‘Only in Lawrence’ could Nick Collison and Cole Aldrich play to a draw
Boston's Paul Pierce, right, playfully chokes Miami's Mario Chalmers after Chalmers converted a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left, which forced the "Legends of the Phog" exhibition game to end in a 111-111 tie Saturday inside KU's Allen Fieldhouse. (Photo by Richard Gwin, Lawrence Journal-World)
John Rohde: 475-3099. John Rohde can be heard Monday-Friday from 6-7 p.m. on The Sports Animal Network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. Follow him on Twitter @RohdeOK.
James Harden Hooping At The Drew League
Guard James Harden recently made his second straight appearance in The Drew League, long labeled California’s best Pro-Am summer league. For more than 35 years, the league, based in South Central L.A., has attracted some of the best high school, college, international and NBA talent. Players such as Paul Pierce, Byron Scott, Dennis Johnson, Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Cuttino Mobley, Trevor Ariza and O.J. Mayo have played at “The Drew.”
Playing opposite Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings this summer, Harden showed off his shooting touch and underrated athleticism on a few breakaway dunks, as evidenced by the below video.
I know there always will be a segment of fans who hate it when players play for anyone anywhere outside of organization that’s signing the checks. And if I’m a season ticket holder who has paid hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to see these players play I’d be a little on edge as well. But at the end of the day, basketball is just like anything else in life. You have to practice and spend time on it to get better. And that’s what I take away from this clip of Harden playing against some solid competition this summer. He’s having fun but also improving his skills. Ultimately, that can’t be anything but good for the Thunder, the team that’s paying him handsomely, and the fans, the ones ponying up to watch him play.
-DM-
Locals Off To Slow Starts In The NBA
This year’s draft class was the deepest the state of Oklahoma has ever offered the NBA.
Four players who are either Oklahoma natives or played at state colleges went in the first round of last month’s draft. Another three were drafted in the second round. This looked like a landmark year for the locals.
Then came July.
All seven of the locals drafted into the NBA this year have struggled to start their careers on the right foot. Something – injuries, contract disputes or poor play — has plagued every one of this year’s players with Oklahoma ties.
Consider it a two-year trend of crummy luck, seeing as how 2009 No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin has yet to play a regular season game due to a knee injury.
But this year’s misfortune is just mind-boggling.
Former Edmond Sante Fe center Ekpe Udoh, drafted sixth overall by Golden State, is out four to six months with a torn ligament in his left wrist.
Former Putnam City phenom Xavier Henry, selected 12th overall out of Kansas by Memphis, is on the sidelines because of a contract dispute as his Grizzlies compete in summer league play in Las Vegas. (How a team and its first-round pick has a contract dispute with pretty clear rookie scale contract regulations is beyond me.)
Former Oklahoma State star James Anderson, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year who San Antonio selected 20th, likely will miss the Spurs’ entire summer league slate because of an injured hamstring.
Former Bishop McGuinness standout center Daniel Orton, drafted 29th overall by Orlando, averaged just 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in four games at summer league in Orlando. Orton shot just 4-for-27 from the field (14.8 percent) and made only eight of 17 free throws.
And then there’s the second-round picks.
Former Tulsa center Jerome Jordan, playing for New York following a draft-night trade to the Knicks after being selected 44th overall by Milwaukee, has averaged more fouls (6.5) than points (6.0) and more turnovers (4.0) than rebounds (3.5) in two summer league games.
Former Oklahoma big man Tiny Gallon, taken 47th by Milwaukee, actually has fared fairly well. On Tuesday night, he scored eight points with a game-high 11 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench against Memphis. That followed his five-point, three-rebound effort in just seven minutes Monday against Dallas.
And former Oklahoma guard Willie Warren, selected 54th by the L.A. Clippers, looked nervous and thoroughly outmatched while starting opposite No. 1 overall pick John Wall on Monday night. Warren finished with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting but had just one assist, struggling to play off the ball alongside Eric Bledsoe or keep his man in front of him.
These first three weeks have been cruel to this year’s crop of locals. But by no means will the first 21 days define their careers. As with any rookie, they’ll need time. We should all give them that time and wish them better luck down the line.
-DM-
Nick Collison’s Two-Day Adventure
ORLANDO, Fla. — Nick Collison has had his eyes set on a family vacation.
At some point over the next couple of years, the Thunder’s power forward was going to take his family to Disney World.
Oddly enough, knee surgery fast-forwarded his timeline.
Collison has come to Orlando to rehab his right knee, which needed arthroscopic surgery in mid-May. While here, he thought it best to squeeze in that highly-anticipated trip to the place where dreams come true. Before making his first appearance at summer league on Monday, Collison took his wife, Robbie, and 4-year-old daughter, Emma, to the world’s most famous theme park.
