Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Michael Beasley was as loose as the Bulls' defense, which he shredded for 9-of-21 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. 'Once, they told me to stop singing,' Beasley said of Joakim Noah's reaction after the rookie forward was fouled. 'I was just singing a happy song.' Beasley easily bested Rose in the matchup, which was the main event of three games at the RDV Sportsplex. Beasley said he was unaware that he took 21 shots in less than 23 minutes. 'If I would've known, I would have stopped shooting,' he said."
K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune: "Both Del Negro and Rose downplayed the significance of their debuts, though the matchup against Beasley drew an inordinate number of team executives, scouts and media members. 'I've been so busy trying to think through everything that I didn't have time to feel anything,' Del Negro said. 'I guess it was my first game. It's still basketball. I've been doing it for a long time. It's obviously different [coaching]. But having [experienced assistants] is a real benefit for me.'"
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "When Michael Beasley smiles, it's difficult for the world not to smile with him. Immature kid? Sorry, we had that one wrong before the draft. Kid who refuses to grow up? There's a lot worse that can be said about today's 19-year-olds. 'You can put the Jolly Green Giant out there,' Beasley smiled, 'I'm going to still play, man.' The question was about the transition to the pros, to games against players bigger, faster, stronger, about how he not only thrived in his pro debut, but did it against NBA veterans such as Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. Somehow, Beasley turned it into a discourse on frozen vegetables."
Chris Perkins of the Palm Beach Post: "During his 14-point third quarter Beasley repeatedly beat Bulls forward Joakim Noah, the former Florida standout. Early in the game Beasley, who wore a small pad to protect his chest injury, had limited success against Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas. 'He's very gifted,' Heat assistant Keith Askins, the Summer League coach, said of Beasley. 'The game comes very easily to him.' However, Beasley, the second pick in the June draft, said if he had to grade himself he'd only get a C. 'I only had nine rebounds,' he said. 'Two assists, two turnovers. I missed 13 shots. No, I missed 12 shots.'"
Chris Perkins of the Palm Beach Post: "Keep an eye on Heat guard Mario Chalmers. Because while Heat forward Michael Beasley played as though he was a star Monday, toasting Chicago's Joakim Noah in a head-to-head matchup, especially in the second half, Chalmers toasted Derrick Rose. Yeah, Chalmers toasted Rose. Rose appeared shaky and nervous, particularly in the first half. Chalmers, on the other hand, was cool and collected. Not only that, when the Bulls had the ball Chalmers handled Rose defensively."
Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "If there is an illuminating example of Ryan Anderson's ambition consider this: Just over three years ago -- right about the last time the Nets were rebuilding, before Vince Carter landed in their laps -- he was a 260-pound high school senior who had but two scholarship offers. Within a year, he shed the pounds like they were a winter coat. He kept the physical style his girth allowed him to play, took his game outside, became the Pac-10's leading scorer in less than two years and an NBA player in less than three. 'It's crazy: I had to take so many jumps from there,' said the 20-year-old Nets rookie. 'I weighed like 260, so I had to slim down to go to college ... down to 225. (Then) in college, I had to prove myself. It's great: I like being that underdog guy, people don't believe things I can do.'"
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: "DVDs of NBA summer-league action were on sale to teams Monday at RDV Sportsplex. If Orlando Magic rookie Courtney Lee wanted a few extra copies for posterity, you couldn't blame him. Lee made the first shot he took as a paid professional, a free-throw-line jumper that eased his jitters, and then made his next two. 'It was a great feeling. It kind of got me going, playing more aggressive,' he said. 'Through the whole warm-up, I was excited. My nerves were up. I had to find a way to calm myself down.' ... Lee finished with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting with four turnovers in a little more than 32 minutes."
Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "Adam Morrison is with the Bobcats' summer-league team, which will begin practice today on UNLV's campus. He'll participate in non-contact drills this week, working toward a clearance to scrimmage in September, a month before training camp. The knee is fine, he's told. His head seems healed, too. Difficult as this has been -- he'd never been seriously injured before -- there have been positives in the experience. 'I let stuff bother me, and I've learned to let it slide,' said Morrison, who was at times painfully self-conscious as a rookie. 'I've got to let wins slide and I've got to let losses slide. Just keep an even temperament.'"
