SB Nation - Anthony Roberson

Game Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

C.A. Clark — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:11:39 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Just a few short hours from now, your World Champion Los Angeles Lakers will finally take the court for the opening game of the regular season. Despite the fact that our fan base had a shorter summer than all the others, I think everyone would agree with me that it has been too long. For me, the months between an old season's ending and a new season's beginning pass like gall stones, slow and painful, and nothing can be better than the return of the NBA to my life.

So, without further ado, here are some quick thoughts regarding the Lakers and their upcoming opponents in tonight's contest, our cross-arena foes, the Los Angeles Clippers.

How do the two teams look coming into tonight's contest?

Since both teams have identical 0-0 records coming into the game, there isn't a whole lot to say about how the teams have fared recently. But I guess they play those preseason games for a reason, so we'll glean what we can from the 0th season. The Clippers had a very successful preseason, going 6-2 with standout victories against the Spurs, Hornets, Jazz, Trailblazers, and of course, Maccabi Tel Aviv. Since Israel is a couple seasons away from having an NBA franchise, it's clear that the actual results of these games don't matter. However, there are a few things that can be learned about the Clippers this season.

Baron Davis is in fantastic shape. I have no idea whether his new fitness regime will translate to him deciding to actually drive to the basket instead of simply hoisting another 3 point shot. I have no idea if his new found figure is a commitment to turning the Clippers into a successful team, or just part of his master plan to get more sponsorships for diet plans. But Davis has shown in the past that he can be an elite player when his heart is into it, and if his commitment to fitness this season is any indication, he's ready to reaffirm his elite status.
What about the rest of his team? They were a motley group last season, thrown into a funk by the betrayal of Elton Brand, and coached into the 7th circle of hell by Mike Dunleavy. I don't ever remember a team quitting on the season as early as the Clippers seemed to ... or was that just Baron Davis. Regardless, the Clippers have a fair amount of talent. Kaman has shown that he's one of the few true centers in the league, and he's got a decent array of post moves. Eric Gordan looks like a real winner. And Blake Griffin has shown glimpses of a tremendous amount of athleticism and ability. In short, the Clippers future is bright ... or at least it would be, if they weren't cursed worse than the Pirates of the Caribbean. Which brings us to our next point.
Blake Griffin blew out his knee. Not to get to Simmons-esque on you here, but what percentage of people saw Blake Griffin's inevitable injury coming? 50%? 80%? 100%? Simmons himself predicted it. As tragic as it is, there can't be a single person surprised by it. Clippers fans should unfortunately know better than to believe in their team. There is always something that will screw up this franchise. If they aren't willing to do it themselves with poor play, poor coaching, and poor personnel decisions, then God has repeatedly proven to be willing to pick up the slack in keeping the Clippers' franchise down. It brings me no joy to see this happen to that franchise time and time again. I'd love for the Clippers to be good. If nothing else, a serious cross-town rivalry would add a unique flair to our experiences as fans. But the writing is on the wall, and its been there for the entirety of the Clippers existence.

After the jump, some Lakers thoughts, and the matchups for tonight's game.

We've already given you much more information than you needed to know about how the Lakers look coming into this season, so these thoughts are specifically related to what should be a special night in Staples Center

The main event for Lakers fans tonight isn't even the game itself, but the ring ceremony which will precede the game. We already know just how special this championship was for the team, especially the team leaders: Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher, and of course, Kobe Bryant. While it won't have quite the same magical feel to it as when the team held up the Larry O'Brien while Kobe lifted his first Finals MVP, tonight will be a re-affirmation of all the hard work the Lakers went through last year, and it should be a relatively emotional night. Besides, any time you get a chance to see ridiculous amounts of bling, it's always a good time.
There's a potential for a letdown tonight, with the double dose of getting championship rings and playing the lowly Clippers. But it's the first game of the season, a season in which the Lakers know a very strong start is mandatory in order for them to set the pace for the rest of the league, so it seems nearly impossible that the Lakers start the season off flat.
Pau Gasol might miss tonight's season opener. It's a game time decision, but it looks more and more likely that El Spaniard will sit this one out. Since the Clips front line is also depleted with the loss of Griffin, it shouldn't cause too much trouble for the Lakers tonight

Matchups

With Griffin out, the Clippers will likely move Marcus Camby into the starting lineup, giving the Clippers a starting 5 of Baron Davis, Eric Gordan, Rasual Butler, Marcus Camby, and Chris Kaman. The obvious strength of the lineup is the backcourt, as Davis and Gordan are probably the two best players on the team, without Griffin. Assuming Gasol also doesn't play, the Lakers will trot out Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. It's the first game of the season, so forgive me for not knowing exactly what kind of rotations the teams will use, but the Clippers are likely to bring Ricky Davis, Al Thornton, Anthony Roberson, and Craig Smith (who absolutely killed the Lakers in the preseason) off the bench. For the Lakers, you'll see the usual suspects, Farmar, Brown, Vujacic, Walton, and a little bit of Mbenga and Powell thrown in for good measure.

Obviously, the matchups favor the Lakers, since they have a pretty large talent advantage over the Clippers. With Gasol out, you can count on a large early dose of feeding Bynum in the post and on the secondary fast break to start the game. The coaches will be looking to set Bynum up with the same kind of starts he's been seeing all preseason, and it should come as no surprise if Bynum is in double figures by the end of the 1st quarter. Other then that, Odom should have a significant speed advantage over who ever is guarding him, as the Clippers don't have any other athletic 4s waiting behind Griffin. The Clips also don't have an elite perimeter defender, so Kobe will get whatever Kobe wants, or the Clips will be forced to double team, leaving wide open shots for the rest of the team. The only matchup that will cause the Lakers problems is the point guard position. Baron Davis' new, svelte, body should have no problem getting by Fisher's old bones, and it'll be important for Odom and Bynum to protect the rim without picking up fouls, because foul trouble for either one causes the Lakers to have to use Josh Powell or DJ Mbenga for significant amounts of time, and the drop off in talent there is tremendous. Also, Kobe needs to just stay home on his man tonight. I don't like Gordon's chances to blow by Kobe, but if Kobe leaves his man, Gordon will drain the open 3.

