SB Nation - Courtney Sims

Turnover at the Top

Jon L — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:44 -0000

Chris Hunter is one of only a few of last season's D-League leaders coming back to the league.

I've made a few oblique references this offseason to all of the D-League three-point shooters who will be playing overseas this year, and it's true that there will be some unfamiliar faces jacking up perimeter shots next month. But it's actually even more remarkable than I thought. Heres is the list of last year's D-League award winners:

MVP - Courtney Sims
Defensive POY - Brent Petway
Impact POY - Eddie Gill
Rookie of the Year - Othyus Jeffers
Coach of the Year - Quin Snyder
Sportsmanship Award - Will Conroy

Notice anything? With the exception of perhaps Sims, all of the players listed above are playing overseas (and RU's Coach of the Year pick, Bryan Gates, is in the NBA now). True, one of them could come back midseason (and be in the running for the Impact award), but those are still some relatively big names missing. It gets even more drastic than that. Here are the All D-League teams:

First: Blake Ahearn, Will Conroy, Erik Daniels, Courtney Sims, Marcus Williams

I expect Williams to join back up with the Toros, and we're still waiting to see what Sims will do, but Ahearn, Conroy and Daniels are all overseas now.

Second: Derrick Byars, Josh Davis, Chris Hunter, Trey Johnson, James White

Hunter's back in Fort Wayne, but Byars - gone; Davis - gone; Johnson - gone; White - gone.

Third: Lance Allred, Ronald Dupree, Eddie Gill, Dontell Jefferson, Cartier Martin

Jefferson is back with Utah but I would expect a call-up for him at some point this season (the defense is too good). Otherwise, they're all in Europe and elsewhere. And while I won't bother listing all of the honorable mentions, by my count less than half of them are with the D-League again this year.

So what's the point of this? Change, and lots of it. Sure it will be disappointing not to see these talented players, but I prefer to see it as a crisi-tunity. With training camps underway and the regular season starting in just two weeks, a lot of players will have a chance to make their mark on the D-League. Some of them we can probably guess - expect Marcus Williams to tear it up again until he gets called up, Garrett Siler should be one of the best big men in the league and Carlos Powell and Anthony Tolliver should both fill up the box scores. But just as likely is that we can't predict right now who's going to make those 2009-2010 All-D-League teams. It could be someone like Amara Sy, who started his career off promisingly in Europe; or Reggie Williams, who was a smart, crafty scorer in college; heck, it could even be Yaroslav Korolev (it probably won't be Yaroslav Korolev).

All this turnover at the top of the league, talent-wise, is both likely a little daunting for the league and a pretty exciting development for D-League watchers. Teams are busy right now sorting out who can play and who can't, then it will be our turn.

Waive Goodbye, Part 1

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

by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

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

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

Atlanta Hawks

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

Who got kept: No one.

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

Charlotte Bobcats

Who got cut: Dontell Jefferson, Antonio Anderson

Who got kept: Stephen Graham

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

Golden State Warriors

Who got cut: Diamon Simpson, Shaun Pruitt

Who got kept: No one

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

Los Angeles Clippers

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

Who got kept: Kareem Rush

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

Los Angeles Lakers

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

Who got kept: No one

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

Miami Heat

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

Who got kept: Carlos Arroyo, Shavlik Randolph

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

Orlando Magic

Who got cut: Morris Almond

Who got kept: Linton Johnson

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

Phoenix Suns

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

Who got kept: No one.

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

Sacramento Kings

Who got cut: Lanny Smith, Melvin Ely

Who got kept: No one.

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

Washington Wizards

Who got cut: Vincent Grier

Who got kept: Paul Davis

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

Daily Links 10/22

FLCeltsFan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:55:39 -0000

Herald Cavaliers missing something defensively
Hawks waive Courtney Sims
Kevin McHale joins NBA studio team
Leon Powe’s reunion with Celtics ‘strange’
Celtics’ preseason ends with skirmish, win
Globe A little chess in the preseason finale
Game Updates: Celtics @ Cavs (Columbus)
It will be a whole new ballgame

