Vegas Summer League: Game 1 Celtics (0-0) vs Blazers (0-0) 7/11/15

[colincb]

Think we had one of the other assistants coaching the team today for experience. Cs played well enough to win. Didn't shoot well but won by making a lot fewer turnovers than POR (11 vs 20). Mickey, Hunter, Smart, and Holmes were the best. Game ball Mickey - 15 points (6/10 FGs) and 10 boards. Fair shot 0-3 from 3. He does some nice things, but he shouldn't be hoisting 3s. Rozier got schooled a bit by Frazier, but made a nice clutch shot near the end that stemmed the tide.

[colincb]

PLEASE KEEP HOLMES.

If he doesnt get signed by another team you could bet hed be at least on the Red Claws. Danny likes him.

Don't know how he slipped out of the draft.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

PLEASE KEEP HOLMES.

If he doesnt get signed by another team you could bet hed be at least on the Red Claws. Danny likes him.

I have no doubt he will be picked up, they said he was the most sought after undrafted FA. Sure he came to us b/c he knew we had few SFs and we are a solid team of mostly young players.

[tarheelsxxiii]

PLEASE KEEP HOLMES.

If he doesnt get signed by another team you could bet hed be at least on the Red Claws. Danny likes him.

TP. With you girl (see above). Dude is legit. Great size too - 6'8", 240 lbs

[LarBrd33]

Somehow Smart looks like he's doubled his point guard instincts/ball-handling ability since the season ended.

Yeah it's almost like he's playing against people 1/5th as good as he was at the end of the year, or something.

How is better ball-handling, better court-vision, and shooting off of the dribble (while being contested) affected by who he's playing against?

You just want Smart to suck so bad you're blind to how good he actually is.

I definitely don't want him to suck.   I hope his progress is real... but it's summer league.  He looks better than he did a year ago in summer league.  I don't know if he's better than he was at the end of the year, though.

Or how about he's been given a larger role, main control of the point guard duties, and the freedom to go out and play his game?

I think all of that is true... and we aren't certain yet if he'll be given a larger role, main control of the point guard duties, and the freedom to go out and play his game in the big leagues.  And we don't know if he's capable of playing on this level in the real NBA yet.   But he's putting up stats, which is nice.  He's shooting 37% in the summer league.  I don't think he'll get the freedom to jack up 17 shots a night in the NBA.   His offense still needs work. 

[SHAQATTACK]

I like Hunters game .

Smooth .....like Prince.



Hunter know how to play the game ......he understands Basketball......as a team sport .....yet he had to be everything for his college team.

"A" student of the game.

Hunter will become Stevens personal "son ". ......Hunter is Brads new Gordon H.

[JumpingJudkins]

Thoughts after watching the early-morning replay ...

Smart played great again. After lighting it up in the first quarter he seemed more concerned with moving the ball and getting other guys involved. Should have had more assists but people weren't making shots. Best player on the floor once more.

Hunter just really looks comfortable. Very smooth, didn't shoot well but got himself to the line, made the proper passes, mostly stayed in front of his man. Wouldn't mind him getting rotation minutes right away. He was a +16, best on the team.

Mickey played well, made some nice blocks, opportunistic on the offense.

Holmes also worked hard, made some shots, but he doesn't excite me. Perfectly fine if he ends up the 15th man or a Red Claw, but he's not going to make a dent on this season.

Rozier may have all the physical attributes, and he made the big shot at the end of the game, but he was burned repeatedly by Tim Frazier. Couldn't stay in front of him. I think Hunter will contribute more this year. Rozier was a -4 in the plus-minus.

James Young didn't play, unfortunately. Hopeful that with another day to rest his hip pointer he'll be back in.

Marcus Thornton is completely lost on the court. Maybe he'll figure things out after a couple years in Europe, but he's totally out of his element.

Phil Pressey was reportedly sent home from the Summer League team after not playing a minute in any game. Probably means a release or trade before July 15.

Also I'm also mildly puzzled by the rotations ... why is Royce O'Neale, who has a zero percent chance of making the team, starting and soaking up minutes that should go to Hunter? Hunter's only getting 20 MPG through four games.

