While this certainly puts a jolt into my carburetor, I'm aware that there are many of you who don't give two Brezec's about the Summer League, the Development League, the Philippine Basketball League, or anything that doesn't end in Association. I get it. I don't get it, but I'll pretend so I can cater to all audiences. Well I'm here at your office or living room or outside your neighbor's house where you're mooching free internet to get you pumped up for the Sixers Summer League team, one Ndudi at a time.
And as always, the obligatory hat tip goes to Scott Schroeder and the wonderful, amazing, vampire-like-good-looking crew at Ridiculous Upside. Head over there for league-wide Summer League coverage. I dust off my old college ball notebooks and break down the Orlando 76ers after the jump.
As Scott fanshottied earlier, the Sixers have announced their whole team for the Summer League taking place in Orlando from Monday July 5th to Friday the 9th. Here's the sched if you're interested in heading south for some up close Ndudi.
Mon, July 5, 7 p.m. vs New Jersey
Tue, July 6, 5 p.m. vs Boston
Wed, July 7, 3 p.m. vs Oklahoma City
Thu, July 8, 7 p.m. vs Charlotte
Fri, July 9, 10 a.m. vs Utah
There's been a few questions brought up about the summer league rules, and despite trying my very hardest, I can't get my hands on the rules about the limit of 3 players who have NBA experience. If anybody has a link for this, holler at your boy. In the meantime, here's a nifty article from '07 by David Lee Roth about the mystique of the summer league. I enjoyed it and so should you.
Anyway let's get to it.
#7 Ryan Brooks, SG - Temple University, 6'4, 200 lbs
The local product had a fine career as an Owl, overcoming his share of adversity and working to Temple into the top 25 for the first time since the Cheney era. He's a great kid that plays his ass off on the court, displaying a good basketball IQ and a reliable jumper with a high release that allows him to get his shot off over bigger defenders. It also makes up for his lack of quickness, playmaking, and handles. This is a nod to the big 5 schools, as they've done in the past with Dionte Christmas, Pat Carroll, Dustin Salisbury, and Lynn Greer, et al. While I'm rooting for Ryan, he's not talented enough to make a big league roster.
Chances of making it here: 0%
#50 Ndudi Ebi, PF - Westbury Christian High School (TX), 6'9, 200 lbs
Let the name-calling begin. Ndudi has been everywhere since he passed up a spot for Lute Olsen's 2003 Arizona team for a first-round selection by the Timberwolves. While that didn't exactly work out as planned, Ndudi did play two years in the NBA for a combined 86 minutes and 40 points (ppm anybody?). Because of those two years, he's ineligible for D-League play and has gone to Israel's Bnei HaSharon team, Italy's Carife Ferrara, and most recently Basket Rimini Crabs. I'd sign him for a 10-day for that alone, but the Sixers will see it differently.
Chances: Ndudi.
#4 Mike Green, PG - Butler University, 6'1, 175 lbs
Another local kid, only this one branched out to form one of the best guard combos Horizon League basketball has ever seen. Before there was Gordon Hayward, there was Green and AJ Graves for the Bulldogs. While Green doesn't have AJ's shooting stroke, he's got better athleticism, quickness, and point guard skills. I haven't seen anything from him in two years, but having decided to play overseas instead of the D-League, I'm not sure he has much of a shot at making this team right away. With a year in Fort Wayne displaying a better jump shot and tangible point guard ability, he could get a Sundiata 10-day to see what he's got as a backup point guard.
Chances: 0.5%
#45 DeVon Hardin, C - University of California, 6'11, 250 lbs
Great body. Physical tools. Intriguing potential. Phrases that come to mind when thinking about DeVon Hardin and a new car. Let's focus on Hardin, who came out of a 4-year career at Cal with a great shot at making a team, and never put anything together. He could be exactly what the Sixers need (another underachieving big man!) on the defensive end because of his athleticism, strong rebounding, and defensive mindset. He's not the best shot-blocker, only averaging 1.3/game at Cal, and he has a tough time staying on the court without fouling everyone. If Jason Smith somehow got the Bubonic Plague (not saying I want him to, just thinking of a plan B), Hardin would make an interesting 4th big man. Most recently, he played with Penn product Ibby Jaaber on the Greek team Egaleo BC.
Chances: 4%
#11 Jrue Holiday, PG - Sixers, 6'4, 180 lbs
Last year, Holiday came into the Nets/Sixers Summer League team with question marks about why he wasn't 5 inches smaller and named Ty. This year, he's the starting point guard with oodles of noodles and projectability on this team for years to come. I wouldn't run him that much if I were coach Aaron McKie/Quin Snyder, just enough to get him comfortable with the last guy on the list. Don't scroll down yet.
