SB Nation - Andre Owens

A Look Back at Vegas Summer League: Part 1

Jon L — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:00:21 -0000

Nik Caner-Medley, seen here playing for Cajasol Sevilla in Spain, played some pretty good ball in Vegas.

I had a nice, long intro for this but then it disappeared into the internet, much to your delight I'm sure. Basically, I'm going to take a look at some noteworthy performances from Vegas Summer League that came from "non-NBA" players, just as I did for the Orlando league. I split them up into two groups, D-League players and non-D-Leaguers, and I'm going to start with the latter. These are players who have been over in Europe or are otherwise not under any NBA contract, and who played in the Summer League to show teams that they deserve a spot. I focused on players who had appeared in at least three games, so if there's a player you thought did well and you don't see him here, that may be why not. A look at six notable non-NBA, non-D-League players from Vegas Summer League after the jump.

Nikoloz Tskitishvili (7'0" F, New York Knicks) - There may have been no bigger reclamation project being attempted in Vegas than Skita's career. He did pretty well, too, making 43 percent of his three-pointers (and he shot a fair amount of them), and he averaged a solid nine rebounds per 48 minutes. He also, somewhat surprisingly to me, tied for the team lead in total blocks with eight. Summer League isn't the best place to showcase one's defense, and I didn't see the games so I have no idea how that looked, but there is room for optimism here, and there certainly are players with similar profiles currently in the NBA.

Warren Carter (6'9" F, New York Knicks) - In my breakdown of the Knicks' roster I noted that Carter was a backup for three years in college before becoming a decent scorer and rebounder in Europe, and it's that latter ability that really shone through in Vegas. True, Carter made 55 percent of his field goals, but he didn't score a whole lot. He led the team in rebounds on a per-minute basis, though, with 14.4 per 48 minutes. He also had only four turnovers total, and didn't get into too much foul trouble. He'd be an interesting player to put on Mike D'Antoni's bench, especially if David Lee leaves.

Pooh Jeter (5'11" G, Portland Trail Blazers) - For some reason I think I may be the only one on this, but I thought Jeter played really well in Vegas. His shot wasn't overwhelming and his rebounding is almost non-existent, but he did a great job running the point for Portland. He had six more total assists than Jerryd Bayless in about six fewer minutes of playing time, and he had less than half as many turnovers. Just over nine assists per 48 minutes is nothing to laugh at, especially if it's from a bench guy. Of course, we were here last year, too (or at least Jeter was). This is what DraftExpress had to say about his 2008 Summer League performance: Jeter is generously listed at 5'11" and lacks the ideal size for an NBA point guard, but does just about everything well on the court, and could potentially make an NBA roster.

Nik Caner-Medley (6'8" F, Los Angeles Clippers) - This one's also a bit of a surprise, at least to me. Not that Caner-Medley isn't talented, I had just assumed it wouldn't actually manifest itself, for some reason. Instead, Caner-Medley played the second-most minutes on the Clippers roster and started all five games. He also made a full 50 percent of his field goals and shot 94.4 percent from the free-throw line. He also rebounded the ball fairly well, averaging 13.4 per 48 minutes. The Clippers seem to be clearing the frontcourt more than adding to it, but based on his Vegas performance, Caner-Medley could be a decent pickup for another team looking for a fifth forward.

Andre Owens (6'4" G, Detroit Pistons) - "he's a pretty efficient scorer overall, though not always consistent." Those words turned out to be a bit of an understatement. Not in the efficiency department, but in terms of consistency. Owens scored only seven points total in Vegas, and all of them came from the free-throw line. Owens is listed here because he was second on the Pistons with 16 total assists in 64 and a half minutes over four games. That comes out to a solid 12 assists per 48 minute average. He also averaged nine rebounds on a per-minute basis. Just as impressively, he only had two turnovers. The Pistons have been looking for a backup point guard for almost an entire season now, and perhaps Owens could help them out there.

