2018 Vegas Summer League

Big John

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Dec 9, 2016
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And 26-8-6 with only two turnovers from Jevon Carter. Not bad offense for a guy who was supposed to be a defensive specialist.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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2nd round Knicks pick Mitchell Robinson, who has looked real good in Vegas, fired his agent Raymond Brothers and for good reason imo. It seems almost criminal that he would pull his client from the Combine without the rumored (and assumed) 1st Round promise. Instead, the kid has to deal with not one but TWO team options after his first two years at small money are guaranteed.
 

lovegtm

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Apr 30, 2013
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2nd round Knicks pick Mitchell Robinson, who has looked real good in Vegas, fired his agent Raymond Brothers and for good reason imo. It seems almost criminal that he would pull his client from the Combine without the rumored (and assumed) 1st Round promise. Instead, the kid has to deal with not one but TWO team options after his first two years at small money are guaranteed.
Good to see players taking control of their destiny and not sticking with shitty representation. A certain guard from Oklahoma State should be taking notes.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Good to see players taking control of their destiny and not sticking with shitty representation. A certain guard from Oklahoma State should be taking notes.
How much of this is on Walters though? Yes, it's his job to get his client an offer but he did get meetings with all of them in Vegas and you can't force a team to sign your guy. He did afterall get Mo Harkless a 4/$40m a few years back and parlayed Bertans 6/2/1 numbers last season into $7m per year for his client. He's gotten Shumpert paid but then struck out on Shabazz Muhammad last year......so he's all over the place but has had some success.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Mar 26, 2005
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Not sure I buy this.

Sure, there was less value in an outside shot, but the defense was atrocious and bigs were not nearly as capable of defending small guys as today. Curry and his quickness and handle and mid-range would have destroyed defenses.

Just as West would have developed a three point shot in today's game. Elite players would likely be elite in whatever generation we hypothetically transported them to.
There was a lot more length in the mid-range section of the court though. Plus, defense was allowed to be a lot more physical back then. We can do this all day.

Maybe Curry could have turned into Nate Archibald. But OTOH, he might not have held up to the physicality.

There's probably a good TV series there: let's put famous historical figures in different eras, Hal.
 

mauf

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Good to see players taking control of their destiny and not sticking with shitty representation. A certain guard from Oklahoma State should be taking notes.
If Robinson wasn’t going to impress at the combine, he was best served not to go. Have to imagine Robinson’s agent had a decent idea what his measurables would be. Did his agent make other questionable decisions too?
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
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Curry wouldn’t be a stiff in the 1960s; he’d still be awesome. He just wouldn’t be as good because the game fundamentally didn’t have the rules that exploit his greatest skill. I only mentioned that because I don’t agree with the notion that being a guard back in the day was a lesser handicap than it is today. Not only do you have the lack of three point line; the rules allowed for defenses to be more physical, and the floor wasn’t as spaced; it was harder for smaller players to get to the rim.

There is tons of evidence in the history books to back this up; look at how little success teams led by guards had in the playoffs. What team was the first to win an NBA title; led by a guard? West maybe, he was the best player on the Lakers title team, but he also had Wilt. You would probably have to go to the ‘78 Sonics and Dennis Johnson. The number one draft pick each year was almost always a front court player and guards basically never won the MVP. The NBA right now, with the excessive three point shooting and relaxed rules on screens and offensive fouls, is the perfect time to be a smaller player.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Apr 17, 2003
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If Robinson wasn’t going to impress at the combine, he was best served not to go. Have to imagine Robinson’s agent had a decent idea what his measurables would be. Did his agent make other questionable decisions too?
I'd typically agree with that, though I don't think that's true in Robinson's specific case because he didn't play last year and thus needed to show up and be seen, even if the results weren't great.

Rumblings about him went up, not down, because he bailed on the combine given that absence and I do think that matters a lot in assessing things here.
 

mauf

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I'd typically agree with that, though I don't think that's true in Robinson's specific case because he didn't play last year and thus needed to show up and be seen, even if the results weren't great.

Rumblings about him went up, not down, because he bailed on the combine given that absence and I do think that matters a lot in assessing things here.
I would’ve thought he’d get a pass for skipping the combine if he looked good in private workouts, but you certainly might be right about the importance of seeing him alongside other prospects.

If the combine stats wouldn’t have been impressive, he probably wasn’t a first rounder in any event.
 

JCizzle

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Dec 11, 2006
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I definitely know more than Danny. What the hell is he thinking taking another athletic guy that can't shoot. Bender is the next Dirk!


I apologize Danny.
 

JCizzle

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Dec 11, 2006
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Bird is resting again. If I'm him, I'd be a little mad at the Celtics if this is their call and he doesn't get signed. This is two good chances to show off for the rest of the league.
 

Imbricus

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No Jabari Bird and I read this morning he was supposed to play, after his day of "rest." Hmm.
 

