SB Nation - Maurice Ager

The Friday Five: Top 5 Michigan State Basketball Regular Season Games

Pete Rossman — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:41:05 -0000

Yeah! Football in a week, yeah! So what better way to celebrate the upcoming football season by discussing the top five MSU regular season basketball games in the past five years! That was a bit of a tease, I know. However, I've done football for the past two weeks in this spot, and I thought I'd switch it up this week.

#5: MSU v. Texas, '08-'09

After the first bloodening by North Carolina, the Spartans needed to bounce back against a quality opponent to stay in the hunt for a high NCAA seed. Michigan State was trailing by one with less than a minute left and...well, just hit play on the video.

#4: MSU v. Gonzaga, '05-'06

The game which taught us all to set our DVRs to finish an hour later than the scheduled game's end. After Ager picked up his fourth foul early in the second half (note - there was no video of this game on YouTube, thus the blurry black and white Ager highlight reel in the game's place), he exploded to finish the game with 36 points, including the jaw-dropping three-pointer to send the game to its first overtime session. Even though MSU lost, I still remember this game as one of Ager's best performances. It's hard to believe a few mouth-breathers still hate Suton for blowing a lay-up in the third overtime.

#3: MSU v. Texas, '06-'07

Sorry, no video for this game. Just know that this Texas game was much like the Texas game at #5, but with two small differences - Michigan State led most of this game, and Drew Neitzel made the crucial score with time running down by driving to the basket for a right-handed lay-up to give MSU the win.

#2: MSU v. Illinois, '08-'09

This game might not be as exciting as some of the other games on this list , but is on here because of this - the game clinched State's first regular season Big Ten title, shared or outright, in eight years. The game's not half-bad as well, and once again this game is one where I can't find a decent highlight reel.

#1: MSU v. Wisconsin, '06-'07

Michigan State's NCAA streak was in jeopardy entering this game with the then #1 Badgers. The Spartans were 6-6 in the Big Ten, and a win against Texas at a neutral site was the only good victory on MSU's resume. Because of those factors, a loss in this game might have been the deathblow to any shot at the NCAAs. I was worried at the start, but once Travis Walton made a three-pointer five feet behind the arc with the shot clock sounding...well, let's say I knew something good would happen. Drew Neitzel scored four straight baskets in the second half to push MSU to victory and an NCAA spot, and what you see above is the celebration.

I'm sure I've left games out. Any others?

Reviewing Orlando Magic Players' Performance in the 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League

Ben Q Rock — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:18 -0000

Another Orlando Pro Summer League is in the books, and the host Orlando Magic finished the week with a 2-3 record. The Magic have several roster spots to fill on the big-league team, and must fill those spots with a limited budget. Undrafted rookies, free-agents, and veterans of international ball--in other words, players who fit the Magic's said limited budget--made their cases for inclusion on the opening-night roster.

After the jump, 3QC breaks down the chances each player has of earning an invitation to training camp.

First, a look at each player's per-game statistics. They're sorted in descending order by total minutes played, in order to show which players got the longest looks from the team.

Pos.	Name	Mins	Pts	Rebs	Asts	Stls	Blks	FG%	3FG%	FT%
PF	Ryan Anderson	31	21.4	9.4	2.0	1.0	1.0	49.3%	41.4%	92.0%
SF	Kasib Powell	34	14.8	5.8	2.0	1.0	0.8	46.0%	52.9%	44.4%
PG	Russell Robinson	22	6.6	1.4	3.6	1.0	0.2	38.5%	28.6%	91.7%
SG	Maurice Ager	19	8.0	1.4	1.4	0.6	0.2	37.5%	28.6%	60.9%
PF/C	Richard Hendrix	23	9.8	7.3	0.8	0.3	1.8	56.0%	100.0%	66.7%
PG	Brian Chase	26	12.7	4.0	2.7	0.3	0.0	55.6%	75.0%	66.7%
SF	Jeremy Richardson	26	12.0	5.7	0.3	1.0	0.0	35.1%	15.4%	88.9%
PF/C	Darian Townes	15	3.6	3.6	0.0	0.0	0.2	34.8%		40.0%
SG	Courtney Fells	18	2.7	2.7	0.7	1.0	0.3	14.3%	22.2%
C	Lance Allred	10	1.4	2.8	0.8	0.0	0.0	27.3%		50.0%
PG	Jeremy Pargo	18	4.0	1.5	1.5	1.5	0.0	33.3%	0.0%
PG	Levance Fields	13	4.5	1.0	2.5	0.5	0.0	36.5%	25.0%	0.0%
C	Stevan Milosevic	8	2.0	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	66.7%
PF	C.J. Giles	5	2.0	3.0	0.0	2.0	0.0	50.0%