David Harrison (7'0" C, Cleveland Cavaliers) - I have to say, this one surprised me a bit. Harrison only attempted 10 field goals in five games, so it's not like he's an offensive juggernaut (though he made eight of them). Like Carter, it's Harrison's rebounding that stood out. Harrison grabbed 22 rebounds in 82 minutes of action, which works out to 13 rebounds per 48 minutes, a solid number. He's also apparently a member of the Sarcastic Clapping Family of Southhampton (sorry, the video/audio quality is pretty bad). Harrison got busted for marijuana towards the end of his time with the Pacers and he was never all that consistent to begin with, but the talent is still there, and a team looking for some help on the boards could do worse.

Vegas Summer League Recap: Day 2

Jon L — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:00:15 -0000

One thing you should know about me, readers, is that I'll never lie to you. So first be aware that I haven't shelled out the $15 for watching these games online, because paying money to watch Summer League games via internet stream is dumb, and as such I'm relying on box scores and accounts of others to write the Vegas recaps. The second thing is that I didn't start writing this particular recap until about 2 AM because I was out at a concert starring my new favorite live band. So I apologize if this isn't as in-depth as it could be. Of course, for me "in-depth" mostly means "long," so you'll probably be happy with it.

Houston Rockets 98, Dallas Mavericks 95

Joey Dorsey continued to show why he may be ready to step into the Rockets lineup next year, with 13 points on 8 shots, 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He had seven fouls, though, and only shot 3-7 on his free-throws, which isn't great. Maarty Leunen had another good game as well, making five of his six field goals and adding five rebounds and three assists. Rodrigue Beaubois showed a dramatic improvement in his second Summer League game, with a much more efficient 34 points on 21 shots, including 7-12 on three-pointers, and he had eight assists, five rebounds and only two turnovers. Now he just needs to work on his fouling (he had nine). Chase Budinger had a pretty good game off the bench, shooting 9-10 for 25 points in 22 and a half minutes. Jersey retirement ceremony, here we come!

Luke Jackson didn't have a great shooting day, 3-11, but he did a good job of getting to the line and made all eight of his free throws. Herbert Hill played less than seven minutes, but he made them count with 4-5 shooting, though he didn't contribute much else. Will Conroy had a good day running the point for Houston, with 12 points on six shots and team-highs in assists and steals with four and two, respectively, all in 18 minutes.

The rest of the day's action after the jump.

Detroit Pistons 91, Toronto Raptors 87

DeMar DeRozan has been the talk of Vegas so far (or maybe I just follow a lot of Raptors fans on Twitter), and while he's been an exciting scorer, he hasn't been all that efficient doing it. He had four rebounds and a block, though, to go with his 9-20 shooting. Quincy Douby also had a good game (and a more efficient one), with 21 points on 13 shots, five rebounds, three assists and a block. Austin Daye had a big game, and played 40 minutes (which, even if he's a rookie and you're trying to see what he can give you, is still way too much for Summer League; save some for Will Bynum!). In those 40 minutes he had 19 points on 14 shots and eight rebounds. Deron Washington played well, uh, as well, with 13 points on 11 shots and six rebounds, though he also only shot 33 percent on his free throws.

Brent Petway didn't showcase his shot-blocking as much yesterday, but he shot the ball much better than the first game, going 3-4. Patrick O'Bryant (remember him) still doesn't shoot the ball particularly well, but he 10 rebounds and two blocks (though he also had six fouls and five turnovers). Andre Owens had a game-high nine assists off the bench with only one turnover, though he missed both of his field goals.