CelticsBlog     Pierce All Business Against LeBron and Cavs
Final Predictions: Who Gets Cut?
Loy's Place    Comments from the Other Side - Cavs 10/21
Celtics.com    Keys to the Game: Celtics 96, Cavaliers 82 (Preseason)
ESPN    Carter carries Magic to 7-0 preseason mark
Red's Army    Report: Rondo Not Asking For Max Deal
Talkin hoops with Jon Barry & Jalen Rose, and 2 Man Game tonight
Doc likes Sweets
Sports Illustrated Likes the Celtics
Fight! Mo Williams vs Shelden Williams
Report: Rondo Extension By Oct. 31 Unlikely
Green Street    Refs Coming Back?
Refs Coming Back?
Celts Beat Cavs
Celtics Hub     MSG is Sort of Depressing Now
Setting the tone…
Finishing Off Strong
Another Interesting Thing About Rondo
Examiner     Three keys for Ray Allen for the 2009-2010 season
North Station Sports    Check Out the 2009-10 'Where Amazing Happens' Commercials
Celtics Town    NBA Preseason: Paul Pierce surprises, leads shorthanded Celtics to victory
Lex Nihil Novi    Sixers Down C's in NBAx (83-84)
The Six Degrees of the 2003-04 Minnesota Timberwolves
Larry v. Magic: LA Agog Over the First Match-Up
The Other Gear
Celtics Life    Celtics/Cavs Box & Bullets
Burger King Whopper Flips Out on a Fan
Celtics/Cavs Highlights
"They had an opportunity, and they didn’t do nothing."
Celtics 18    It ain't easy being Quisy...
Gino's Jungle     A Determined Pierce Leads Celtics Past Cavs
Celtics / Cavs Rivalry Heats Up
NESN   Live Blog: Celtics at Cavaliers
Eddie House Scores 21 as Shorthanded Celtics Beat Cavs
Cavaliers Prove They're Not Invincible, Preseason Or Not
The Countdown Is On to Extend Rajon Rondo's Contract
Top 10 Boston Sports-Related Halloween Costumes
The Lantern    Rivalry reheated: Cavs, Celtics fight for preseason victory
Star Tribune     Ailing Jefferson to get some recuperative rest
Cleveland.com   Boston Celtics blast Cleveland Cavaliers, who hope to be ready when it counts
Shaq's got just a few days to memorize the playbook
L:e Basketbawl    Rondo Says Contract Negotiations Will Not Keep His Eye Off The Prize; An NBA Title!
Slam Online    NBA Teams Making Final Cuts
Cavs News    Let the Rivalry Begin. Celtics beat Cavaliers in last preseason game
CT News     House, Daniels lead the way: Cs Beat Cavs: 96-82
Boston Channel   House Scores 21 Points As Celtics Beat Cavs
Columbus Dispach    With Shaq around, it's good to be King
Celtics 96, Cavaliers 82: Feisty dress rehearsal
News Herald   Cavaliers notes: West could play in opener
NBA.com    Hall of Famer McHale joins NBA TV as analyst
Dimemag    D-Wade finds his regular season form; LaMarcus finds his money
Rajon Rondo Talks Celtics, Can’t Name Any Kentucky Players Rajon Rondo Talks Celtics, Can’t Name Any Kentucky Players
Reuters     Tickets-for-Charity(R) Offers Celtics Fans Premium Seats for All Home Games
Hoopsworld Tony Allen: Ready to Bounce Back
Can Doc, Celtics Cure Ills of '08-'09?
Full Court Pest     Raptor Truth: 2009-2010 Preview
Simon on Sports    Rasheed Wallace as a Celtic Is Going to Take a Lot to Get Used To
Hoopsnotes      Rondo Waiting Next Year For New Deal?
Celtics YouTube Channel    Conversation with Perk
SI.com    Defense should lead Celtics over Lakers for NBA title
Ball Don't Lie    Report: Lamar and Khloe's pre-nup includes Lakers tickets
Sports Media Watch   Garnett to guest star on Family Guy
Fox Sports    2009-10 preview: Cavs vs. Celtics vs. Magic
FanHouse    Player to Watch: Marquis Daniels
FanHouse Preview: Boston Celtics
Wine and Gold Rush      Seventh Preseason Game: The Returning Cavs Players Can Be Exciting, Too

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:53 -0000

More photos » by Noah Graham - NBAE/Getty Images

8 months ago: LOS ANGELES - APRIL 15: D.J. White #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder goes up for a dunk against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on April 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The preseason is beginning to wind down, as there were just three games last night. And pretty uninteresting ones too for our purposes. A lot of guys playing two or three minutes. Let's get to it, I guess.

Atlanta Hawks 113, Washington Wizards 95

Paul Davis has played better in the preseason than I expected, and last night he shot 3-4 from the field and 2-2 from the line, and finished with eight points, three rebounds and a steal in a little under seven minutes. Courtney Sims played about eight and a half minutes and a finished with six points (on 2-2 shooting both from the field and the line), but had no rebounds and a pair of fouls. He's been scoring pretty well and pretty efficiently for Atlanta, but hasn't offered much else.

Houston Rockets 105, Oklahoma City 85

D.J. White had a pretty good game, shooting 4-6 and finishing with eight points, four rebounds and a block in 16 minutes. Efficient Pops was back in this one, as Mensah-Bonsu made five of his six field goals (though only three of his six free throws). He also grabbed four rebounds in a little over 16 minutes, though he also had a pair of turnovers.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:01:11 -0000

More photos » by Hannah Foslien - AP

2 months ago: Chicago Bulls' Chris Richard (32) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves' Oleksiy Pecherov (4) as Kevin Love (42) watches on during the second quarter of a NBA basketball game at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. Bulls defeated the Timberwolves 99-94. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)

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Fair warning, the format of this thing may change a few times as I figure out how I want to write it. But for now, let's take a look at some former or future D-Leaguers/European players who played well (and in some cases not so well) last night on a game-by-game basis.

Phoenix Suns 110, Portland 104

The only "our guy" who played in this game was Carlos Powell, and he did very well. Starting and playing just over 22 minutes, Powell finished with 12 points on six shots, including 2-3 from long range, and three rebounds, along with zero turnovers and only one foul. The main thing holding him back so far has been his attitude rather than his talent, so if he keeps this up (including the improved outside shooting) either the Suns or some other team will take notice.

Washington Wizards 109, Cleveland Cavaliers 104

Jawad Williams hasn't had the best preseason so far, but he had a solid game last night for Cleveland. Getting the start in LeBron James's absence, Williams put up in 21 points on 12 shots, shot 4-6 on three-pointers and 5-7 on free throws, and grabbed five rebounds and passed out a pair of assists as well. Hey Cleveland, if you're really serious about making sure you have bench scoring, keep this guy around. The other standout of sorts for the Cavs was Andre Barrett, who outplayed his competition (Russell Robinson) by collecting eight assists in a little over 26 minutes and grabbing three rebounds, though he did need nine shots to score eight points. Paul Davis played just under nine minutes in this game, and while Mike Prada from BulletsForever may have a soft spot for the guy, I just don't see it. 0-2 shooting, one rebound, one assist, one block and one turnover...what am I missing? Luke Nevill, on the other hand, actually scored with four points in just under nine minutes, and he at least picked up three rebounds. 12-per-36 is a lot better than 4-per-36.