Off the bench, it'll be important for Powell (or Walton if the Lakers go smaller) to focus all of his energy on boxing out Craig Smith so that Smith doesn't repeat his ridiculous preseason line of 26-7 in 22 minutes. Other than that, the Clippers bench looks pretty ugly, and the Lakers bench should theoretically have an easy time dominating this rag-tag group. In other interesting bench news, tonight will be our first real glimpse of how PJ intends to handle the rotation in a game that actually counts. After the questions about Ron Artest fitting in, and Bynum achieving results in line with his potential, the bench rotations qualify as the 3rd biggest question surrounding the team this year. Who's the first guard off the bench? Do the Lakers go small with Brown and Farmar together? Do they go really small with Brown, Farmar, and Sasha? These questions won't be answered definitively tonight, but we'll at least catch a first glimpse of reality instead of grasping at straws from meaningless preseason games.

In the end, this should be a comfortable Lakers victory, and I expect nothing less on Ring Night.

FYI, since it's the first night of the season, and there happens to be a pretty fantastic opening game, and we'd like to give you all the time you need to re-adjust to live blogging the games, our game thread will start with the first game at 5 P.M.

Waive Goodbye, Part 1

Jon L — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:35 -0000

by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

Paul Davis poses for trading card photo. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

View full size photo »

Here it is; the long-awaited (okay maybe not), oft-promised look at who got waived and who made an NBA roster. I'm breaking this up into three parts, and here's what they'll look like: for each team, there will be a list of who got cut and who got kept (and yes I know the grammar isn't great, but that's what I've decided to go with). To make it interesting, I'll look at one Eastern Conference team and one Western Conference team each day. I probably won't discuss every player, since at this point in his career Juan Dixon can do whatever as far as I'm concerned, but I'll try to hit most of the players who either previously spent time in the D-League or might be considering it as an option this season. I'm also operating under the assumption that the vast majority of guys that I talk about will be playing in Europe. The season's already started over there in a lot of places, but there's usually room for one more skilled American player. Nonetheless, I'll try to keep the D-League optimism up. Okay? Okay. So here we go. First up: the Southeast and Pacific Divisions, below the jump.

Atlanta Hawks

Who got cut: Juan Dixon, Mike Wilks, Courtney Sims, Garrett Siler, Mario West

Who got kept: No one.

Sims and Siler are the main guys to know here, as Dixon, Wilks and West are all veterans at this point who will jump into the pool of emergency guards for less thoughtful teams to sign in case, I dunno, Eric Gordon gets hurt or something. Sims has admirers around the team, and he's showed off his scoring in the preseason, but the rebounding that was so good in the D-League last year has been largely absent thus far. That kind of game (among other reasons) makes me think he's bound for overseas despite the fact that he intrigues front offices. If they really cared, he'd have a contract by now. Siler, on the other hand, is just coming onto the scene and has nice touch and solid rebounding ability. He's just, let's call it "large." If I had to guess I'd say he's a more likely candidate for the D-League, where getting "large" guys into shape seems to be the stock in trade. He's already pretty effective as it is, and he doesn't seem have the foul problems that plague other "large" gentlemen like Mike Sweetney or Kentrell Gransberry, so if he can shed the weight then he might start garnering more serious interest.

Charlotte Bobcats

Who got cut: Dontell Jefferson, Antonio Anderson

Who got kept: Stephen Graham

I was actually kind of shocked at this one. Jefferson is a great man defender (and an all-aaround good guy) who the Bobcats seemed to like (they called him up last year), plus one of their better (if not their best) perimeter defenders with a guaranteed contract just got hurt. So why wouldn't they keep him? Stephen Graham is fine as a player, and he's a D-League success story of sorts so I shouldn't knock him too hard, but while he's a better rebounder than Jefferson, he's not as good of a defender. Hopefully Jefferson comes to the D-League and gets called up quickly, but either of those happening is unlikely, let alone both of them.

Golden State Warriors

Who got cut: Diamon Simpson, Shaun Pruitt

Who got kept: No one

Simpson is raw. Really, really, really raw. But intriguing (at least to me). I thought so when he was on Washington's Summer League team, but he got cut before they played any games and I don't think he played any in the preseason for Golden State, either. It would behoove him to go to the D-League, but who knows if that will happen. He's a Dominic McGuire-type, if McGuire is good enough to have his own type, but it boils down to this: a lot of hustle, the tools to be a very good defender, a very good rebounder, undersized as a PF but no offensive game to make up for it. Who doesn't like that kind of player? Anyway, he'll need to learn some offense somewhere, so why not the D-League? ASSUMING he enters the draft, I could see Rio Grande Valley drafting him and developing him for the Rockets, who are enamored with 6'7" power forwards who rebound really, really well. But what I think should happen and what does happen are usually two different things. Example: Fernwood 2Nite is still not on DVD.

Los Angeles Clippers

Who got cut: Anthony Roberson, Taj Gray, Jerel McNeal

Who got kept: Kareem Rush

Sorry Mike Wilks, Juan Dixon and Mario West, your fellow Brotherhood of Mediocre Shooting Guards member Kareem Rush got this. Roberson is likely headed back to Europe, with all the rest of the good three-point shooters. So is Gray. Jerel McNeal could stick around this neck of the woods, because he's a.) younger and b.) still could use some work on his offensive game. His DraftExpress "best case" is supposedly Shannon Brown, so there's some D-League-to-NBA precedent for a guy like McNeal, and he's solid enough all-around that if he continues to cut down on his turnovers he could draw some real interest.