Golden State Warriors 98, Sacramento Kings 95

An overtime game! In Summer League! Feel the excitement! Anthony Randolph again showed why he's drawn comparisons to Lamar Odom, with 24 points on 13 shots, 11 rebounds, five blocks, two assists and two steals. He also had six turnovers, but Warriors fans have to love the rest of it. On the other side, Kings fans have to like what they're seeing from Tyreke Evans, as he had 25 points on 19 shots, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Evans also had too many turnovers, though, with five. Stephen Curry had a pretty terrible shooting day, 3-8 from three and 8-22 overall, but he made up for it by getting to the line and making 10 of his 11 free-throws. He also had six rebounds and three assists. In just a few days Jon Brockman has shown himself to be a very solid rebounder, and yesterday he had seven in just over nine minutes.

Cartier Martin had a big scoring day, with 25 points on 15 shots, including shooting 60 percent on his three-pointers and making 10 of his 11 free throws. Marcus Landry also shot the ball well, with 14 points on eight shots. Seven of those shots were three-pointers, and he made four of them. Other than Martin there weren't too many D-League guys in this game, and those who were didn't play much (and they didn't play all that well besides).

Los Angeles Lakers 88, Cleveland Cavaliers 82

You know who had another good game? Adam Morrison. 22 points on 16 shots, including 4-6 on three-pointers, four rebounds and three assists. Ben McCauley also was solid again, with 10 points on six shots and seven rebounds. Chinemelu Elonu was a Lakers draft pick out of Texas A&M who a lot of people thought needed at least another season in college, but he shot 4-6 yesterday and had five rebounds and two blocks.

David Monds had a good game, making all of his five field goals and grabbing four rebounds in about 15 and a half minutes. Jawad Williams also played well, with 14 points on 10 shots, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, and best of all he only had one turnover and no fouls in 20 and a half minutes. If Williams doesn't get any playing time with the Cavaliers this season, he should maybe start looking elsewhere.

RaptorsHQ Summer League Recap Day 2

RaptorsHQ - Howland — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:51:14 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

Will Jack be taking Roko's minutes this season? If he signs the offer sheet we will find out in seven days.

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The Raps were the first team on the schedule for day two of Vegas Summer League, this time matched-up against a long and athletic Detroit Pistons squad. The action on the court has however, taken a backseat to the rumour that Jarrett Jack will sign an offer sheet with the Dinos.

Before getting to the Jarrett Jack news, there was a solid summer league game played yesterday between the Raps and the Pistons.

In what turned out to be a hotly contested affair on the UNLV campus, the Raps unfortunately came out on the short end losing their second game 91-87.

The score of course is of secondary importance to seeing what particular players are showing on the court.

The player that stood out the most today was the rookie DeMar DeRozan. Coming off a so-so performance on Friday night, DeRozan really showed up this afternoon with 20 points in just under 35 minutes of action.

What was exciting was not only that DeRozan had 20 points, but that he scored in a variety of ways and for the most part did it against a much taller Austin Daye. DeRozan once again showed off some good touch from mid-range but he also did a fantastic job getting off-screens, creating space and even nailed his one and only three point attempt. It was a very solid offensive showing by the Raps rookie.

The other big name rookie in this match-up didn’t disappoint either. Austin Daye also put on a great performance showing unlimited range, a tremendous handle and great hops. Despite his slender build Daye didn’t just hang-out on the perimeter either as he attacked the rim with aggression and is really the focal point of this Detroit squad. He, along with fellow rookies DaJuan Summers and Deron Washington have all had a great start to the Summer League. Although different players in their own right, they all share a knack for being in the right place at the right time and using their athleticism to their advantage. Washington, despite the poor shooting had a huge impact on today’s game and in some ways reminded me of Matt Barnes and Shawn Marion.

Back to the Raps, the other player who had a nice game was Quincy Douby. Douby found himself in a battle for much of the game against the likes of Washington and Andre Owens and was relentless attacking his defender. Douby’s ability to not only hit from the outside but also carve his way into the lane contributed to his being the game’s high scorer. Although he took a few hard fouls throughout the contest he continued to attack.

It was really the Raps guard play in the second half that got them back into the game as the front court players, including David Doblas, Patrick O’Bryant and Shawn Taggart (who played his first minutes) did little of note. Apparently an appearance by former Raptors forward Tracey Murray did little to motivate the big men.

