The Summer League in Las Vegas has just ended so let’s take a look at what we learned from this week in the desert.
1. Rodrigue Beaubois is ready for the NBA…
Rodrigue Beaubois (Dallas Mavericks) Stat Line per Game: 17.0 Points, 3.5 Rebounds, 3.8 Assists
Beaubois showed that he can be a devastating offensive force when given room to maneuver. He has a sweet three point stroke that extends beyond the line itself and his quickness and athleticism can be scary when used going to the basket. I nicknamed him the “The Enigma” in my prospect previewbecause he has the skills to be a great player but he can be a hothead and play very inconsistently at times. This summer he had two games of more than 20 points and two games of less than 10. Beaubois showed that he has the skills and athleticism to play in the NBA next season, so look for him on Dallas’s bench.
2….and so is the Swedish Sensation Jonas Jerebko
Jonas Jerebko (Detroit Pistons) Stat Line per Game: 12.4 Points, 6.2 Rebounds, 1.0 Assists
Jonas Jerebko is the guy at a pickup game that is making all his shots, is always open, is always moving without the ball, is always crashing the basket, and his team always wins. You don’t know what particular skill it is that makes him so effective but you know that he is a basketball player. Jerebko is constantly finding openings in the defense and using his shifty movement to get in the lane and make shots. He is always producing on the court in the Summer League (The Pistons are 4-1) and he will continue to do that next year for the Pistons.
3. We know who Christian Eyenga is now and I can’t wait to see him again in 3 years.
Yes Christian Eyenga is fun to joke about but he did actually come out to the Summer League and play a lot of minutes for the Cavaliers. Continue Reading…
It has been said (and occasionally sung) that three is the magic number. So far this offseason, Maccabi Tel Aviv has been the star student in that school of thought. With Omri Casspi likely heading to Sacramento, the Yellows seem poised to move on without his services.
Just recently they inked Lietuvos Rytas guard Chuck Eidson. Eidson averaged 15.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last year for a Rytas team that won the Eurocup, Lithuanian League, Baltic League, Lithuanian Cup and Baltic President’s Cup. That’s five-out-of-five. But where were we? Oh yes…three. Eidson, who played collegiately at South Carolina, can play all three perimeter positions, while he excels at small forward (otherwise known as the three).
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Maccabi signed not just one three, but—you guessed it—three threes. David Bluthenthal is back for his third stint with the team after spending last season with LeMans Sarthe Basket in France. Bluthenthal should fit back in nicely and he’ll be doing the bulk of his work from three, where his 43% career three-point percentage ranks 13th all-time in Euroleague competition.
The third of these Three Maccabiteers is P.J. Tucker, who has not been officially announced but has apparently signed a preliminary contract with Maccabi. A Former Texas Longhorn, Tucker led the Ukrainian Superleague in scoring with 19.4 points per game and tossed in 5.9 boards for BC Donetsk, who will sorely miss his strength and creativity from 20 feet and in.
The biggest NBA Summer League happens in Las Vegas every year with 22 teams competing. The Summer League is a great place to watch current Euroleague players such as Pooh Jeter, Alan Anderson, and Charles Gaines try and make the jump to the NBA. The main purpose for the Summer League though is to see which prospects are ready to play in the NBA regular season. At the midway point (3 games) of the week Slam checks in to see which European prospects are playing well and which ones might be headed back to Europe. Let’s call this game 2 Up and 2 Down.
Rodrigue Beaubois has been one of the most exciting players in Las Vegas
Beaubois has surprised a lot of people with his performance at the Summer League. He is too fast and athletic for almost any guard in Vegas and this has led to a dominating performance. In his second game he broke out with 34 points (a Summer League high) and 8 assists while making 7 three pointers. He is really showing off his offense scoring game while still chipping in some assists here and there. If he can keep this up he may be able to take over Jose Juan Barea’s spot on the Dallas bench as an offensive sparkplug. Whether he plays for Dallas next season or not, Beaubois has shown that he is in a different class of athleticism than any of the other players here.