Los Angeles Lakers

Who got cut: Mickael Gelabale, David Monds, Tony Gaffney, Michael Fey, Thomas Kelati

Who got kept: No one

Somewhat off-topic, but at this point I'm wondering what the point of the Lakers having their own D-League affiliate is. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but...who was the last player they developed in-house? Jordan Farmar, I guess? Does Josh Powell count since he never plays? I know that they're in "win-now" mode as long as Kobe Bryant is on the team, but heck, trading for Adam Morrison? They could've found someone else, put him on the D-Fenders for two years, and still eventually have gotten more out of him than Morrison will end up giving them. And no, this isn't about cutting Sun Yue. Okay, maybe it's partially about cutting Sun Yue. But that was the plan with Mickael Gelabale, I assume, who has a lot of talent and a knack for scoring. But he couldn't earn a deal and DJ Mbenga could? Mbenga is good for something, right? I mean, he is, right? I could've sworn he did something well at some point. David Monds played very well for the Lakers' Summer League team, so that likely got him some attention even if his preseason didn't. I'm willing to bet that he comes back to the D-League, just not heavily.

Miami Heat

Who got cut: John Lucas, Alade Aminu, Andre Brown, Anthony Tolliver

Who got kept: Carlos Arroyo, Shavlik Randolph

Sigh. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Not that Arroyo is still around, I guess, since he's not the worst option out there and can run the pick and roll adequately, but Lucas really can play, size notwithstanding. I'm pretty sure Lucas has had some problems with not being paid by his European employers in the past, so it could be that he's soured on the enterprise, and if he comes back to the D-League he'll join the Maine Red Claws, but my best guess is that he'll try going overseas again and hope to get his check on time. Aminu may try his hand at the D-League, since his younger (and more talented) brother is still in college. Aminu played some decent defense for Washington's Summer League team, and he's pretty athletic along with being a decent ball-handler for a 6'10" guy. He needs to work on not turning the ball over and acquiring some post moves, and the D-League is as good a place as any to do that.

Orlando Magic

Who got cut: Morris Almond

Who got kept: Linton Johnson

I'm a little surprised that Johnson is still around, although Adonal Foyle got hurt so there's room for another frontcourt player. Sort of. I mean with Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Vince Carter and Matt Barnes around I'm not really sure how much playing time Johnson will get, even in practice. Some of those guys can play guard, true, but this team is apparently committed to the Jason Williams Reclamation Project and not, you know, keeping a guard who can actually help the team out. It's a good question where Almond goes from here, as he's "done with the D-League." Maybe he joins Dixon, et al. or maybe he just cuts his losses and heads yonder, but either way I can't shake the feeling that he never really got a fair look this offseason.

Phoenix Suns

Who got cut: Carlos Powell, Dan Dickau, Raymond Sykes

Who got kept: No one.

Well, at least our long national Dan Dickau nightmare is over. Powell played very well in the preseason, and the team spoke well of him which should help combat some old on-court character issues. He's a strong call-up candidate this season should he go to the D-League, and he's been working hard to get to the NBA so he may go that route. I've already linked to it once, but for more on Powell's play I recommend this Bright Side of the Sun post.

Sacramento Kings

Who got cut: Lanny Smith, Melvin Ely

Who got kept: No one.

I would bet that Smith returns to the D-League. He's not that far removed from breaking his foot in college, and he was a backup in Idaho last year, so he still has a lot to show. He can play, though, and it shouldn't be too surprising if he becomes a top point guard in the D-League this year. That's assuming he goes there, however, and not overseas. He played for the "NBA Generations" team that played in Korea and the Philippines, so he's gotten some international exposure, and non-US teams could come calling.

Washington Wizards

Who got cut: Vincent Grier

Who got kept: Paul Davis

Grier never really played, so this isn't a shock. He's a pretty good combo guard and scorer, but the Wizards have a ton of shooting guards on the team so this was always going to be a longshot. Paul Davis is sticking around because Antawn Jamison will be out for at least a month, and the team was already thin up front. As in, Fabricio Oberto who was signed to be the end-of-bench veteran presence, is now the starting power forward. Davis is now the fifth big, and he's defied my expectations by playing pretty well this preseason, averaging about 18 points and nine rebounds per 36 minutes while staying out of foul trouble. He shot 5-10 from the floor, and I have no idea where those shots came from exactly, but one reason I was skeptical is that last season his eFG percentages were .333 on "close" shots and .344 on jump shots (as determined by 82games.com), which are pretty bad. As long as the Wizards don't expect much from Davis on the offensive end other than dunks and tip-ins, they should be fine.

SummerBulls 90, SummerKnicks 84

Seth — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:23:39 -0000

A sloppy fourth quarter allowed the Chicago Bulls' Summer League team to muster a late comeback and drop the Knicks to 0-4 in Summer League play. Though the collapse was worthy of some attention (and I'll give it some), a couple of SummerKnicks posted their best individual efforts so far. Player breakdowns, after the jump...

Jordan Hill- Ok, so maybe it wasn't "a couple" players. It was really just Hill who had his best game. I had to get you to click through somehow. Hill didn't get any stronger or more athletic over night, but he at least looked more at ease with the balll and made a more focused effort on defense. With his back to the basket, the rookie showed a relatively fluid array of drop steps and turnaround jumpers. There were also a couple of powerful finishes because of good spacing and a well-caught pass. Perhaps most relevant were Hill's 2 blocked shots, which were both the last line of defense against slashing Bulls. He also got called for 9 fouls, but at least 1 of those fouls was bullshit. Meanwhile, Hill's got quick hands, and gets plenty of deflections on the defensive end. Only thing is he treats rebounds the same way. I'm sure someone on the Knicks coaching staff has told him to grab boards with two hands, and I'd like to co-sign that.

In conclusion, I've decided that the best adjective to describe Jordan Hill is "noodly". I'd call him "Noodle" but we've already got dudes nicknamed "Cock" and "Nuts" on the team, and people might look at us funny. Not that they don't already.