Boston Celtics 106, Toronto Raptors 90

Sonny Weems came back to earth a little bit, with 12 points on 10 shots and three turnovers, but he is banged up a little bit, and he's still getting a fair amount of playing time, which is encouraging. Holly MacKenzie thinks the team will find a place for him, and quotes Chris Bosh as saying

"if we continue to work with him and get him polished, I think he'll really help us out."

The J.R. Giddens Rebounding Machine is still working, with four in 13 and a half minutes, though he's still having a hard time scoring the ball. Lester Hudson wasn't, though, with 12 points on seven shots in the same amount of playing time as Giddens, and he picked up a pair of steals and a pair of rebounds as well. If Boston could just put those two together they might have something.

Oklahoma City 96, Miami Heat 91

I'm only mentioning Carlos Arroyo because Erik Spoelstra decided to sit both John Lucas and Chris Quinn to see what the team's newest point guard candidate can do, and he responded with, well, zero points, three rebounds, two assists, a turnover and four fouls in 16 minutes. Just stick with Lucas. Both Shaun Livingston and Kyle Weaver struggled a little bit for the Thunder, combining for five points, all of which came at the free-throw line. Weaver's calling card is his defense anyway, but he certainly hasn't been helping matters with his shooting so far.

LA Clippers 93, San Antonio Spurs 90

DeJuan Blair has been making Ian Mahinmi's job tougher by grabbing most of the rebounds in sight, but Mahinmi still managed to pull five down in 19 minutes, along with seven points on four shots and only one turnover. Speaking of turnovers (you see what I did there), Marcus Williams has struggled with them so far this preseason (and to a certain extent in Austin last season), and he had three last night in 18 minutes, which spoiled an otherwise solid night, 11 points on 4-8 shooting, two rebounds and two assists. Much better was Malik Hairston, who got the start and played 23 minutes, and finished with nine points on five shots, five assists and two steals. The assists are a nice bonus from him, as he's a decent passer but not a prolific one.

Chicago Bulls 99, Minnesota Timberwolves 94

The story of this game is Chris Richard, who led all scorers with 17 points on nine shots, made seven of his nine free throws and added 13 rebounds and two blocks, both of which also were game highs. Minnesota was the team that initially cut him, so there was probably some extra motivation (he's played pretty poorly so far), but maybe he can at least trick the Bulls into keeping him on, then show them that while he's not usually that spectacular, he's at least pretty solid. Mark from Sham Sports and Chicago Bulls Confidential is still skeptical that'll happen, though. Derrick Byars had a nice little game, with five points on three shots, three rebounds and a block in a little over 15 minutes.

Atlanta Hawks 111, Memphis Grizzlies 96

Like Jawad Williams and Chris Richard, Courtney Sims broke out last night after a rough preseason, scoring 12 points on 4-6 shooting in 13 minutes and blocking two shots. He only had three rebounds and added two turnovers, but he was one of the more talented players in the D-League last season and several NBA teams are known admirers, so anything he can do to help his case at this point would, well, help. Hamed Haddadi had three rebounds in six minutes, because that's what he does. And not really anything else.

Who is Courtney Sims? A journey into the Hawks, the D-league, and the last roster spot.

hawksdawgs — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:02:18 -0000

via www.nba.com

The Hawks will have four "prominent" free agents attending their team camp and fighting for a roster spot. Mario West is the most familiar 13th man in the country. Othello Hunter is a known commodity (or at least we know he looks good in a suit on the sidelines), and Garret Siler is a local product from Augusta St. But who is the fourth? Who is Courtney Sims? Just last years 6'11'' D-league MVP who averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Being a Hawks fan (and the fact that we do not really have a team in it), I am woefully and shamefully inept at talking about the D-league. So I scoured the brain of Scott from Ridiculous Upside. A man who has forgotten more about the D-league than I know about life. And we talked Moore, the benefits of the D-league, and the Hawks recent abhorrence in using it.

PH: Courtney Sims has put up incredible numbers in the D-league. Why do you think he has yet to stick with a team?

RU: The biggest knock on Sims is that he's not bulky enough to play the 5 - too lanky. He is reasonably athletic and a legit 6'11" so playing center is definitely something he can handle in the NBA, but that's been the biggest knock. The other problem is that he really hasn't seen the right opportunities. His rookie season, he was picked up out of Michigan as an undrafted free agent by Indiana, but was stuck behind Jermaine O'Neal, Jeff Foster, Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu, David Harrison and Shawne Williams. Not a great bunch, but enough to put an undrafted rookie out on the streets by January after 3 games played. From there, it was the D-League, in which he didn't dominate. After a Summer League with New Orleans (they've been rumored to love him, but never call him up), he came back and dominated the D-League. He was called up to the Suns, but they didn't really need him other than to appease the league and have 13 guys on their roster. At the end of the D-League season, the Knicks had him in for two 10-days, but once again he was just a warm, injury-free body.

In short, I guess I'd say he hasn't stuck yet simply because the teams that have given him a call-up haven't really given him an opportunity.

PH: Does the d-league style of play differ from the NBA?

RU: It's a different, faster game actually, but not so different that stats don't correlate, at least to some extension. One of the RU writers looked at this in-depth actually (http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2009/6/10/904563/scrubs-not-so-fast-the-production -- feel free to scroll down to the bigs segment). Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Lou Amundson are probably two of the players that were able to get a call-up and had a chance to contribute and both fill their roles well in the NBA. Other than that, it doesn't differ as much as people are sometimes led to believe. Though all players are looking to be noticed, it's been shown that players on winning D-League teams get better opportunities in Summer League, Europe and the NBA, oddly enough.

Courtney's team in Iowa was pretty good so his numbers aren't an abberation - around him he had former/current NBAer's Cartier Martin, Demetris Nichols, JamesOn Curry, Denham Brown, Anthony Tolliver, John Edwards and Alando Tucker at various points of the season. Not the biggest of names, but it shows that he wasn't a one man show, either.

