SB Nation - Coby Karl

Waive Goodbye, Part 2

Jon L — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:00:42 -0000

Go ahead and smile, Derrick Byars. You made the team. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Today we continue our look at the players waived or, occasionally, kept by NBA teams as the regular season begins. Next up we move into the middle of the country, or as I like to call it, "America's already-bloated snackhole." (I can say that because I live there.) That's right, it's the Central and Southwest Divisions. (Except that I was looking at the wrong division list when I wrote this and it's actually the Northwest Division. Deal with it, America.) And if you're just tuning in, don't forget to check out part 1.

Chicago Bulls

Who got cut: Curtis Stinson, Chris Richard, Steven Hill

Who got kept: Derrick Byars

Forget Stinson and Hill, this really came down to Byars vs. Richard for the last roster spot. And with all due respect to Richard, they made the right call. Richard played okay, although he averaged less than seven points per 36 minutes, and given that the team that already sports Joakim Noah in the frontcourt they really probably can't handle yet another guy who can't produce on offense. Not that Richard unequivocally can't, he just didn't demonstrate that sort of ability in the preseason, which is when he needed to demonstrate it. Byars helps the team in case Deng gets hurt again, or if John Salmons starts creaking (he turns 30 later this year). I won't discuss Byars in great detail here, because you can read this. It probably makes up for the Bulls cutting DeMarcus Nelson, maybe. Stinson and Hill are both probably headed to Europe, though I could see Stinson sticking around the D-League.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Who got cut: Luke Nevill, Andre Barrett, Russell Robinson, Rob Kurz, Darryl Watkins

Who got kept: Coby Karl

See Marge? These guys get it. Karl actually didn't play particularly well in the preseason, but he had a pretty good Summer League with Denver, and he's definitely talented. He's a nice multi-faceted player who can shoot (and make) threes, help distribute the ball, pick up some steals and rebound a little bit. So in other words he's exactly the right kind of guard for Cleveland. He's also worked damn hard, and he deserves another shot at the NBA. It never feels good to get cut (I'm assuming), but it's probably especially hard for Rob Kurz, who was starting for the Warriors just last season. He'd definitely be a prime call-up candidate should he go to the D-League, as he's a 6'9" guy who can make threes, although he could stand to pick up his rebounding and defense. He also profiles well as a Euroleague guy, so he could end up there. Russell Robinson also could pick either option. He played pretty poorly both in Summer League and the preseason, with turnovers being the major problem. Another stint in the D-League could help that, as he averaged just two and a half per 36 minutes for Reno last season. I'll mention again that I haven't been including Jawad Williams in this discussion because he was signed at the end of last season and has a partially-guaranteed deal, so while he theoretically could be waived later on, the team has been somewhat more committed to him than these other guys. I'm somewhat optimistic about Williams's playing time, since at this point he's more capable than J.J. Hickson or Darnell Jackson, but Leon Powe and maybe Jamario Moon are around to take most of the backup forward minutes.

Denver Nuggets

Who got cut: James White, Kurt Looby, Keith Brumbaugh, Dontaye Draper

Who got kept: Joey Graham

Massive disappointment here, although there's nothing personal against Graham. There was just so much hope that this would be White's year in Houston, then the team decided it wouldn't be, then Denver decided it wouldn't be his year for them, either. Looby getting cut isn't a huge surprise, as he's still carpaccio-raw. But, White getting the boot on top of Sonny Weems being sent away is enough to make one question Denver's commitment to ~~Sparkle Motion~~ the D-League. That would be rash, of course, and unfair to Denver who is clearly trying to win soon. Graham's per-36 numbers are almost identical to White's NBA figures, but I guess there's still too much uncertainty over what White can do when there really shouldn't be. He's headed over to Europe now, I assume, since he's said he's done with the D-League, and who can blame him. If an NBA team says they're committed to your development, then semi-promptly gets rid of you, that would be disheartening for anyone.

Detroit Pistons

Who got cut: Maceo Baston

Who got kept: No one.

Sorry, Maceo. Have fun at your House Party. (Admit it, that's not the clip you were expecting.) (Also, note to self: when you get older, shave your head but leave the sideburns and add a mustache.) But hey, here's a crazy idea; the Pistons also waived their second round pick Deron Washington, who's a 6'7" small forward. James White is a 6'7" small forward. WHAT IF THEY'RE ABOUT TO SIGN JAMES WHITE? They're probably not, but they should be. While Austin Daye looked really, really good in Summer League, and Jonas Jerebko could be pretty good, it seems a bit crazy to rely on three rookies (remember DaJuan Summers) as key bench contributors, rebuilding or no rebuilding. And while James White doesn't have that much more NBA experience, he's been around for a few years and he can contribute. Come on, Joe Dumars. LET'S DO THIS.

