re: Vegas Summer League Players To Watch/Discussion

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Caldwell Pope

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Rookies find their summer groove
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Monday, July 28
9:30 AM ET


It's not a time when stars are made or broken, but we did learn a few things about the Class of 2003 in the last three weeks during the NBA summer leagues.


First, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony both look like they're ready for prime time. Both players, on occasion, dominated during the last three weeks. James' best game came on July 14th at the Reebok Pro Summer League versus the Celtics. He scored 25 points, grabbed nine boards and handed out five assist. He abused third-year forward Kedrick Brown when he moved to small forward and showed that all-around game that has had scouts drooling for the past two years. Anthony's best game was on July 20th at the Rocky Mountain Revue when he dropped 22 points on the Pacers.

Second, there seems to be more talent than ever falling into the second round. Maciej Lampe (Knicks at No. 30), Zaur Pachulia (Magic at No. 42), Keith Bogans (Magic at No. 43) and Brandon Hunter (Celtics at No. 56) were all among their respective league leaders. Pachulia, Bogans and Hunter all earned multi-year deals because of their play this summer and Lampe's sure to get one as well once he works out a buyout with Real Madrid in Spain.

Third, those international men of mystery are groovy. Lampe, Pachulia, Zarko Cabarkapa and Zoran Planinic all dominated at times. Boris Diaw gave the Hawks exactly what we expected and Leandrinho Barbosa was inconsistent, but showed flashes of being special. Only Mickael Pietrus and Alexsandar Pavlovic proved to be first-round disappointments.

Finally, don't put much stock, if any, in all of this. Loren Woods once scored 28 points in a summer league game. Do we need to say more?

Summer League Top 10 Rookies

LeBron James, Cavs


James
Stats: 15.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 4.3 apg in Reebok Pro Summer League
The skinny: The biggest thing about LeBron was that he looked like he belonged. His confidence with the basketball is extraordinary at his age. He's at his best right now when he plays small forward. When he doesn't have to concentrate of running the offense, James unleashed his full offensive arsenal. He's lethal moving without the ball and posting up his man on the block. He looks more ordinary running the point, but consider this -- name the last 18-year-old point guard to start in the NBA. If the Cavs truly plan to keep at the point, and Paul Silas insisted to me that they are, then it's going to take some time.

Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets


Anthony
Stats: 20 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.3 apg on 51 percent shooting in Rocky Mountain Revue
The skinny: It took him a few games to get warmed up in L.A., but once he hit Utah, he was ready to roll. Anthony played in only three games in Utah, but it was enough to convince us that he should lead all rookies in scoring this year. He isn't going to be shy looking for his shot and he shouldn't be. However, there were a few minor red flags that stood out last week. One, he was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc. Two, he had a two-to-one turnover to assist ratio in his first three games. If he's going to be the point forward some had envisioned, he's got to get his teammates more involved.

Maciej Lampe, Knicks


Lampe
Stats: 17.2 ppg, 7 rpg on 51 percent shooting in Rocky Mountain Revue
The skinny: Lampe got off to a horrendous start at the Reebok Pro Summer league, but by the third game, he started to get a clue. By the time he hit Salt Lake, he was ready to go. His best game was a 25-point, 11-rebound outburst on July 23rd versus the Mavs. While Lampe did lots of his damage on the outside (he shot 45 percent from three) it was his work in the paint that had Knicks coaches drooling. Lampe doesn't really have the quickness to play the three, but when the team moved him to center, his ability to face the basket or post up his man in the paint made him a matchup problem. Not bad for an 18-year-kid who slipped all the way to the second round on draft night.

T. J. Ford, Bucks


Ford
Stats: 13.6 ppg, 7.2 apg in the Reebok Pro Summer League
The skinny: Say what you will about Ford's lack of size or a consistent jump shot. Both weaknesses may come back to haunt him once the regular season gets underway. But in Boston (as well as Orlando where he averaged 6.8 apg) there wasn't a better point guard on the floor than Ford. His quickness and knack for always making the right play has already won over several skeptics who claim that averaging 7.2 apg in the chaos known as summer league is akin to averaging 10 or 11 apg in the NBA regular season.

Zarko Cabarkapa, Suns
Stats: 16.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.2 apg in the Rocky Mountain Revue
The skinny: Everyone knew that the big 6-foot-11 small forward was a dead eye from outside, but Cabarkapa's (pronounced Char-BAR-kapa) all-around feel for the game had assistant coach Marc Iavaroni drooling. "He seems to be in the right place at the right time," Iavaroni said after Cabarkapa scored 25 points from just about every where on the floor during one game. His rebonding numbers also gave the Suns hope. The Suns already have two strong rebounders at forward in Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire. If Cabarkapa can give them that lift off the bench, as well as stretch defenses with his outside shooting, he could be poised for a significant impact this year.

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Pat Young got 13 rebounds in 19 minutes? shite, I'm not sure he got 13 rebounds ever when he was at Florida. Maybe he actually is a better rebounder than he showed in college. He keeps doing that, teams are going to regret not even giving him a shot in the 2nd round.

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