Chances: I'd say solid to pretty decent.
#35 Jason Love, PF - Xavier, 6'9, 265 lbs
Another A-10 grad and local yokel, only this time with a bit more intrigue. J-Love had a very efficient career at Xavier, shooting a shade under 58% from the field for his career and raking in 2.3 O-Boards per game in under 20 minutes. He's not a guy that'll jump out at you with his athleticism or his offense, but he's a wide body that knows how to box out, and in a spread system under coaches Sean Miller and Chris Mack, he managed to produce. As a senior, he developed a mid-range game and continued monitoring the glass, notching his best performance of 21 points on 9-11, shooting, 19 rebounds (8 offensive) and 5 blocks against Marquette. With Xavier on the highest tier of mid-majors, he's faced good competition and should prove that in his first year in the D-League. After some more seasoning and exposure, there's a shot for him on the end of a pro bench somewhere.
Chances: 2%
#20 Jodie Meeks, SG - Sixers, 6'4, 208 lbs
We caught a glimpse of him last year, but he's got plenty to prove if he wants to have any sort of role with this team now and, more importantly, going forward. He needs to show a consistent 3-point shot and a defensive improvement over Willie Green.
Chances - 90%
#30 Obi Muonelo, SG-SF - Oklahoma State, 6'5, 220 lbs
Coming out of the same high school as Ekpe Udoh in the tremendous '06 class, Obi was a 5-star prospect over guys like Tyler Smith, Jodie Meeks, projected shooting guard Russell Westbrook, and Da'Sean Butler, among others. Unfortunately for Obi-Trice (real name no gimmicks), his offensive game never came together like everybody thought it would. He's plenty athletic and quick with a really nice first step, but it seems like he got hooked onto the idea that he needed to have a lights out jump shot and never stopped shooting it. While he started hitting his junior and senior seasons (over 40% from deep), he settled for the outside shot and his overall game suffered. Had he any sort of capable big man to play with at Oklahoma State, things could have been different, but as of now he's another guy that can't figure out how good he is. Go to the D-League, have better shot selection, call me in a year.
Chances - 1%
#44 Trent Plaisted, PF-C - BYU, 6'11, 245 lbs
Tall stiff. Jason Smith without the jump shot and a bit more interior play. He can't defend quick 4's or strong 5's, but he's a crafty lefty with more athleticism than you'd think. He just doesn't like to show it off much. He's just a big body at this point. Not going to get a shot with the Sixers because he does what Marreese Speights and Spencer Hawes already do, only worse.
Chances - 0.7%
#17 Cedric Simmons, PF - North Carolina State, 6'9, 235 lbs
In Sixers-related news, he was someone we were rumored to target in the '06 draft but settled on Thabo Sefolosha who became Rodney Carney moments later. Ced's been a throw-in in trades with former and current Sixers Larry Hughes, Joe Smith, Andres Nocioni, and John Salmons. Here's another talented big who never developed the way scouts thought. Playing for 4 teams over parts of 3 seasons, he didn't show the consistency needed from a power forward without much quickness. He's strong with a rebounder's mentality and still has a glimmer of that Upside shine he glossed on himself after his sophomore year at NC State. With a good summer league performance, he could push his way onto a roster.
Chances - 2.5%
#16 Marreese Speights, PF-C - Sixers, 6'10, 245 lbs
This is at least a good sign. I'd like to see defense and rebounding, as I'm sure you all would as well. Maybe a few passes here and there, but at this point I'd settle for continued success on the glass, and a commitment to giving equal effort on defense and offense. He's a talented player and could be special if he wants to be a player on both ends. There's a slim chance Ed packages him to shed salary or pickup a defensive-minded big. Wouldn't bet on it though.
Chances - 99%
#12 Evan Turner, SG - Sixers, 6'7, 214 lbs
Show me what you got, kid. Can't wait to get started. Because this hasn't been displayed prominently since we picked him, I've done the honors below.
Chances - A million
Stud.
I like what the Sixers have done here. Although picking up guys with silly names is a nice treat, I mean giving players that had significant potential but haven't found their way to the NBA for one reason or the other. It's the lowest of low risks, but a very high reward if they strike gold. May as well take a shot on Hardin, Simmons, and Muonelo over A.J. Abrams and Lance Thomas. The chances adds up to 1,000,099.7 plus "solid to pretty decent" plus "Ndudi" percent. You figure out the rest.
So if you're in Orlando, go check out the RGV Sportsplex and get me my first-hand report. And if you're not, watch on NBATV. Then we'll talk about what we see, and it'll be grand. Summer League 2010 here we come!
Ndudi!