Becky on the development front is that, as the games in SL rolled along, guys started playing better. At first it was most noticeable with Kyle, because he was supposed to carry a heavy load from the get go, and he struggled at first. He's also the only guy that was going to be for sure in the squad this upcoming season, and his potential and prospects have been polarizing to fans, with very wide-ranging opinions. He started poorly, but got increasingly better as the games rolled along. However, besides Kyle, other guys, as you mentioned also improved. Guys who looked timid and were invisible ended up making plays. As you say, Eddie started hustling on defense, and so on and so forth. AS the games kept on rolling, guys kept improving. That is for sure a sign Becky is awesome as a coach. Besides that, there are all the wins. Coaches are always in the end evaluated by wins, Becky just announced her arrival to the scene as a legit coaching prospect. But of course, Pop already knew that.
I'm way too blurred in vision to read this, but I suspect it is an incomplete analysis, since I doubt it admitted that while Leroy O'Bryant Trophy winners, you all, in fact, suck the big one.First of all, congrats to this Spurs squad for taking home the summer league championship. After the disjointed play witnessed in Salt Lake City, it never even crossed my mind that the Spurs would be the last team standing in Vegas. But by the end of the tournament, this was by far the most entertaining Spurs summer league team I've ever watched. They didn't have much in terms of big-name talent but they played together, played hard and made the organization proud. Well done, guys.
-It's not hyperbolic to say Kyle Anderson was the most dominating and impactful force in Vegas. He played a smart brand of basketball throughout that was at a level above everyone else. Most of his success was due to his smarts and his precise play. When Anderson is going right, it seems like each of his moves are calculated based on information gleaned from seeing things unfold before everybody else. On offense, he did well on perimeter isolations and post-up opportunities. The Suns threw hard double-teams at him and all that did was allow him to show off his elite passing skills. Back in SLC, he was really hurting the team defensively. But by the end of the Vegas run, Anderson had actually figured out how to be an asset on that end. From smart closeouts to playing the angles to avoiding reaches to utilizing his length in the paint, he really figure it all out as the games progressed. Anderson is such an unusual player that I have no idea what he's going to do this year for the big boy Spurs but I now definitely think he deserves a legit chance, at least early in the season, to earn a permanent role in the rotation.
-The biggest difference between SLC and Vegas was the addition of Jonathon Simmons. From his first minutes on the court, he played with an insatiable hunger and it was contagious. I went from wondering why the Spurs guaranteed his entire first season of his two-year contract to thanking my lucky stars that they did. It simply can't be overstated how hard he played. On offense, he was always looking to turn the corner to get into the lane. When he wasn't expertly finishing in the paint, he was making excellent passes versus the defenses that had to collapse in order to contain him. I also thought it was really impressive that he had the wherewithal to play point guard whenever the chips were down. The number of tools he flashed, even on the summer league level, was exciting. Defensively, Simmons was also a difference-maker. He was energetic on the ball, attentive off the ball and rarely if ever lost focus. What's Simmons' future? There's a decent chance that this could go down as the highlight as his basketball life. But I'm cautiously optimistic that the Spurs may have found another diamond if he can continue to grind away the rough edges. It doesn't take much imagination to picture him as a useful 8th or 9th man at some point.
-In a bit of an ironic twist, after watching Jarell Eddie's worst shooting performance in Vegas, I'm more adamant than ever that the Spurs should offer him enough money to get him into training camp. Sure, he wasn't shooting it straight tonight, but for once he didn't play completely one-dimensional; for once he actually looked like a basketball player. His defense wasn't especially good – mostly due to his slow feet – but he competed. He did all he could to stay in front of the quick Suns perimeter players (oh, and that block at the rim was rather shocking). On offense, he dribbled effectively and exhibited an amount of athleticism and determination I had never seen out of him before. Plus, shooters who continue to fire away even while they struggle – shooter amnesia, if you will – are the type of gunners who do well under Pop. Eddie will always be a specialist but the Spurs could use another perimeter threat and I doubt they can get one better than him at the 15th man slot.
-I'm happy Treveon Graham played so well in the championship game. He's been hammering that rock since the start of the Salt Lake City league. I think he's a good defensive player and can be useful on offensive end, particularly in transition. The issue with him is that he's basically a 6-foot-4 small forward; three inches taller and Graham is probably an NBA player. I'd like to see him in Austin because it'd be worth the effort to see if he can develop guard skills.
-According to reports, Cady Lalanne has already agreed to sign directly with Austin. That's good news. While he's not a great prospect, it's possible to imagine him as a future fifth or sixth bigman. If he can add a three-point shot and work on his coordination, the rest of his tools are decent enough to give him a shot to make it in the NBA.
-Brandon Davies is pretty darn close to being an NBA player. If he can work on his body by adding bulk without losing his mobility, he'd be right there at the precipice. He fills that futuristic power forward skill-set by being as comfortable away from the basket as he does under the rim, while being able to get out and run like a small forward.
