NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (July 13 to 22)

[mohammed10]

Somewhat depressing takes on Singleton & Beal:

http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2012/07 ... t-wizards/

Great post!

[verbal8]

Somewhat depressing takes on Singleton & Beal:

http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2012/07 ... t-wizards/

It didn't seem they were that pessimistic about Beal. I think we are all aware that Singleton has a lot of work to do to reach expectations.

They seemed to think Beal would make the necessary adjustments. The concluding paragraph was this:

With Cassell and Thorpe’s high praise of Wall and Beal, it seems the Wizards have a bright future ahead with their young backcourt. The same can’t be said right now for second-year players Mack and Singleton. While the coaching volatility certainly did these players no favors, they’re going to need to show vast improvement to ensure their places in the team’s future.

[Ruzious]

Somewhat depressing takes on Singleton & Beal:

http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2012/07 ... t-wizards/

Mack is a liability defensively: he’s very small, not very long.

There are enough legitimate things to knock him for - so why are people compelled to make things up about Mack? He measure at 6'2.5 209 lbs at the combine with a 6'7.5 wingspan.

[mohammed10]

Ernie will wait to see who's leftover from FA, then try to sign them for one-year at the vet minimum. That's what Ernie does.

Toronto is going after their 3rd PG (JLIII) Ernie has never valued the back-up PG position as-long as he's been GM.

More dumpster diving by EG. Awesome...

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Somewhat depressing takes on Singleton & Beal:

http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2012/07 ... t-wizards/

Mack is a liability defensively: he’s very small, not very long.

There are enough legitimate things to knock him for - so why are people compelled to make things up about Mack? He measure at 6'2.5 209 lbs at the combine with a 6'7.5 wingspan.

Calling Mack a defensive liability is directly opposite what this past season stats reflect.

http://www.82games.com/1112/11WAS3.HTM

Check effective field goal percentage allowed and points allowed with Mack on the court vs off the court. Defense was MUCH better with Mack on the court than with Wall on the court.

http://www.82games.com/1112/11WAS1.HTM

[DaRealHibachi]

Or it was Mack playing against the weakest of NBA players... Those numbers don't pass the eye-test IMO...

[TGW]

Or it was Mack playing against the weakest of NBA players... Those numbers don't pass the eye-test IMO...

Exactly. Mack barely played, and when he did, it was against the other teams backups, so those numbers can be taken with a grain of salt IMO.

[Kanyewest]

Or it was Mack playing against the weakest of NBA players... Those numbers don't pass the eye-test IMO...

It's not like the Wizards need Mack to be a starter. Plus the room for improvement can happen because he was only a rookie last year.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Or it was Mack playing against the weakest of NBA players... Those numbers don't pass the eye-test IMO...

Exactly. Mack barely played, and when he did, it was against the other teams backups, so those numbers can be taken with a grain of salt IMO.

Mack averaged 12 minutes, the equivalent of one quarter played in each game. Shelvin held his own against opponents over that time, according to those numbers.

[DaRealHibachi]

Or it was Mack playing against the weakest of NBA players... Those numbers don't pass the eye-test IMO...

It's not like the Wizards need Mack to be a starter. Plus the room for improvement can happen because he was only a rookie last year.

I totally agree with what you're saying, I just don't think it means that the team is better defensively with Mack than Wall, which is what's being said...

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

With Summer League over, just wanted to post about some of my favorite players as evaluated by others.

Will Barton ttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/12681 ... gue/page/9

Will Barton was a steal for the Blazers in the second round.

Barton has not only showcased his incredibly pure, mechanically sound jump shot, but he's also shown the ability to get to the rim—despite his size—and protect the rock in doing so.

Jae Crowder http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1268 ... gue/page/6

Jae Crowder has shown the Mavericks and the rest of the league that he belongs in the NBA.

The essential tweener may be void of a true position, but his tenacity on defense and sharp shooting on offense should earn him an eventual spot in Dallas' reconstructed rotation.

Josh Akognon http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1268 ... ue/page/11

Despite standing at just 5'11", Akognon has taken the summer league by storm by putting up gaudy point totals in a modest amount of playing time.

However, when you're severely undersized, you have to do more than score. While Akognon has quick hands on the defensive side of the ball, he takes far too many risks, and he's not nearly the distributor he must be on the offensive end.

Sam Cassell dissed Shelvin's SL play. Ernie Grunfeld signed AJ Price, another slap in the face to Shelvin. Washington could IMO release Mack so he can catch on with another team. That is better than demoting him the way they seem intent to do IMO. A guy like Akognon would make a lot of sense as a third guard behind Price if Shelvin were waived. Akognon has been a scorer a lot of places and he also had nice assists in the Chinese Basketball League, the same league James Singleton and Cartier Martin played in last season. If I were a GM I would sign that kid if I could.

Disclaimer: Summer league is just summer league. I want to see what Barton and Crowder (and the other players who stood out in SL) do in the actually NBA preseason.

Last, I am pretty sure Akognon will end up on an NBA team this season.