Wizard's Summer League (Las Vegas) (7/14)

[Wizardspride]

Hey guys, I think I was wrong about Pecherov. He SUCKED in Vegas. Shot it .356 for 5 games. Not good. Not good at all. I said OPEC would turn it around.....

And Tskitishvili, who'll end up back overseas, played way better than Oleksiy. I'm gonna say Pecherov's NBA career is in jeopardy.

I was wrong.

I think Oleksiy's career is definitely in jeopardy but I wouldn't give too much credence to his SL play.

I've always believed that the SL is overrated anyway.

[pancakes3]

signing someone from summer league is less compelling than signing on a new dancer. however, you can sense the excitement growing. crazy hubbub over SL (yes, i'm guilty as well.). preseason is going to get a little rowdy. by the time november rolls around we'll have already passed out on koolaide.

[Pass_The_Sticks]

If McGee had the same basketball IQ as his mother he would be a beast. But he is still young and I think he will be an All Star in the future.

[Ruzious]

I'd rather go after Hendrix than Dorsey - if both were equally available. Hendrix isn't much of an offensive player, but Dorsey is a show with the ball in his mitts. NCM... ok, he had a couple of moments against the Wiz nobodies, but he has as much chance of helping an NBA team as I do. Every once in a while, a mediocre college player develops over the years to become an okay NBA player - like Will Bynum did at Detroit last season - but that's a rarity - and NCM was a mediocre college player. For his fans, I'd say - look at his game. Is there even 1 skill that he's above average in - other than partying?

REBOUNDING AT SF. (I'd venture to say he'd also be difficult for most PFs to defend).I think NCM's also a good garbage player.

The Lakers lost a high-energy player in Ariza and they'll miss his defense and length. No replacing that. That said, I could see NCM taking all of Luke Walton's minutes and being a better scorer. A guy who takes passes from Gasol and dunks the ball.

I remember NCM as a better-than-average ACC baller, Ruz.

Another player who I think Nik's similar to: Linas Kleiza. Doesn't have the sick range like Kleiza, but I believe Caner-Medley can score in bunches.

I think NCM can be a decent 10th-12th man on most teams, Ruz.

Well, your rememeber what you want to remember. He was mediocre for 4 years at MD. And he was a bad rebounder there. In 4 years as the starting PF, his high in rebounding was 6.3 a game playing 32.4 minutes. That translates to a poor rebounding 3 in the NBA - as he'd be playing farther away from the basket. He has no jump shot. The only thing he was ok at was driving to the basket, and he can't do that against NBA athletes, because he's wayyyyyy too slow at the 3. He has no power game, and he has the length of an NBA 2 guard. And he's a terrible defender. Gary Williams had his most disappointing seasons with the NCM class.

Luke Walton is a passable NBA player because he's a great passer who sees the floor. NCM is not a passer. Kleiza is a passable NBA player because of his shooting - and NCM is not a shooter. And NCM dunks on no NBA caliber athletes. Having an adequate verticle leap doesn't mean much if it takes you extra time to gather yourself for the jump - and his lack of length hurts there. He is clearly... not a dunker. If you watched MD at all when he was there, you saw that he was a putrid finisher around the basket.

You still haven't named one skill that NCM is better than average in. You flunked, because you took a position that can't be defended.

[fishercob]

Hey guys, I think I was wrong about Pecherov. He SUCKED in Vegas. Shot it .356 for 5 games. Not good. Not good at all. I said OPEC would turn it around.....

And Tskitishvili, who'll end up back overseas, played way better than Oleksiy. I'm gonna say Pecherov's NBA career is in jeopardy.

I was wrong.

OK, keep in mind that dumping Pech was your major objection to the Miller/Foye trade at the time. How do you feel about it now? To me, we can't fully evaluate it until we see who we can retain this summer, but from a talent standpoint I think it's a huge upgrade.

[doclinkin]

Also, I was fairly well impressed with Nik Caner-Medley. Mostly due to low expectations, but still, he's gotten better.

