Atlanta
5. They are super excited to have Malcolm Delaney. He might be the backup PG until Jarrett Jack (who they are also excited to have) is ready to play.
Boston
3. They are disappointed in the lack of progression from Jordan Mickey and James Young. Mickey has gained some bad weight and it has really hurt his quickness. And Young is just baffling everyone. There is a good chance Young doesn't make the roster.
Brooklyn
2. Isaiah Whitehead should be the backup SG at least and they think he has Jamal Crawford-lite potential as a bench scorer.
3. They are really happy to have Caris LeVert and will let him take his time to get ready to play.
Chicago
2. Cristiano Felicio is going to be a very good player for them and they think he can learn a lot from Robin Lopez.
Cleveland
4. They admit to being nervous about the backup PG spot. Mo Williams is old and Felder isn't ready, so that is a concern.
5. They'll get J.R. Smith signed, but feel there is no rush. The Tax is a concern, but they'll happily pay it.
Dallas
1. A.J. Hammons has some potential, but they are glad they don't have to play him early.
3. Jonathan Gibson has really stood out and will probably make the team out of camp as a 3rd PG.
4. Keep an eye on Nicolas Brussino. He wasn't in Las Vegas, but they love him. They think they have an absolute steal.
Denver
1. Thrilled with Juancho Hernangomez. They think he'll be ready to play right out of the gate with his energy and rebounding. Some feel he is better than Kenneth Faried right now.
2. They own that they have a ton of crowding at SG/SF, but won't just give guys away.
3. They also admit that they are looking for a true star, but won't mess up the team to do it.
Golden State
1. They think they'll be even better than last year. Not news, but cool to hear it openly admitted.
2. Patrick McCaw may be a draft steal. They think he could play this year as a shooter/scorer if necessary.
3. No worry about depth - "We'll get guys the rest of the summer and in buyout season."
Houston
1. They think Sam Dekker is back from his injuries last year and ready to contribute. He has guys in front of him, but they think he could play anyway. They view Ryan Anderson as a good mentor for him, despite being different players.
2. Asked who would start out of Nene and Clint Capela and they said it will be decided in camp/pre-season.
3. They think they might have the best offense in the league. Yes, better than Golden State.
4. Thrilled to have locked up James Harden long term.
LA Lakers
2. They have big plans for Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown to be a part of the rotation.
5. They also think Mozgov will make a great pairing with Ivaca Zubac, who they viewed as a surefire first round pick.
Memphis
2. They never thought Conley would leave and are excited to have him locked up long term.
5. Cautiously optimistic on Gasol getting back to 100%. There was some concern about him adding weight, but they said he's been working hard and looks good. He's very upset to be missing the Olympics.
Miami
1. The only new thing from Miami was that they are excited to have Tyler Johnson back. They view him as a big part of the team. And they love the depth they added after Wade left.
Milwaukee
1. Thon Maker looks like the real deal, but don't go crazy over his numbers. Summer League is ideal for guys who hustle and get junk points. But he looks smooth and his jumper is better than advertised. And he is looooooooooooong.
3. They feel like the defense should be better because of the length.
4. Although sad for Giannis Antetokounmpo, they aren't all that upset Greece didn't make the Olympics - "He's had a lot thrown at him for a young guy and he can use the rest. He won't stay out of the gym though, so it might not matter."
Minnesota
3. Asked about shooting - "Still looking around. But Andrew (Wiggins) should improve and Zach (Lavine) is better than people think."
New Orleans
2. They think Buddy Hield will help a lot with his shooting and that and defense are all they want him to focus on this year.
Philadelphia
4. Lots of questions about Okafor/Noel/Embiid - "Something does need to get done there. If Saric does come (he did), we can't have all those guys. That would mean Richaun (Holmes) doesn't play at all and that dude can play."
Phoenix
2. They love Tyler Ulis - "He'll kick your ass. He's small, but they don't come any tougher. We had IT (Isaiah Thomas) and he has the same mentality, but as a playmaker vs scorer."
3. On Devin Booker - "He's going to be an All-Star and soon. He's like Allan Houston in that he'll do it kind of quietly, but he'll get 20 on you and you won't even know. He's the best shooter in the league. Yes better than the Warriors guys."
Portland
1. Yes they paid a lot for Evan Turner but - "He gives us everything we didn't have. We really needed a secondary ball handler and playmaker. He's going to be worth it."
2. On getting Shabazz Napier - "We probably should have just kept (Tim) Frazier last year. He was a good one. But Bazz should be good for us. But he's a 3rd guy. He just needs to not f*ck up when he does play." and "You do guys favors sometimes. The Magic will pay us back someday."
Sacramento
3. On all the bigs - "Vlade (Divac) believes you can't ever have enough size and it gives us trade chips. The league won't stay small forever!"
San Antonio
1. They had to bring Manu Ginobili back, but Philadelphia, and maybe Brooklyn, did force them to overpay.
2. They are in love with Ryan Arcidiacono and Bryn Forbes. They think both guys can be NBA players because of their skills. - Note: They signed both yesterday.
3. They think Jonathon Simmons can play a big role this year because of his energy and ability to get to the hoop.
4. They are a little worried about their defense without Tim Duncan, but have big plans for DeWayne Dedmon. Expect Dedmon to start with Pau Gasol as the primary big off the bench.
Toronto
3. They are happy for Biyombo that he got paid, but admitted they will miss him both on the floor and in the locker room.
4. They think Norman Powell will be a big time player once he settles down a little bit.
Utah
1. They quietly believe they won the summer after Golden State. Adding George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw fleshes out the roster and gives them great depth.
2. They think they are legitimately 13 deep. They'd like to make a consolidation trade, so that playing time isn't an issue, but won't rush anything.
3. They believe Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert could all be All-Stars this year. And they think Gobert could win DPOY.
4. Like Portland, they believe they will win the division as well.
Washington
1. They love both Danuel House and Daniel Ochefu and think both have a legit chance of making the team out of camp.
2. They think their depth is much improved and will help if they have injuries.
3. They'll miss Jared Dudley a lot, but feel like Markieff Morris is ready to get back to the guy he was before the issues in Phoenix.
4. Wouldn't go in to specifics, but they have a plan to keep Bradley Beal healthy all year.
5. They like getting Andrew Nicholson and Jason Smith, especially for the price they paid.
6. They admit Marcin Gortat and Ian Mahinmi can't play together, but they should see roughly an even split of minutes most night. Gortat when they need offense and Mahinmi when they need defense.
I cherry picked some from each team that more or less came true. Fun little exercise!