PH: If Sims made the Hawks, he would be the fourth big behind (Horford, Zaza, and Joe Smith). With guys like him and Othello Hunter last year, do you think it is better for them and/or the team in the long run to play more minutes in the D-league or to practice and experience the NBA while on the bench?

RU: I'm the biggest D-League homer in the blogging world, so I'd obviously say that it's definitely better to develop in the D-League rather than sit on an NBA bench. That said, I'm going to try backing this up.

Four years ago, I might've said differently, but the D-League is becoming a lot more talented than it used to be. Last season when Hunter was in the D-League (all 3 games), he didn't exactly dominate - shooting 1-for-9 in one game. In his case, I'd say playing against talented players (Richard Hendrix, Lance Allred, Dwayne Jones, Pops Mensha-Bonsu, Courtney Sims and Rod Benson namely) rather than sitting on the bench may have helped him out. He didn't really look ready in the playoffs and whether that was due to being a bit rusty or not, I don't know, but had he played in 30 games during the season in the D-League, I think it would have helped. Worse case scenario is he's better than everyone else, doesn't improve, but at least gains some confidence. Best case is that he's playing nightly, being the focus of the coach (perhaps individually as NBA teams can send assistants with players on assignment), and getting better by playing against near-equal competition.

PH: What part of Sims' game will translate easily to the NBA? Can his game adjust/work playing less than ten minutes a game?

RU: Typically, I think high-energy bigs translate best numbers-wise to the NBA (the Lou Amundson/Pops Mensah-Bonsu mold). Courtney's obviously not going to average his 23 points, 11 boards and 2 blocks that he did in the D-League as the fourth big playing 10ish minutes a night. He's very fundamentally sound though, and because of that, I don't think there will be much of a drop, actually. He probably won't wow the Hawks fanbase in 10 minutes, but fans won't be upset that he's in their either. He'll come in, hit the boards, maybe swat a shot, and if needed, he has a pretty right handed jump hook he can use at will.

PH: Where must Sims' improve?

RU: As I said, fundamentally, he's pretty skilled. He's a little slower than you'd like and he could bulk up, but his skillset has probably reached it's potential, save for adding some range to a limited jump shot (probably good out to about 10-12 feet).

If he gets a legit shot at making the team, he'll probably stick, as the downside is at a minimum. I'm a big Garrett Siler fan though, so I know he has some competition!

I feel like a better person after this interview. Thanks Scott for some great info. Personally, I hope the Hawks start taking advantage of the D-league more. And I have to agree that if Othello Hunter was in anyway useful in the playoffs (whether it was because of injury, big leads, or a real role), it seems he would have been more prepared averaging big minutes at some point during the season in the D-league.

Even with only a couple roster spots left, I can actually say I am pretty excited to see how this thing shakes out. And if a few of our boys find their way back to the D-league, head over to Ridiculous Upside. They got you so covered you will feel like you are there.

Poll

Who do you want to make the Hawks?

Othello Hunter

28 votes

Garrett Siler

58 votes

Courtney Sims

51 votes

137 votes | Poll has closed

Phoenix Suns Summer League: The Game Plan

Phoenix Stan — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:01:09 -0000

In less than a week from now the "Summer Suns" will kick off their five game 2009 Vegas Summer League season.

I along with numerous other SBN bloggers will be on hand taking it all in. This year I will be doing double duty covering our boys both for this site but also working on behalf of Suns flagship radio station Sports 620 KTAR. I will be in Vegas July 12th to the 18th catching three of the Suns five games and taking the opportunity to watch a lot of other young players and perhaps, just maybe have a little fun too.

The key thing to remember about Summer League ball is to ignore the game and focus on the individual play. These are teams thrown together with a wide range of talent. They get little opportunity to practice together and each and every player is out there to show his stuff and advance his own agenda.

Typically, we deride this "me-first" ball but in Vegas it is totally acceptable and expected so in other words ignore the score and focus on who does what in the context of the five on five competition.

Going into anything as monumental as the Vegas Summer League, you have to have a game plan and here's what I've got.

Roster

Our good friends over at Ridiculous Upside have taken the time to give us the skinny on the various roster filler on this year's team, They will have the privilege of mainly watching four guys with guaranteed contracts and one 2nd round draft pick get the majority of the minutes.

There's only two guys in that group that might be of interest. Jiri Hubalek a 6'11" F/C who played (well I thought) for the Suns last season in Vegas before departing early for a contract in Europe and Kaspars Berzins, a 7fter who's athletic and mobile. If nothing else, these big guys will be interesting to watch.

Enough about those guys though, Summer League for the Suns this year anyway isn't about trying to find a diamond in the rough. It's about gauging the development of three or five young Suns players and draft picks

Returning players development

The Suns are one of the only teams that will start three guys with NBA experience (Lopez, Tucker and Dragic) and each one will come to these games with something to show.

Goran Dragic - Goran's summer so far has kept him primarily in the gym. I haven't seen him yet myself but several people have told me how much muscle he's put on and how cut he looks. Aside from that improving his chances with the young Slavic girls at ASU, this additional strength will help him finish after contact and fight through screens. That's the plan anyway and what I will be looking for.

Talent wise, we know that Dragic has average handle and above average court vision and decent shooting and defense. For his development at point guard I am hoping to see a lot more floor leadership. It is a lot to ask from this young kid from Slovenia and I don't expect him to show up and be Chris Paul but I will be looking for how well he handles this team.

Goran's a nice kid with an out-going personality. Good sense of humor. Smart. He's a guy you kind of want to like and perhaps date your daughter but I've yet to see the "eye of a killer" in him. My expectations aren't high in this regard but perhaps on the court against a lot of guys who he will have a significant advantage over he might put the hammer down on occasion. I definitely want to see him respond tough to some physical play. He can be a nice guy off the court. In Vegas he's going to need to starting earning his reputation as a guy that isn't going to be pushed around.

