A thousand sorries, it's been a few days. Hope all you nerf-herders had a lovely weekend of pillaging, but it's back to the grind, and that grind happens to be Summer League recaps. While us arsecaps still kick around the idea of a podcast, there's a slow summer ahead. So if you have something you'd like to talk about, fanpost it and if it's not total rubbish, we'll front page that mother. Onward and upward, cohorts.
Here's a link to my Summer League preview for RU and here's the one you presumably already read, if you're into that sort of thing.
Ryan Brooks
The Temple grad actually got more run than I thought he would, logging 80 minutes over the 4 games he played. He hit a few shots, ran with the first team a bit, and showed the same grit he did in North Philly, but he's just not talented enough to be an NBA player.
Ndudi Ebi
I hardly contained my disappointment when "The Dude" failed to sniff the court in the first three games. I didn't think the chances he'd make the team were high (read: Ndudi), but I figured as a former first round pick he'd at least get some PT. He got his shot when Mo Speights went home and averaged 12 and 6 in 25 minutes in the final two games, flashing length, speed, and an improved outside shot, hitting 4 of his 7 attempts from beyond the arc. Still unlikely he makes the team, but a training camp invite is a possibility.
Vernon Goodridge
I'm pretty sure I don't know what he looks like. Uhh. Warm body? He managed to play 33 minutes in the shellacking against Utah by barely tallying any box score statistics. Talent.
Mike Green
Green got a decent audition as backup point guard to Jrue, but did not impress. On the eye test, he's outmatched on both sides of the court, with really only one pro-level asset, which is his speed. The numbers tell the tale too, shooting under 30% from the field with a 9-to-14 assist-to-turnover ratio to boot. No dice.
DeVon Hardin
Roflcopter.
Jrue Holiday
He was great until a tweaked hamstring sidelined him all cautious-like. "Night and day" doesn't do justice the difference between his performance this year and last, so I'll go with "Honey Mustard and Orange Marmalade." Jrue was honey mustard times better than his '09 self. Attacking the basket, beating defenders off the dribble, setting him for his teammates, he took the leadership role and choked it like Sprewell, which is to say, in a good way. The kid continues to boost expectations. And that's the Jruth.
I expected more from J-Love, but we didn't even get the Special Sauce as he played just 23 minutes during the week. I think he can be a solid glue guy down the road, but the results aren't there right now.
Jodie Meeks
As we've discussed ad ausium (that's awesome + nauseum, meaning it's so awesome we want to puke) here, Jodie really stood out in Orlando. His jump shot tailed off towards the end of the week, but he showed great slashing ability, quick decision-making with the ball in his hands, and with the exception of a Leon Lett open field missed dunk, looked good in the fast break. His defense, specifically his willingness to get after it, opened my eyes a bit more. Hopefully he takes all of Willie Green's minutes this season, but I may as well be pissing into a fan pointed directly at my eyes on this one, knowing ol' Bill.
Didn't look good at all. I have hope for him since the talent is there, but he's yet to show his true potential since high school. I hope he likes Turkish food because it looks like he'll be Europe bound for some time. As to the Turkey rumors, well, I made it up.
Trent Plaisted
Displayed his athleticism, quickness, and Todd MacCulloch-like hands that we've since from him the past few years. Unfortunately the tentativeness, lack of strength on the glass, and absentee aggressiveness was on display as well. I'm intrigued though -- at least worth a camp invite.
Cedric Simmons
Another guy deserving of a campvite (Future Title Alert: Cedric Goes to Camp), Ced showed off his length and rawrawrawness that scouts drooled over coming out of NC State. Again, however, he can't put it together for an extended period of time because his floor IQ is low and his offensive game is limited. And 15 rebounds in 85 minutes is not good for a 6'10 guy. Wait-and-see with him.
Marreese Speights
After an atrocious game one, Speights was meh-tacular in the next two games. He got his points and continued his solid rebounding, but I don't see him becoming a respectable defender in the league. No blocked shots, not a ton of hustle, and leaving camp for his own reasons. Even if the team knew about it, I would've liked to see some more commitment from Mo. Not sure how much he'll play this season with Hawes-Brand-Thad seemingly ahead of him in the big man depth chart for Coach Collins. The few passes he made were kind of nice though.
If you scrolled past all the other goods just to see me lambaste the number two draft pick, stuff your sorries in a sack and take that business elsewhere Tonto, we don't want none of that noise. Anyone who says Turner played well is fooling themselves -- that's not what I'm doing. He was awful out there. He looked slow, unathletic, mismatched, and bummed out. But before we eat his intestines with the bones of Sharone Wright, Jiri Welsch, and Keith Van Horn rotting nearby, let's get out the Big Book o' Perspective, flip to page 394 and read that Summer League Basketball don't mean squat. Apologies to the Summer League Gods who I worship daily and nightly, but it's just pickup basketball. The rookies haven't played organized ball in four months and are trying to adapt to a million changes in their lives all at once. Oh and they're in Las Vegas where there may be a thing or two to do -- I'm not sure though, ask Jordan Orlando -- Disney? (Thanks to Ben for making me feel stupid). He's got so much time to get better, is aware that he needs to get better, and we should grant him plenty of that time. Take a breath, eat a crumpet, and sit down to your favorite Nicholas Sparks novel. By the time you're done, whether or not you have total control of your bodily functions, Evan Turner will be a better basketball player.
Enjoy the Vegas summer league and the turrrrific coverage from Posting and Toasting, Bullets Forever, At The Hive, and Bright Side of the Sun, among a multitude of other SBNation and less awesome sites. Training camp draws mercifully near.