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Shaquille
O'Neal: "When you are 60, hang out with 60-year-olds, not 20-year-olds.
That is all I got to say about Jerry Buss."
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HoopsHype.com Articles Hoops
heat up Boston summer
"Raindrops"… The best way to describe Joe Forte’s uniquely high arching jumper and the predominant weather in his new hometown. The Celtics second year guard had a breakout Pro Summer league, averaging 18.0 points a night and even playing a little D, but this success only resulted in his inclusion in a five player trade between Seattle and Boston. While the drama of this year’s Shaw’s Pro Summer League was the wheeling and dealing off the court, the players did their thing on the UMass Boston hardwood and several trends were evident. Big men can’t shoot, wing men can’t shoot and most lead guards can’t shoot. If you’re a head coach in the NBA get Temple’s zone defense guru John Cheaney on speed dial and design a zone defense… the bricks will rain. Here is a look at the Beantown action. Atlanta Hawks (6-0) The Hawks brought three legitimate NBA starters into camp (Dion Glover, DerMarr Johnson and Theo Ratliff) and walked away with the overall title. Glover appeared to be recovered from his annual stint on the disabled list, capturing the Shaw’s Cup as the weeks MVP. Johnson continues to mystify, looking oh so good and oh so bad, often in the same possession. Ratliff seemed more intent on simple gaining a cardio workout the challenging anyone in the post. Dan Dickau, the Hawks first round pick out of Gonzaga will not outquick NBA guards, but he shot the ball extremely well early in the week and showed his toughness throwing down with New Jersey’s Richard Jefferson. Udonis Haslem could fit the Malik Rose mold of small power forwards, shooting nearly %50 from the floor and wiping the floor in search of all loose balls. Boston Celtics (5-1) Boston GM Chris Wallace was courtside for every one of the C’s games desperately searching for that "third scorer" to aid the Paul Pierce/Antoine Walker duo. Kedrick Brown may be the man. There is no questioning Brown’s athletic ability (he could win the Slam Dunk contest) and his offensive game seems to be nearing the respectability level. Joe Forte is still way undersized, but he was impressive in spurts, one of which must have occurred while Seattle head coach Nate McMillan was courtside. Omar Cook, the second year point guard Boston signed in the spring, registered an unmotivated performance that would have left Tony Robbins shaking his head. Cook could be waived any day now and JR Bremer, a free agent point guard out of St. Bonaventure, will take his place. Second round draft pick Darius Songaila played tough on the boards, showed a soft touch and probably earned himself a minimum contract. Milwaukee Bucks (3-3) Ronald Murray continued his impressive summer play averaging 18.2 points a game for the week. First round pick Marcus Haislip will be a solid contributor in the years to come. His shot has an awkward delivery, but his jumping ability and quickness make him a definite threat in the "one on one" pro style offense. Dan Gadzuric, their second round pick out of UCLA, will be an athletic version of Joel Przybilla, zero offense, but a definite presence on defense. New York Knicks (3-3) Surprise, surprise, the Knicks are spending another summer in search of point guard help. First round pick Frank Williams may be the man for the job. A tough competitor, with a soft stroke for deep, Williams played only two games in Boston, but looked solid. Lavor Postell was erratic on offense, forcing many shots. Pete Mickeal was a physical force, but appears undersized for the NBA forward position. Philadelphia 76ers (3-3) Talk early in the week centered on the disturbing mugshot of the Sixers franchise and the play of the summer league team failed to take any heat off of the Iverson situation. John Salmons is the classic NBA tweener, shooting a high percentage, but struggling against the bigger bodies down low. Samuel Dalembert is long, athletic and a defensive force, but he will never be an offensive threat. CWebb’s younger bro’ Sedric got little burn and will probably be crossing the seas to hoop. Washington Wizards (3-3) The Wizards had the most to evaluate during the week, with several players competing for serious regular season minutes. Juan Dixon seemed to be making the adjustment to playing the point, and proved that he can still get to the rack, despite his feather weight frame. Jared Jeffries is a rarity, the five tool, fundamentally sound rookie. Etan Thomas, sporting the Bob Marley dred’s, was often the strongest player on the court and will push Brendan Haywood for minutes and Jahidi White for a spot in the buffet line. The big question mark in Washington continues to be the play of Kwame Brown, who appears to be years away from consistently contributing. San Antonio Spurs (2-4) With no high priority rookies on the roster, the Spurs relied on summer veterans to do the damage. Stephen Jackson had a great week, scoring at a 15-point per game clip. Jason Hart is a solid on the ball defender, which makes up for his unorthodox offensive game. Former Arizona Wildcat standout Michael Wright continues to struggle offensively in the post against taller pivot men. Orlando Magic (2-4) There are some intriguing roster decisions to be made by Doc Rivers and company this October. Several young players stepped it up during the week and could have earned some NBA props. Jeryl Sasser may be one of those players whose game is ideally suited for the pro level. His slashing drives and solid mid range game could provide a scoring punch off the Magic bench. Equally effective was the intriguing Corey Hightower, who averaged 12.5 points. Point man Smush Parker struggled shooting the ball in the three games he dressed, a sign of what will hamper his chances of ballin' in the league next season. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-4) Will somebody give Khalid El-Amin some love? The slimmed down former college All-American was his usual pesky self, throwing his body all over the court and often willing his way to the basket. On the other end of the hustle spectrum was second round pick Marcus Taylor, who looked confused and somewhat uninterested. Can you say developmental league? Quincy Lewis was the most consistent performer and would take pressure off of KG with his consistent "J". Former Iowa muscle man Reggie Evans looked outmatched down low. New Jersey Nets (1-5) Head coach Byron Scott’s scowl at the summer league may be symbolizing just how focused the Eastern Conference Champs are on repeating last seasons success. Veterans Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brian Scalabrine all excelled during the week. Jefferson was head and shoulders above the competition as his stats can attest, 22.0 points, 5.8 boards and 4.2 assist per game. Marshall gunner Tamar Slay had a superb week, averaging 14.0 points a game, proving he belongs in some NBA threads this winter. ALL SHAW'S PRO SUMMER LEAGUE TEAM G Ronald Murray,
Milwaukee SECOND TEAM G Joe Forte,
Boston Tell us what you think about this article. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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