Robin Lopez - The key for Robin has long been his will and desire. He had a tough rookie season playing in the shadow of both a revitalized Shaq and his brother Brook who turned consistent playing time into a great rookie season. How Robin responds to that challenge could be the key to his entire NBA career.

After seeing him down right dominate at times last summer in Vegas, I am convinced he has all the physical tools needed to be a Chandler-like defensive center. He also has the ability to be a better post player than Chandler with decent improvisational moves and counters and the opportunity to have range out to 10 or 12 feet.

In other words, Robin has a LOT of untapped upside and next week will give us a peak into how much of that he's ready to show next season. Or maybe he's just a laid back kid who enjoyed his time off and will coast through his contract until he's out of the league in a few more years. That could happen too.

On the court we probably won't see much post play from the up tempo Gentry-led Suns but we will have plenty of opportunity to see if Robin plays defense with as much intensity as last year but with more smarts. His rebounding was also a big question in his limited minutes with the Suns last year so I will be looking for how much he's learned about cleaning the glass. Offensively, I would be shocked if we don't see him in the pick and roll on numerous occasions. He can catch and finish both over the top and on bounce passes. He's no Amare but he's not a stiff either.

Alando Tucker - Tuck had a fantastic summer last year on both ends of the court. He showed me a lot of maturity and leadership and is a big reason why I am still sold on his potential. Tucker has nothing to prove to me other then his health.

I want to see him fully recovered from his knee surgery and continue to selectively dominate offensively both attacking the rim as well as shooting off screens. Perhaps his biggest room for improvement will be his outside shooting. He's done pretty well from behind the arc but his flat shot is a problem and will limit his consistent range. I am curious to see if he's changed his form.

I fully expect Tucker to be the leader of this team and I think he will have a lot of fun in that role.

Paul Coro recently suggested that the Suns may not want to pay Tucker $1.9m next year to get limited minutes behind Barbosa and Richardson. As much as it pains me, Tucker's main purpose for being in Vegas might be to showcase him to other teams and to increase his trade value.

Rookies first look

Earl Clark - Having never seen Clark play it will all be new for me. I can't wait to see how he uses his size and athleticism on both ends of the floor and I want to see how he interacts with his teammates. There's a fine balance between being overly aggressive and too passive and on a team like the Suns it is hard for guys to get a feel for their role. Jason Richardson struggled with this last season and it might be a tough adjustment for Clark coming into this situation. Obviously, playing in Vegas in July won't be the same thing as playing in Phoenix in November but at least we will get a first look.

The one area that Clark doesn't need to hold back is on the defensive end. If he can come in as a rookie and focus on impacting the game on that end he will earn more playing time and buy himself time to let his offensive game develop.

With that in mind, it may seem boring but I don't want to see Clark taking many (barely any) jump shots and I am hoping to only see him with the ball in his hands on limited occasions.

Taylor Griffin - Taylor by no means is certain to earn a roster spot on this team. He was a bit of a flyer with a second round pick and while he might be a cheap 12th or 13th guy he also is easily replaced by some other non-drafted player that might stand out.

Playing as a tweener 3/4 he's fighting an up hill battle on the Suns team with Dudley, Amundson and now Clark all standing in front of him in line. While the Suns are deep in that 6'7" to 6'9" range they are thin at center. I would not be the least bit surprised if the roster spot Taylor is fighting ends up going to a cheap big man that the Suns see in Vegas. A guy like Steven Hill, Courtney Sims or even one of the two bigs on the Suns squad.

Oh, and did you hear his brother got drafted 1st and is supposed to be pretty good? I am guessing we will see a bit of Blake hanging around the Suns games.

Other big names

My primary mission in Vegas is to cover the Suns with a big fat eye on the items mentioned above. But there's a lot of basketball being played and it is a great opportunity to get a look at some other interesting names. Last year I got my first look at Kevin Love (impressed) and Joe Alexander (meh). I also saw Jerryd Bayless destroy DJ Strawberry's NBA career and was impressed with Aaron Brooks and CJ Watson. It was the last time Alexis Ajinca has been heard from despite being drafted 20th by Charlotte.

I can't wait to see what happens this year. Here's some guys I am going to watch for...

Chicago - Taj Gibson and James Johnson
Denver - Coby Karl, Sonny Weems and Ty Lawson
Detroit - Will Bynum, Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko
Golden State - Stephen Curry and Anthony Randolph
Houston - James Flight White, Joey Dorsey and Chase Budinger
LA Clippers - Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon (this should be a fun tandem!)
LA Lakers - Adam Morrison?? (where's Sun Yue?)
Memphis - Thabeet and Hamed Haddadi (the biggest pair in Vegas since Dolly Parton)
Milwaukee - Joe Alexander, Brandon Jennings and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Minnesota - Jonny Flynn, Wayne Ellington and Gerald Hendeson (on load from the Bobcats)
New Orleans - Courtney Sims and Julian Wright
NY Knicks - Nikoloz Tskitishvili (!), Jordan Hill, Blake Ahern and Mouhamed Sene
OKC Thunder - James Harden!, Russel Westbrook, Shaun Livingston, BJ Mullens
Portland - Jerryd Bayless, Jeff Pendergraph, Patty Mills
Sacramento - Tyreke Evans, Jason Thompson, Spencer Hawes, Omri Casspi, Donte Green (this team is loaded!)
San Antonio - DeJuan Blair, Malik Hairston, George Hill, Nando De Colo
Washington - Javale McGee, Nick Young
Dallas - Nick Calathes, Mikael Gelabale, Luke Jackson
Cleveland - TBD
Toronto - Demar DeRozan, Nathan Jawai, Brent Petway, Roko Ukic, Quincy Douby, Patick O'Bryant
D-league Select team - Othyus Jeffers, Trey Johnson

Any other interesting talent

There should be a few guys you've never heard of that jump out. Last year a funny looking white guy with a pony tail really stood out for his energy and defensive effort. He was ALL over the court and really made an impression. He turned out pretty good.