Caner-Medley's problem has always been that he is one-handed. The guy can't go to his right at all. It's really embarrassing how one-dimensional he is.

I haven't watched him recently, has he improved on this? My uninformed guess is that he looked good in summer leagues because teams didn't scout him. Once he faces the Scouting Report, he's game will be completely shut down.

Now he's bi-ball-ual. Not great by any shakes, but I saw him pull a spin move left to dodge an unaccountable doubleteam. Moved with more agility than his Terpitude would've suggested. He showed a bit more 'nimble' than I remembered, managed to rebound better than I recall him at Maryland. Showed glimpses of hints of NBA ability. Not saying I'd sign him, just saying he didn't look as worthless as I'd remembered.

I saw him in a few games (getting my money's worth working through the entire SL archive) and a few times I was like: 'Nice move, who's that guy?" Turned out to be Caner-Medley. Only thing is he was making nice initial moves, but they didn't seem to lead to actual you know, points. So. Take it for what it's worth: he was fun to watch in summerleague, for maybe two-three plays per game.

[doclinkin]

But yeah pretty much all the guys I saw that I liked were under contract to other teams. That said, there are some real players in this draft, I enjoyed this SL season mightily compared to other years.

Golden State is a fun squad in the Vegas League. Was fun to see Blair doing what he does against slightly better competition (UConn excepted, who I think could have taken a couple of these teams). A blast to see JaVale vs Jordan Hill and Blake Griffin. Javaris growing up. Nick Young finding his strength (shoot when open; defend on the outside). There are positive signs for the future for our squad, even if we won't dominate or challenge for a title in the immediate short-term. Depth of developing talent. Not a bad thing.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Well, your rememeber what you want to remember. He was mediocre for 4 years at MD. And he was a bad rebounder there. In 4 years as the starting PF, his high in rebounding was 6.3 a game playing 32.4 minutes. That translates to a poor rebounding 3 in the NBA - as he'd be playing farther away from the basket. He has no jump shot. The only thing he was ok at was driving to the basket, and he can't do that against NBA athletes, because he's wayyyyyy too slow at the 3. He has no power game, and he has the length of an NBA 2 guard. And he's a terrible defender. Gary Williams had his most disappointing seasons with the NCM class.

Luke Walton is a passable NBA player because he's a great passer who sees the floor. NCM is not a passer. Kleiza is a passable NBA player because of his shooting - and NCM is not a shooter. And NCM dunks on no NBA caliber athletes. Having an adequate verticle leap doesn't mean much if it takes you extra time to gather yourself for the jump - and his lack of length hurts there. He is clearly... not a dunker. If you watched MD at all when he was there, you saw that he was a putrid finisher around the basket.

You still haven't named one skill that NCM is better than average in. You flunked, because you took a position that can't be defended.

I remember what I want to remember? First, my dad. Then my wife. Now, you say it. You been talking to them, Ruz? Okay, dude, you got me there. As the late Ed McMahon would say, "You are correct, sir!"

Without doing any correlation study, I'll quibble and say Matt Harpring's a great rebounder at SF and he averaged 8 rebounds in 36 minutes as a PF in the ACC, not much better than Nik's rate. I don't think it's a stretch to say NCM could be a good rebounder because he matched DeAndre Jordan in SL and wasn't terribly behind Griffin. Ruz, NCM won't be as you say a poor rebounder. Nope.

Ruz, I don't want to debate his days at UMCP. I just ask how did he just average 11/8 on good percentages against good NBA prospects?

I still say he's a 10-12 player. Just because you pegged me, Ruz, I'm not conceding.

[verbal8]

Hey guys, I think I was wrong about Pecherov. He SUCKED in Vegas. Shot it .356 for 5 games. Not good. Not good at all. I said OPEC would turn it around.....

And Tskitishvili, who'll end up back overseas, played way better than Oleksiy. I'm gonna say Pecherov's NBA career is in jeopardy.

I was wrong.