Indiana Pacers

Who got cut: Rod Benson, Demetris Nichols, Lawrence Roberts

Who got kept: No one.

Rod Benson is probably going back to Europe this year, even though he didn't have the best experience there last season (although being injured didn't help). I'd guess Nichols goes the same route, and both of them are good enough to play in the NBA right now. (Roberts is already over there.) As for the biggest question, whether we'll seee a return of Boom Tho-ness, I have no idea. Personally I wouldn't expect too much except maybe a continuation of his posts over at Ball Don't Lie. If this website were FreeDarko I'd probably launch into a discussion about whether this year's return to (or first crack at) seriousness for Benson and Gilbert Arenas reflects some kind of "down to business" vibe given off by the Obama Administration, but I have neither the time nor the ability to get into that right now. Or who knows, maybe Benson could write a book that would probably be better than Paul Shirley's (which I haven't read, but Benson's a better writer than Shirley so it's pretty much a lock.)

Milwaukee Bucks

Who got cut: Marcus Hubbard, Mark Tyndale, Charles Gaines, Dominic James

Who got kept: No one.

This was bound to happen eventually, but I don't really have much to say about these guys. Hubbard could do with another season or two in the D-League and work on either a.) becoming a proper interior player, or b.) shooting better than .256 on his three-pointers. Because this in-between thing isn't working. Gaines played well for Austin last season, averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes, and shot a good percentage with Maccabi Tel Aviv. I'd like to see him in the D-League again this season, but I'm not sure he's close enough to a call-up to make it worth his time. Let's see, what else can I talk about with these guys...uh hey, I think Ersan Ilyasova can be pretty good, but that's not really under the purview of this series. Three or four players likely going over to Europe. Whee.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Who got cut: Jack McClinton, Alonzo Gee, Jared Reiner, Devin Green, Mustafa Shakur

Who got kept: Jason Hart

I don't have much to say about Jason Hart since he's 31 years old now and last played in the D-League eight years ago. This is probably a stale comment by now, and the team waived Antonio Daniels so they haven't gone completely crazy, but what's the deal with Minnesota and point guards? Who are these people? Who are the ad wizards that came up with this one? I've already written about this, but whatever NBA team ends up with McClinton (and there will be one, eventually) is going to love having him, and kick themselves for not having him earlier. Reiner got a raw deal by getting cut right before the game in his hometown, sure. But Nate Jawai is in Minnesota now, and that's something, right? It's at least as much a something as Oleksiy Pecherov being there, certainly.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Who got cut: Michael Ruffin, Tre Kelley, Mike Harris

Who got kept: Ryan Bowen

I saw Kelley play a little bit, and he looked pretty good. He's very quick, and he can get to the basket. Of course, he was being guarded by Curtis Jerrells at that point so take it with a grain of bacon salt. He's almost certainly headed to Europe. Michael Ruffin, eh. I have a sort of personal animus against him through no fault of his, since Eddie Jordan overused him when they were both with the Washington Wizards, but he's already landed on his feet overseas. The question of what Bowen can give the team at this point in his career is a good one, as he's 34 years old and has been pretty inconsistent the last few seasons. I just have to keep telling myself that the Thunder still have D.J. White and Serge Ibaka, and be content with that.

Portland Trail Blazers

Who got cut: Ime Udoka, Jarron Collins, Donell Taylor, Quinton Hosley

Who got kept: No one.

I wonder what will happen to Udoka, as he's probably still good enough to contribute at the back of someone's rotation, but he's also 32 years old and most of the teams that would be interested in him are already full up. He's a solid candidate for a mid-season replacement in case some small forward somewhere gets hurt. He can shoot the three a bit, his rebounding has improved the past few years and he doesn't turn the ball over much.

What, you want me to talk about Jarron Collins?

Utah Jazz

Who got cut: Ronald Dupree, Alexander Johnson, Paul Harris, Spencer Nelson

Who got kept: No one.

Wes Matthews and draft pick Goran Suton aren't really included in this, but in the interest of full disclosure Matthews is in and Suton is out. Suton would be a solid big man in the D-League should he decide to go that route. You're probably expecting me to express disappointment at Dupree being waived, but the fact is that he didn't play well in the preseason. At all. Well, I suppose that's not completely true as he averaged about ten points per 36 minutes, but he's capable of much more than that, and he didn't really contribute much in the way of rebounds, assists or steals. He's really only had one good game, though, against the Clippers when he shot 4-7 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line, and in the rest he shot 5-13 overall. I'd like to see him in the D-League again this year, and maybe if he plays his normal solid, slashing game he'll restore some of his call-up-ability.

Cavaliers waive 3, roster set at 15

John Bena (aka CavsBlogger) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:12:24 -0000

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced today that they have waived guards Andre Barrett and Russell Robinson and center Darryl Watkins. Barrett played in four games during the preseason, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 assists in 17.5 minutes per game while Robinson played in five games (one start) and averaged 6.4 points and 2.4 assists in 20.0 minutes per game. Watkins appeared in four games and totaled two points, eight rebounds and one block in 28 minutes played.