The summer league games are, for the most part, dominated by guard play. Although DeRozan and Douby had solid games, the other two Raptor guards were only so-so. Neither Ukic or Parker did much to impress.

Parker, despite having a solid first day, played poorly. Other than the few one-on-one battles between him and Andre Owens he seemed to lack focus and energy. Parker had seven personal fouls and turned the ball over three times. Watching him today reminded me of TJ Ford in that Parker seemed more concerned about ensuring he was winning the one-on-one battles then helping his team win. There looks to be good reason why Parker is not in the league – given his demeanour is this someone you really could trust to lead your squad, even in a back-up capacity?

Of course the role of back-up PG for the Raps may not be filled as it is being reported that the Raps are looking to sign former first round pick Jarrett Jack to an offer sheet. My initial reaction? Finally! Jack has been a HQ favourite since his time at Georgia Tech and I would love to see him in a Raps uniform. Jack had a really good year for Indiana last season and would to me, be the perfect back-up for Jose. He is a hard nosed defender, a good distributor and should easily be able to outplay most other back-up PG’s in the league. I think all of Raptorland would feel more comfortable having Jack leading the second unit than Ukic or Marcus Banks.

If the Raps do sign Jack and Indiana decides to let him walk, you have to wonder where this leaves both Banks and Ukic. Banks has essentially become the forgotten man and unless dealt will likely be a huge waste of a roster spot and cap space. For Roko this is a strong signal that the Raps brass doesn’t think he is ready to be the full-time back-up. I have not seen anything from him here in Vegas that would likely change their mind. It will be interesting to see how he reacts should this deal happen. Given Roko would likely get less PT than last year would that be enough for him to abandon the NBA dream for now and head back to Europe?

Nevertheless, the positives from a possible Jack signing far outweigh any negatives. Jack would solidify the back-court, would add a close friend of CB4 to the roster and would be another noteworthy move in what is looking to be one, if not the most active and exciting summers in Toronto Raptors history.

To date, BC is doing a bang-up job.

2009 Summer League Breakdown - Detroit Pistons

Jon L — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

That's right, I switched it up. All three of these guys will be at Vegas Summer League. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Our look at all (hopefully) of the 2009 Summer League rosters marches on with a look at the Detroit Pistons. They're bringing fewer players in then a lot of teams, but there's still quality there, and it's an interesting mix of players. Not a ton of D-League guys, but a fairly high percentage of this team is made up of guys already on the Pistons' roster or new draftees, and I guess they decided they didn't want to audition anyone to replace Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess or Allen Iverson, for some reason.

Also, a reminder that you can usually find updated Summer League rosters here. With that, a breakdown of the Detroit group after the jump.

Will Bynum (6'0" G) - Bynum came to the Pistons last year from the D-League and made an immediate impression, and at this point you can pencil him in as the backup point guard. Bynum can definitely score, though he wasn't totally consistent with it last season, and he also could probably improve his consistency in garnering assists. Bynum came along to the Pistons at the right time, though, and at this point just needs to solidify his position in the rotation.

Walter Sharpe (6'9" F) - He didn't get much playing time last year, averaging 2.5 minutes over 8 games, and Sharpe is still a work in progress at this point. He has some decent post moves, and he's pretty athletic, but he's not great defensively covering either small forwards or those of the power variety. He probably could use some time in the D-League, and the Pistons have sent guys down in the past, but they also just drafted several forwards so they may be moving ahead without Sharpe being a priority.

Trent Plaisted (6'11" F/C) - The Pistons acquired the draft rights to Plaisted and Sharpe last year in exchange for those to DJ White, though Plaisted spent last year playing in Italy. Plaisted has a solid frame and good footwork, but he doesn't always use his athletic ability to best advantage, particularly on defense. He has a reputation for drifting, but he usually makes smart decisions with the ball. His European season ended in injury, so he'll likely need to make up for lost time.