Suns matchups

1. Dallas: Monday, 3pm

The Mavericks are one of many weak Summer League teams. It will be interesting to watch Dragic and Calathes hook up but beyond that there's not much here to get excited about. I've always like Gelabale and Luke Jackson is a very good D-league player that has a legit chance at a NBA contract. Rodrigue Beaubois might be interesting to watch as well. He's a 6' point guard from France that the Mavs picked 25th overall. That's all I know about him until I see him on Monday.

2. Toronto: Wednesday, 5pm

This one should be the best game of the week for the Suns. Ukic and Douby can play and should be a good test for Dragic and it will be fun to see how Tucker handles DeRozan. Up front they are thin but Petway is a great defender and O'Bryant and Jawai are...big

3. D-league Select: Friday, 7pm

Ugh...There's a lot of very good D-league players balling in Vegas but most of them are playing for an NBA team. That leaves this group as not much more then a gimmick with only a couple of decent (D-league) players. Othyus Jeffers is nice. Walker Russell is an interesting PG that got a try out from the Suns last year in their big 6 player PG audition. And Trey Johnson can play basketball.

4. Memphis, Saturday, 5pm

The Grizzlies present two big match ups for Robin Lopez and Thabeet and Haddadi. This should definitely be a fun one for Robin to battle those two. He should have the strength advantage on Thabeet and quickness on the big Iranian but still, they are tall. Darrell Arthur was a starting power forward last year in the NBA. That's something. Not much but something. There are no guards to speak of on this team.

5. LA Clippers, Sunday, 730pm

This might be a decent game if it weren't on the last game on the last day of the entire event and is the 3rd game in 3 days for the Summer Suns. In other words, even though Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon are exciting young players this isn't the match up to see them at their best. Shame the Suns aren't playing them on Wednesday or Friday but they aren't and based on last year there's a good chance the big names will barely play in this one.

Here's the full Vegas schedule

It's Vegas Baby!

Aside from having the opportunity for some quality beer, basketball and bullshit time with all sorts of basketball types, my main plan is to crank out a daily podcast with brief interviews with various folks that will be in town for the fun. If you have anyone your interested in hearing from or any specific questions...you know what to do.

2009 Summer League Breakdown - New York Knicks

Jon L — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:00:12 -0000

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Towards the end of last season, the Knicks began paying attention to the D-League, bringing several players in for workouts and signing guys like Demetris Nichols, Courtney Sims and Cheikh Samb to short contracts. That interest has carried over to the Summer League, where New York has invited a fair number of D-League guys to participate. Yep, that's really the only interesting thing about their Summer League roster. The draftees and those D-League guys. David Noel, solid player. Same for Joe Crawford. Blake Ahearn certainly can play. Yep, nothing else going on here. I guess we'll just OH MAN THEY FOUND NIKOLOZ TSKITISHVILI. SKITA IS ON THE KNICKS' SUMMER LEAGUE TEAM. REPEAT: NIKOLOZ TSKITISHVILI IS ON THE NEW YORK KNICKS' SUMMER LEAGUE TEAM.

Ahem. Sorry about that. Full roster breakdown after the jump.

Jordan Hill (6'10"F/C) - Depending on how you felt about Hasheem Thabeet, Hill was probably the best big man prospect in this year's draft. It's not hard to imagine that the Knicks believe he can play an Amar'e Stoudemire-type role for them, and they're looking to move current starting PF David Lee. Hill's been working on his mid-range shot and his footwork, but he's athletic enough to play in Mike D'Antoni's offense, and he's a pretty good rebounder. Then again some people are saying he could be another Chris Wilcox, but I personally think a lot of what Wilcox is now is because of lack of development early in his career, so we'll see if D'Antoni can help Hill develop into something more.

Toney Douglas (6'1" G) - Douglas is a very good defender, something that D'Antoni has never really had from the point guard position. He's also a good ballhandler and a good three-point shooter who does a good job coming off screens, and perhaps most importantly for D'Antoni he's a very efficient scorer. He's not a great passer, though, and doesn't always make great decisions with the ball.

Wink Adams (6'1" G) - Ladies and gentlemen, your host for Password Plus, Wink Adams! Adams is a pretty efficient scorer, though he didn't rack up a ton of assists as a point guard in college. He's an okay rebounder, but his free-throw shooting also could use some work, and it really took a nosedive his last year at UNLV, going from 85 percent as a junior to 68 percent as a senior. His three-point shooting did the same, dropping to 27 percent after being at least 6 points better throughout his college career.

Rashaad Singleton (7'0" C) - Singleton is an athletic center who's still more about potential than being able to contributing. His rebounding jumped up in his senior year of college, but it still wasn't great and came against weaker competition (he transferred from the University of Georgia to Florida Southern). I haven't seen much written about his offense, but he seems to do okay, though his biggest asset is his shot-blocking. (Rashaad Singleton does not sound like a 7-footer -- Scott)

Joe Crawford (6'4" G) - Crawford spent the least season playing mostly with the LA D-Fenders, though I'm not sure what the likelihood of him getting called up was, since the Lakers kept drafting and trading for guards. Luckily for him the Knicks came calling last season, and Crawford is a talented scorer and a decent rebounder for his position. He hasn't been very consistent, but he can get pretty hot from behind the arc, and he's active on defense.

