NBA Summer League will now be a tournament

[FAH1223]

NBA Summer League in Las Vegas will have a different look this summer.

When the participating teams take the court in Las Vegas for the 2013 NBA Summer League, a summer league championship will be on the line. For the first time since the league’s inception in 2004, NBA Summer League will have a new format, with preliminary games, and then a single-elimination tournament that leads to an actual NBA summer league champion.

As always, InsideHoops.com will be at NBA Summer League and will provide full coverage.

The 2013 NBA summer league schedule starts Friday, July 12 at the usual location: the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. NBA summer league will end on Monday, July 22 -- with an NBA summer league championship game taking place that day.

All participating NBA summer league teams will play at least five games.

After the July 16 games, all participating teams will be seeded for single-elimination NBA summer league tournament play that will result in a champion being crowned on July 22.

At last year’s event the Golden State Warriors were a tournament best 5-0 while six teams – Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves -- finished with a record of 4-1. Portland’s Damian Lillard led all scorers, averaging 26.5 points, while Malcolm Thomas of Chicago led the league in rebounds with 12.0 per game, and Phoenix’s Kendall Marshall dished out a league-high 6.5 assists per game. Lillard (26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists) and former Memphis Grizzlies guard Josh Selby (24.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists) were named co-MVPs of the league.

Last year’s NBA Summer League was record-breaking, with new all-time marks set in multiple areas including: participating teams (24); attendance (51,000-plus over 10 days); games played (60); number of live NBA TV broadcasts (38) and participating top draft picks (13 of the top 14 selections) in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Launched in 2004 as the Las Vegas Summer League, the inaugural event featured six NBA teams (Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards) playing a 13-game slate. Long considered the best opportunity for teams to showcase young talented rosters, teams whose rosters included six of the last seven NBA Rookie of the Year award winners have participated in NBA Summer League including: Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets, 2005-06), Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers, 2006-07), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City, 2007-08), Tyreke Evans (Sacramento, 2009-10), Blake Griffin (L.A. Clippers, 2010-11) and Kyrie Irving (2011-12).

Tickets for the 2013 NBA Summer League will go on sale June 1, at 10 a.m. PDT. Fans will be able to purchase tickets for the NBA’s hottest summer action by calling 702-739-FANS, through UNLVtickets.com or by visiting any UNLV ticket outlet.

NBA TV will televise NBA Summer League games from Las Vegas with a complete schedule of games and broadcast information to be released at a later date. Additionally, fans will once again be able to watch every NBA Summer League game live on NBA.com and NBA Mobile via a subscription-based package.

Read more at http://www.insidehoops.com/nba-summer-leagues.shtml#1DJkbO3VAmJoZjso.99

[miller31time]

I really like the idea. Making summer league slightly less meaningless is a good thing.

[nuposse04]

So Tomas, Porter and Jan will lead us to the promise land, yes?

Also, do we play Beal in it this year? I'm leaning on no...Would rather he work on specific facets of his game than play against random competition.

[FAH1223]

So Tomas, Porter and Jan will lead us to the promise land, yes?

Also, do we play Beal in it this year? I'm leaning on no...Would rather he work on specific facets of his game than play against random competition.

Beal will probably play in Summer League again

“I think it'd be good for him. … He needs to work on in his game. From a ball-handling standpoint, from a pick-and-roll standpoint,” Wittman said of Beal playing summer-league ball. “We can do all the dummy drills down here against a cone you want but it's still nothing like actual competition.”

http://www.csnwashington.com/basketball ... mer-league

[closg00]

I really like the idea. Making summer league slightly less meaningless is a good thing.

+1 I was going to post the same thing.

[Deeptu McPullup]

Blatche on a one year, anyone?

Also, if we won the Vegas Tourney, would Ted hang a "2013 Summer League Champions" banner from the rafters? If not, would he at least have thought about it?

[Illuminaire]

Never, possibly, and it would definitely be somewhere in the arena.

[verbal8]

Blatche on a one year, anyone?

Also, if we won the Vegas Tourney, would Ted hang a "2013 Summer League Champions" banner from the rafters? If not, would he at least have thought about it?

Maybe it could go in the "NBA trophy storage closet".

[Higga]

Blatche on a one year, anyone?

Also, if we won the Vegas Tourney, would Ted hang a "2013 Summer League Champions" banner from the rafters? If not, would he at least have thought about it?

Ted would hang a banner for selling the most beer and hot dogs.

[Dark Faze]

This seems like a terrible idea. Summer league is just for getting an extremely rough idea of if a guy can play or not. Trying to prop it up as some sort of one and done championship thing seems ridiculous .

[FAH1223]

This seems like a terrible idea. Summer league is just for getting an extremely rough idea of if a guy can play or not. Trying to prop it up as some sort of one and done championship thing seems ridiculous .

There'll be some pre-lim games before single elimination starts.

I think its exciting. What better way to see if a guy can play than putting him in a some competitive pressure type of situations.. even if it is Summer League.

[Dark Faze]

I mean the whole point of summer league is that you get a SUPER rough evaluation of if a guy can play or not. Limiting the amount of games that you see these guys in is only going to result in chaos on the court where everybody is trying to make the absolute most of their minutes. The fact that its "worth something" is meaningless given that many of the guys on team haven't even played together beyond a couple of games.

For example, if you're playing the game as if its one and done in summer league and there's a very good, underrated invite playing the two guard, what's the chance that the kid plays decent minutes over Beal? Probably zero. And so the Wiz hypothetically chip using a bunch of guys that are already on the roster, what have we gained as a team? Meanwhile we let a kid go who might have sparked more interest.

[penbeast0]

Speaking of last year's summer league, any hope that Malcolm Thomas and Josh Selby become real NBA players? That kid Lillard looked good too, wonder whatever happened to him.

[mohammed10]

So Tomas, Porter and Jan will lead us to the promise land, yes?

Also, do we play Beal in it this year? I'm leaning on no...Would rather he work on specific facets of his game than play against random competition.

'Jan' and 'promised land' should never be used in the same sentence....ever