Monday, August 18, 2008

Blog changes

I am in the process of changing the layout, and possibly the design, of this blog. All older posts will be unavailable for the time being.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Summer league notes

The games recently started up a few weeks ago, and I have been catching several of them on NBA TV. I have been taking notes here and there and would like to post them at this time.

Danilo Gallinari- #6 overall pick. He was, of course, boo'd on draft night by New York fans. I was looking forward to watching “The Rooster” and he did not disappoint. I thought he displayed a very good overall game, with decisive decision making. Some of his movements remind me of Tony Kukoc, so I guess I can see why some people compare the two. Danilo has a smooth mid-range jumper that he pulls off the dribble very well. He was showing an aggressive, scoring mentality, but also looking for his teammates. He is a good passer, and I also saw some creativity, or maybe even courage, to pull off an And-1 type dribble move. The best way to describe it would be if you dribbled with your right hand, and put the dribble out in front of you a bit, and then executed an in-and-out dribble with the left hand. It worked and Gallinari beat his man on the perimeter and found himself at the basket, getting hammered, and getting the free throw line. So, that was a plus, but the downside was that he hurt his back on the play, and his first summer league game ended up being his last summer league game.

To summarize. I love his demeanor, skill and energy. I think NY fans will be very happy watching him in a Knick uniform for years to come. On a side note, everything I read about him suggests he is tough, professional, and determined to be a very good player in the NBA.

Another Knick I've had my eye on is Wilson Chandler, who just finished his rookie season. He is a SF with good size at 6'8 and a solid build. He has played very hard in every game I have seen him in. One of the more impressive things I saw from him was a sequence where he blocked a big on one end, ran the floor, and finished the play on the receiving end of an alley-oop. He has shown good shooting and scoring overall, and a nice turn-around jumper.

Anthony Randolph. #14 overall pick. I have seen very little of Randolph up until this summer league. I have noticed him on several “bust” lists so I was carefully looking at his game. I have been very impressed so far. He is a unique talent. 6'10 lefty with guard skills, somewhat comparable to Lamar Odom, but there are plenty of differences. I don't think Odom was ever this quick with the ball. Randolph almost glides to the basket, passing by defenders. His handle is good but not as tight as Odom's. His shot is more effortless and his release is quicker, compared to Odom. Like Odom, his jumper could use work. Despite his great physical gifts, it looks like he has room for growth concerning the mental side of the game. Some prior research suggested that he might not have the team-first values many coaches look for in their players. I noticed some over dribbling and poor shot selection at times, but I don't know how much to take from that in this setting. I should note that different players have different approaches in summer league. All 1st rounders playing in the summer league have guaranteed contracts, and it would be foolish to think that some of them don't play a little looser, than a player who is desperately trying to impress someone and get an invite to training camp. Back to Randolph. I think he has a very high ceiling with his combination of size, quickness, athleticism, and ball skills. I have to see more, but I am not buying the "bust" potential. Too much to like.

Marco Belinelli. I really like his offensive game. He is a skilled passer, and a good shooter with an audacious trigger. The problem with Marco is on the defensive end. I recently caught a game where Belinelli and the Warriors gave up 36 points to Quincy Douby of the Sacramento Kings. Belinelli doesn't have great foot speed or lateral quickness, but he also doesn't appear to want to stick his nose in there. His intensity and approach to defense has to change, you would think, because right now he has a lot of difficulty with opposing guards.