“If it didn’t work out like this I might have waited a couple of years,” Collison said. “But (Emma) had fun. It was only a couple of rides she wasn’t tall enough to go on.”
But what’s a family vacation without a few snags?
Doing Disney World during the jammed-packed, summer-vacation, dog-days of spicy-hot July can be brutal for any parent. And Collison learned that lesson the hard way. He split the trip over a two-day span, making sure his leading ladies got the most out of their visit.
As for Collison, well he got a surprising workout.
“It was a lot of work, man,” he said. “We were there six, seven hours standing in line with the heat. It’s a grind, man. Eighty-two games is nothing compared to that. It’s tough but it was fun.”
Asked his favorite ride, Collison didn’t hesitate.
“Splash Mountain,” he declared. “That’s a good ride.”
-DM-
Who Impressed Me In Day Two In Orlando
Simply put, some players have it and others don’t. Here’s who I thought had it in Day Two in Orlando.
- James Harden: His toughness is a very underrated characteristic in his game. He gets credited for his high IQ and his playmaking skills a lot. Those are the easy traits to pick up on when you watch him. Look closer and you’ll see how Harden’s pacing is perhaps his best attribute, while his toughness is his most unheralded. Maybe it’s because he’s such a soft-spoken, laid-back cat. But that toughness rears its ugly head from time to time. It was on display during the season, when not only did he not back down from Kobe Bryant in the playoffs, but he went right back at him. And it was on display throughout Tuesday’s matchup against Gerald Henderson, who is lauded for his defensive skills. A scene that took place during pre-game warmups set the stage. As Henderson jogged the length of the court, crossing into the Thunder’s half of the hardwood his high-kicking legs caught Harden’s eye. The Thunder’s guard then stared him down as he trotted back on his end. Could have been nothing. Could have been everything. To me it showed Harden sizing up his opponent. And when you watched the way Harden went at Henderson throughout the game you knew Harden took this matchup as a personal challenge. The two held and pushed, grabbed and grappled. They had to be separated on more than one occasion. When Henderson complained to the ref before an inbounds pass about how Harden was body checking him with his arms spread wide, Harden came right back and did the same thing. You can’t fake that kind of fortitude. Remember that as you delight in Harden’s development. Remember it even when his sky-walking dunks, lights-out shooting and pinpoint passes push to define his game.
- Eric Maynor: As I said Monday and wrote about for Wednesday, Maynor is blossoming into one of the best backups in the league. His patience, poise and maturity are assets that make up for his shortcomings. His a skinny little something who’s generously listed at 6-3. He doesn’t have superb quickness and isn’t a great perimeter shooter. But he’s a floor general who thinks the game and never rushes. As Charlotte summer league coach Dave Hanners told me, “He kept them in the game tonight.” Maynor has shades of Sam Cassell. He’s emerging as a leader and has tremendous competitiveness. All of the above was on display against the Bobcats, as Maynor did whatever he had, whenever he had to, for his Thunder to win. Unfortunately for him, a buzzer-beater by Jeremy Pargo prevented it from happening.
- Derrick Favors: Dude will be a monster. He can post, step away from the basket, run the floor and finish on the break. And when he gets it on the block, he can turn either direction and finish with both hands. I’d like to see him hit the glass harder than he has through the first two days, though. But offensively, he will be hard to stop when he gets the hang of things. He showed toughness and composure Tuesday after a sluggish start Monday. And his body is extremely well built. With a great coaching staff in New Jersey that includes Avery Johnson and Sam Mitchell, look for Favors to develop fast.
- Magnum Rolle: He has taken Orlando by storm. He never stops hustling. He goes after every rebound, contests every shot and plays every possession like it’s his lasts. And that’s just on the defensive end. Offensively, he can knock down mid-range jumpers with consistency and bang in the post although he needs to get stronger. On one possession Tuesday, Rolle grabbed an offensive rebound with four Nets players in front of him. Rolle reminds me of a smarter, more interested, less athletic Tyrus Thomas. Not a bad set of tools.
- Damion James: With the Nets’ coaching staff sitting front row, and Avery Johnson barking more instructions than any other head coach here, the rookie from Texas proved he’ll do anything you need him to do. James displayed all-out hustle against Indiana in the final game of the night and a soft shooting touch for good measure. James is equally adept at finishing at the rim, showing more craftiness than I remember seeing from him at Texas. James will carve out a career because of his hustle on both ends alone. But he looks to have real skills to match.
Others of note: Derrick Brown (Charlotte), Tony Gaffney (Boston), Luke Harangody (Boston), Gerald Henderson (Charlotte), Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia), Oliver Lafayette (Boston), Jodie Meeks (Philadelphia), Terrence Williams (New Jersey), Lance Stephenson (Indiana).
Daniel Orton Juggling Jitters
ORLANDO, Fla. — Daniel Orton thought he had his emotions in check.
