NBA Summer League: Day 1By:

The 2009 NBA Summer League got underway on Friday with a lot
of scattered, sloppy play, but also excitement and promise. DaJuan Summers was our Day One player of the day
helping Detroit to victory with 24 points and 7 boards.

Houston 73 Golden State 69
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Houston defeated Golden State 73-69 at Cox Pavilion to tip off the Summer League.
James White led the Rockets in scoring with 14, while second round pick Chase
Budinger contributed 11 off the bench, including a three pointer with his first
shot. Budinger impressed with his overall team play and shooting.

Joey Dorsey
was strong inside for the Rockets, finishing with 8 points and 12 rebounds and
2 thunderous dunks, though his skill level doesn’t appear to have developed a
great deal from college.

With Anthony Morrow on the sideline in flip flops for Golden State with a sprained
left ankle, it was left to Anthony Randolph (20) and Rookie Stephen Curry (16)
to provide the bulk of the scoring.

Randolph was very impressive getting off to a quick start, scoring 12 points in
the first quarter. He’s put on some weight and no longer looks as easy to knock
off balance on drives. He’s also added some consistency and confidence to his outisde
shooting.

Cartier Martin was solid in his 24 minutes of action, scoring 14 points and producing
several nice plays for his team. He hustled on defense, but unfortuantely he doesn’t
appear to be an NBA level athlete. Curry saw some time at the 2 spot in the second
quarter, with both Acie law and Jared Jordan running point.

This was a game the Warriors probably feel got away from them late in the 4th. After
an extended break which the Rockets fought back, Randolph returned and looked positioned
to lead his team to a win. Down 3 with 10 seconds left, Curry deferred to
Randolph who was called for traveling, which effectively ended the Warriors
hopes.

Although Jermaine Taylor didn’t make an appearance, both teams can be encouraged
from what they saw from their 2009 draft picks. Based on his play alone, Budinger
showed some signs off the bench that he was worthy of a higher pick, while
Curry displayed solid shot selection for the most part and had a couple of nice
set up’s for his teammates as well.

Some have criticized Curry’s athleticism and size but his offensive skill level
and quickness will ultimately allow him to be succesful.

Overall Houston was the
more cohesive unit and stars Curry and Randolph deferred to teammates too much
in the final quarter letting this one slip away. Despite the loss, Curry and Randolph appear to be two big building blocks for the Warriors in the future.

Detroit 86 Sacramento 77
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The Pistons 35th pick DaJuan Summers played more like a first round pick today
against the Sacramento Kings. The Georgetown product led his team to a 86-77 win,
finishing with 24 points & 7 rebounds.

4th overall pick Tyreke Evans was a
mixed bag. He didn’t have the best shooting night (4-10,15 points) but is quite
a handful going to the basket with a head of steam. He strongly favored going
left early.

Pistons first round pick Austin Daye struggled at times after an energetic start
finishing with 9 points (3-9 fg). He missed a few open shots but he appears to
have put some weight on. His speed on the perimeter and body stregth remain his
biggest obstacles.

Swedish rookie Jonas Jerebko didn’t get many opportunities but made some solid
plays in his 12 minutes looking long and athletic. He had one excellent put back
dunk.

38th pick Jon Brockman drew the appreciation of the Cox Pavilion crowd with his
strong hustle play throughout the game but especially in the second quarter, after
diving on a loose ball and assisting Evans for a breakaway dunk. Israeli rookie
Omar Casspri showed he could be a fiery competitor but was the recipient of a
Michael Bramos(13 points) facial (as the undrafted free agent went up and banged
on him). Bramos had a productive second quarter himself with 7 points, taking
the Pistons lead to 46-38 at half time.

The second half belonged to Summers who started the half with 8 straight
points (2 three’s & 15 foot pull up after losing Thompson). He poured in 12
points in the third to push the Pistons up by 16 going into the final quarter.