The Cavaliers roster now stands at 15 -

NO PLAYER POS HGT WGT

1 Daniel Gibson G 6-2 200

14 Danny Green G/F 6-6 210

21 J.J. Hickson F 6-9 242

11 Zydrunas Ilgauskas C 7-3 260

00 Darnell Jackson F 6-9 253

23 LeBron James F 6-8 250

5 Coby Karl G 6-5 215

15 Jamario Moon F 6-8 205

33 Shaquille O’Neal C 7-1 325

18 Anthony Parker G/F 6-6 210

44 Leon Powe F 6-8 240

17 Anderson Varejao F/C 6-11 260

13 Delonte West G 6-3 190

31 Jawad Williams F 6-9 220

2 Mo Williams G 6-1 195

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

8 months ago: Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, right, has his shot blocked by Memphis Grizzlies center Hamed Haddadi, of Iran, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 12, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Browse more photos »

So yesterday, as you'll see, wasn't really the best day to recap. A lot of teams without D-Leaguers played, and a lot of D-Leaguers who did play didn't do all that well. Oh, and Dontell Jefferson played just two seconds. What's that about?

Dallas Mavericks 93, Cleveland Cavaliers 82

Cleveland is to be commended for inviting several D-Leaguers to play for them, unfortunately with the exception of Jawad Williams they're not playing all that well. Rob Kurz grabbed three rebounds and blocked a shot in about 15 and a half minutes last night, which isn't great for a 6'9" guy but is decent for someone who spends most of his time on the perimeter. Going 0-3 on three-pointers, though, isn't all that great for a three-point shooter. Russell Robinson got the start and played 41 and a half minutes, and while the eight assists are a positive, combining them with five turnovers and 3-11 shooting really isn't. Coby Karl grabbed five rebounds, but also shot 1-7. This paragraph depresses the hell out of me.

UPDATE: Apparently Coby Karl was one of the Cleveland players who had/has the flu, so his performance is somewhat understandable and I'll maybe stop being so hard on him. Unfortunately when it comes to nonguaranteed guys, NBA teams don't usually care whether a poor shooting night is because of illness or not, so his chances aren't necessarily any better.

LA Clippers 103, Utah Jazz 96

So remember the other night when Kosta Koufos played okay and Kyrylo Fesenko struggled? Well flip those. I guess Koufos wasn't that terrible, as he picked up three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block, but he also had all three of his field goal attempts blocked. Yikes. Fesenko was certainly better on the offensive end than he was the other night, scoring four points on 2-3 shooting with a block and an assist in eight minutes. Keep in mind that for both of these guys you're not going to see an offensive explosion, but if they can keep the rebounding up and maybe cut down on getting their own shots rejected they can be useful to the Jazz.

Memphis Grizzlies 115, Detroit Pistons 95

Hamed Haddadi had three blocks in three minutes, because that's what he does. And not really much else.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

2 months ago: Houston Rockets guard Will Conroy, center, is drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers center Solomon Jones (44) and guard T.J. Ford during the third quarter of an NBA preseason basketball game in Indianapolis, Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. Indiana won 119-104. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Browse more photos »

I know this isn't every game from last night, but not every team has former D-Leaguers on their roster (at least not anymore - thanks a lot, Knicks), and there were some teams that have just one guy who didn't play well. While I'm perfectly willing to call guys out who struggle (as you'll see below), I just don't see the point of making that the only thing I talk about with a particular game.

Indiana Pacers 119, Houston Rockets 104

Will Conroy and Romel Beck finally got in the game for Houston after spending the last few games on the bench. Conroy didn't have the best shooting night, 2-8 overall and 2-3 on three-pointers (which is good, but 0-5 on two-pointers is not), but he made eight of his 10 free throws, picked up nine assists and five rebounds in 26 and a half minutes, and best of all he had only one assist. Fantastic all-around game (aside from the missed two-pointers). Beck didn't shoot the ball particularly well either, with nine points on seven shots, but with Beck you don't get much in the non-scoring categories. Two offensive rebounds and, well, that's it, in 16 and a half minutes. Pops Mensah-Bonsu followed up his fantastic game on Thursday with nine rebounds (six offensive) and four blocks in 20 and a half minutes. But remember when I said he had a problem with scoring efficiency? Yeah, he needed eight shots to get four points. I'm guessing a lot of those offensive rebounds were off his own misses.