It's pretty easy to stratify the players from there.

The Sure Thing

Ryan Anderson will make the final roster, and would have regardless of how well he played in camp, because he's the only player here with a guaranteed contract. Orlando wouldn't surrender Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets as part of the deal for Vince Carter were Anderson not included. But even if all that weren't the case--if he were scrapping just like everyone else--he would have assured a roster spot with his play this week. He was the best player on the floor most of the time, and displayed some admirable versatility. Catch-and-shoot, pick-and-pop? Sure, that's what he did in New Jersey. But he added some strong drives to the basket, and did some work on the offensive glass. In the regular season, he'll revert to catch-and-shoot/pick-and-pop action, but he's developing an all-around game for the long haul. At 21, he could be in Orlando for quite some time.

The Likely Camp Invitees

Kasib Powell, too, looked like an all-around player. He struggles to finish near the basket, but he's a solid jump-shooter, with a better handle than at least one small forward on Orlando's roster. At 28, he has limited upside, but he's a smart player who works hard. There might be a spot at the end of Orlando's bench for him. Given his play this week, and given his familiarity with the organization--he went to training camp with the Magic in 2006--there's a darn good chance he'll go camping with them again this year.
Russell Robinson's shooting and scoring stats won't impress you, but his ability to run a team might. He turned the ball over 6 times in 109 minutes, coordinated the offense, and made smart plays. Defensively, he pressures the ball well. Coach Stan Van Gundy went out of the way to compliment Robinson after camp, and it appears as though the Magic will use their remaining free-agency dollars to address needs at small forward and at center. Maybe they'll take a flier on Robinson, hoping the 23-year-old can fill-in as their third point guard this year, and maybe develop into a backup down the line.
Richard Hendrix is neither tall nor athletic. That did not stop him from fairly quietly posting impressive numbers at both power positions or Orlando this week. He's not much of a shot creator or jump-shooter--regardless of the made three-pointer, at the end of a quarter, off a designed play-- but as a garbageman, he's efficient. Defensively, he holds his own, and has good-but-not-great instincts as a shot-blocker. The Magic could do worse than to fill their 6th big-man spot with Hendrix.
Jeremy Richardson's week ended due to a sore right foot, so his minutes played and per-game stats skew unfavorably. I thought he played better than his 35.1% shooting would suggest. Don't get hung up on his poor three-point shooting; if there's one thing he's proven in his brief NBA career, it's that he can hit the three-ball, with a career 38.5% mark from beyond the arc. His woeful percentage inside it has held him back, so to see him make almost half of his two-pointers? It's progress. He expects to sign soon, and I'm inclined to take his word for it.

The Possible Camp Invitees

Maurice Ager might have been the most vocal Magic player, in terms of yelling in either exuberance or frustration. He plays hard, and we can't fault him for that. But in 78 NBA games over 3 seasons, he's been just awful. He's a scoring specialist who doesn't score efficiently. So why might he make the Magic's camp roster? It's only someone else's hunch: one media member at RDV this week said Ager and his agent wouldn't have chosen to join Orlando's summer-league team without some sort of "wink/nod" agreement with GM Otis Smith.
Brian Chase elevated himself from "Everyone Else" to "Possible Camp Invitee" status with his play on Friday. On the court for the final 31 minutes after Robinson started, he put on a clinic against the Pacers. 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with 1-of-1 from downtown. He's quick, he can finish, and he has a nice handle. What he isn't, however, is a playmaker. But sure, he can make a professional career out of being a scoring guard. Professionally in Europe, in all likelihood.

