Maurice Brooks just got home from Las Vegas, and has the following closing thoughts:
By Maurice Brooks
True story. After catching a red-eye flight from Las Vegas to New Jersey, I sat on my couch this morning in an attempt to write my final thoughts on the 21-team, 10-day, 53-game tournament that is NBA Summer League, which came to a close on Sunday. But while typing, I dozed off, leaving me with four pages of the letter "j" to delete. If summer league left me that tired, imagine how the players and coaches are feeling.
With that said, it's time to honor some of my Vegas favorites. Since most of my mid-point award winners would still be my end-of-the-league award winners, here is my last batch of observations:
The Lottery Picks
- O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies (No. 3 pick): He had two signature plays -- the dunk and the buzzer-beater -- but he also showed he has the ability to play both guard positions; the game appears to come easy to him. He is a star in the making.
- Kevin Love, Wolves (No. 5): He put up points (18.0 per game), led the league in rebounds (13.5) and threw a couple of his signature outlet passes before shutting it down with a sore Achilles. His footwork was perfect and he was the league's best all-around big man.
- Danilo Gallinari, Knicks (No. 6): He played in only one game -- stinking it up in the first half and lighting it up in the second half. It appeared he needed a couple of quarters to adjust to the pace of the game and find his rhythm.
- Eric Gordon, Clippers (No. 7): He was arguably the worst shooter in Sin City, making just 32 percent of his attempts in two games before getting hurt and shutting it down. On a positive note, I liked the fact that he was ultra-aggressive.
- Joe Alexander, Bucks (No. 8): On offense, he appears comfortable standing around on the perimeter launching jump shots. That would be fine if his shots were falling, but for the most part they weren't. However, he did demonstrate that he is a good passer. Overall, he averaged 9.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and shot 34.6 percent from the field.
- D.J. Augustin, Bobcats (No. 9): Forget about his assists numbers for now, Augustin was able to get where he wanted to with the rock whenever he wanted to. He played in only three of Charlotte's five games, but when he was on the court, there was no doubt who was in charge. He averaged 19.7 points on just 10.6 shot attempts per game, while connecting on 56 percent from the field.
- Jerryd Bayless, Blazers (No. 11): MVP. 'Nuf said.
- Jason Thompson, Kings (No. 12): See "Favorite Clutch Player" below.
- Anthony Randolph, Warriors (No. 14): The 6-foot-10 forward was practically impossible to stop off the dribble in one-on-one situations and he showed a nice touch from the outside. He is the perfect combination of speed and height.
My Favorite Sixer: Marreese Speights
Even though he spells his first name funny, I was thoroughly impressed with the play of Speights, who was one of just three players to average a double-double (Minnesota's Kevin Love and Denver's Elton Brown were the other two). The 6-foot-10 power forward averaged 18.2 points and was second in the league in rebounds (10.2) and blocked shots (2.2). With his ability to finish around the rim and attack the glass, he could eventually be the perfect backup for Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert.
My Favorite Bricklayer: Marco Belinelli, Warriors Although I wouldn't bet against him in a 3-point shooting contest, the guy with the pretty shot put up some ugly field goal percentage numbers. Belinelli hit just five of his last 24 attempts and made just 39 percent of his shots from the floor overall.
Mr. Efficiency: Alando Tucker, Suns
Five players (Portland's Jerryd Bayless, Houston's Donte' Greene, Sacramento's Quincy Douby, Phoenix's Alando Tucker and Golden State's Anthony Randolph) averaged more than 20 points per game. Of those five, only Tucker attempted fewer than 15 shots per game (12.6) and had a field goal percentage over 49 percent (57.1).
My Favorite Gunner: Donte Greene, Rockets
Greene sent a message to the teams that let him slip to No. 28 in the draft by scoring 40 points on 12-for-20 shooting in his first summer-league game. He then went out and missed 35 of 51 shot attempts over the course of his next three games. But that mini-slump didn't hurt Greene's confidence. He ended summer league with a strong 9-for-16 showing (22 points) as the Rockets topped the Kings on Sunday. Greene, who shot 42.5 percent overall, finished second to Portland's Jerryd Bayless in scoring with an average of 22.6 points per game.
Not A Point Guard: Brandan Wright, Warriors
Wright had a nice week, highlighted by his opening-day performance of 17 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots in a win against the Sixers. However, in four games (120 minutes), the forward failed to register an assist. Not a single one.
The Body Guard: Joey Dorsey, Rockets
Houston's Joey Dorsey described himself as "Ray Lewis with a basketball" and then tried to show his toughness by getting ejected from a game while in street clothes. Watch.
My Favorite Comeback: Robert Traylor, Cavaliers
After playing in Puerto Rico last season, Robert "Tractor" Traylor was in Vegas as a member of the Cavaliers. The big body, who was basically auditioning for all of the general managers in attendance, had a decent stretch of games, averaging 5.3 points and five rebounds in four Cleveland losses.
Mr. Clutch of Summer League: Jason Thompson, Kings
Thompson hit not one, but two game-winning shots. His three-point play in overtime helped the Kings top the Blazers, and he had a tip-in and free throw in the final 20 seconds of a three-point victory over the Warriors. The 6-foot-11 forward out of Rider averaged 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest.
My Favorite For Lottery-Pick Bust: Joe Alexander, Bucks
As of now, this honor has to go to Alexander. Let's see what happens ...
- Maurice Brooks is an NBA editor for ESPN.com. He can be reached at mbrooksnba@gmail.com.