Toney Douglas- Toney's shot was falling for the first time in Vegas. He hit a couple midrange J's and stepped out for a long 2 from the top of the arc. He also did what Toney Douglas do on defense, and that's hustle his ass off. Not only can he stay in front of his man, but he's got a gift for picking pockets.

All that said, Douglas faced his first major challenge against a Bulls defense that opted to pressure him the length of the court. For the most part, he did a good enough job of breaking the press and starting the offense, but there were a few lapses in his point guard play. One relatively innocuous error was to repeatedly pull a step-back dribble at exactly halfcourt. He only got called for it once, but stricter refs could've whistled three or four halfcourt violations. More troubling was his uncharacteristically deferential play down the stretch. The Bulls were mounting a massive comeback, but instead of grabbing the reins, Douglas would simply bring the ball up, hand it off, and get out of the way. Perhaps the best example of this was when the Knicks were down 3 points with less than a minute remaining. Toney walked the ball up far too casually, then passed it off to Joe Crawford, who was moseying past halfcourt. The refs whistled an 8-second violation- an embarrassing end to an embarrassing collapse. I know that Toney's trying to cement his status as a point guard, but I would've liked to see him respond to the pressure by attacking the rim. More than 7 shot attempts and 0 free throw attempts might've spearheaded a Knick win.

Meanwhile, Harry Douglas, receiver for the Falcons and brother of Toney, was interviewed by Tina Cervasio. That's just a cool-ass family.

The other SummerKnicks were solid, but did little of note. Nikoloz Tskitishvili's jumper wasn't falling (0-4 from three), but he displayed a guard-like ability to put the ball on the floor and finish at the rim. 9 free throw attempts for a 7-footer who never posts up is impressive. Skita also tallied 2 blocked shots, including an aerial punishment of Anthony Roberson in the second quarter. That's for missing all your shots in New York, ANTHONY.

The two shooting guards played their games ably. Morris Almond got a little out of hand, with a few mindless heaves and an offensive foul or two in transition, but hey, that's why we love him. Joe Crawford was comparatively quiet, but went 2-3 from downtown and finished with 10 points and the prestigious "Beard of the Game" award for his fourth straight outing. No, Nikoloz, that landing strip isn't gonna get any love.

Behind the booth, Gus and Clyde were at their absolute best. They interviewed Glen Grunwald (boring) and Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton (enlightening), but really made the evening with their irrelevant banter. At one point, the two were discussing the five-day camp that Clyde leads at the end of the month. Gus asked him if he plays one-on-one against the campers, and he replied "Yeah, I'm undefeated in the 10-12 age group. My reputation overwhelms them". Who's cool enough to get away with saying that? Clyde is. That's who.

Perhaps the best exchange between Gus and Clyde was when MSG showed a shot of a baby sitting quietly in his cradle in the crowd. The following exchange occured (this is from memory, so it may be a bit off):

Gus: "We've got some rookies in the building! What a cute kid."

Clyde: "He's not quite ready to play these rookies yet."

Gus: "Look at those feet!"

Clyde: "Cool-looking dude, too!"

(At this point, the baby began to cry)

Gus: "Uh-oh!"

Clyde: "Oh wait! Losing his cool!"

The only thing that could have made it better would've been a "rocking and shocking!" or "pacifying and electrifying!" on Clyde's part.

And that's what I've got. The final Vegas game is today at 4 p.m. eastern. I should be able to catch at least part of the action, but I'm signed up to eat dinner with my grandparents this evening, and you know those kids eat early. So, if anybody wants to do a recap in my stead, send me an email or let me know in the comments. I should have a game thread up in time. Enjoy your Sundays.

2009 NBA Summer League: OKC Thunder vs Chicago Bulls

Mr Pappagiorgio — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:30:09 -0000

2009 Oklahoma City Thunder Summer League Roster
Num	Player	Position	Height	Weight	From
34	Tony Durant	F	6-7	245	Towson University
11	Richard Roby	G	6-6	205	Colorado
15	Marcus Dove	F	6-9	212	Unknown
17	Moses Ehambe	F	6-6	200	Oral Roberts
13	James Harden	G	6-5	220	Arizona State
50	DeVon Hardin	C	6-11	235	California
9	Serge Ibaka	F	6-10	220	Congo (Zaire)
14	Shaun Livingston	G	6-7	185	No College
2	Keith McLeod	G	6-2	190	Bowling Green
23	Byron Mullens	C	7-0	275	Ohio State
45	Doug Thomas	F	6-8	245	Iowa
30	Robert Vaden	G	6-5	205	Alabama-Birmingham
5	Kyle Weaver	G	6-6	201	Washington State
3	D.J. White	F	6-9	251	Indiana

2009 bulls Summer League Roster
Num	Player	Position	Height	Weight	From
35	Tyrell Biggs	F	6-8	235	Pittsburgh
32	Brandon Costner	F	6-9	230	North Carolina State
2	Bryan Mullins	G	6-2	190	Southern Illinois
3	Josh Shipp	G	6-5	215	UCLA
50	Luke Zeller	C	6-11	240	Notre Dame
40	James Augustine	F-C	6-10	240	Illinois
22	Taj Gibson	F	6-9	225	Southern California
11	Taurean Green	G	6-0	185	Florida
54	Linton Johnson	F	6-8	205	Tulane
16	James Johnson	F	6-8	245	Wake Forest
42	Nick Lewis	F-C	6-11	240	San Diego
14	Lorenzo Mata-Real	C-F	6-8	230	UCLA
21	DeMarcus Nelson	G	6-4	200	Duke
5	Anthony Roberson	G	6-2	180	Florida

Game Thread: Bucks/Bulls

Frank Madden — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:01:52 -0000

0-1		2-0
	vs.
July 15, 2009 - 5:00 PM CT
Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
TV: NBA.com Stream
Probable starters:
DeMarcus Nelson	PG	Brandon Jennings
Anthony Roberson	SG	Jodie Meeks
James Johnson	SF	Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Taj Gibson	PF	Joe Alexander
James Augustine	C	Amir Johnson

NBA Summer League Day Five Recap - Spurs Win

Wayne Vore (ATS) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:23:37 -0000

Because of the way the schedule was set up today, I only watched three games. Yes, I know, it is very disappointing that I didn't catch a fourth, which I am sure you have grown accustomed to.