I think Oleksiy's career is definitely in jeopardy but I wouldn't give too much credence to his SL play.

I've always believed that the SL is overrated anyway.

I think for a lot of things SL stats can be misleading. However I think his showing in summer league is a pretty bad sign.

However at this point Pecherov's most developed skill is his shooting. However a poor shooting % is something I can't see getting much better in real games in Pecherov's case. The 3 pointers aren't going to be any less defended and his 2 pt shooting was almost as bad.

[Ruzious]

I remember what I want to remember? First, my dad. Then my wife. Now, you say it. You been talking to them, Ruz? Okay, dude, you got me there. As the late Ed McMahon would say, "You are correct, sir!"

Only I remember the truth. I did talk to them, of course, and they said great things about you - but I set them straight.

[fishercob]

Wiz Insider with a link to highlights of the Wiz-Clips game, including a monster Javale opp over Blake Griffin.

ENjoy:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizard ... l#comments

[closg00]

Re-air schedule of the Wiz on NBA TV.
http://www.examiner.com/x-601-Washingto ... ague-Day-9

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Hey guys, I think I was wrong about Pecherov. He SUCKED in Vegas. Shot it .356 for 5 games. Not good. Not good at all. I said OPEC would turn it around.....

And Tskitishvili, who'll end up back overseas, played way better than Oleksiy. I'm gonna say Pecherov's NBA career is in jeopardy.

I was wrong.

OK, keep in mind that dumping Pech was your major objection to the Miller/Foye trade at the time. How do you feel about it now? To me, we can't fully evaluate it until we see who we can retain this summer, but from a talent standpoint I think it's a huge upgrade.

Missed this yesterday (sorry) fish.

I still feel that OP was worth a #18 pick for EG, and that EG should have at least gotten the #28 from Minny. Pecherov's only 23, is 7 feet tall, and can hit from outside and rebound. Get something for him. (Even a future second!)

I am feeling less worried about Pecherov blowing up, however. I admit that. Dat and others who've said OPEC sucks seem to be right. ... I think for now. (But then again, I think he fits at high post C next to Al Jefferson who'll own the paint. That'swhat remains to be seen, is if he's an Okur-type C).

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think for a lot of things SL stats can be misleading. However I think his showing in summer league is a pretty bad sign.

However at this point Pecherov's most developed skill is his shooting. However a poor shooting % is something I can't see getting much better in real games in Pecherov's case. The 3 pointers aren't going to be any less defended and his 2 pt shooting was almost as bad.

I think he's going to have to hope teams leave him to try and defend Al Jefferson inside.

Pecherov's 3 ball could be an asset to both Jefferson and Love, who are often defended by taller players intent on blocking their shots. Putting Pecherov on the high post and letting him shoot all the clean look jumper he gets is the way to maximize OPEC effective field goal percentage.

What you do not want is Pecherov trying to score inside or off the dribble. He clearly sucks at that. Make Pecherov a catch and shoot big and live with the wierdness of his offense for a player his height and build.

[Kanyewest]

I think for a lot of things SL stats can be misleading. However I think his showing in summer league is a pretty bad sign.

However at this point Pecherov's most developed skill is his shooting. However a poor shooting % is something I can't see getting much better in real games in Pecherov's case. The 3 pointers aren't going to be any less defended and his 2 pt shooting was almost as bad.

I think he's going to have to hope teams leave him to try and defend Al Jefferson inside.

Pecherov's 3 ball could be an asset to both Jefferson and Love, who are often defended by taller players intent on blocking their shots. Putting Pecherov on the high post and letting him shoot all the clean look jumper he gets is the way to maximize OPEC effective field goal percentage.

What you do not want is Pecherov trying to score inside or off the dribble. He clearly sucks at that. Make Pecherov a catch and shoot big and live with the wierdness of his offense for a player his height and build.

Pecherov has been getting wide open shots his entire career, mostly catch and shoot; defenses are letting him take that 3 point shot because he hasn't shown the ability to knock them down with any consistency. If Pecherov improves, it'll be because he finally learned how to shoot the ball.