The Wildcard

Milovan Rakovic didn't play a single minute this week, apparently due to a paperwork/clearance issue. The Magic might want to see how their 2006 second-rounder performs in their own camp, if that paperwork is resolved. The more likely result is that Rakovic will spend another year with Spartak Saint Petersburg, and Orlando will take another look at him next summer.

Everyone Else

Lance Allred was a step slower than his contemporaries all week, didn't rebound or defend especially well, and didn't do much besides hit some elbow jumpers. On the plus side, he's the only published author on the Magic's summer roster.
Courtney Fells did not meet a shot attempt he didn't like. 3-of-21 shooting, 2-of-9 from three-point range, no free throw attempts, and as many turnovers as points (8). He sure can jump, though.
Levance Fields played reasonably well in limited minutes--if we're honest, he's a cut above the other players in this section--but Robinson and Chase outperformed him. He'll catch on somewhere overseas and might get another opportunity in the NBA next season.
C.J. Giles appeared in one game, for 5 minutes. Not to be too glib, but that's about all you need to know about his chances of making the team.
Stevan Milosevic is a big guy, and that might be the extent of his positives, in terms of NBA potential. He was involved in arguably the two most embarrassing plays of camp: the Celtics' J.R. Giddens threw down a vicious tomahawk dunk on him on Wednesday. Later in the week, he made an impressive spin around Pacers center Scott Vander Meer, had a wide-open look to the basket... and airballed the layup. He threw the ball straight up in the air. One of the more spectacular misses in summer-league history. I hate to rip the guy, because he tried his best, but his best isn't going to get it done in the NBA.
Jeremy Pargo hardly played this week, and in limited minutes, did not do much to distinguish himself as a better shoot-first point guard prospect than Chase did.
Darian Townes started at center in 3 of the 5 games, but usually gave way to Hendrix in crunch-time situations. Defenders block his shot all too easily, even at the rim, which helps to explain his 34.8% shooting despite hardly taking any jumpers, that I can recall. There's room for a few offensive zeroes in the NBA--think Chuck Hayes--but they have to be able to do something else extremely well. Hayes, for instance, is one of the league's best post defenders despite standing only 6'06". Townes didn't distinguish himself as a rebounder, defender, or shot-blocker.

Okay, that's out of the way.

So, 3QCers, who would you like to see invited to Orlando's training camp in the fall?

Orlando Pro Summer League: Orlando Magic 108, New Jersey Nets/Philadelphia 76ers Split Squad 86

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:00:19 -0000

Led by blistering hot shooting from the outside, the Orlando Magic defeated the New Jersey Nets/Philadelphia 76ers split squad, 108-86, in the third day of play at the Orlando Pro Summer League. Ryan Anderson and Maurice Ager, two former Nets, tied for game-high scoring honors, with 21 apiece. Kasib Powell added 19 and made 4 of his 5 three-point attempts, while little-used point guard Brian Chase splashed 5 three-balls of his own.

Unfortunately, 3QC's coverage of this game is a bit thin. Eddy attended today's first two games, but had to leave before the Magic's contest due to a prior commitment. I was out of commission all day because of ~~FIBA regulations~~ a bout with stomach flu. But we're doing our best here.

The first thing that jumps out at me from the Magic's side of the box score: 14 three-pointers in 25 attempts. In turn, the 25 threes accounted for one-third of the Magic's overall attempts. Let's take more time to appreciate this: Summer league games last 40 minutes, so this is really like the Magic teeing off 30 times from deep in a regulation game. That is... prolific.