Manzivino

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Bird is resting again. If I'm him, I'd be a little mad at the Celtics if this is their call and he doesn't get signed. This is two good chances to show off for the rest of the league.
Would two additional summer league games really move the needle to the point someone offers him enough that the C’s don’t snap match? More likely they’re doing him a solid and not risking him getting injured without an NBA deal.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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Would two additional summer league games really move the needle to the point someone offers him enough that the C’s don’t snap match? More likely they’re doing him a solid and not risking him getting injured without an NBA deal.
Yeah this is likely it as there is no way we are going to let this kid walk unless a silly offer (for him) if on the table. He's played plenty out in Vegas and earned his keep.
 

Big John

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Dec 9, 2016
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Well, Cousy may have been the nominal leader, but they never won before Russell arrived in 1957. And they lost in '58 when Russell got hurt.

Having said that, I don't think we will ever see a backcourt as good as Cousy-Sharman-Jones-Jones. And Ramsay played some guard too.
 

snowmanny

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Dec 8, 2005
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Well, Cousy may have been the nominal leader, but they never won before Russell arrived in 1957. And they lost in '58 when Russell got hurt.

Having said that, I don't think we will ever see a backcourt as good as Cousy-Sharman-Jones-Jones. And Ramsay played some guard too.
Well Cousy was MVP in 1957. So I get your point but it's hard not to credit him as the leader of a championship team.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Mar 26, 2005
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Didn't realize what PDX put together for its roster. All-time All-binkie team? Collins. Baldwin. McDaniel. Swanigan. Simons. Trent Jr. And Layman was a guy I thought had a chance.

This team would have done extremely well at the combine.
 

Big John

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Dec 9, 2016
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Clearly, Portland wants to win this game with the guys they are playing. The Celtics have had enough of Vegas
Yeah, I'm a little disappointed that they sat their two best players and had no interest in winning a few more games. It was an enjoyable group to watch. It will be interesting to see if any of the new guys end up in Maine.
 

TheRooster

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Aug 3, 2001
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Didn't realize what PDX put together for its roster. All-time All-binkie team? Collins. Baldwin. McDaniel. Swanigan. Simons. Trent Jr. And Layman was a guy I thought had a chance.

This team would have done extremely well at the combine.
I was very unimpressed with Collins and Layman given the competition. It looked like Collins got his baskets b/c he is 4-6 inches taller than the guys he was playing against. Had two chances for dunks in light traffic that were soft lay ins. And I know it was SSS, but Layman doesn't look like much of a shooter.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I was very unimpressed with Collins and Layman given the competition. It looked like Collins got his baskets b/c he is 4-6 inches taller than the guys he was playing against. Had two chances for dunks in light traffic that were soft lay ins. And I know it was SSS, but Layman doesn't look like much of a shooter.
As for Collins, one of the problems with taking guys like him (and Mitchell Robinson I think) is whether they will get strong enough to play in the NBA. As you note, it's one thing to play against Hassan Martin and another to play against, say, Dwight Howard. I suppose that's why DA likes guys with NBA-ready bodies.

As for Layman, from what I understand, he had been shooting better in SL this year. He's certainly a gym rat and he knows that if he's going to stick, he has to shoot more consistently. During last offseason he was getting himself to make 500 shots a day. He has good form and not sure why isn't more consistent but for every guy who works like Jaylen Brown and gets better, there are probably at least two others who do the work but it doesn't translate for whatever reason. But Layman has NBA size, athleticism, and work ethic so I still think he's got a chance.
 

benhogan

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Nov 2, 2007
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Cavs v Lakers is entertaining as hell.

Sexton is my Donovan Mitchell Summer League break out player. As long as all that old rope left behind by Lebron doesn't get in Collin's way, they'll be fun to watch

Josh Hart 37pts, 9 rebs
Collin Sexton 27pts
Mykhailiuk 31pts 6-11 on 3PT
 
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chilidawg

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Jan 22, 2015
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Cavs v Lakers is entertaining as hell.

Sexton is my Donovan Mitchell Summer League break out player. As long as all that old rope left behind by Lebron doesn't get in Collin's way, they'll be fun to watch

Josh Hart 37pts, 9 rebs
Collin Sexton 27pts
Mykhailiuk 31pts 6-11 on 3PT
Mykhailuk was always one of those guys who looked the part, but never really delivered. Never know about those guys at the next level.
 

TripleOT

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Jul 4, 2007
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James Posey looks old. Also, he screwed up the Lakers/Cavs game when he didn't challenge a out of bounds call late.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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James Posey looks old. Also, he screwed up the Lakers/Cavs game when he didn't challenge a out of bounds call late.
Seems like yesterday the Celtics board were outraged that Ainge let him leave for New Orleans and 4/$25m. He's already 41!
 

Tony C

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Apr 13, 2000
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Interesting Pelton breakdown of summer league as prediction of guys who it presages will do better/worse than predicted.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/24116543/can-nba-summer-league-predict-surprise-stars

Who had the Kings' top pick as leading the way on potential underperformance? Go figure...

On the positive side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pops out as do Mitchell Robinson and Carter. Gilgeous-Alexander and Carter Jr are going to be really good.

Surprised to see Moritz Wagner on there, hadn't noticed him doing much of anything. Btw Kuzma last year and Hart this, if the Lakers hit on Wagner and Svi whatever his name is -- the ex-Kansas dude who had a good summer Lg, too -- one would have to say they've figured something out with the draft.