I would actually prefer if Pecherov played in the paint so that he could utilize his biggest strength in rebounding.

[DCZards]

Pecherov has been getting wide open shots his entire career, mostly catch and shoot; defenses are letting him take that 3 point shot because he hasn't shown the ability to knock them down with any consistency. If Pecherov improves, it'll be because he finally learned how to shoot the ball.

I would actually prefer if Pecherov played in the paint so that he could utilize his biggest strength in rebounding.

I agree on both points. Opech has yet to prove he can hit the open jumper and he needs to spend more time in the paint hitting the boards.

[Dat2U]

Kanye West nailed it on Pecherov. Dude is not an NBA player. For all this talk about his ability from 3 pt range, he's never hit those open 3s with any consistency. He's also too weak to be a factor inside the paint. He's simply a guy on a rookie contract that will be back playing overseas once that contract is up.

Now on to the Wizards:

Alade Aminu shows no ability to finish around the basket and isn't very strong although he gives a good effort.

Javaris Crittenton showed improvement in terms of his on-court decision making. I think he hit like two jumpers the whole week but the team was so much better with the ball in his hands. He's got great size and can attack the basket although he doesn't appear to have the explosiveness to finish when he gets to the rim. He might be a passable backup for Gil in spot minutes this year.

Jon Edwards is a big and slow stiff. But one who played with good energy and effort and displayed a solid b-ball IQ. He outplayed bigger named prospects in Aminu & Heytvelt.

Speaking of Josh Heytvelt. He just doesn't excel at any one thing to play at the NBA level. Rebounding? No. Defense? No. Ability to face up or post up and score? No. Reminded me of a bigger version of our own Vladimir Veermeenko. That's not a good thing folks.

Javale McGee was MIA his first two games and did an about face during his last two. I was actually more impressed with his 19 pt 7 blk effort against the Clips b/c of the competition he faced. Blake Griffin had trouble getting anything inside with Javale rotating over and challenging the shot. DeAndre Jordan got most of his points when Javale rotated off of him and didn't get any help.

Javale is just so long and athletic, he's an easy target for his teammates to find offensively. He doesn't need to score or create his own shot. He doesn't have to be terribly skilled. Because he's coordinated and has soft hands if he gets the ball anywhere near the rim he can simply drop it in the basket from many different angles.

The most impressive thing about Javale's performance the last two games was his defense. He was active and absolutely tremendous as a weak side defender rotating in to challenge any and every shot. He displayed great timing and didn't bite on too many pump fakes. It was the first time in his short career that he truly looked like a difference maker defensively. Sitting behind Pam McGee in one stretch I overheard someone talking to her about getting Javale to worry about defense & rebounding first and letting the scoring come to him and how that approach was really impacting his performance.

Javale over the course of the season will still be inconsistent but I still want him to gain the experience as the main backup at C. The Wizards do not need to sign a backup C to steal minutes away from him.

Dominic McGuire was a bit of a dissapointment for me. There's been no real improvement in his game. His handles are still not tight enough. His jumpshot is still a work in progress. He hustles, he boards, he makes good passes at times but it looks like what you see, is what you get with him.

Twain McKee & Jason Rich were roster filler IMO. McKee is slow and awkward and was out of sorts at PG. Rich had a nice looking stroke but shot terribly and is undersized for an SG. Neither guy would standout at the D-League level.

Tyrese Rice was overmatched at PG. He tried so hard to be a PG it took away from his aggressiveness as a scorer. And when he doesn't score, it's like playing 4 on 5. He's slight of build and he's not a great athlete, he gets taken off the dribble on the regular. The few times he attacked the basket he did okay but then were talking about a 6-0 shooting guard here. Sorta like a Juan Dixon lite.

Brandon Wallace was the best of the free agent players on our roster. He's not terribly skilled and honestly looks like a 200 lb PF but he played with a ton energy, displayed good athleticism and did at least display the ability to hit a jumper. He also generally played smart and heady basketball and didn't try to do too much out there. If we had to sign one FA off this roster he would be the guy.