Blake Ahearn (6'2" G) - Ahearn has been one of the best three-point shooters in the D-League for several seasons now, and while he's gotten a couple of NBA looks he hasn't stuck yet. He should, though. He's more of a shooting guard though he's played some point, and while his defense isn't great he's certainly an NBA-caliber scorer, particularly from behind the arc.

Alex Acker (6'5" G) - Acker hasn't really stuck with any one NBA team either, having been traded and spending a few brief stints in the D-League. His shot selection is sometimes questionable, but he has a nice jumpshot and is also a good passer. He's an excellent rebounder for a guard, and he plays with a lot of energy, though not at a consistent level.

Patrick Ewing Jr. (6'8" F) The Knicks actually traded for Ewing last season before cutting him to make room on their roster for...someone, and Ewing has fought through knee injuries the last few years. He showed his talent when he played in the D-League, though, both scoring and rebounding fairly well. He doesn't have much of an outside game, but Ewing does a good job of getting to the line and converting, and he has some shot-blocking ability as well.

Ron Howard (6'5" G/F) - Howard played small forward for Fort Wayne last season, but he doesn't really have the size for it in the NBA. Howard's a really good defensive player, and his experience guarding bigger guys should serve him well. He also picked up his scoring, particularly towards the end of the season, though he shoots almost no threes. Also, his rebounding is inconsistent.

David Noel (6'6" F) - Noel's been a good D-League player, and he's a solid defender and a very efficient scorer. He also comes through with an occasional double-digit assist game. and his three-point shooting numbers are very good The bottom line is that Noel's a really solid all-around player who should be able to fill just about any role a team needs.

Mouhamed Saer Sene (7'0" C) - The Knicks got a look at Sene last season, and while his offensive game is still pretty underdeveloped, he's an excellent shot-blocker as well as a decent rebounder and an athletic post defender. He doesn't get to the free-throw line very much, which is probably for the best since his average there is pretty bad. The Knicks appear to be looking for a strong, shot-blocking center, though, between calling Sene and Samb up last year and inviting Sene and Singleton to Summer League, and it appears that they like Sene the most. He could be an interesting guy to pair with Jordan Hill up front.

Morris Almond (6'5" G) - Almond spent a fair amount of time in the D-League after not being able to crack the Jazz rotation on a consistent basis, but he's a talented player. Almond is an efficient scorer and a good three-point shooter, though he occasionally turns the ball over too much. He cut his turnovers down a fair amount this past season, though, so he's obviously working on that.

Warren Carter (6'9" F) - Carter spent the last few years playing in Turkey, Spain and Latvia, where he showed himself to be a pretty good scorer and rebounder, certainly better than he showed at the University of Illinois where he was a backup for three years. His free-throw shooting needs work, and he doesn't give much in the way of passing or shot-blocking, but he's worth a look, I suppose.

Yaroslav Korolev (6'9" F) - Korolev is a former Clippers lottery pick who never got much playing time before going back to Russia. He's fairly athletic, but also inconsistent and mistake-prone. Despite not always making great decisions he doesn't turn the ball over a whole lot, but his NBA shooting percentages were pretty abysmal. That's based on some small sample sizes, though, and it's Summer League after all, so I guess there's no harm in seeing what he can do now.

Nikoloz Tskitishvili (7'0" F) - Do I really need to tell you who this guy is? He's still considered somewhat of a project, if you can believe that (I'll bet you can). His three-point shooting has improved the last few years in Europe, as has his rebounding, but he's still only been averaging about four per game. It's hard to see him making it in the NBA at this point, after all that's happened and the fact that he hasn't shown much interest in seriously working on his game (or if he has, there are no tangible results from it), but like Carter and Korolev, there's no real harm to bringing him in.

Poll

Are you excited about the Knicks' Summer League team?

Everything D'Antoni touches turns to excitement.

63 votes

How could I not be excited with this many D-Leaguers on the roster?

62 votes

Skita Time!

65 votes

190 votes | Poll has closed

2009 Summer League Breakdown - New Orleans Hornets

Jon L — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:12:21 -0000

What an awkward looking shot.

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While the Orlando Summer League begins today, we're going to try and squeeze the rest of the teams in before the Vegas league. Next up is the New Orleans Hornets, who have a fair amount of roster concerns for a good team. Starting center Tyson Chandler was almost traded last season (and for all intents and purposes was) before getting hurt, and is now reportedly available for trade again. The Hornets can just let his backup step into a starting role, right? That questions assumes they have an adequate backup, as last year that role went to guys like Hilton Armstrong and Sean Marks. So they need to get that taken care of as well. Oh, and they also could use a decent backup to Chris Paul. Oh, and Peja Stojakovic isn't getting any younger, nor his back any less sore. Oh, and the Hornets got absolutely no scoring from their bench last year. It's a good thing coach Byron Scott lets younger players develop on the court, right? Oh.

I'm making things sound bleaker than they are, but the team also hasn't been an active player in free agency and so there are guys on the Hornets' Summer League roster who have a reasonable expectation of a shot at a regular season gig. Let's take a look at the roster after the jump.

Julian Wright (6'8" F) - Wright bore a lot of Scott's mistrust of young players not named Chris Paul, and neither he nor the team has really figured out whether he's a small forward, an undersized but rangy power forward, or some kind of FreeDarko-esque guard. Wright turns the ball over a fair amount and makes questionable decisions more than you'd like to see from a guy about to enter his third season, but he's really athletic and has somewhat understandably had his confidence shaken a bit from having his playing time yanked around. Wright will likely need to show more consistency and better defense this season to solidify having a future role with the Hornets, and what better place to start than Summer League?