San Antonio Spurs 105, Cleveland Cavaliers 98

Rob Kurz hasn't played much this preseason and hasn't shown much when he has, but he played well last night, scoring 10 points on 4-6 shooting and three rebounds. Oh, he also fouled out in a little over 15 minutes. Well there goes that. Ian Mahinmi ran into some foul trouble of his own, picking up five in 11 and a half minutes. Coby Karl shot the ball pretty terribly, 1-7 overall and missing all six of his three-pointers. He's versatile enough to contribute in other areas when his shot isn't falling, but he didn't really do that either, collecting a pair of assists and one rebound. Russell Robinson shot the ball well, 3-5 from the field and 4-4 from the line, but he also paired his three assists with two turnovers. Malik Hairston did a good job of getting to the free throw line, where he made all five of his shots and was able to finish with 11 points on six shots

Chicago Bulls 94, Minnesota Timberwolves 90

Derrick Byars got a fair amount of playing time in this one, 19 and a half minutes, but he needed five shots to get five points, and while he had three rebounds and a steal, he also had three fouls and a turnover. I'd really like to see Byars make this team, but his performance hasn't been as eye-popping as it probably needs to be.

PtR Quick Cap: Spurs survive attack of the sword wielding puerco adobado, Win 105-98

Wayne Vore (ATS) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:20:30 -0000

LeBron sure played well for somebody with swine flu. But his team lost 105-98. Here is your box score.

Pop took the night off and allowed his assistant coaches to run the show. I think he did it to avoid the flu.

"Pop, get out of here. It's the preseason. No reason to risk your health. Do you hear me you crazy old coot?"

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Yep, the last preseason home game is in the books. To be honest, I don't even know what our record is. Tonight Coach Pop, Richard Jefferson and Manu Ginobili got the night off for the Spurs. For the Cavs, Anderson Varejao, Delonte West, and the Boobster got the night off.

For the guys who did play, we had some good performances.

"Dude, you keep gaining weight and I'm losing weight."

"Shit. You know Carl Douglas? Check out these moves."

via cdn0.sbnation.com

Cavaliers

BronBron had 22 points in 19 minutes going 7-14 from the field and 7-9 from the line. If you want to nitpick a great opponent who had a very good game in order to belittle them (like I want to do to LeBron James) you'd point out that he had only 1 assist. His no turnovers and 6 rebounds were nice though.

FatFat grabbed 13 rebounds in 24 minutes, which is good. He also shot 3-11 from the field. Not good.

Mo Williams got warmed up in the third quarter and ended with 15 points and 6 assists.

Jamario Moon, Coby Karl, and Rob Kurz all chipped in with double digit efforts at 12, 11, and 10 respectively.

As always, we don't care about the other team.

I think FinDog just got Manu'd on the Kiss Me Cam. Except he didn't use the back of his hand.

via cdn0.sbnation.com

Spurs

Tony Parker looked like LeBron. 22 points on 7-14 from the field and 8-8 from the line. He kicked in 7 assists (with 1 TO) and 3 rebounds in his 25 minutes.

Tim Duncan had 13 and 9 in 20 minutes. He didn't shoot great, 5-11 from the field and 3-6 from the line.

George Hill was outstanding. Again. He had 13 points -- 11-12 from the line -- 3 assists and 0 turnovers in 25 minutes. Add it all up and our point guards had 35 points, 10 assists, 1 TO, 5 rebounds, and went 19-20 from the line in 49 1/2 minutes. I don't know about you, but I'll take that every night.

Malik Hairston seemed to be really solid again. Another 11 points. He was +9, which was second on the team to Cubits' +11.

DeJuan, our hot topic of the week (by hot, I mean JRW's lusty guilt), only played 10 minutes but got 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in that time.

Your 3 stars

Tim Duncan -- It's always good to see Tim being Tim. You know his name is Tim, right? Old joke, who remembers it?
George Hill -- He's being consistently good each and every game. I likey.
Tony Parker -- Beep! Beep! Paisano!

Stat of the Game Revisited

BlaseE pointed to our assist-to-FGM ratio last game. Tonight, 23 for 33 or 69.7%. Our last two field goals were unassisted in garbage time when we were milking the clock and going one-on-one. And we only had 11 turnovers. These are good trends I'd like to see continue.

Videos

Tony embarrasses Darrell Jackson.

Bonner... blocks Shaq?

Highlights for the game, courtesy of NBA.com. It's great that they could see the game but didn't make it available for fans, isn't it? Anyway, Hairston and DeJuan do their thing near the end, so if they don't crack the rotation this year I might just have to shoot someone.

Training Camp Invites - Cleveland Cavaliers

Jon L — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:00:25 -0000

More photos » by Laura Rauch - AP

5 months ago: Denver Nuggets' Coby Karl tries to shoot over Portland Trail Blazers' David Moss during their NBA Summer League basketball game in Las Vegas on Friday, July 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Browse more photos »

For Cleveland this year, bigger is apparently better. By my count they have 20 players in training camp, which is just plain unnecessary, and it makes the odds even longer for the players I'm about to talk about. Which is too bad, because there's some real talent here.