Our beloved Spurs played the night cap and eeked out a 78-76 victory.

Yours truly got a big laugh out of Ian Mahinmi after the game. Ian Interview Game Two

[Update]: A very nice recap of the game and evaluation of Ian by Timothy Varner at 48MoH.

Game One - Knicks vs Grizzlies

The Grizz whipped up on the Knicks in the fourth quarter to take this one 90-86.

Memphis Grizzlies

DeMarre Carroll - I love me some DeMarre Carroll. 9 points and 4 rebounds will get you a yawn from most people. I like everything he does on the court. He hustles. He rebounds. He handles the ball intelligently. Give him a couple years to work on his shot and he will be a top-tier role player on a team.
Hamed Haddadi - The big Iranian is only 24 and he is WAY better than Thabeet right now. He's got really nice, and VERY large hands. Good court vision. He had a very slick pass to Darrell Arthur that spoke volumes for his coordination. He caught a pass in the paint while cutting across the lane and executed a nice little scoop pass just as he caught the ball to Arthur who was cutting in from the wing. It was gorgeous. He also had 2 blocks and 5 boards in 12 minutes.
Darrell Arthur - He's got a really nice jumper and excellent moves within in 15 feet. He was impossible for them to stop.
Hasheem Thabeet - I still don't like what I see from him. His defensive game is decent, but his hands are terrible. Kwame Brown terrible. Enough said.

New York Knicks

Morris Almond - Great shooter. End of story.
Jordan Hill - I wasn't really paying attention to him. He didn't stand out to me, but his numbers where decent. 13 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes.
Joe Crawford - He wowed us with a couple plays.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili - The big man can shoot. 3 of 5 from downtown. 12 points and 4 rebounds in 26 minutes.

Game Two - Bulls vs Warriors

This was my fourth look at the Warriors. More of the same.

Golden State Warriors

Anthony Randolph - This was his show. He put up 42. Yes, 42. He was 13-22 from the field and 16-21 from the line. This was his first game in which he didn't have a double-double as he only came up with 3 rebounds. The funny part is that me and another guy were joking about what kinds of questions we could ask him. Like, "Anthony, you only had 3 rebounds. Do you think that kind of performance is going to help you get playing time?" Hahahaha. Anyway, we are coming up with all kinds of asinine questions we could ask him, and you know what, in his post game interview he brings up his 3 rebounds as something to work on. I can't believe he's only played one year. His offensive game is ridiculous. He's still fairly poor on the defensive end, but crikey the man can score.
Stephen Curry - He's shooting 31% in four games. On 70 shots. Yes, 70 shots. He's got a better handle than I thought he would but I think he's going to have a hard time when the games aren't called so tightly.

Chicago Bulls

James Augustine - I fairly certain he played in the Spanish ACB League with Unicaja last year. He has a complete game. He showed great body control and ball skills. He went 10-11 from the field and pulled down 7 rebounds in 34 minutes.
James Johnson - The rookie from Wake Forest has some potential. He went for 21 and 8. I want to watch him a little more closely.
Taj Gibson - The rookie from USC was very active. He ended with 14 points and 12 rebounds in just under 30 minutes.
DeMarcus Nelson - 4-12 from the field.
Anthony Roberson - 3-13 from the field.
Bench - The Bulls bench went 0-11 from the field.

Game Three - Spurs vs Nuggets

The Spurs turnovers and fouls kept the Nuggets in this game. We held them to 34% shooting and out rebounded them by 10.

Denver Nuggets

Coby Karl - He made a LOT of shots. He missed one. He had 19 points and, in general, was very good.
Ronald Dupree - 13 points.

San Antonio Spurs

Ian Mahinmi - The inauspicious triple double. Or is it triple bumble? He did look good for long stretches. All in all, I'm very pleased with this performance after Sunday's. Plus, I made him GOL. Or was that LOL?
James Gist - I'm not sure if he played poorly or played well and just didn't have stats.
Malik Hairston - I am really starting to like his composure and presence. He had 17 points on 7-11 shooting. Only 2 rebounds in 31 minutes though. I would like to see other contributions in the stat sheet. I do think, however, that he played good defense.
Jack McClinton - Another 0-2 in only 11 minutes. He did have the Spurs only 4 assists in the first quarter. I'm not sure what is going on with him, but he still has 6 more missed to go to get into George Hill Land.
George Hill - The Spurs were terrible again with him not on the floor. He did miss a free throw. 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers.
Stephane Lasme - He was very active around the basket. While I don't think he has a shot to make the Spurs, I think he is doing a good job of getting himself a contract overseas.
Romel Beck - The guy can shoot. He doesn't make good decisions with the ball though. He'll probably be overseas as well.
Donnell Taylor - He was my favorite bench player tonight. He had 6 points and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes. He is still struggling at the point, but he's getting better.
Squeaky - His only dent in the stat sheet was 2 turnovers.

Day Five is in the books. Tomorrow, we get back to the full 4 game schedule for ATS. I enjoyed my short day, now back to the grind.

NBA Summer League Day Five Preview and Live Thread

Wayne Vore (ATS) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:18:35 -0000

We get a late start today, but we have 6 more games on tap. Our San Antonio Spurs play their second game. We also get 4 new teams today. The Knicks, Wizards, Bulls, and Nuggets. Your full, yet abbreviated preview, is beyond the the jump.

George with his pregame face.

Ok, here go. As always, all times are Spurs times.

