NBA 82 Gamers

Each year we acknowledge the guys who play in every regular season NBA game. This season 31 players accomplished the feat that screams "professional". If you manage to play in all 82 games that means you took care of your body, didn't lose your cool, and earned the confidence of your coaches. The "82 Gamer" list for 2010-11

Derek Fisher played in all 82 for the sixth straight season.

Las Vegas Summer League 2010 Awards

Each year following the Summer League - I look deeply at the stats for all players that played over 40 minutes. I call it a "stat audit". Basically I punch in all the numbers to come up with each players per minute efficiency. I then rank the players by their respective positions. I do this so that I can make up my OWN mind about what happened at Vegas (as opposed to being force fed what PR machines and monopolized media tell me.)

Every team is trying to take the positive route with their draft picks and they all will tell you that their picks played well. But of course, everything is relative and there is no shortage of teams and players in Vegas to compare your guys to.

In respect only to the games that were played in Las Vegas, the numbers do not lie. The sample size of minutes played is very small so it is important to never read too much into summer numbers. The data is simply one more piece to the overall puzzle.

What did the audit reveal? The usual. Without fail - efficiency wins ball games. The summer version of the Raptors was the most efficient team and they went 5-0.

DeMarcus Cousins was given a "T-Mobile Rookie of the Month Award" before the games at Vegas had concluded. (John Wall should have won.) Cousins' .410 EFR for the six games he played in - ranked behind rookie Centers Solomon Alabi, and Jerome Jordan. ...You may have also heard that Harvard guard Jeremy Lin was All-World at the LVSL. Actually - he was just very good. He finished as the seventh highest rated Point Guard which is good but not "All-World". Whatever the case - Lin was signed (smartly) by Golden State - which is sure to sell tickets. Asian pride will represent.

Best player on the best team: Bobby Brown – Toronto. …The Raptors went 5-0 and Brown was their most efficient player (.708); posting averages of 12 points (on ridiculously good .676 FG %), and four assists per game. Brown had 20 assists and just seven turnovers while shooting 89%FT for his five games played.


First Team All Las Vegas Summer League  


PG: Ty Lawson – Denver. …Lawson had the highest efficiency rating for the LVSL at .746. The Nuggs went 4-1 with Lawson scoring 16 ppg, and dishing five assists per game on 58% FG.

SG: Coby Karl – Denver. …Karl scored 14 ppg, with six rebounds, and three assists per game. He shot 40% from three. His team was 4-1. 

SF: DeMar DeRozan (pictured) – Toronto. …DeRozan’s Raptors were unbeaten with DeRozan posting the highest EFR among SF’s. DeRozan scored 21.5 ppg on 58%FG, with 4.5 rebounds per contest.

PF: Joey Dorsey – Toronto. …Dorsey is the KING of Summer League. This year: unbeaten again at 5-0 with averages of seven points and ten boards per game. Dorsey is 11-1 for his LVSL career.

C: JaVale McGee – Washington. …McGee scored 19.5 points per game (on 69% FG) while grabbing 9.5 rebounds per run. The Wizards were 4-1.


Second Team All Las Vegas Summer League:

PG: John Wall (pictured) – Washington. …Wall’s .643 EFR was third to only Lawson and Brown. Wall scored 23.5 points per game and dished 7.8 assists. 38% FG and 5.3 turnovers per game was the only downside. He was the official LVSL MVP.

SG: Landry Fields – New York. …Fields numbers (rounded up) were 16 points (53% FG), five rebounds, and two steals per game.

SF: Curtis Withers – D League Select. …Withers’ .542 EFR was 2nd best among Small Forwards. He averaged 13 points (51% FG), eight boards, and two assists.

PF: Othello Hunter – Denver. …Hunter showed he had the hands to play with Lawson. Hunter shot 62% FG while scoring 13 ppg. He added six boards and a blocked shot per contest.

C: Solomon Alabi – Toronto. The 7’1” BIG MAN averaged eight points, five boards and one blocked shot per game on great shooting numbers: FG .565, FT .938.


Top five players per position by efficiency. …78 minutes played minimum.

Point Guards: Ty Lawson .746, Bobby Brown .708, John Wall .643, John Lucas III .634, Lester Hudson .577

Shooting Guards: Coby Karl .602, Landry Fields .600, Aubrey Coleman .600, Sam Young .594, Reggie Williams (pictured) .541


Small Forwards: DeMar DeRozan .686, Curtis Withers .542, Ronald DuPree .505, Trey Gilder .491, Marqus Blakely .473


Power Forwards: Joey Dorsey .675, Othello Hunter .629, Tyler Wilkerson .598, Ed Davis .587, Alade Aminu .571


Centers: JaVale McGee .716, Solomon Alabi .587, Patrick O’Bryant .575, Hasheem Thabeet .545, Jordan Hill .538.

They didn’t play well: Here is a list of the five lowest efficiency ratings of guys that played at least 78 minutes: Donald Sloan – SAC .013, Josh Carter – N.O. .060, Trey Johnson – LAC .086, Ibrahim Jaaber – LAL .122., Richard Roby – DEN .147

They did well with the minutes they were given... Here are the top seven efficiency ratings of those who played between 40-77 minutes: Ekene Ibekwe (pictured) – POR .690, Jermareo Davidson – ATL .679,
Richard Hendrix – ATL .676 (Second straight year Hendrix has been in this category. Give the man some playing time!), Leo Lyons – NYK .635, Dwayne Mitchell – S.A. .615, Reyshawn Terry – POR .614, Marcus Landry – NYK .608.

See the entire stat audit here.