Rob Kurz - I've actually talked about Kurz a few times in relation to training camp, because first he was looking at Cleveland, then wanted to go to Denver, and is with Cleveland again now. Kurz is a 6'9" three-point shooter who managed to start in five games for Golden State last year because, did I mention that he's a 6'9" three-point shooter who was playing for Golden State? He doesn't rebound particularly well for a power forward (and he even played some center for the Warriors because, did I mention he was a 6'9" three-point shooter who played for the Warriors?) nor does he defend at any level remotely approaching average (check his 82games opponent counterpart production stats), but Mike Brown is a good enough defensive coach that some of those deficiencies could probably be masked should Kurz break through and make the team.

Coby Karl - Karl played in both Summer Leagues this year, first with Boston's roster in Orlando and then with Denver's roster in Vegas. He was a bit shaky in the first but very solid all-around in the second. Karl is definitely skilled enough to play in the NBA, with nice rebounding and passing abilities for a shooting guard. He's an excellent three-point shooter, and overall his scoring is fairly efficient. He'd definitely be an intriguing player to put on the court with Cleveland's other guards, and hopefully he gets the opportunity to show what he can do.

Russell Robinson - Robinson got some notice running the point for the Magic's Summer League team this year, although he didn't shoot particularly well. That's pretty much the opposite of how his D-League season went last year, where he shot the ball just fine but averaged only five and a half assists per 36 minutes. Robinson is a good point guard when he puts it all together, especially since Cleveland has a certain forward who handles the ball a fair amount (no, not J.J. Hickson).

Andre Barrett - Barrett has had brief stops with six NBA teams since 2004, and he's spent some time in the D-League as well. He's actually fairly similar to Russell Robinson, averaging anywhere from five to eight assists on a per-minute basis, making 38-42 percent of his threes, and having an eFG around 51 percent. So what I said above also applies here.

Luke Nevill - Luke Nevill is a big (7'1", 250 lbs.) Australian center with pretty good hands and touch around the rim but almost no athleticism or rebounding ability. I don't know a whole lot about him (he didn't play much during Summer League), but I'm guessing he's here to make Shaquille O'Neal look good.

Darryl Watkins - Effort is Watkins's main problem, as he has some nice physical tools and athleticism along with shot-blocking ability and a decent mid-range jumper, but he can't seem to put it together for any length of time. He's an intriguing process if the Cavs decide they're bored with J.J. Hickson, I suppose, but Watkins will have to work his tail off to make this team, which hasn't been his m.o. thus far in his professional career.

Bob MacKinnon Hired as New Stampede Coach

Jon L — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:21 -0000

New Idaho Stampede coach Bob MacKinnon, who won the D-League championship last season with Colorado (via www.nba.com)

View full size photo »

The Idaho Stampede hired Bob MacKinnon as their new coach yesterday, replacing Bryan Gates who is now an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. We briefly looked at MacKinnon's credentials on Saturday, but now that he's been hired a closer look at the work he did last year is probably in order.

If there's one thing the Colorado 14ers did last season, it was run. As the local CBS affiliate's news story notes, the team averaged 120 points a game last year, which is still on the high side even for the uptempo D-League. They relied on a bevy of athletic players including John Lucas, Trey Gilder, Sonny Weems, Dominique Coleman and James Mays as well as dependable veterans like Josh Davis, Eddie Gill and Joe Dabbert, and finished the season first in both pace and offensive rating. Small lineups were not uncommon to see, with Davis at center and Gilder playing power forward alongside three guards. In part this was due to the foul trouble that all three of the centers on Colorado's roster towards the end of the season were foul-prone, but it also made smart use of the team's personnel. The team also had several players leave at various points due either to injury or being called up by the NBA, such as Mays, Cheikh Samb and Sean Williams. As MacKinnon himself noted in this "A Day in the Life" piece, flexibility is a trait he prizes, so he is likely confident in his ability to adapt his style if need be.

Will MacKinnon be able to implement the same style in Idaho? At the risk of asking a question then immediately copping out, I'm not sure. Idaho finished 14th (out of 16 teams) in pace last season, but a few of the players on that roster who may have preferred that pace, such as Nate Jawai or Lance Allred, are no longer around. However, there are some players who may thrive in MacKinnon's offense, such as Coby Karl and Luke Jackson, who won't be back either. Should Mohammed Abukar return, however, I think he'd do well, and he has experience playing at a faster pace from his time in Austin. MacKinnon also will be without the services of lockdown defender Brent Petway, and while Colorado's defense was about average last year (8th in the league), Petway's absence, perhaps in conjunction with MacKinnon's running style, makes it unlikely that the Stampede will repeat as the D-League's best defense.