The former Bishop McGuinness standout and rookie center for the Orlando Magic figured his first summer league game, in his new backyard, would be no big deal.
But when game time crept closer, the butterflies grew bigger and bigger in his belly.
“It was crazy,” Orton admitted following his forgettable debut.
Orton’s brother, former Oklahoma State forward Terrence Crawford, phoned Orton on Monday afternoon to do what big brothers do. Crawford offered comfort. A few words of advice and some well-wishes. Before ending the call, Crawford asked Orton if he was nervous.
“I said no,” Orton remembered.
“And then I texted him about 30 minutes later and said, ‘OK, I’m nervous now.’”
The first-game jitters never went away. Orton rushed everything in the Magic’s 86-77 loss to Indiana. His post moves and his jumpers. His fouls shots and his ball screens.
“I didn’t think I was going to be that nervous but I really was,” Orton said.
The fouls, some of them phantom, most of them legit, but five in all, took him out of the game mentally. Orton grew more frustrated at the sound of each whistle. It took him out of his rhythm and too often sent him marching to the bench for pep talks and instruction. Orton played just 13 minutes.
Everyone from Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, to assistant Bob Beyer, to star guard Vince carter tried to console Orton on Monday. Orlando summer league coach and legendary center Patrick Ewing, the foremost figure in charge of developing Orton’s skills, was in his ear the most.
“He said I have to slow down, take my time and just get more relaxed out there and feel comfortable,” Orton said.
Orton will get a mulligan at noon today against Utah. And this time, Orton is confident he’ll be calmer.
“To get the first one over was just a relief,” he said.
-DM-
Thoughts From Day One In Orlando
Observations from the opening day in Orlando…
- Byron Mullens sounds more passionate about the game. That, to me, means more than his 24-point, seven-rebound performance against Boston on Monday night. You might think that’s backwards. It’s not. No. 1, it’s summer league and Mullens’ production, especially against an overmatched group of “Celtics” needs to be taken with a grain of salt. And that’s not taking anything away from Mullens’ game tonight. He was a stud and did everything asked of him. No. 2, Mullens has never really struck me as a fiery guy when it came to basketball. Today, for the first time, I got that vibe from him. Mullens clearly has skills, and up until last season he was getting by on those raw talents. But now he seems eager to want to get the most out of his God-given attributes.
- Eric Maynor is blossoming into one of the league’s best backup point guards before our eyes. His poise is phenomenal. His floater is fantastic. And his ball security is beyond belief for a second-year guard. Maynor just knows how to play. Knows when to attack and when to get his teammates involved. When the game was slipping away, it was Maynor who became aggressive and attacked with purpose when all else failed. If he can spend the rest of this summer working on his jumper to keep defenses honest, he’ll be trouble next season.
- D.J. White is one of the guys I came into this week looking forward to seeing the most. And he didn’t let me down. Not on the offensive end. White has a silky smooth jumper that is almost automatic from mid-range. And he’s crafty enough around the basket to finish in traffic and gobble up offensive boards for putbacks. But his defense was atrocious against Boston. Rookie Luke Harangody, a second-round pick, torched White all night. Some of it was because White had to help on drives. And some of it was solid defense but better offense. Most of it, though, was just bad defense. White must shore up his defensive skills before he earns playing time. And he might be close to running out of time.
- Serge Ibaka was playing a great all-around game before he went down with what’s being called a sprained left ankle. Ibaka rebounded well, blocked shots and showed improved footwork and touch when he got the ball on the block for post-ups. It’s a shame Ibaka went down on a fluke play. I don’t think Ibaka’s injury is serious. But I also don’t think we’ll see him play Tuesday or Wednesday. Makes no sense for the training staff or coaches to rush him back.
- James Harden absolutely took over the game down the stretch. In the first half, he looked as though he was ineffective but the truth of it was he was trying to let his teammates get involved. With him and Maynor playing passive roles, no one else really rose to the occasion and a 21-point deficit was the result. But when Harden decided to attack, he played phenomenal. He got to the free throw line. He slashed backdoor from the baseline and caught a lob from Maynor and he clinched the game with a big-time rejection. I expect to see more of the second half Harden Tuesday.
- We could be in for a nice little matchup on Tuesday between Harden and Charlotte’s Gerald Henderson. It’s worth keeping a close eye on as both try to establish their reputations.
- The MVP of Day One had to be Indiana’s Lance Stephenson. The 40th overall pick out of Cincinnati thoroughly outplayed teammate and 10th overall pick Paul George. And Stephenson, a natural off guard, controlled the game while running the point. It helped that Stephenson had little resistance against 5-foot-9 point guard Jerome Randle, who is an offensive threat but a defensive liability. We’ll see how Stephenson responds Tuesday against a more physically imposing trio of wings for New Jersey that includes Terrence Williams, Damion James and Tulsa’s Ben Uzoh.
