The Madhouse - Summer League and more... - Week of 7/11/14

Travel and Summer League interfered with this week's Madhouse.  Here's what I've got:

• The Summer Suns are a mixed bag!  No surprises there.  The first couple of games benefitted from a Devin Booker bounce.  That third game though... woof.  Tyler Ulis looks legit while Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss look as raw as can be.  Nothing to be discourage about.  They are playing as advertised.  The one good thing I take away is that the coaching staff has them and the rest of the SL squad buying in and selling out on every play. The actual knowledge of the game and execution will (hopefully) come with time.
• I got to see Ben Simmons play yesterday.  He is indeed a silky smooth passer, but the decision-making and shot-taking skills are... questionable.  His floor is a 6'10" Ricky Rubio with less defensive chops.  You could do a lot worse.  By no means is he a lock as a franchise player.
• I'll post other Summer League notes as I see the games.  In addition to Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors featured a lot more players who demonstrated more polish but less potential than the Summer Suns.  I'm sure they'll have fun in Europe, China or the Philippines.