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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 Few
highlights in sloppy exhibitions
One thing that stood out was the number of lane violations. Not by the shooter, sorry Mark Cuban, but by the players jumping in the lane too quick. In 15 games, there were well over 25 lane violations called. This is something the referees were told to watch and enforce, and they did. Another thing that caught everyone’s attention was the number of fouls called. It was hard to determine if these young refs were too quick with the whistle or if the poor play resulted in a lot of silly fouls. But the coaches didn’t like it. It slowed down play and the games had no rhythm or pace. Another thing that is worth noting is that there were a ton of late whistles. Usually the call was right, but nobody likes late whistles. On to the teams: Miami Heat (5-0) The Heat were the most physical team on the floor every time they played. Even without the injured first-round pick, Caron Butler, Miami dominated. Their point guard play was very good. Mike James played like the pro he is, William Avery shined every time he got a chance to play, and Nate Green was serviceable. Rasual Butler emerged as a player to watch. The 6-7 forward out of LaSalle showed good shooting ability and was solid on the defensive end. Luke Recker may not play for the Miami Heat next year, but he should find a spot on someone’s roster. Recker shot lights out (over 50%) and never seemed to miss when he was open. Malik Allen, Sean Lampley, David Bluethenthal, Ernest Brown, and Kimani Ffriend were all good, but none shined. And last, but most recognizable, Tony Gonzalez played very well when he was given the minutes. He was very active, grabbing rebounds and keeping balls alive. He might be good enough to make a roster, but he will never be a factor in the NBA. Orlando Magic (3-2) The Magic still have a lot of questions to figure out, but one of them isn’t Ryan Humphrey. Humphrey was by far the most consistent Magic player. He is very active, very quick off his feet, and will be a nice fit in Orlando. His size hurts him at times, but he still blocked shots and rebounded effectively. The point guard battle was a draw. Smush Parker scored well and showed explosiveness around the hoop, but was way too careless with the ball. In one sequence against the Hornets he had the ball stolen from him three times in a row against a trapping defense. Jeryl Sasser showed a knack for getting to the basket and used his size well to shoot over smaller defenders. His shot looked a lot better than it did last season. Olumide Oyedeji was very intense, but after two good games to start, he tailed off the last three. Second-round pick Mario Kasun showed promise, but will need a couple more years overseas before he’ll make any kind of impact. Rashard Griffith looked rusty. Steven Hunter seemed lost and had no impact even before he got hurt. Corey Hightower won’t be playing for Orlando (they have too many guys at his position), but he played well enough that somebody else might give him an opportunity. Detroit Pistons (3-2) Sorry to disappoint Piston fans, but Rodney White is looking a lot like a bust. He looked slow, his shot was awful, and he didn’t make plays you would expect an NBA player to make. This year’s first-rounder, Tayshaun Prince, was very tentative on offense. Prince did play a good floor game though. He passed well, rebounded well, and played pretty good defense. Ruben Garces and Brian Cardinal both looked like the kind of guys you love to have on your roster because they just work, work, work. Mehmet Okur played well before getting injured in the third game. Point guard Jaka Lakovic, who didn’t even log a minute the first three days, was outstanding the two games he played. He is small, listed at 6-2, but was very natural and smooth. Ratko Varda showed some promise, shooting and rebounding well, but committed a lot of fouls. Milwaukee Bucks (2-3) Marcus Haislip appears to be on his way. The Bucks' first-rounder was very good. He is extremely athletic, shoots well from the outside, plays defense, and can finish around the basket. It will come in time. The name that everyone was talking about after day one was Ronald Murray. Who? Ronald Murray out of Shaw lit up the Heat for 29 and did whatever he wanted on the court. He couldn’t live up to that first day the rest of the games, but he did continue to play very well. He can shoot the three and was the best player in Orlando at getting to the rim. Marcus Goree is a bit undersized at 6-8, but he weighs in at 240 and used that part of his “size” to play strong inside. Mike Wilks played the best of the Bucks point guards. Joel Przybilla and Dan Gadzuric are defensive center that still lack any offensive game. Indiana Pacers (1-4) Fred Jones can play, but his size, or lack thereof, will always be an issue. He had a tough time getting his shot off against taller shooting guards. He showed his slashing ability and was by far the most outstanding Pacer. The rest of the team looked like a NBDL squad. Charlie Bell still isn’t a point guard, but he is trying. Dickey Simpkins is serviceable at best. Jamison Brewer showed some explosiveness, but does he belong to the NBA? New Orleans Hornets (1-4) The Hornets wrapped up the Summer League with a 98-52 loss to Miami. That almost says enough in itself. Jerome Moiso was definitely the bright spot. He reminds of a poor man’s Keon Clark. He was solid every game. He has all the physical tools, he is long, but doesn’t seem to have what is takes to put it all together to be a NBA starter. Kirk Haston is too slow to be a small forward and too small to be a power forward. The Magic isolated Cory Hightower at the top of the key three straight possessions and Haston got smoked all three times. Haston can shoot from outside, but didn’t show enough consistency to garner any significant playing time at a power forward spot in the NBA. Saddi Washington was okay. The rest of the team was barely average.
G Mike James,
Miami 2ND TEAM G Jeryl Sasser,
Orlando Mike Tuck is a producer/on-air talent for 740 The Team in Orlando and a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this article. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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