They converted at a high percentage, which is good to see. But they also got it done inside. A day after sitting out entirely, Richard Hendrix started, played 24 minutes, and contributed 17 points and 12 rebounds. That's a man making the most of his opportunity. After the game, this blurb about Hendrix appeared on the Magic's official website:

With Orlando's frontcourt in need of a big man or two, you can be sure this team is taking a good look at Richard Hendrix. Magic Basketball Operations compared him to Jason Maxiell prior to the commencement of the summer season and he's started to live up to the billing.

That certainly bodes well for his chances of making the team. As for 3QC darling Russell Robinson? Not quite as impressive, at least on paper, as he was on Tuesday. 7 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, and no turnovers in 14 minutes. Through three games, he's dished only 13 assists in 73 minutes, which isn't great. Conversely, he's only committed 3 turnovers in that stretch, which corroborates our assertion that he mostly plays within himself. I know it's early, but it's also probably safe to say that the Magic can do a heckuva lot worse than Robinson as their third-string point guard.

I do want to stress that this win isn't necessarily impressive. The Nets/Sixers split squad has looked sloppy all week, and it's the only team without a victory so far. Maybe the Nets/Sixers would have won if Chris Douglas-Roberts, arguably the best shooting guard through the first two days of camp, decided to assert himself more offensively. 1 shot attempt for CDR, in 28 minutes. I can't say for sure, having not been there, but it seems like that's probably a coaching decision.

Orlando Pro Summer League: Orlando Magic 85, Boston Celtics 82

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:52:14 -0000

In a surprisingly well-played game on both sides, the Orlando Magic defeated the Boston Celtics, 85-82, thanks in large part to Ryan Anderson's 33 points and 14 boards. The Magic trailed by 6 at the end of three periods but rallied to win in the fourth. It wasn't easy, as Boston's J.R. Giddens had a chance to send the game to overtime at the buzzer, after the Celtics stole an Orlando inbounds pass, but his trey rattled around and out. In what may have been a mock show of frustration, he screamed and fell to the floor as the other players exited the floor.

Clearly, Orlando played much better today than it did yesterday, albeit against less impressive competition. Better ball movement, better focus, better shooting... really, the Magic didn't do anything worse than they did yesterday. They're building some momentum, which is encouraging. Also encouraging? Anderson. There's some concern--perhaps not in the Magic organization, but among the fans--that he's little more than a standstill shooter. I'd like to go ahead and refute that right now. Anderson aggressively took the ball to the basket today, and finished strong inside once he got to the rim. 9-of-13 on two-pointers for Anderson, who sank both of his three-point attempts.

Rebounds? Split evenly, 7 on either side of the ball. His tip-in after Darian Townes missed two free throws gave the Magic a 78-72 lead late in the game. That play seemed to energize the team, to some extent.

After the jump, an assessment of every other Magic player.