Marcus Thornton (6'4" G) - Thornton was drafted this year to help provide some bench scoring, which was non-existent for the Hornets last year, and luckily for both him and the team he's fairly efficient. He does a good job at coming off of screens, though he has a tendency to fade away on his shot, which has worked for him so far, but I wonder if it will continue to do so in the NBA. He improved his shot selection and turnovers his last season at LSU, but he's still probably a higher-volume shooter than Scott might like. He's not a great pull-up shooter, and he's not great from the mid-range, but he's active defensively, which the Hornets will surely welcome.

Darren Collison (6'1" G) - Collison played alongside and behind several current NBA players as a point guard at UCLA, including Jordan Farmar and Russell Westbrook. He's a good finisher, executes the pick and roll well, and is an efficient shooter. He also makes smart decisions with the ball, which will serve him well as Chris Paul's likely primary backup. He's also a solid defensive player. He's a little undersized and pretty thin, but he's about the same height as Paul, and he'll have access to NBA weight training programs now. The SBN Hornets blog At the Hive also has an in-depth profile of Collison.

Terry Martin (6'6" G) - Martin was Thornton's teammate at LSU, and the local connection (he also was born in Monroe, LA) is likely why he's here. His best season was his sophomore year ('06-'07), as his shooting percentages have fallen pretty much across the board since then. He doesn't get to the free throw line with any real regularity, doing so in just eight out of the 31 games he played as a senior. He had the occasional game where he rebounded fairly well, but other than that he doesn't give much in terms of non-scoring categories.

Luke Nevill (7'1" C) - Nevill has a nice touch around the rim and has decent size for a center, but he doesn't have much upper body strength, and he's a pretty poor rebounder - most of his numbers there, particularly on the offensive end, came more from being bigger than the guys around him and less from any kind of technique or athletic ability.

Courtney Sims (6'11" C) - Sims was one of the top centers in the D-League last year, if not the overall best, a good scorer and a solid rebounder who got some brief looks from NBA teams towards the end of the year, including the Knicks. He's very efficient, a good free-throw shooter, and he has some shot-blocking ability. While he occasionally gets into foul trouble and turns the ball over too much every now and then, Sims is probably the best center prospect the Hornets have brought in to Summer League.

Earl Calloway (6'3" G) - Calloway is a former Fort Wayne Mad Ant (he was team MVP a few years ago) who spent last year playing in Croatia. He's a decent three-point shooter and overall scorer from the point guard position, and he's pretty quick, though while he's a decent passer Calloway doesn't get as many assists as you'd like to see. He could be a decent third point guard behind Paul and Collison.

Anthony Tolliver (6'9" F/C) - Tolliver has been all over the place, including the D-League, Europe, and the NBA, and he's no stranger to the Hornets having received a 10-day contract from them last season. He's an interior player who occasionally fancies himself a three-point shooter, though he's not very good at it. Tolliver's a decent rebounder and defender, though he has a harder time guarding perimeter players. He's also a pretty good passer.

Earl Barron (6'11" F/C) - One assumes that Barron's being brought in to audition for the Chandler backup job, though Hornets fans had better hope that he doesn't end up as Chandler's outright replacement. Not that Barron isn't decent enough, but he was pretty inconsistent in the D-League last season (a game of 10 points and 17 rebounds was followed by one with 4 and 4 in only three fewer minutes, for example) and he didn't stand out much during his three stints with the Miami Heat. He's not a very efficient scorer, but he'd be a solid backup option

Jaycee Carroll (6'2" G) - After playing in last year's summer leagues, Carroll spent last season playing in Italy, where he reportedly worked on continuing to transition from being just a scorer to more of a combo guard and ballhandler. He's a pretty good scorer though, and he has a variety of shots in his arsenal. He's not particularly quick, though, so he sometimes has trouble getting his shot off. He's a smart player, but he's also 26 (he went on a two-year mission in college) so there's not a ton of improvement to be had at this point.

Brian Cusworth (7'0" C) - Cusworth is an interesting center prospect who has played in Estonia and Spain after attending Harvard. His scoring is mostly efficient, he's a pretty good rebounder and he's a good free-throw shooter. He's not a great passer, though, and I wasn't able to find anything about his defense, which usually isn't a good sign. Still, I'd say he's definitely worth a look, especially for New Orleans.

Larry Owens (6'7" F) - What's odd about Owens is that his three-point shooting spiked up in '07-'08, from 19 percent to 31 before dropping back down to 16 percent last year. I don't know if that's a result of him getting lucky on a few extra shots or evidence of some greater talent that needs to be tapped into. He posted decent numbers in college, so it might be the latter. Otherwise, Owens is more of an undersized power forward, though his rebounding numbers weren't great last year in Belgium. He's a fairly efficient scorer, though he may be headed back to Europe.

Marc Salyers (6'9" F) - Salyers was the top scorer in Europe a few years ago, and in reading about him I'm reminded a bit of Antawn Jamison's game. Salyers is a similar type of tweener-forward who spends a lot of time facing the basket and is tough to defend because of his wide variety of shots and good range. He's not nearly as good a rebounder, though, and he's a pretty poor defender, but if New Orleans is looking for a guy to do nothing but score, they certainly could do worse than Salyers.

Quinton Watkins (6'3" G) - He's an undrafted rookie, but I listed Watkins down here because I couldn't find much information about him. He was originally going to play for the University of Illinois a year ago but was ruled academically ineligible, so he attended classes San Diego State instead and it sounds like he intended to play, but I don't see any stats or articles to that effect. I did find pictures though so apparently it happened. He was considered a top SG prospect coming out of high school, though from what I could gather he still had work to do on his outside shot. Sorry this one is so thin, but there's just not a lot out there about Watkins. Any LA-area high school basketball watchers out there have anything to add?

Poll

Are you excited for the Hornets' Summer League team?

I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so scared!

11 votes

I'm saving my excitement for when Courtney Sims makes the team.

18 votes

I really hope the Hornets have a free agent lined up.

26 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed

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