Knicks vs Grizzlies at 5:00
Wizards vs Cavs at 5:30
Warriors vs Bulls at 7:00
Lakers vs Thunder at 7:30
Spurs vs Nuggets at 9:00
Clippers vs Hornets at 9:30

Players of interest today:

Knicks: They have the all bust team. Tskitishvili, Korolev, Sene. Oh, and Jordan Hill

Grizzlies: Thabeet, Haddadi, Arthur, Marcus Williams, Sam Young, DeMarre Carroll

Wizards: Young, McGuire, McGee, Heytvelt, Crittenten

Cavs: NONE

Warriors: Curry, Morrow, Randolph, Cartier, Atchley

Bulls: Taj Gibson, Linton Johnson, Anthony Roberson, DeMarcus Nelson

Lakers: NONE

Thunder: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Serge Ibaka, BJ Mullens, Shaun Livingston, DJ White

Spurs: Everybody

Nuggets: [Update] Ty Lawson, Coby Karl, Ronald Dupree, Sonny Weems, Kareem Rush

Clippers: Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, and Mike Taylor

Hornets: Julian Wright, Darren Collison

Official Salary Cap and Luxury Tax figures for your Chicago Bulls

your friendly BullsBlogger — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:45:21 -0000

AP:

The NBA salary cap has been set for next season at $57.7 million, a decline from 2008-09, allowing teams to begin signing players.

The figure the league announced Tuesday night was about $1 million less than last season's cap of $58.68 million, even though league-wide revenue rose 2.5 percent. The number is expected to drop further next season when the full effect of the economic difficulties hit.

The new salary cap went into effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, ending the NBA's moratorium period and allowing free agents to sign deals with teams.

The luxury tax level also dropped to $69.92 million. Any team whose salary exceeds that will have to pay $1 for every $1 it goes over.

(emphasis mine, and emphasis of the Bulls franchise)

I'll just copy the work of RealGM poster Tommy Udo 6, who figured how close the Bulls actually are to the tax threshold:

Signed:

Brad Miller – $12,250,000
Luol Deng - $10,365,000
Kirk Hinrich - $9,500,000
Jerome James – $ 6,600,000
Tim Thomas – $6,466,600
John Salmons - $6,429,151
Derrick Rose - $5,184,480
Tyrus Thomas – $4,743,598
Joakim Noah – $2,445,680
TOTAL for 9 players above = $63,984,509

To be Signed:

James Johnson - $1,594,080 (120% of rookie scale)
Taj Gibson - $1,039,800 (120% of rookie scale)
Aaron Gray – $1,000,497 (Qualifying Offer)
Anthony Roberson – $855,189 (Unguaranteed; Guaranteed date: July 10)
DeMarcus Nelson - $736,420 (Unguaranteed)

TOTAL for 14 players above = $69,210,495

So yeah, it's very close.

A couple things to add:

They have to carry at least 13 players on the roster
The reason the rookie's deals are 120% of the rookie scale (instead of simply the scale amount) is because that's the maximum they can sign for, and teams universally decide to do so.
It'll be a good indication as to whether Roberson's staying on the roster if he's on the Summer League roster.
I do not know why the Bulls extended that Qualifying Offer to Aaron Gray. They can still recind it, though I'm not quite sure what kind of dance must be done in terms of the player taking the qualifying offer before the team pulls it. Maybe Reinsdorf can arbitrarily pull the offer like he did with the extension to Ben Gordon last summer?
I tried to not mention Gordon, sorry. The release of these figures means he can officially become a Piston now, by the way.

NBA Summer League Rosters Taking Shape

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:00:21 -0000

UPDATED - check after the jump for everything updated in the past three days.

Alright, we got all of the personal mumbo-jumbo out of the way - let's begin with the Summer League coverage!

The Orlando of the NBA Summer League schedule (July 6-10) is here, the Vegas portion of the NBA Summer League schedule (July 10-19) is here and the NBA Summer League roster of your favorite team (so far) is... After the jump!

I was all drafted out, so sorry for the lack of posting going on this weekend - I sincerely apologize to all thirteen of you that were disappointed. As a show of goodwill, I worked feverishly throughout the weekend to scour my sources, google the news, and do anything and everything I could to start piecing together an accurate view of what your team will look like this Summer.

Granted, it's probably not likely to expect much out of some of these players, but each year there are players that pop up from nowhere in Summer League and impress enough to earn a spot on an NBA roster. The most recent example would be Bobby Brown from last season, though there are plenty more (and we'll look at them throughout the next week heading into the Orlando portion of NBA Summer League's).

After the jump, I've put together a list of which players I've (all but) confirmed. If you're aware of anymore, let me know in the comments! If you're unsure of one of the players, click on the link - it'll either take you to their SBNation page or, if they're a bit more obscure, whichever source linked them to said Summer League team.

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/29/09 9:21 AM CDT ] Added Wink Adams to New York

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/29/09 11:15 AM CDT ] Added Daniel Artest to Houston

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/29/09 9:34 PM CDT ] Added Paul Harris to Minnesota, from Cleveland

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/30/09 12:02 AM CDT ] Added Kevin Kruger to Utah

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/30/09 12:48 AM CDT ] Added Acie Law to Golden State

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/30/09 8:58 AM CDT ] Added Lee Cummard to Phoenix, Luke Nevill to New Orleans

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/30/09 10:27 AM CDT ] Added Alex Ruoff to Washington

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/30/09 12:59 PM CDT ] Added Trent Plaisted, Deron Washington, Will Bynum, Dwayne Jones, Clay Tucker, Ibrahim Jaaber and Matt Freije to Detroit

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/30/09 1:42 PM CDT ] Added Mohamed Tangara to Milwaukee

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 06/30/09 8:50 PM CDT ] Added Rod Benson to Houston, Demetris Nichols to Toronto