Maurice Ager continued his active, aggressive play on both ends of the court. The difference? Today, he was simply more effective. In 17 minutes off the bench, he contributed 10 points and 4 assists, and showed a willingness to keep the ball moving. Now this is a guy who made a name for himself as a scorer in college, but who hasn't earned a consistent job in the NBA precisely because he can't score. So it was interesting to see him work as a facilitator of sorts.
Lance Allred again played sparingly--just 4:37--so his chances of making the team don't look great at this point. With that said, he made his only shot of the day, an 18-footer from near the top of the key, Tony Battie-style.
Courtney Fells, who did not play in the first game, saw 16 minutes of action today. Unfortunately, he didn't do much with it. The 6'06" shooting guard looked for his offense early and often. He might still be looking for it. No points on 0-of-8 shooting, with 4 boards, for Fells. That's a summer-league linescore if I've ever seen one.
Levance Fields, who also did not play yesterday, saw 9 minutes of the court today. 2 points, 1 assist, and 1-of-4 shooting. Not much to see here.
Stevan Milosevic started at center after being ruled out of yesterday's contest due to a FIBA paperwork problem. Unfortunately, he didn't look too great today. He fits the stereotype of most European stiffs: big, not especially quick, and robotic on both ends of the court. 5 fouls and 5 turnovers for the 7-footer, who also contributed 4 points and 2 boards.
Kasib Powell looked like end-of-an-NBA-bench material today, and I mean that as a compliment. He probably belongs in the league. No minutes yesterday. Today? Starting at the 3, and playing nearly the entire game. He's the prototypical small forward, in my mind: he can shoot, he can create off the dribble, he can defend, and he's unselfish. 15 points, 2 boards, 2 assists. Not bad.
Jeremy Richardson managed only 9:07 on the court today, and was apparently injured early in the game, visibly limping when he left in the second period. He returned to the bench sometime during the third period wearing street clothes. He managed to take 5 shots in those 9 minutes though. A trooper, he is.
Russell Robinson impressed most people in attendance with his ability to run the team. The 23-year-old point guard takes what the defense gives him, makes good passes, and generally knows what the heck he's doing. It's not hard to imagine him as the Magic's third-string point guard this year. His defense is good, too. Applies pressure to the ball without gambling, pesters people, and draws offensive fouls. He's well-schooled in the Allen Iverson Method of Drawing Moving Screens, by running into the screener and taking a bit of a dive. Twice today, he did that, and he also flopped a bit on a Magic inbounds pass near the end of the game which drew an away-from-the-ball foul on Celtics rookie Lester Hudson. If you're watching the rest of this week's games at home, keep an eye on this man. You may be impressed.
Darian Townes had another quietly effective game, with 10 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
DNP - CDs: Brian Chase, C.J. Giles, Richard Hendrix, Jeremy Pargo, and Milovan Rakovic

That last name may surprise some people, and to be honest, I have no idea why Rakovic was once again in street clothes today. If Milosevic's paperwork got sorted out, why didn't Rakovic's? That's something I'll try to look into tomorrow. After the game, Rakovic had changed into his workout gear and could be seen in the Magic's weight room overlooking the floor.

Overall, a solid day for the Magic. They'll try to build on it tomorrow against the New Jersey/Philadelphia split squad at 7 PM.

Orlando Pro Summer League: Oklahoma City Thunder 88, Orlando Magic 77

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:30:15 -0000

In what turned out to be a mostly lopsided contest, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic, 88-77, in the teams' debuts at the Orlando Pro Summer League. Thunder second-year point guard Russell Westbrook led all scorers with 22 points, punishing the Magic's slap-happy big men by connecting on 16 of his 18 free throw attempts. Ryan Anderson led Orlando with 21 points--17 after halftime, on 6-of-8 shooting--but it wasn't enough to compensate for the Thunder's large edge in talent.

The Magic started Russell Robinson and Maurice Ager in the backcourt, with Anderson and Jeremy Richardson at the forwards, flanking the 6'09" Darian Townes at center. And honestly, they played well for the most part. The thing with summer league is that winning isn't really the ultimate goal, but rather to see which players have which skills, and how that player can integrate into the system the team has in place. This isn't an issue for the Oklahoma City squad, which is loaded with guys who will make the big-league team. But for Orlando, with Anderson as the only man with a guaranteed deal? A little bit rougher go of it, yeah.

The Thunder led by as many as 15, with the Magic snagging the lead only twice, and never by more than a single point. Once Westbrook made up his mind to drive the ball, and once third overall selection James Harden heated up, the Thunder really didn't look back. They coasted, in fact, not that I can blame them. The Magic looked like a group that hadn't played together before--how about Ryan Anderson spinning right into Darian Townes as Anderson made his move to score in the low post?--while the Thunder have some familiarity with one another.

Disappointing? Well, maybe. You'd like to score more than 9 points in the first quarter of a summer-league game. But the Magic shook off that early slow start, made a bit of a run, and gave solid effort from top-to-bottom. Their roster hopefuls lost to the mid-to-back end of the Thunder's regular season rotation, which is to be expected. Nothing of which to be ashamed.

After the jump, a look at how the Magic's individual players did.

