It's 1:30am and I've been going since 8am, so forgive me if this is as sloppy as the Cavaliers Summer League team. (How's that! Not bad, huh!?)
After the jump will be a data dump from my notes from today and some post game audio from Anthony Randolph and James Johnson.
Grizz vs Knicks
- Thabeet really is that bad on offense. Very mechanical. He also surprisingly looks about 40 years old when running the floor. Not so much running as shuffling. Continue to be unimpressed w/ the #2 pick
- Morris Almond played well. He's a decent scorer, but there are lots of those floating around at point guard
- Blake Ahern looked better pushing the tempo for the Knicks, but wasn't as aggressive with his shot
- Jordan Hill looked ok. Not bad. Not great. Very ok.
- Joe Crawford can score
Wiz vs Cavs
- I really don't understand why the Cavs bothered to field a team (or the Lakers for that matter)
- Nick Young scored 36 in this game and showed a nice mid range game
- Andre Blatche is a guy I've liked for awhile. He was a man among boys. Small boys
- For more on this game, check out Bullets Forever who was on site covering the Wiz
- This was a fun match up
- Anthony Randolph as a beast ... well, beast isn't the right term for this 6'10" guy that can handle the ball like a point guard. He was explosive to say the least with some monster jams. MONSTER
- He was aggressive going to the rim and finished with 42 points on 13 of 22 shooting and 16 of 21 from the line
- He only had 3 rebounds which he was well aware off after the game
- He was also very aware of his score total. He was pulled from the game with about 5 minutes left and 40 points. He was trying far too hard at that point to get his points and made some mistakes. His 42 points ties the Summer League record with legends Marcus Banks and Von Wafer. No indication yet if his jersey will be retired
- The Bulls did a great job of preventing him for breaking the record; they knew what was going on, as well
- Randolph is a very impressive scoring machine given his range, his incredible ball handling and his explosiveness at the rim. He is not a great all-around basketball player
- Curry was 3 for 15 for 10 points. I understand he's a great scorer but players like this can be highly overrated. If Curry can't lead his team from the point and distribute the ball, he's going to be another Ben Gordon. Maybe a better skilled player, but not someone that can lead a winning team.
- This Warriors team with Ellis, Curry, Randolph, Maggette and Morrow will be a very exciting losing team. Randolph is going to need to handle the ball if he hopes to get any shots because no one is going to pass the ball
- For the Bulls, James Johnson was very impressive. Remember, he's a guy the Suns were looking at with the 14th pick. He is just a solid all around player. Very smart on the court. He did play a perimeter oriented game, mostly being used as a small forward, which is great for his size. He's got a lot of talent and is really a sharp kid, too
- Taj Gibson looked too small to play power forward. He was "defending" Randolph most of the night. Too small and not very quick, either. 1st round pick? Hmmmm
- James Augustine was much more impressive than Gibson
- I didn't see any of this game, but Pounding the Rock was there with all the details on how great George Hill is
- My man Courtney Sims was supposed to be playing for the Hornets, but left the team after one practice. I got a wishy washy answer from a Hornets team guy who mumbled something about an injury, but I am not sure how accurate that really is
- Blake Griffin is that good. He's better. He didn't put the big numbers like he did in his debut but he doesn't need to. The guy is an animal on the floor and a real leader.
- There's very little (anything?) that this guy can't do. I saw him dribble up the court. Pass from the wing and post. Score in every way possible. He's just a beast of the player. He's almost a lock to win Rookie of the Year and he's got the makings of an MVP in 3 or 5 years (too much?)
- He looks shorter than his measured 6'10", but that could be due to his width and short arms. That's all I can think of to say bad
- Clipper Steve has all the glorious details. He was sitting next to me and just kept mumbling "special player ... special player". He's probably still muttering "special player" in his sleep
Here's a little audio for you. First is Anthony Randolph post game and then James Johnson.