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 07/01/09 12:19 AM CDT ] Added Dar Tucker and Kevin Rogers to Dallas; Jaycee Carroll to New Orleans; completed Minnesota, Golden State and Utah

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 07/01/09 11:54 AM CDT ] Completed San Antonio, Orlando and Boston roster

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 07/01/09 2:08 PM CDT ] Added Phoenix roster, Robert Swift to Boston

[Note by Jon Lewallen, 07/01/09 2:50 PM CDT] Added Jim Baron to Washington

[Note by Jon Lewallen, 07/01/09 5:00 PM CDT] Completed Chicago, Sacramento and New Orleans rosters

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 07/01/09 6:40 PM CDT ] Completed Indiana, Milwaukee, New York, Oklahoma City, LA Clippers

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 07/01/09 8:02 PM CDT ] Completed Washington

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 07/02/09 4:05 PM CDT ] Completed Houston

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 07/02/09 5:31 PM CDT ] Completed Portland, Memphis

[Note by Jon Lewallen, 07/02/09 8:10 CDT ] Completed Philadelphia/N.J. roster

[Note by Scott Schroeder, 07/03/09 11:12 AM CDT ] Completed (?) Denver roster

[Note by Jon Lewallen, 07/07/09 7:45 PM CDT ] Completed Dallas, Detroit and D-League Select rosters

2009 ORLANDO SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTERS

Boston Celtics

Bryan Mullins, Lester Hudson, Chris Lofton, Gabe Pruitt, Bill Walker, J.R. Giddens, Michael Sweetney, Coby Karl, Darius Washington, Bryce Taylor, Kevin Rogers, Robert Swift,

Indiana Pacers

Aaron Jackson, Leo Lyons, Tyler Hansbrough, Brandon Rush, Josh McRoberts, A.J. Price, Roy Hibbert, Will Blalock, Trey Johnson, Anthony Smith, Derrick Byars, Courtney Sims, Scott Vander Meer,

Philadelphia 76ers/ New Jersey Nets

Blake Ahearn, Jrue Holiday, Marreese Speights, Dionte Christmas, Chris Johnson, Rob Kurz, Gary Forbes, Marcus Slaughter, Terrence Williams, Chris Douglas-Roberts, AJ Abrams, Jeff Adrien, Jason Ellis,

Oklahoma City Thunder

Serge Ibaka, Shaun Livingston, BJ Mullens, James Harden, Robert Vaden, DeVon Hardin, Russell Westbrook, Kyle Weaver, D.J. White, Marcus Dove, Moses Ehambe, DeAngelo Alexander, Richard Roby, Kyle Hines, Doug Thomas, Keith McLeod,

Orlando Magic

Ryan Anderson, Levance Fields, Richard Hendrix, Russell Robinson, Darian Townes, Maurice Ager, Lance Allred, Brian Chase, Ronald Dupree, Courtney Fells, C.J. Giles, Steven Milosevic, Jeremy Pargo, Milovan Rakovic, Jeremy Richardson

Utah Jazz

Eric Maynor, Gary Wilkinson, Goran Suton, Kosta Koufos, Kyrylo Fesenko, Wesley Matthews, Kevin Kruger, Kevin Lyde, Andre Ingram, James Augustine, Cedric Bozeman, Justin Reed, Josh Duncan, Jim Baron, Reyshawn Terry and Larry Turner

2009 VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTERS

Chicago Bulls

Luke Zeller, James Johnson, Taj Gibson, Bryan Mullins, Tyrell Biggs, Mario Austin, AD Vasallo, Anthony Roberson, Linton Johnson, Chris Davis, Taurean Green, Lorenzo Mata-Real, DeMarcus Nelson, Julius Hodge, Brandon Costner, James Augustine, Nick Lewis

Cleveland Cavaliers

Maureece Rice, Christian Eyenga, Danny Green, Jawad Williams, Darnell Jackson, Tarence Kinsey,

Dallas Mavericks

Aaron Miles, Rodrigue Beaubois, Ahmad Nivins, Curtis Jerrells, Dar Tucker, Kevin Rogers, Quinton Hosley, Damjan Rudez, Luke Jackson, Henry Dugat, Nick Calathes, Mickael Gelabale, Herbert Hill, Shan Foster, Trent Strickland, Andre Owens, Alfred Aboya, Moussa Seck, Bryson McKenzie

Detroit Pistons

Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers, Jonas Jerebko, Walter Sharpe, Trent Plaisted, Deron Washington, Will Bynum, Dwayne Jones, Clay Tucker, Ibrahim Jaaber, Michael Bramos, Andre Owens

Denver Nuggets

Richard Hendrix, Ty Lawson, Derrick Byars, Ronald Dupree, CJ Giles, Coby Karl, Kareem Rush, Cedric Simmons, Sonny Weems

Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry, Anthony Morrow, Anthony Randolph, Jermareo Davidson, Acie Law, Connor Atchley, Lawrence Hill, Joe Ingles, Jared Jordan, Cartier Martin, Quan Prowell, Lawrence Roberts, Jamal Sampson

Houston Rockets

Garrett Temple, Will Conroy, Jermaine Taylor, Chase Budinger, Rod Benson, Hassan Adams, Marcus Cousin, Joey Dorsey, Charles Gaines, Mike Green, Brad Newley, Maarty Leunen, Darryl Watkins, James White

Los Angeles Clippers

Kyle McAlarney, Kevinn Pinkney, Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, Mike Taylor, Sean Banks, Dionte Christmas, Marcellus Kemp, Nik Caner-Medley,

Los Angeles Lakers

Tony Gaffney, Chinemelu Elonu, Alan Anderson, Aron Bynes, Dominique Coleman, Terrel Harris, Justin Hawkins, Ben McCauley, David Monds, Adam Morrison, Taylor Rochestie, Luke Schenscher, Mustafa Shakur,

