Vegas Summer League, On My Computer...

Jet here,

Well, I just got done watching 3 out of 4 of the Summer league games on my computer. It was surprisingly good quality on the video and audio feed, and I even had some decent commentary thanks to the NBA League Pass guys. It was a good watch while I finished up my Friday's day of work at home, and then did a workout in my home gym/office/storage-room (need... house...). I'm considering buying NBA League Pass this year, it seems like a pretty smooth operation.

Anyway, on to the games. I missed the Philly/San Antonio game, won by the Sixers 65-61. The first one that I did catch was the Dallas/Seattle game. This was the Kevin Durant debut, of course, but the scrappy Mavericks stole the show. I was impressed with Maurice Ager first and foremost - this kid can really get up. Durant shot poorly for the game, only 5-17 from the field. Still, he dazzled with a variety of moves on the low-post and high-post. He also showed some range with a nice-looking three point stroke. I think he was a bit tight for his debut, and who can blame him? Durant may have shot a low percentage, but almost all of his shots were good looks. Make no mistake, this kid is going to be an absolute scoring machine. With Allen and Lewis both gone from Seattle now, I think we could see the highest scoring rookie since Allen Iverson. He should be the prohibitive favorite for Rookie of the Year going into '07-'08.

The second game that I caught was the Memphis Grizzlies versus the Chinese National Team. This Chinese team has played together for some time, so you'd think that this would be a blowout. Not so! The young Grizzlies have a wealth of impressive young athletes. Lowry, Kinsey, Anthony Johnson, Mike Conley (didn't start, but checked in late in the first quarter) were all very active. They terrorize ball handlers and then outrun the poor Chinese team on the break. It was very fun to watch.

However, the absolute standout in the Memphis/China game was Rudy Gay. This kid showed it all in his '07 Summer League debut. He stepped back and stroked jumpers. He spread out like an albatross and flew in for monster jams. And, he absolutely owned Yi Jianlian (who is an impressive young player himself) in the first half of this game. In the highlight of the game, Gay goes baseline and does a 180 degree turn underneath the rim to finish with a two-handed monster jam on Yi. With that 22 emblazoned on his back, I would have thought I was watching a young Clyde Drexler on that move. I think there's only a handful of athletes in the world that can make that move, and Gay made it look easy. This game provided us with perhaps a glimpse of *the* breakout player for the NBA 2007-2008 season (there was another candidate on display today as well.. keep reading). As for China, I thought that both Wang and Yi looked very solid. Yi has a nice touch on his jumper for a big man, and he has some quick moves on the baseline. I saw flashes of stardom for him, and Milwaukee was absolutely right on taking him with the 6th overall pick. Even if he shuns them, there's going to be a lot of suitors for Yi via trade if they decide to give up on wooing him to Milwaukee.

Finally, I got to watch Greg Oden's debut in the Trailblazers/Celtics game. This was the final match of the day, and possibly the most hyped. Oden looked a step slow in this game, but I believe that the Blazers were the most hampered by poor guard play. Sergio Rodriguez, the starting PG for the Portland Summer League team, was an absolute turnover machine. On defense, Rodriguez and Martell Webster were beaten badly by the Celtic guards on most possessions, forcing Oden to take fouls. Gerald Green looked good in the early part of the game, blowing past Webster on several possessions.

This was billed as the Oden show, but the guy who impressed the most on Portland was LaMarcus Aldridge. He was everywhere on both ends of the court, and he displayed a fantastic shooting touch from as far as 19 feet out. Portland has to be giddy after seeing this sort of play from Aldridge, who should be able to dominate offensively with Oden drawing attention in the low post. Like Gay, I think we could be seeing a preview of a huge breakout star in '07-'08. If Aldridge can hit his jumper as consistently as he displayed in this game, Blazer fans will forget about Zach Randolph in a matter of a few games. As for Oden, he needs to get over his sinus infection, settle down his nerves, and get some more help from his guards. I saw some glimpses of how dominant he can be. On one play, he nearly ripped down the hoop with a two-handed dunk. He'll be unstoppable when he gets the ball in close to the rim. On defense, he had a highlight block on Leon Powe where his hand seemed to be three feet above the rim...

That's a wrap. I think we're going to see better performances from both Kevin Durant and Greg Oden before the Summer League season is up, especially Durant. He'll loosen up and score over 30 points - probably in his next game. Virtually all of his looks were good, and he'll get them at will. If today is a good indicator, Gay and Aldridge will emerge as the All-Stars of the Summer League in Vegas, and could be NBA All-Stars very soon as well.

- Jet out

(Images - Kevin Durant: Garrett Ellwood, NBA/E via Getty Images, Rudy Gay : Garrett Ellwood, NBA/E via Getty Images, Greg Oden, Maurice Lucas, and LaMarcus Aldridge: Casey Holdahl, The Oregonian)