Wilson Chandler Takes Vengeance...by proxy

In Summer League the score doesn't matter. Unless you are a second year forward trying to impress your new coach by exacting his vengeance by proxy. Chandler was impressive in his drubbing of the Summer Suns getting to the rim at will but it was the hot outside shooting from the Knicks that really set the tone for the game.

But hey, winning and losing is for suckers. This gig is about getting to know new friends and checking out some unsigned talent. And since it's Vegas you know...other stuff.

Game notes bullet style (because my head hurts too much for prose...):

• Igor was coaching again. Was Thunder Dan being named "Head Coach" a PR ploy??
• Robin continues to look impressive - albeit against some pretty..uh stiff competition
• He did miss a clean pass that would have been an easy dunk but overall Lopez continues to play well
• My favorite Lopez moment of the game was when he was defending his man holding the ball on the perimeter and he was all up in his grill waving his arms and finally screaming in the dude's face. A primal yell. It was fantastic. Trust me Sun's fans. You will be forgetting Brian Skinner very soon.
• DJ had a better game from the field hitting several nice jumpers off curls and generally running the team well.
• I remain concerned however about his ability to score in traffic and some of his decision-making. If he's going to be the back up to Nash the offensive image that comes to mind should be Orlando Magic. Throw the ball into the big guy and spot up for 3's with the occasional slashing move.
• Btw - the Dean / Jordan PG experiment seems to be over. Dean didn't play at all (which might be injury related) and when DJ and Jordan were on the floor together it was Strawberry bringing the ball up the floor.
• Tucker played well and shows a nice mid-range game and is a beast in the paint for his size. His time playing the four at Wisconsin will certainly pay off. I hope we get to see Tucker backing up Bell this season.
• As for the D'Antoni soap opera here's what I saw:
  • Mike D looks good and seemed happy
  • He glad handed all his old Suns buddies and spent at least 30 minutes jawing with Alvin Gentry in the stands
    
  • He did not however go anywhere near Steve Kerr and was camped out on the opposite side of the court
  • If you want the visuals check the work of the true professionals over at suns.com

Observations from other games:

• Quincy Douby is legit. But you already knew that if you watched him play for the Kings last year.
•  C.J. Watson was almost as good running the point for the Warriors which might explain why Kerr and his new scouting buddy Bruce Fraser were in attendance despite being the last game of the day and the Suns having played the first
• The Nuggets / Rockets match-up turned into an over time thriller...well, maybe not thriller but it was fun watching Joey Dorsey throw down dunks off Aaron Brooks lobs and put-backs (but I didn't once see him create his own shot unlike Elton Brown who put up similar monster numbers to Dorsey and showed more skill in his post game).
  
• Dorsey looked strong and tough as opposed to the Warriors twin forwards Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright. Seriously, these two walking stick figures look exactly alike and pretty much have the same game which is to say too thin to play the 4 and not enough range to play the 3. 
• The other stand out of the evening was Houston guard Gustavo Barrera. He dished some awesome no look passes and was denied a few assists due to lack of finishing skill of his team mates. 
• It's funny how a guy like Dahntay Jones can be rightly considered a scrub on NBA teams but can really stand out in a venue like this. That pretty much tells the story of Summer League basketball.
• There's a theory floating around my head about nonathletic slightly geeky white guys obsessed with the exploits of the NBA and its players...can't quite put my finger on it yet

As for the rest of the evening...what happened in Vegas isn't all that much more then dinner and a beer with a few fellow bloggers and relatively early 2am bed time.

Today's games should be fun with the Suns playing the Blazers in the late game and a few other youngsters I am looking forward to seeing up close.