Austin Daye (6'10" F) - Daye weighs about the same that I do, but he's over a foot taller. What I'm saying is that he's really skinny. The jokes were flying around Twitter on draft night. Luckily he has Tayshaun Prince to teach him about NBA weight training. He's a pretty efficient scorer, and is good both with the catch-and-shoot game and pull-up shots, though his lack of upper- (or lower-) body strength means he's going to have to work hard both to draw fouls and to prevent being called for them.

Jonas Jerebko (6'10" F) - Jerebko's a hard worker on defense, and does a good job using his size on the perimeter. He's also reportedly a very good team defender. The Pistons' new coach is an offense guy, but I'm sure he'll take that. His offense is still work in progress, but at this point it's pretty efficient, which is a good sign. It also remains to be seen if their new offense is going to be as slow as Cleveland's was last year, but Jerebko is used to a high pace with his Italian League team.

DaJuan Summers (6'8" F) - When Summer was drafted last month it was said that the Georgetown offense didn't really allow him to use his athleticism to full advantage, and while that may be true, he also isn't very efficient at this point. He's not a great ball-handler, but he did improve on getting to the free-throw line his last year in college, and his three-point shooting improved as well. Defensively he's a bit slow, but he has decent size and can use it to contest shots.

Deron Washington (6'7" G/F) - There have been reports (initiated by his college coach) that Washington has signed a guaranteed contract with Detroit, though the team hasn't said anything official yet (that I know of, anyway). He's an athletic wing player who needs to work on being more consistent on both ends, though the potential is there, and he has a nice form on his outside shot. You also may know him from when he did this.

Dwayne Jones (6'10" C) - What a surprise, I'm writing abut Dwayne Jones. Again. (Reports that I requested Detroit in order to sing Jones's praises again are unconfirmed.) I really, really like his game, as you'd know if you read this site with any regularity. The shorthand way to describe it is a sort-of D-League Dwight Howard. He has no real offensive moves to speak of, but he does a great job cleaning up on the offensive glass and he's a solid post defender. I wrote more about Jones here (among other places). I really think he could be a solid bench option for the Pistons, particularly since they just let two of their better big man defenders go. He's also been working hard to shore up his deficiencies.

Michael Bramos (6'5" G) - Bramos is a high-effort guy who usually makes smart decisions with the ball and hustles on defense, where he's a pretty good shot-blocker for a shooting guard. His offense around the rim is good, though his outside game could use some work. He's relatively solid all-around, but he doesn't do one thing particularly well that will get him noticed much.

Ibrahim Jaaber (6'2" G) - Jaaber is the Ivy League all-time steals leader (he went to Penn), and his rebounding and assists improved each year in college. Jaaber played for the Pistons' Summer League team two years ago before heading over to Europe, and he's a member of the Bulgarian national team. He also was the guy playing in front of Brandon Jennings in Rome. He's an inconsistent scorer, but the steals are still there and he's been a decent rebounder for his position, though he also occasionally has turnover problems.

Andre Owens (6'4" G) - Andre Owens has a few stints with the Pacers and Jazz, though he's been playing in Europe the last few seasons. His three-point shooting really improved since he came out of college, and he's a pretty efficient scorer overall, though not always consistent. He seems to pick up a decent amount of rebounds for a shooting guard, and he occasionally does well in the assist column as well.

Clay Tucker (6'5" G) - Tucker has been floating around Europe and various American minor leagues for about six years now, and he's a good three-point shooter who also comes up with occasional steals. He doesn't do much in the way of rebounding or assists, but he can score efficiently.

Poll

Are you excited about the Pistons' Summer League team?

Of course I'm excited, Dwayne Jones will be there!

45 votes

I'll only be excited if Dwayne Jones makes the team.

39 votes

Will you shut up about Dwayne Jones already?

70 votes

154 votes | Poll has closed