-The most underrated player on this team was Darion Atkins. While he didn't do much on the offensive end until the championship game, he's a really, really good defensive player. Atkins has great instincts and was seemingly always in the right position. For being a player fresh out of college, I was blown away by his defensive IQ. Unfortunately for him, he's probably two inches in height away from being a legit NBA prospect. That said, I hope the Spurs can keep him in Austin because the kid knows how to play the game.
-For as much as Shannon Scott and Will Cherry struggled to run the show at the point guard position, let's give them credit for their outstanding defensive play – especially in the last three or four games. They were both really good at applying pressure and scooping up loose balls. With Anderson and Simmons being able to make plays, it turned out the Spurs didn't really need them to do much on the offensive end.
-It was cool to see how Youssou Ndoye's confidence blossomed in Vegas. At first, the native of Senegal was too timid to do much of anything. By the end, he seemed to be in the middle of the fray on every play. For being 7-feet and 250 pounds, he's surprisingly nimble and it appears as if he has some burgeoning skills. I'd like for him to get on the Austin team because it appears as if there's a chance he's a late bloomer with untapped upside.
-Honestly, heading into Vegas, I wasn't even sure Becky Hammon deserved her job as assistant coach. By the end, I'm convinced she's legitimate NBA head coaching material. She masterfully tiptoed the line between trying to win these games and trying to develop the players. Her rotations always had the big picture in mind. Her playcalling was fantastic; I was especially impressed with how she milked hot hands and took advantage of mismatches. She didn't hesitate to jump on a player when needed (for excessive celebration or loafing on defense, for example). All in all, it's now obvious that she more than deserves her job and has a bright, bright future.
-Again, nice job, team. Yeah, we'll all forget about this by next week, but it was high entertainment while it last. Congrats. That was fun.
#ImNotBitterImASunsFan
Last edited by JMarkJohns; 07-21-2015 at 01:18 AM.
I also agree about Jerell Eddie. I think the Spurs need to do what they can to get him to training camp and also working with their development coaches to see if they can improve other areas of his game between now and training camp. It couldn't hurt to have a shooter of his caliber as the 15th man. He's just gotta show some signs of improving other areas of his game between now and then to make it worthwhile.
Hope Will Cherry makes the team... Think he is the next Chris Paul.
I agree with OP's write up on Jerrel Eddie. Today was one of his worst shooting performances but we've seen enough of him in the other games and in Austin to know he's a deadly 3-point shooter. He showed me more today than I've seen in him in the first few games combined with his ball movement, effort on D, and coming off of screens and knowing when to shoot and when to pass. He also showed some athleticism with that break away dunk. He's never going to be a good defender, but like timvp said, at the 15th spot, there's a good chance we're not going to find a better option at this point. I hope we at least get him in camp and give him a shot to improve and show he's more than the one-dimensional player he looked to be the past week. He also has better size than I realized. I thought he was a slim 6'6 but he's listed at 6'7 220 lbs at 23 years of age.
I'm hanging out of the bandwagon hollerin out "J-Simms!", but basically there's 9 guys he has no chance of passing in the rotation this season w/o an injury. Timmy, Kawhi, LMA, DG, Manu, TP, DWest, Bobo, and Patty. They're gonna take most of the minutes in a game contested for 4 full quarters. Everybody else would be used on a matchup basis to fill out those few remaining minutes in games like that.
He's gonna play tho. On b2b nights that Manu rests, he and KA will both get nice extended run off of that. And...
Most likely we blow a load of teams out, and the regular season will be filled with one of my favorite things: Spurs garbage time with a win already in the bag. Set your DVRs cause Simmons is gonna be killing that. He'll be mixing up and YAMMIN on 3rd stringers just like he has for the last 10 days.
11th Man of the Year tbh.
Also, count me in on the get Eddie to camp train
Is Simmons could be the answer for another wing who you could be put Patty alongside him? Cause right now Patty could play only with Manu and he may be done...
Should start an "Eddie vs Graham" thread tbh! Who should get the last roster spot???
There will be valuable sg/sf minutes for either KA or Simmons to play every game. Doesn't really matter how many people are ahead of him on the roster.
Over hyping KA and downplaying Simmons once again in the quick thoughts. To be expected after the extended break imo. It'll take some time to get back into shape. Thanks for the blue collar effort though.
inspiring look into the potentials of Spurs SL team
I really salute the emergence of Simmons all throughout the tournament. The composure in time of pressure & leadership of Kyle Anderson.
And I also have to give a thumbs up in this finals game to Graham. His defense, particularly.
His 7 of 11 fg, 3 of 4 on 3ptrs, 5-8 fts and 3 steals impressed me. Thank God he made his 3s at the right time..when Eddie was cold.
Thanks for the Thoughts! That was a fun ride! Great job and moment for Becky!
its the offseason and we are already champions, how cool is that hey!!!!!
great analysis as usual
This Mr Anderson is really unique, he now deserves the Kahwi back up role
by the way, what was Mayweather doing there in the SL, dont tell me he is scouting too?
is it possible that Floyd wants to be an owner ?????
wow
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