A few closing comments: one fun aspect of this hire is that the "feud" between MacKinnon and Utah Flash owner Brandt Andersen (which as far as I know may be completely one-sided, which is the best/most hilarious kind of feud) may be kept alive. This also means that Rio Grande Valley is the only D-League team without a head coach in place. Congratulations to MacKinnon on being hired, and to the Idaho Stampede for finding a solid coach for their team.

A Look Back at Vegas Summer League: Part 2

Jon L — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:15:07 -0000

Jawad Williams, shown here playing for the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, played well for Cleveland at Vegas Summer League.

View full size photo »

In the wake of Vegas Summer League being over, and as I did with the Orlando Summer League, I've been taking a look at some noteworthy performances from "non-NBA" players. Part 1 dealt with guys who have been playing in Europe or who otherwise aren't currently under contract anywhere. Today examines the players from the D-League who were in Vegas, either on the D-League Select team or on an NBA squad's roster. Again, I'm only concerned with players who played three or more games, in order to get some semblance of sustained (such as it is) success (this means no Othyus Jeffers or Trey Johnson, who each played very well in two games for the D-League squad). I wanted to limit it to ten guys, but I cheated a bit and threw in an honorable mention category (which makes even less sense since the 10 guys aren't ranked in any way), which we'll look at first.

Honorable Mention: Brent Petway, Romel Beck, Mouhamed Sene, Will Conroy

Petway complemented Raptors rookie DeMar DeRozan fairly well, and while his scoring wasn't very consistent, he showed off his elite shot-blocking ability and averaged 3.6 blocks per 48 minutes, slightly more than he did last season with the Stampede. Beck made 43 percent of his three-pointers and 52.8 percent of his field goals overall, though he didn't contribute much other than scoring. Sene got a ton of blocks compared to his playing time, eight in 35 minutes, but while I didn't expect to see many points from him he didn't get many rebounds, either. Conroy was a solid point guard either starting or coming off the bench, and he made 52.2 percent of his field goals, but his assists were down a little bit from what they were in the D-League on a per-minute basis.

The rest of the players are after the jump.

Richard Hendrix (6'9" F, Denver Nuggets) - Hendrix had perhaps the best overall Summer League out of anyone, playing very well with the Orlando Magic team before repeating that performance in Vegas. He appeared in four games for Denver and started three, though he played the second-fewest minutes on the team. He still managed to shoot 63.2 percent from the field, average 13.4 rebounds per 48 minutes, and most impressively, turn the ball over only once in those four games.

Coleman Collins (6'9" F, D-League Select) - Collins was very solid for the D-League team, and I've said this before but it bears repeating: I don't understand why he didn't play more last season. Collins was one of the leading rebounders on the team and averaged 24 points per 48 minutes, all while picking up only six fouls in five games. He made 51.4 percent of his shots, too.

CJ Giles (6'11" F/C, Denver Nuggets) - Giles rebounded the ball very well for the Nuggets, averaging 15 rebounds per 48 minutes, and he made half of his field goals. He also averaged just over five blocks on a per-minute basis, though he also committed the most fouls on the team.

Kurt Looby (6'10" C, D-League Select) - RU binky Kurt Looby did what he does best, which is block shots and rebound. Looby grabbed as many rebounds as Collins did but in about 40 fewer minutes, and finished averaging 17 rebounds on a per-minute basis. He also blocked nine shots in five games. I keep repeating this, but while the offense isn't there right now, Looby will be ready to take on the NBA very soon.

Coby Karl (6'5" G, Denver Nuggets) - Yeah, yeah, he should've been listed with the "Europe" players rather than the D-Leaguers, but what are you gonna do? Coby Karl had a somewhat shaky Orlando Summer League, but he did very well in Vegas, making 61.5 percent of his field goals and half of his threes, as well as picking up rebounds and assists at decent rates for his position.

David Monds (6'8" F, Los Angeles Lakers) - Monds was a very solid player for the Lakers, though he didn't start any of the games. He led the team in per-minute scoring, shot 60.4 percent from the field and averaged 13.3 rebounds per 48 minutes, and only turned the ball over twice in five games. His free throws could use some work, as he shot 54.5 percent from the line.

Ronald Dupree (6'7" F, Denver Nuggets) - Yes, that Nuggets team was pretty stacked. Dupree was the team's second-leading scorer on a per-minute basis (and came in only .2 points behind Ty Lawson), and he also rebounded the ball fairly well, though he didn't do much beyond those two things.

Malik Hairston (6'6" G, San Antonio Spurs) - Hairston did a good job shooting the ball, shooting 52.8 percent from the field and averaging 21.4 points per 48 minutes. He didn't offer the kind of rebounding that he usually does, though that my be because he was sharing the court with two monster rebounders in DeJuan Blair and Ian Mahinmi.