- Others who stood out on the first day were Charlotte’s Henderson and Derrick Brown, Boston point guard Oliver Lafayette and forward Luke Harangody, the Thunder’s Harden, Maynor and Mullens, Indiana forward Magnum Rolle, Nets guard Williams and Philly’s Jrue Holiday.
- A lot of whispers throughout the gym on the first day of ninth overall pick Gordon Hayward being soft and over his head. I think it’s way too early for those kinds of labels. He didn’t have the best game in his debut Monday against Charlotte. But his teammates rarely looked for him and he didn’t have the luxury of having the ball in his hands and being the creator and playmaker that he was at Butler. In my opinion, Hayward did show some toughness and nice basketball savvy. He can shoot it, slash and rebound. I worry about his lateral quickness and his ability to defend, as he got beat off the dribble several times. But I think he’ll be fine as the game slows down for him.
-DM-
Who’s Ready For Summer League?
OKC's five-game summer league schedule starts Monday against Boston.
ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s been 66 days since we last watched Thunder basketball.
But you can kiss that streak goodbye at approximately 4 p.m. today and gear up for a week of summer league hoops. The Thunder kicks off its five-game schedule in the AirTran Airways Pro Summer League against the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. OK, well maybe not the Celtics crew that won the East but you get the idea.
A lot of jokes are made about summer league ball but, as I wrote over the weekend, the Thunder takes this time quite seriously and stresses summer development a great deal in its program. And that dedicated approach has paid off nicely for Oklahoma City. This is the third straight summer the Thunder has participated in this league, and last year’s roster was the only outfit that traveled to Las Vegas as well. Laugh at these leagues if you must, but Russell Westbrook’s breakout second season originated in Orlando. James Harden and Serge Ibaka now appear next in line.
I’ve been asked a lot lately why the Thunder chose Orlando and is not competing in Las Vegas again this year as well. My explanation is that Orlando is shorter, has a much more compact schedule and is cheaper. But here’s a good article by Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that lists the “no frills” aspect of Orlando as a leading reason several teams prefer this place. You can count the Thunder among those teams.
This should really be a fun week. For the first time, NBA TV will broadcast all 20 games being played here live. And for $14.95, you can get Summer League Broadband, an online package that provides streaming access to these 20 games as well as the other 55 contests being played in Las Vegas from July 9-18.
There is some pretty good talent on hand this year, too. Four of the top 10 picks in last month’s draft will make their pro debuts: Philadelphia’s No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner from Ohio State, New Jersey’s No. 3 overall pick Derrick Favors out of Georgia Tech, Utah’s No. 9 pick Gordon Hayward of Butler and Indiana’s 10th overall pick Paul George from Fresno State. Host team Orlando, with former Bishop McGuinness High standout and 29th pick Daniel Orton, and Charlotte are the final two teams in the league.
A quick primer going into Day One…
More On The Durant Free Agent Front
This time next year, Kevin Durant will be eligible to re-sign with the Thunder for up to five more seasons beyond the 2010-11 season.
In Monday’s paper I wrote about Durant’s contract situation and how he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, in large part because, no matter how hard it might be for some to believe, he really has grown fond of Oklahoma and the Thunder. But I wanted to post some additional information about Durant’s forthcoming decision and give you an even clearer idea of why Durant isn’t likely to leave after his rookie deal.
In short, players like Durant just don’t walk after their rookie contracts.
Whether we believe Durant will do what he’s repeatedly said he wants to do — remain with the Thunder for as long as possible — is up to us at this point. It’s certainly understandable how fans and media types have revoked the benefit of the doubt from athletes and coaches. There are far too many examples of a player or coach insisting his or her heart is somewhere only to jump ship weeks later.
But if Durant’s good old-fashioned word isn’t enough, let’s examine history.
Out of 70 top 10 picks from 1999-2005, 40 players went on to sign an extension with the team that drafted them or the club that traded for them.
(I chose this seven-year time frame because the second most recent CBA was instituted in 1999 and still contained rules with similar structuring of rookie contracts to today. I stopped at 2005 because the jury is still out on the class of 2006, which just became eligible to sign extensions this summer and so far has seen No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani become the lone top 10 pick from that class to re-up.)
Of the remaining 30 players from 1999-2005 who didn’t sign extensions, 15 were players who can be considered busts or simply didn’t live up to early expectations: Marcus Fizer, Rodney White, Nickoloz Tskitishvili, Dajuan Wagner, Jarvis Hayes, Stromile Swift, Keyon Dooling, Joel Przybilla, Channing Frye, DeSagana Diop, Michael Sweetney, Darko Milicic, Rafael Araujo, Ike Diogu and Luke Jackson.
Brooks Breaks Down Summer League
-DM-