The Kings didn’t really challenge in the final quarter but Deron Washington got
the crowd’s attention with a well timed two hand skywalking jam in the last
5 minutes. Donte Greene was active throughout the game finishing with 11 points
& 7 rebounds.

Clay Tucker was also productive in his short minutes, going 5-7 fg for 11 points.

LA Lakers 85 Toronto Raptors 84
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The 2009 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers started their summer league today with
a 85-84 win over the Toronto Raptors. The fearsome combination of Ben McCauley
(24 points,15 rebs) and Adam Morrison (24 points, 5 rebs) proved too much in the
end for Toronto. David Monds also contributed with 17 points on 7-10 shooting, showing
a handy mid range game in the process.

The Raptors built a 12 point lead in the second quarter, however consecutive turnovers
from #9 pick DeMar DeRozan allowed the Lakers back into the game. Smush Parker
pushed the lead back out to 9 after assisting (pregame dunk champion) Brent Petway
for a crowd pleasing dunk on the half time buzzer.

It was Morrison who got the Lakers back in reach, scoring 5 straight to start
the second half. The third quarter also saw the athleticism of Derozan on full
display when he converted a Roko Ukic lob. Lakers second round pick Chinemelu
Elonu made 2 free throws to give the Lakers a 1 point advantage going into the
final period.

While Monds was feeling good against O’Bryant, Derozan didn’t have the best of
finishes to the game, missing two shots in the final minute. McCauley’s jumper
with 14 seconds remaining gave the Lakers the lead and the win. Derozan couldn’t
convert and it was only Ukic’s three at the final buzzer that made it a one point
game.

Smush Parker was effective against his former team. He protected the ball, played
strong on ball defense and got results more often than not. The notorious POB
(O’Bryant) showed flashes with 15 points on 7-9 shooting, but still looks too
lost and unaggressive to ever live up to his potential.

The Lakers only draft pick Elonu didn’t show a great deal in his first run. He
is physically impressive and will improve but his hands are of stone. Rebounding
and shot blocking will be his calling but he may end up in Europe before making
a real run in the league.

DeRozan missed some field goals and made a couple of costly turnovers however
he is a great athlete, his shot will improve and he should only get better. He’ll
need time to get there though.

Milwaukee 65 Dallas 59
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Brandon Jennings shook off a frustrating start to steer the Milwaukee Bucks to
a 65-59 win over the Dallas Mavericks tonight. Jennings was scoreless until the
final 2 minutes of the third quarter when he scored 5 points and drew a charge
to give his team the momentum and a 44-39 lead going into the fourth. Milwaukee
was able to pull out the win despite shooting just 36% from the floor.

The game had a sloppy start, middle and end, with both Dallas points guards called
for carrying violations. Ahmad Nivins (19 points & 6 rebs) was effective around
the basket as Milwaukee struggled to contain him.

Kentucky rookie guard Jodie Meeks didn’t quite go for 50 today but shot well,
worked hard off the ball and on defense.

The second quarter started off quiet with the Bucks going scoreless for the first
3:45. Things got a bit heated after Jennings drew an offensive foul on Aaron
Miles.

The pair exchanged words after Miles seemingly took exception to Jennings snatching
the ball from his hands.The third quarter also saw Paul Delaney leveled by an
illegal Alfred Aboya screen. Delaney was clearly shaken up from the shot.

For Milwaukee, Joe Alexander had a team high 14 points, but shot a miserable 4-18
from the field. He’ll need to improve on his efficiency if Milwaukee is to continue
to win.

Dallas rookie French first round PG Rodrigue Beaubois showed great quickness but
was let down by his ball control and decision making. 2 assist with 6 turnovers
isn’t the start he was looking for. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute’s value doesn’t always show
up on the stat sheet as he puts forth a lot of dirty work for his team.

Although he didn’t have the best shooting night statistically (3-12 fg), Jennings
wasn’t forcing his offense after a scoreless first half. He looked to get his
team involved and ultimately got the victory. This was a commendable effort from
the # 10 pick.