Milwaukee Bucks

Brandon Jennings, Salim Stoudamire, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Joe Alexander, Jodie Meeks, Dominic James,Mohamed Tangara, Will McDonald, Juan Palacios, Chris Richard, Szymon Szewczyk, Lorrenzo Wade

Minnesota Timberwolves

Ben Woodside, Corey Brewer, Jonny Flynn, Wayne Ellington, Paul Harris, Oleksiy Pecherov, Bobby Brown, Pat Carroll, Devin Green, Gerald Henderson, Steven Hill, Rob Kurz, Garrett Siler,

Memphis Grizzlies

Jeff Adrien, Hasheem Thabeet, DeMarre Carroll, Sam Young, Darrell Arthur, Hamed Haddadi, Daniel Ewing, Greg Stiemsma, Erik Daniels, Trey Gilder, Longar Longar, Brion Rush, Donta Smith, Marcus Williams

New Orleans Hornets

Marcus Thornton, Terry Martin, Darren Collison, Julian Wright, Luke Nevill, Jaycee Carroll, Earl Barron, Earl Calloway, Bryan Cusworth, Larry Owens, Marc Salyers, Courtney Sims, Anthony Tolliver, Quinton Watkins

New York Knicks

Jordan Hill, Blake Ahearn, Toney Douglas, Alex Acker, Wink Adams, Morris Almond, Warren Carter, Joe Crawford, Patrick Ewing Jr., Ron Howard, Yaroslav Korolev, David Noel, Mouhamed Sene, Rashaad Singleton, Nikoloz Tskitishvili,

Oklahoma City Thunder

Phoenix Suns

Earl Clark, Taylor Griffin, Goran Dragic, Robin Lopez, Lee Cummard, Alando Tucker, Micah Downs, Zabian Dowdell, Josh Carter, Kaspars Berzins, Jiri Hubalek, Geary Claxton, Chris Rodgers, Carlos Powell

Portland Trail Blazers

Jeff Pendergraph, Dante Cunningham, Jerryd Bayless, Patrick Mills, Thomas Gardner, Pooh Jeter, Bobby Jones, David Padgett, Deji Akindele, Matt Freije, Dwayne Mitchell, David Moss

Sacramento Kings

Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Jon Brockman, Donté Greene, Jason Thompson, Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal, Spencer Hawes, Robert Battle, John Bryant, Pat Calathes, Marcus Landry, Brian Roberts, Victor Stowes, Ryan Toolson

San Antonio Spurs

James Gist, Jack McClinton, DeJuan Blair, Eric Dawson, Malik Hairston, George Hill, Romel Beck, Nando de Colo, Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson, Antonio Anderson, Marcus Vinicius, Ian Mahinmi, Alonzo Gee,

Toronto Raptors

Brent Petway, DeMar DeRozan, Nathan Jawai, Demetris Nichols, Quincy Douby, Roko Ukic, Patrick O'Bryant, Carl English, Ekene Ibekwe, David Doublas, Paul Davis, Smush Parker

Washington Wizards

Tyrese Rice, Nick Young, Javaris Crittenton, JaVale McGee, Alex Ruoff, Jim(my) Baron, Alade Aminu, Ryan Ayers, Jon Edwards, Josh Heytvelt, James Lang, Dominic McGuire, Tywain McKie, Jason Rich, Diamon Simpson, Kyle Spain, Brandon Wallace

NBA D-League Select

Coleman Collins, Walker Russell, Will Frisby, Gary Forbes, Marcus Hubbard, Othyus Jeffers, Jasper Johnson, Trey Johnson, Kurt Looby, Curtis Stinson

Wait 'Til Next Year Again?

mlmintampa — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:51:31 -0000

I thought of this during the game and I want to see what you guys think;

If you take the top-7 for Florida during their championship run (Green, Humphrey, Brewer, Horford, Noah, Richard, Moss), would any current Gator crack that rotation? Hodge was the seventh man in 2007, so you could make a case for him. Calathes maybe over Humphrey, but not over Green. The current squad probably would not crack the rotation of the 2005 team, since that was the guys I've mentioned plus Anthony Roberson, David Lee and Matt Walsh. (Although, Noah got very little playing time then.) You'd have to go back to the 2004 team when Bonell Colas and Christian Drejer were getting significant minutes.

I mention this because, once again, this is not a good basketball team. Florida lost to Mississippi State 80-71, finishing the season 2-7 in road games. The Gators allowed Miss State to shoot 50% from the field and behind the arc when the Bulldogs had been shooting 43% and 36%, respectively. This has been happening all year. Bad shooting teams suddenly make every shot against UF. On the other end, Nick Calathes looks like a GM car with 100,000 miles on him and he can't get moving. He was 4-12 shooting with 11 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. On defense though, I've seen guys at Southwest Rec who can D-up better. Dan Werner had 10 points on 4-9 shooting, but I think the only people who want to see Werner make four 3-point attempts are Werner and his family members.

We keep complaining about the Gators because we expect more than an 8-7 record in the SEC. But should we? Maybe this team is no better than .500. Perhaps they are playing to their ability and it's not good enough in a weakened SEC.

Next season, the Gators get Georgetown big man Vernon Macklin, a better Kenny Kadji and Eloy Vargas, plus two big men recruits (Erik Murphy, DeShawn Painter). I don't mean to be rude when I say this, but I hope this means Werner and Chandler Parsons are out. Part of Florida's problem is that there are two guys on the floor who don't understand what they need to do. Parsons goes to the hoop once every few games. Tonight, the Raycom announcers were complimenting him on getting over-the-back calls since it showed Parsons' toughness. As for Werner, on defense, he is supposed to be down low. On offense, he hangs around the arc. Alex Tyus and Kadji, who are supposed to be the same size as Werner, play down low always. If a guy cannot either embrace his role as a forward or guard, then he cannot be out there. Especially when he is attempting to shoot himself out of a slump when the Gators need points.

The Gators have to win the SEC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. It's that simple. If not, we'll see you next year.