Ager was arguably the most active player for either team on the floor. You can't fault his passion, that's for sure. Skills? That's fair game. John Hollinger's assessment of him on ESPN.com is hysterically funny, but also accurate. Ager made a name for himself at Michigan State as a scorer, but that hasn't translated in the NBA. Today, he shot 3-of-8 for 9 points, with 3 fouls and 5 turnovers. Just a bit too aggressive. His athleticism is a plus, though, as he was able to convert some difficult finishes in traffic on the fast break. Still, based on his horrid NBA career so far, it's hard to lobby for his inclusion on the Magic's final roster. Can't fault the effort, though, as I said.
Lance Allred only played 7 minutes tonight, the lowest total of any Magic player. He missed all 3 of his shots and grabbed just 1 rebound. Wholly unproductive. He doesn't appear to have much upside. Of the Orlando big men who saw the court today, he was probably the least impressive.
Anderson needed some time to work into a rhythm. He scored only 4 points in the first half, missing all 6 of his shot attempts, including a three-pointer he airballed short and to the right. After that shot, he winced, looked skyward, clapped his hands together, and said, "Wow," in an exasperated tone. Maybe a bit jittery. In the second half, he kicked whatever might have bothered him in the first. 17 second-half points for Anderson, who showed his shooting stroke as well as his passing ability. He's not Kevin McHale or anything in the high post, but he makes pretty good reads and delivers crisp feeds to cutters. I like that much.
Brian Chase, the 5'10" point guard, played 21 minutes off Orlando's bench. A competent finisher in transition, especially at his size, and the team's best playmaker with 4 assists, but he didn't bring much else to the table. As someone who'll turn 28 in training camp, his upside is limited. A good effort today, but he's not a guy I can envision the Magic keeping around for the long haul.
Richard Hendrix, whom I favored before camp began, looked like someone worth retaining as a potential replacement for Marcin Gortat (who was in attendance today, incidentally). An active, athletic, big man, Hendrix made the most of his 15 minutes: 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 1 blocked shot. If we're honest, the center/power forward positions are Orlando's weakest right now. Sure, the Magic are fishing for players of that ilk in free agency, and they might land one. Either way, Hendrix is a guy worth keeping around, in my estimation. Very active, very smart. Big, too, and he's only 22. This is a guy to watch in the coming days.
Jeremy Pargo went undrafted out of Gonzaga this year, perhaps because he's more of a two guard trapped in a point guard's body (6'02", 220 pounds), like his brother Jannero. Interestingly, the Magic often elected to play Pargo at the two next to either Chase or Robinson. 2 points, 1 board, 1 assist, 2 turnovers in 11 minutes for Pargo, who hardly registered out there, but who is nonetheless worth a few more looks as camp continues.
Richardson? I actually like him, inefficient offense and all. 19 shot attempts, with 0 assists and 5 turnovers, and 18 points, for Richardson. Not a surprising line, given how often we joke about his tendency to shoot. Thing is, he's in the NBA to shoot. That's supposedly his specialty, so we shouldn't really bust on him for it. He gave an impressive effort today, with 11 rebounds. If he could connect more frequently on his two-pointers, he could crack an NBA rotation. He probably makes the most sense for the Magic to sign out of camp, as he's familiar with the team and fills a role as the "break glass in case of emergency" wing player.
Robinson played 27 minutes, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the rest of his line. 1 shot attempt, 2 assists, 2 steals, 5 fouls, and a turnover. It took him 27 minutes for that? It's not as though he was some sort of disaster--he looked like an energetic, capable defender--but one would certainly expect more from a starting point guard in summer league.
Finally, Darian Townes, a pleasant surprise in his starting center role. He played just 20 minutes, but scored 8 points and grabbed 6 boards (5 offensive) while generally throwing his weight around and being a nuisance in the low post defensively. He's listed at 250 pounds, but could very well be more than that. Based on one game, I wouldn't elevate him above Hendrix on the big-man pecking order yet, but it's something to consider as the week goes by. The fact that he starts, and not Hendrix, might tell us something of the Magic's thoughts about both players.