McGee living up to his promise in LV Summer ball

JaVale McGee was our Player of the Day for Friday at the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The Washington Wizards Center is a beast of a physical specimen, standing 7'0" and now weighing a guesstimated 275 lbs. He has a terrific combination of power and finesse, and those qualities have benefited from playing alongside rookie phenom John Wall. Wall is getting the ball to McGee in all the right positions. McGee posted 29 points (13-16 FG), while snatching eight rebounds (five offensive) in the Wizards dramatic come from behind win over New Orleans at Cox Pavilion.

Lester Hudson hit a game winner as time expired for the Wiz. The final score was 90-89. 

Our All Las Vegas Summer League Team for day eight (with game efficiency rating): PG: Wall - WA .722,  SG: Wayne Ellington - MIN .647, SF: Landry Fields - NYK .857, PF: Kyle Hines - NO .964, C: McGee - WA .911. Bench: Guards: DeMar DeRozan - TOR .611, Maurice Ager - NO .593. Forwards: Greg Monroe (pictured)- DET .939, Samardo Samuels - CHI .760, Jeff Adrien - MEM .750. Centers: Jerome Jordan - NYK .857, Ed Davis - TOR .758.

Wednesday's Summer League stars; Hickson, Lucas, Plaisted, Cousins, & Gilder

The Player of the Day in Las Vegas Wednesday was J.J. Hickson who went ballistic for the Cavs with 34 points (12-19 FG, 10-13 FT) and nine rebounds.  The athletic Power Forward who is legal to place a wager in Vegas at age 21 was dominant in the Cavs 93-82 win over the summer Suns. 

We watched in the stands among the Kings brass as Sacramento rallied late to defeat the Timberwolves 79-78. DeMarcus Cousins (pictured) had his best game of the LVSL to date - positing a game EFR of .800. Cousins had 22 points, 12 boards, and five assists - leading the Kings in each category (Tyrese Rice also had five assists). 


While it was fun to see Cousins show off - I was disappointed in a couple things for Sac. First, and foremost - Donte Greene was being guarded by Lazar Hayward who is at least four, maybe five inches shorter - but Greene never dragged Hayward into the post and demanded the ball. Greene, if he is ever to establish himself as a CONSISTENT pro, must change his game to inside-out, rather than outside-in. Greene can realistically be a match-up nightmare but much of that is on him. He has to recognize when he has a physical edge and then he needs to place himself in position to take advantage. 


My second disappointment of Wednesday's Kings game was the tendency I've noticed for Omri Casspi to not share the ball. Pass that thing Omri! If a teammate is out in front of you - give up the pill. The fun police may have to arrest Casspi soon if he doesn't start sharing the sugar. 


Our BasslineSpin Las Vegas Summer League All Day Six Team (with game efficiency rating). PG: John Lucas III - CHI .962, SG: DeMar DeRozan - TOR .772, SF: Trey Gilder - ATL .772, PF: Hickson - CLE .970, C: Cousins - SAC .800. Bench: Guards: Ish Smith - HOU .730, Toney Douglas - NYK .652, Alonzo Gee - SA .647. Forwards: Trent Plaisted - CHI .952, Jordan Hill - HOU .718, Centers: Garrett Siler - MIA .772, Solomon Alabi - TOR .750.

Athletes abound. ...Summer League notebook - day five.

Notes from Tuesday’s NBA Las Vegas Summer League games. ...Ty Lawson (pictured at left) was schooling. He put on a Point Guard clinic - getting anywhere he wanted to go. If left open - he made shots. Lawson's 18 points, three rebounds, and four assists came in just 20 minutes as Denver waxed Chicago 99-71.  Lawson's Nuggets have yet to lose, bettering their mark to 4-0.

One player I didn’t know much about at all that has impressed me is Shane Edwards of the summer Nuggets. He runs the floor and finishes very well.

D.J. Strawberry impressed me Tuesday in the Las Vegas Summer League with his ability to apply pressure as a defender. He is a menace. ...Likewise the Kings’ Hassan Whiteside is having an impact by either blocking or changing opponents shots. ...I loved Wayne Chism stepping up to take a charge, just as he routinely did at Tennessee. ...Pooh Jeter looked like a certified NBA Point Guard Tuesday. His shot has improved and he already has the ability to run a team.

It’s too bad I never hear anything good about Joey Dorsey’s work ethic because the guy is a highly efficient BIG. I can’t remember the last time a summer team with Dorsey in the middle lost a game.

…We have watched 35 summer league contests from Orlando or Vegas in the last nine days.

Our Player of the Day for day five of the Las Vegas Summer League was DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors sophomore tore it up with 23 points (10-15 FG), and five rebounds in just 20 minutes - helping his team beat the summer Rockets 100-91. DeRozan is among the best athletes participating in Las Vegas but there is no shortage of high flying cats.

Rookie Terrico White - who is balling with the Pistons - sports a 40” vertical jump (and a sickening 3.7% body fat). Were we fielding a track team out of the athletes in Vegas - our club would have to include Ronald Dupree, DeRon Washington, Eric Bledsoe, Sonny Weems, and J.R. Giddens. Sprinters might be Roddy Beaubois, Ish Smith, John Wall, and Darren Collison.

Our “All Day Five Las Vegas Summer League Team” (their game efficiency rating). PG: Ty Lawson - DEN 1.000, SG: Mark Tyndale - DLS .739, SF: DeRozan - TOR 1.15, PF: Larry Sanders - MIL .764, C: Dorsey - TOR 1.142. Bench: Guards: Bobby Brown - TOR .814, John Lucas III - CHI .727, Aubrey Coleman - NO .678, Forwards: Tasmin Mitchell - CLE .789, Othella Hunter - DEN .700. Centers: DeMarcus Cousins - SAC .677, Courtney Sims - LAL .677.