Jawad Williams (6'9" F, Cleveland Cavaliers) - Williams showed off his scoring and rebounding in Vegas, making half of his three pointers and averaging 28.2 points and 10 rebounds per 48 minutes (that scoring average was best on the team). He's generally a solid defender as well, though Summer League isn't really the place for that.

DeMarcus Nelson (6'4" G, Chicago Bulls) This is also cheating a little bit since the Bulls called Nelson up before the end of last season, but he showed himself to be a pretty good all-around guard in Vegas. He had some off nights, but ended up shooting 48.1 percent from the field and tied for the second-most assists on the team. He finished averaging seven rebounds and 5.5 assists per 48 minutes, though he could stand to cut down on the turnovers a little bit.

Vegas Summer League Recap: Day 10

Jon L — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:00:42 -0000

Gary Forbes. Coby Karl. The D-League was running things in Vegas.

View full size photo »

Well this is it: the final day of the 2009 Summer League season. All the players, coaches and journalists have left Vegas by now, and all of them have some evaluating to do. RU is no different, and we'll have some analysis in the coming days, but there's one more full slate of games to go over first, so let's get to it.

D-League Select 74, Portland Trail Blazers 73

Portland Trail Blazers, you just made a fool of yourself in front of T-Bone. On a day when no one on the D-League team played particularly well, the game was won on a Marcus Hubbard buzzer-beating three. Othyus Jeffers and Trey Johnson missed their third straight game and were joined by Walker Russell, meaning the Selects had just seven guys available to play.As I've said before, these guys are working harder than everyone else, fighting to show what they can do until the clock hits zero. Kurt Looby was decent off the bench with five rebounds and two blocks in a little under 18 minutes and seven points on 3-5 shooting, though he also had five fouls in that brief period. Jasper Johnson hit all three of his shots from behind the arc and shot 6-11 overall for 16 points. Will Frisby had some nice moves down low and finished with six rebounds, though he also needed 13 shots to score 16 points.

Jerryd Bayless also sat out this game meaning Pooh Jeter got the main point guard responsibilities, and while he finished with seven assists he also shot the ball pretty terribly. Dante Cunningham shot 7-14, though he didn't get to the free throw line much and shot just 40 percent when he did, though he also grabbed seven rebounds. There's not much else to say about the Blazers because did I mention that they lost to the D-League team that was without three of its best players?

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

Denver Nuggets 107, New Orleans Hornets 105

This one went to three overtimes, which I can't imagine anyone wanted. Not too many players shot the ball efficiently overall, but a lot of the misses game as the game dragged on and on, so I'm willing to cut some slack here. Ty Lawson started out Summer League with some poor performances but he picked it up towards the end, and yesterday he had 24 points on 17 shots, six rebounds and four assists. CJ Giles played fairly well, with 13 points on nine shots, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Julian Wright missed all five of his three-pointers but was otherwise solid, with 24 points on 21 shots, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block and only two fouls and one turnover. Sonny Weems had a nice game, with 28 points on 23 shots and nine rebounds. Same goes for Coby Karl, with 19 points on 13 shots and five boards. Earl Calloway has had some nice moments in Vegas, and yesterday he had 13 points on 10 shots and six rebounds. Brian Cusworth hasn't played a whole lot, but yesterday he had 11 points on 5-8 shooting and five rebounds in less than 17 minutes.

Phoenix Suns 87, Los Angeles Clippers 70

Nik Caner-Medley has had some really solid Summer League performances, and yesterday was no exception with 13 points on nine shots, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Goran Dragic may be sensing that his roster spot is on the line (or at least his spot in the rotation), and he stepped up with 21 points on nine shots, seven assists and five rebounds, though he also picked up six assists so perhaps he was trying a little too hard. Jiri Hubalek had another good-rebounding, mediocre-shooting day with seven points on seven shots, but also six rebounds in 15 minutes. The box score says that Hyland Jordan picked up two techs, but there's no Hyland Jordan on either roster. Do they mean DeAndre Jordan? Jordan shot the ball okay, nine points on 4-6 shooting, but he was better in other areas with eight rebounds and two blocks in a little under 23 minutes.

Washington Wizards 89, New York Knicks 84

JaVale McGee had another very solid game, with 31 points on 16 shots (he shot 9-10 from the free-throw line), eight rebounds and four blocks. Jordan Hill had a fairly good game as well, particularly compared to some others he had in Vegas, with 21 points on 9-17 shooting and seven rebounds, though he also picked up six fouls. Nikoloz Tskitishvili did almost all of his shooting from behind the arc (six of his seven field goals were from three), but his aim was pretty true and he finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. I've been fairly impressed with Warren Carter's rebounding ability, and he had five in a little over 15 minutes yesterday. Tyrese Rice had his best game of Summer League, with 17 points on 7-10 shooting, though he still doesn't pick up a ton of assists and he still dribbles the ball way too much