Nick Young was learning to play a new style of ball. It's a work in progress but I liked what I saw. He was born to come off of screens. He doesn't need much space to get off a good shot and at times he ran defenders ragged through staggered screens for open looks. To me that's much better than him ISO'ing so he create a fadeway jumper in a stagnant offensive set. He may very well be our Vinny Johnson this year. He also displayed much better energy this year as he probably realized this summer was much more important to his career than in past years. There's still not much versatility in his game but that's what probably makes him a backup as opposed to a starting SG.

I spoke on Andray Blatche already. All that I'll add is that if he ever learns that his game is 15 ft and in and he should never take more than one dribble, he'll be a very valuable contributor on the court. He played hard this week and he also partied hard. That said, I feel comfortable with him as the first big off the bench. Your not going to find too many bigs around the league with his level of talent coming off the bench.

Best part of the experience was watching Sam Cassell in action. He gets into the player's faces and demands respect. You don't give to him and he'll call you out. There was one player (I'm not sure who so I won't say who I thought it was) that said the wrong thing to Cassell and Sam said "you don't talk to me like that, I'll will whoop your ass". I loved it, you don't challenge authority with Sam around. But I also loved the fact that he's a teacher. He'll get in your face, but he'll explain why and how to correct your mistakes. Sam is a future NBA coach. There is no doubt about that. He may have been our best acquistion of the offseason.

[Dat2U]

More summer league stuff: The 2009 lottery picks.

Blake Griffin was a stud for the most part. Surprised me with his dribbling ability. Has face up potential. Definitely needs to knock down that 15 ft to truly become an all-star. He's got terrific hands and an uncanny ability to finish around the basket. He compensates for his lack of reach with his ability to get off the ground so quickly. My only knock on him is that his physical style of play may lead to injuries and his body wearing down years down the road.

Hasheem Thabeet is who I thought he was. A complete and utter bust. A hyped up and turbo charged version of Saer Sene. What kills Thabeet is that he reacts too slowly to what's going on around him and he's not quick enough to make up for that. By the time he moves his body to challenge a shot or go for a rebound, the play has already happenned. He struggles to get any rebounds outside of his space. Teams can also attack him because he again is too slow to react to play in most cases.

Jonny Flynn was the most impressive rookie in the summer league. He got elite level quickness and is incredibly explosive. Gets off the ground well and has enough lift and strength to finish at the rim with contact. A bit too flashly at times but very creative off the dribble and finding the open man. He's got a little Chris Paul in his game. He's a solid candidate for rookie of the year.

Stephen Curry surprised me in two ways. His shot was off and he couldn't hit the broad side of the barn but he's also quicker and more athletic than people give him credit for. Curry really didn't display the PG skills I wanted to see but in the offense GS ran he really wasn't asked to do that. He made some nice passes and bad ones as well. He showed an ability to create a good shot at any time however but his shot just wouldn't fall. He's got a combination of skill, craftiness and hestiation moves to create space. He also showed the ability to get into the lane and finish. His defense was solid and was able to keep his man in front of him.

Jordan Hill played as I expected him to. He's a good athlete and displayed solid energy but there's not much to his game. Not much in the way of an offensive skillset although he can hit the 15 footer from the ft line right or left side if left open. Isn't terribly strong at this point and can get outmuscled in the paint. Like Thabeet, he reacts to the game abit slow (which can be misinterpreted as playing lazy or disintersted) but its not as pronounced as in Thabeet's game b/c Hill has the athleticism to make up for it in some cases.

I already talked about Harden & Evans. Didn't get to see enough of DeRozan, Jennings or Clark to comment in detail on them.

[nate33]

Thanks for the excellent breakdown, Dat2U. You are the man!

You seem to be equivocating a bit on Thabeet. What do you really think about him?

[cdouglas]

Dat2U,

Thanks for all of the information. You would be a great sports reporter for the Post!