Frank Dell'Apa of The Boston Globe: "[Paul] Pierce said his strained right knee appears to be improving. 'While I'm here, I'll get an MRI on my knee,' Pierce said. 'I've still got some soreness, hopefully it's nothing major. I doubt if I'll need any surgery. It's getting better and better. I don't see any surgery in my future.'"
Chris McCosky of The Detroit News: "Lateral moves or worse have pretty much been all he has been offered for his four core players thus far. And Joe Dumars has made it clear he's not interested in making lateral moves. Unless something much bolder comes out of the blue, it is becoming more and more likely that the core group will return for one more run. As for free agents, James Jones, the swing man from Portland, seems like the most probable signee. What I didn't realize at first, though, was he opted to leave $3.1 million on the table to get out of Portland. He's going to want more than that to start. If he gets $4 million or more from another team, the Pistons probably would bow out. James Posey is intriguing. Teams, especially those already with lofty payrolls, can't afford to give a full mid-level to a reserve player, even one as accomplished as Posey. It doesn't look like the Celtics are going to offer him a full mid-level (especially if they land Maggette). I doubt the Pistons would offer him the full mid-level, either, but that could change. I am not throwing in the towel on Posey just yet."
Sekou Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Mike Woodson was all smiles seeing Acie Law on the floor so early and already having worked up a ferocious sweat while working on his shot and an assortment of other things during his early morning workout. Law retired to the weight room (allowing me a few minutes to trade questions and answers with Woodson for an upcoming piece on Law) and when he finished with that part of his routine he headed out the door for a therapy session for his injured wrist that caused him problems during his rookie season (he said the wrist feels fine and that the therapy three days a week has done wonders). He admitted to being wired up for the upcoming season and even more fired about his chance to compete in mini-camp and summer league. 'I can't wait,' he said, uttering a phrase rarely heard from the lips of a second-year guy in the middle of his first NBA summer."
Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle: "Tracy McGrady is under contract for two more seasons. By the end of the 2009-2010 season, the only definite salary obligation on the books will be the $7.3 million coming to Battier. Yao has a player's option to play out the 2010-2011 season for just under $17 million, which means the Rockets will have salary-cap room to go in just about any direction they choose. Psst: That just happens to be the summer that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Manu Ginobili, among others, can be free agents. The Rockets could lock up Yao, a high-end free agent and have money to spend. 'We're in a good situation,' Daryl Morey said. 'We can go all-in a little bit with this core, which we think is a good core. And if for whatever reason it doesn't work, we've got a lot of flexibility.'"
Pete Thamel of The New York Times: "Brandon Jennings, who is 6 feet 2 inches and from Los Angeles, has given strong indications that he will play in Europe next season. An announcement is expected soon, and it could cause a ripple effect for other high school players considering jumping overseas to play until they are eligible for the N.B.A. draft. Professional teams in Italy are among the European clubs that have expressed interest in Jennings, who would most likely get a minimum of $300,000, including salary and endorsements. 'If it turns out to be successful, there would be more going,' Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun said. 'It will not just be your eyes as a reporter and my eyes as a coach watching. It will be all the eyes of basketball, particularly the eyes of young people, saying, 'Is that a great way to get experience?''"
Elton Alexander of The Plain Dealer: "Shooting guard Stephen Curry became the core Cinderella story on the Cinderella team of the 2008 NCAA Tournament with his high-scoring exploits. But the rising Davidson junior arrived for the last two days of the LeBron James Skills Academy with another focus. At a slight 6-1, he is destined to be a point guard if he has NBA aspirations. So he was in Akron's Rhodes Arena with the select 23 others to go through drills with Nike coaches and play games in front of some NBA scouts. ... 'For me, to get outside of our Davidson system, this helps me out a lot,' Curry said. 'Playing against this caliber of competition in drills and games can only help all of us. I have to work on the point guard spot for next year, so I'm playing five-on-five with these kind of guys, working on ball-handling and spacing. Now [with his shooting] I can add a little something to my game.'"
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