Chicago Bulls 93, Minnesota Timberwolves 85

Kevin Martin or no Kevin Martin, Garrett Siler had another efficient game with 12 points on five shots along with five rebounds and two blocks, though he also had six fouls. James Johnson had a nice game for Chicago with 18 points on 12 shots, seven rebounds and four assists with only two turnovers. DeMarcus Nelson had a really nice game with 18 points on 10 shots, though the rebounding wasn't there the way it has been in the past. Oleksiy Pecherov had an off shooting night, but he still managed to corral eight rebounds in 17 minutes. The same goes for James Augustine, who was held scoreless while grabbing nine rebounds in 21 and a half minutes. Jonny Flynn also had a poor shooting day after a fairly impressive Summer League, though he also picked up seven assists in 23 minutes.

Memphis Grizzlies 76, San Antonio Spurs 75

DeMarre Carroll's performance hasn't impressed me much (though perhaps he's looked better in person), but he was able to capitalize on his versatility yesterday, as he had 16 points on nine shots, five rebounds and three steals. Ian Mahinmi's been inconsistent in Vegas, but yesterday he finished with 15 points on nine shots, nine rebounds and four blocks, though he also had six fouls. Romel Beck had nine points on six shots, which is nice, but he also grabbed five rebounds, which he hasn't really done much of during Summer League.

Nuggets Summer League Squad Wins Triple Overtime Thriller

Nate Timmons — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:17:47 -0000

More photos » by Laura Rauch - AP

Ty Lawson drives around Portland Trail Blazers' Jerryd Bayless during their NBA Summer League basketball game in Las Vegas on Friday, July 17, 2009.

Browse more photos »

Box Score

It's not every day you see a triple overtime basketball game. Unfortunately, I only got to see the highlights of the Nuggets last Summer League game ... but it was still fun to see some basketball. Go ahead and take yourself a little view ... click here for the highlights.

Sonny Weems led the way with 28 points and 9 rebounds. Ty Lawson contributed 24 points on 9-17 shooting and Coby Karl added 19 points and went 4-7 from downtown, while also hitting the two game winning free throws for the Nuggets.

Sonny Weems was doing a little bit of everything. In the highlights you'll see a nice alley-oop pass he makes, a pretty three-pointer, as well as a nice blocked shot and beautiful breakaway dunk on the other end of the floor. Weems, as George Karl pointed out, needed to have a stellar five games in Las Vegas and from what I've read ... he didn't totally make the best of his trip as his game was said to be a touch rusty. It's difficult to judge a guy from his summer league and with Weems the jury is still out ... actual NBA games are a different beast.

Ty Lawson is as quick as advertised and it looks like he's having a bit more success with his shot. Lawson makes a pretty three pointer in the video as well as connecting on a circus-layup after being knocked to the floor. They say that speed never has a bad day, and Lawson will surely be the beneficiary of his wheels. We haven't really had a rookie to get excited about in Denver since Carmelo Anthony fell into the team's lap back in 2003-04. Pretty much the one thing I wanted Denver to get this offseason was a lightening quick point guard who can change the makeup of the team when he's on the floor and I still have high hopes that Lawson is the answer. Oh, and he can indeed dunk! (fast forward to the 38 second mark of the linked video)

As Jeremy over at Roundball Mining Company pointed out the other day on his blog ... Coby Karl indeed should be able to find a roster spot in the NBA this season. I'm not going to say he'll get one, but I've been impressed with his game. Karl has a beautiful alley-oop pass in the highlights and he is the type of player that while he may not wow you, surely can get the job done on the floor. Every team needs a shooter off the bench, even if he's the 12th man, and Karl can provide that and a bit more. If his shooting continues to improve I'd say Coby will find a home somewhere in the league.

I did have some hopes that Denver was going to find a big man off this summer league roster ... perhaps in the form of Richard Hendrix (averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 15 minutes per game), but I don't know if that's going to be true. I'm interested to know if 6'11'' and 240 pound C.J. Giles will get a invite to training camp. Giles averaged 7.2 points and 7 rebounds in 22.4 minutes in Vegas, including 13 points and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes of action against the Hornets.

It almost would have been nice to have Johan Petro under contract and on the floor this summer to see if he could dominate at all. The three guys mentioned above have been the talk of the Nuggets' summer team, but none of those guys are big men. It looks to me like Denver will have to look elsewhere for that fourth big ... perhaps by bringing Petro back. Like I broke down a few weeks ago, the Nuggets don't really have a lot of playing time to offer a fourth big, so a big name guy is probably not going to be an answer.

Denver finished 4-1 in Vegas.

It was fun to get a peek at some of the younger guys and we'll find out which guys will be getting invites to training camp soon. To have just a taste of basketball was nice, but now I find myself wanting more ...

ntimmons73@yahoo.com