Were it not for the rough start, the Magic might have given the Thunder a bit of a scare today. They have an even more daunting task in front of them tomorrow as they take on the Boston Celtics, who laid an 87-56 hurtin' on the Utah Jazz today, at 3 PM. Eddy and I will be there.

Orlando Magic Announce Summer-League Roster; Ryan Anderson, Jeremy Richardson, and Milovan Rakovic Among Team Invitees

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:12:19 -0000

The Orlando Magic just passed along the roster for their summer-league team. Newly acquired power forward Ryan Anderson headlines the group, as does former 60th overall draft selection Milovan Rakovic. Jeremy Richardson, who saw limited action as the Magic's 15th man last year, will also appear for them in summer league.

The complete roster follows the jump:

UPDATE: Spoiler alert - Kasib Powell, is on the Magic's summer team, and wrote a post for 3QC sister-site Ridiculous Upside about his preparing to join the Magic. Scott, who runs the site, told me via Twitter that he believes Powell will make the Magic's final roster.

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Last Team/College
6	Maurice Ager	G	6-2	220	New Jersey Nets/Michigan State
41	Lance Allred	C	6-11	260	NBDL Idaho Stampede/Weber State
33	Ryan Anderson	F	6-10	240	New Jersey Nets/California
3	Brian Chase	G	5-10	170	Dynamo Moscow/Virginia Tech
21	Ronald Dupree	F	6-7	209	NBDL Utah Flash/Louisiana State
10	Courtney Fells	G	6-6	210	North Carolina State
2	Levance Fields	G	5-10	190	Pittsburgh
23	C.J. Giles	F	6-11	240	Smart Gilas Pilipinas (Philippines)/Oregon State
35	Richard Hendrix	F	6-9	255	NBDL Dakota Wizards/Alabama
16	Stevan Milosevic	C	7-0	260	Koeln 99ers (Germany)
1	Jeremy Pargo	G	6-2	220	Gonzaga
22	Kasib Powell	F	6-7	215	NBDL Sioux Falls Skyforce/Texas Tech
19	Milovan Rakovic	F	6-10	280	Spartak Saint Petersburg (Russia)
32	Jeremy Richardson	F	6-7	195	Orlando Magic/Delta State
24	Russell Robinson	G	6-1	190	NBDL Reno Bighorns/Kansas
5	Darian Townes	F	6-10	250	NBDL Erie BayHawks/Arkansas

At a glance, the roster is heavy with big-man prospects. The most appealing to me is Richard Hendrix, a rebounding machine whom the Warriors selected in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft, only to cut him when Monta Ellis returned from his suspension for injuring himself on a mo-ped. He has yet to play in the NBA, but tore up the D-League. In my estimation, he has mid-rotation potential for the Magic, who are light on rebounders behind Dwight Howard.

Jeremy Pargo, an undrafted point guard, also interests me, for reasons I specified last week.

Curious to see that Rakovic will indeed make the trip to Orlando. The Magic acquired his draft rights from Dallas in exchange for Reyshawn Terry's rights in 2007. Not sure if he stands a chance of making the final cut, especially when the Magic will probably try to address their big-man needs via free agency. Still, Rakovic made it here quicker than did 2005 lottery selection Fran Vazquez. No idea what his status is, by the way.

As far as I know, Spanish point guard Carlos Cabezas is the only player to turn the Magic down for a camp invite. This post from TalkBasket.net, dated June 16th, said the Magic invited Cabezas, who said, "they've been interested in me for a couple of years," but he would consider proposals from other teams in Europe.

All-in-all, this year's summer league team holds more promise than those of years past. Add that to the fact that the Magic have at least 5 spots to fill on the big-league team, and a fairly limited budget with which to do it, and we have an even more intriguing week ahead of us.

Indeed, summer league starts next Monday, July 6th. The Orlando Magic emphasized in the roster announcement that games are not open to the public. Luckily, 3QC has it covered. Eddy and I will be there all week. Good times.

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