(Evan Turner)Summer Basketball: The first week of the 2010 NBA Summer League season has arrived. The Orlando Pro Am Summer League will begin on July 5th & end on July 9th, the same day the Las Vegas Summer League kicks off.
For a couple weeks out of the Summer, Orlando & Las Vegas turn into the epicenters of the Pro Basketball community. Several scouts & team personnel from the around the world converge to evaluate prospects. An NBA Summer League roster spot is definitely on demand in the current climate & is a great opportunity for any player who is fortunate enough to participate.
As hardcore Pro Buckeye fans, Summer League viewings have been bittersweet over the years. Teams are mainly interested in the guys they have invested in. So the top draft picks like Greg Oden & Evan Turner will obviously be featured. It is great for the fans because these are the big name guys. Yet, it is a different story for the un-drafted free agents and journeymen ballers looking to snag an improbable NBA roster spot. These players are willing to lay it on the line, but they are 'playing' under the mercy & discretion of their Summer League coaches, who may or may not be that interested in their capabilities.
Watching our big name stars during the summer has been enjoyable, but we have also had to watch some of our other Buckeye favorites get the short end of the playing time distribution. Terence Dials played with Toronto after his final collegiate season, and then for Cleveland the next year. Je'Kel Foster played for the Cavaliers Summer squad in 2006...and Ron Lewis played with Houston in 2007. We believe all three would have showed out *if* they were given adequate shots, but we remember each getting minimal playing time. It is what it is, but it just goes to show you that simply getting an opportunity is huge in a game were there is an enormous pool of talented players.
The Next Level: Rookie Evan Turner will play his first official Summer League contest on July 5th vs #3 pick Derrick Favors & the New Jersey Nets. The Ohio State sensation will headline the Philadelphia 76ers roster along with smooth guard Jrue Holiday and Marreese Speights. Thought upon first look, the rest of the roster is suspect..so these guys will have to put in work in Orlando.
For a couple weeks out of the Summer, Orlando & Las Vegas turn into the epicenters of the Pro Basketball community. Several scouts & team personnel from the around the world converge to evaluate prospects. An NBA Summer League roster spot is definitely on demand in the current climate & is a great opportunity for any player who is fortunate enough to participate.
As hardcore Pro Buckeye fans, Summer League viewings have been bittersweet over the years. Teams are mainly interested in the guys they have invested in. So the top draft picks like Greg Oden & Evan Turner will obviously be featured. It is great for the fans because these are the big name guys. Yet, it is a different story for the un-drafted free agents and journeymen ballers looking to snag an improbable NBA roster spot. These players are willing to lay it on the line, but they are 'playing' under the mercy & discretion of their Summer League coaches, who may or may not be that interested in their capabilities.
Watching our big name stars during the summer has been enjoyable, but we have also had to watch some of our other Buckeye favorites get the short end of the playing time distribution. Terence Dials played with Toronto after his final collegiate season, and then for Cleveland the next year. Je'Kel Foster played for the Cavaliers Summer squad in 2006...and Ron Lewis played with Houston in 2007. We believe all three would have showed out *if* they were given adequate shots, but we remember each getting minimal playing time. It is what it is, but it just goes to show you that simply getting an opportunity is huge in a game were there is an enormous pool of talented players.
The Next Level: Rookie Evan Turner will play his first official Summer League contest on July 5th vs #3 pick Derrick Favors & the New Jersey Nets. The Ohio State sensation will headline the Philadelphia 76ers roster along with smooth guard Jrue Holiday and Marreese Speights. Thought upon first look, the rest of the roster is suspect..so these guys will have to put in work in Orlando.
Evan Turner is going to have to battle three obstacles in his first foray into the next level. First, it has been three months since he has played in a official organized game. Most of these guys have at least played in semi-serious scrimmages in recent weeks. But high draft picks such as Turner are always advised to shut stuff like that down to minimize draft risk. After Turner conquers the rust, he will have to confront the biggest adjustment of playing off the ball. Currently he is most dangerous with the leather in his hands, but he won't be at the one out of necessity in the big league like Ohio State..so he will have to learn how to hurt teams without the ball. It will be interesting to if he can impose his will on the game at the two so early. And lastly, Evan is going to have to deal with guys coming at him hard for simply being a high draft pick. Oden went through it when he came out, the big man won & lost some battles in Vegas, Turner will experience being a 'target' as well.
Time to Shine: As mentioned earlier, the Summer league experience can vary from player to player. Evan Turner will feel a lot of pressure to perform as a top draft pick, but his rookie Summer League will amount to a friendly learning experience for a guy who figures to be a big part of the Philadelphia rotation 2nd season. But some other guys are feeling the pressure to actually make squads or prove their worth as a long term piece of the puzzle.
This is an incredibly important Summer for young bigs Kosta Koufos & Byron Mullens. Koufos is coming off a stagnant season development wise. We say this because you are only as good as the games you play. Kosta could have gotten better, but many did not see it..hence why he needs to perform at Summer League where people are watching. Byron Mullens made strides in the D-League last season & is itching to show people his improvement. The center will certainly want to give his staff something to think about for fall camp with rookie Cole Aldrich joining the front court. As always we will want to see a presence with both of these guys in Orlando. Rebounding, blocking & challenging shots, and some post moves.
Young Byron remains quite a prospect as an athletic seven footer with some hops, good hands & a shooting touch.
The Bright Lights of Vegas:Forward Othello Hunter will be the lone Buckeye participant in the Las Vegas Summer League. As you may remember, O played the first half of the 2009/2010 with the Atlanta Hawks before a stint in Greece. The current free agent recently worked out at camps for the Raptors & Charlotte Bobcats. Hunter revealed the Denver Nuggets as his 2010 Summer League team in this video interview at the Charlotte camp.
Othello Hunter & the Denver Nuggets (roster) will play the Dallas Mavericks in the opening game of the Las Vegas Summer League on July 9th at 4pm.
This is Hunter's fourth career Summer League team.
2008: Charlotte (Las Vegas), Atlanta (Rocky Mountain Revue - Utah)
2009: Golden State (Las Vegas)
2010: Denver Nuggets (Las Vegas)
NBA Summer League Central
2008 Rocky Mountain Revue Clips wth Othello Hunter & Kosta Koufos
No comments:
Post a Comment