Jonas Jerebko- Detroit Pistons PPG- 10.0 RPG- 4.7 APG- 0.7
While Jerebko’s numbers don’t jump out at you, his play does. He is playing tough physical defense and the only reason his points per a game number is down is because he was held to just 13 minutes in his last game scoring 2 points. Jerebko’s shooting has been up in down but it hasn’t affected the rest of his game as he has been able to rebound and defend as well as most players in Vegas. It doesnt help him that the two small forwards drafted ahead of him on the Pistons (Austin Daye and Dajuan Summers) are having two of the best summer league’s of anyone. While his performance hasn’t been as eye-opening as Beaubois, he has shown the skills that can get him on the floor right away in the NBA.
Group C Preview- CSKA Moscow, Tau Ceramica, Maccabi Electra, Virtus Roma, Union Olimpija, Qualifier
By: Slam
This is still the symbol for excellence
Best Team - CSKA Moscow: Even though they are cutting salary and losing players, CSKA Moscow is still the top dog in this group. They bring their core players back with Trajon Langdon, JR Holden, Matjaz Smodis, Ramunas Siskauskas, Erazem Lorbek, and Victor Kryhapa. Those are seven starter quality players and while some of them may be getting older they are still very skilled. Siskauskas can still be relied upon (as we saw in the Final Four) to carry the scoring load at any point during a game. Moscow may have lost their coach and are cutting down salary but they still retain their core from seven straight Final Four appearances and that is enough for me to pick them as my best team.
Can this once proud franchise return to glory?
Surprise Team – Maccabi Electra: I know what you’re thinking here is that Slam is picking his guilty pleasure team but you are wrong. Yes last year I thought Maccabi had a chance to win it all and I was wrong but this year is different. This will be Carlos Arroyo’s second year in the Euroleague, giving him more experience and seasoning. With the addition of David Bluthenthal and Maiej Lampe to go along with D’Or Fischer Maccabi has a very deep front court. There are rumors that Continue Reading…
While 60 young men were celebrating the realization of their NBA dreams, the world was mourning the loss of Michael Jackson. So, to recap the 14 players plucked from European squads on draft night, we will borrow some songs from the greatest entertainer of our generation:
Ricky Rubio (#5-Timberwolves): “You Are Not Alone”. Congratulations, Ricky! You’re our starting point guard and the face of the franchise! But…uh…we’re going to draft three more point guards, just in case.
Brandon Jennings (#10-Bucks):“Wanna Be Startin’ Something” . Brandon Jennings has been known to stir things up and talk out of turn. Bucks coach Scott Skiles doesn’t particularly go for that sort of thing. We may have an 82-round brawl on our hands.
Victor Claver (#22-Trailblazers):“Black or White”. White men can’t jump. But don’t tell that to Woody Harrelson. Or Victor Claver. Dude has hops.
Omri Casspi (#23-Kings): “We’re Almost There”. While he may stay overseas another year, he’s very close to contributing to Sacramento’s re-building efforts.
Rodrigue Beaubois (#25-Thunder):“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”. Despite erratic play, poor shot selection and questions about his durability, Beaubois’s sporadic outbursts of athleticism kept him close to the hearts of scouts worldwide.
Christian Eyenga (#30-Cavaliers):“Smooth Criminal”. Eyenga snuck into the back end of the first round despite an unimpressive body of work, and could be stealing Cleveland’s money.
We start off with pick 22, as our 2nd Euro gets drafted:
9:35 – Come on Omri Casspi. Supposedly the Trail Blazers traded up a couple picks to get Casspi. Let’s make it happen Kevin Pritchard.
9:39 – Yea sir Victor is going to dominate the league. Did I say that out loud, but yes he’s going to stay in Europe for a year and come back over. He is 6’10” and is a PF who can step out to the 3 and dunk over anyone around. Claver will fit nicely into the Blazers as he, Rudy, and Sergio can go clubbing Spanish style all the time in Portland. The Three Amigos take over Portland.
The
Amigos
Three
9:44 – YEA BABY YEA!!! As a Jewish American Omri Casspi getting drafted is a dream for all of us Jews. Omri gets drafted by the Kings and is looking to play right away. Casspi can run the fast break very well and can finish above the rim. His calling card is hustle and energy as he will run through a wall for your team. Let’s hope that translates to a lot of defense. What Euro’s are next?