[jpotter33]

Somehow Smart looks like he's doubled his point guard instincts/ball-handling ability since the season ended.

Yeah it's almost like he's playing against people 1/5th as good as he was at the end of the year, or something.

How is better ball-handling, better court-vision, and shooting off of the dribble (while being contested) affected by who he's playing against?

You just want Smart to suck so bad you're blind to how good he actually is.

I definitely don't want him to suck.   I hope his progress is real... but it's summer league.  He looks better than he did a year ago in summer league.  I don't know if he's better than he was at the end of the year, though.

Or how about he's been given a larger role, main control of the point guard duties, and the freedom to go out and play his game?

I think all of that is true... and we aren't certain yet if he'll be given a larger role, main control of the point guard duties, and the freedom to go out and play his game in the big leagues.  And we don't know if he's capable of playing on this level in the real NBA yet.   But he's putting up stats, which is nice.  He's shooting 37% in the summer league.  I don't think he'll get the freedom to jack up 17 shots a night in the NBA.   His offense still needs work.

For sure it still needs work. As long as Turner is not at the 3 with Smart starting at the 1, I think he'll start being the primary ball-handler this year. A big like Lee or Olynyk can also help him out from the high post, too.

[max215]

Somehow Smart looks like he's doubled his point guard instincts/ball-handling ability since the season ended.

Yeah it's almost like he's playing against people 1/5th as good as he was at the end of the year, or something.

How is better ball-handling, better court-vision, and shooting off of the dribble (while being contested) affected by who he's playing against?

You just want Smart to suck so bad you're blind to how good he actually is.

I definitely don't want him to suck.   I hope his progress is real... but it's summer league.  He looks better than he did a year ago in summer league.  I don't know if he's better than he was at the end of the year, though.

Or how about he's been given a larger role, main control of the point guard duties, and the freedom to go out and play his game?

I think all of that is true... and we aren't certain yet if he'll be given a larger role, main control of the point guard duties, and the freedom to go out and play his game in the big leagues.  And we don't know if he's capable of playing on this level in the real NBA yet.   But he's putting up stats, which is nice.  He's shooting 37% in the summer league.  I don't think he'll get the freedom to jack up 17 shots a night in the NBA.   His offense still needs work.

Yeah, he definitely still needs a lot of work, but the signs are encouraging. As long as Turner isn't starting, I think this is going to be Smart's team to run on the offensive end. This is why I've said over and over again: Turner is a detriment to our team, impeding the growth of the young guys.

[GreenGoggles]

Somehow Smart looks like he's doubled his point guard instincts/ball-handling ability since the season ended.

Yeah it's almost like he's playing against people 1/5th as good as he was at the end of the year, or something.

How is better ball-handling, better court-vision, and shooting off of the dribble (while being contested) affected by who he's playing against?

You just want Smart to suck so bad you're blind to how good he actually is.

I definitely don't want him to suck.   I hope his progress is real... but it's summer league.  He looks better than he did a year ago in summer league.  I don't know if he's better than he was at the end of the year, though.

Or how about he's been given a larger role, main control of the point guard duties, and the freedom to go out and play his game?

I think all of that is true... and we aren't certain yet if he'll be given a larger role, main control of the point guard duties, and the freedom to go out and play his game in the big leagues.  And we don't know if he's capable of playing on this level in the real NBA yet.   But he's putting up stats, which is nice.  He's shooting 37% in the summer league.  I don't think he'll get the freedom to jack up 17 shots a night in the NBA.   His offense still needs work.

Yeah, he definitely still needs a lot of work, but the signs are encouraging. As long as Turner isn't starting, I think this is going to be Smart's team to run on the offensive end. This is why I've said over and over again: Turner is a detriment to our team, impeding the growth of the young guys.

100% agree on every point you made. TP for you. Turner is empty stats combined with taking away reps from the young guys. I was hoping he would be traded this offseason.

[GreenWarrior]

I think AB was/is way more of a detriment to this team than turner. and I am in no way a turner advocate. but at least he showed he could play in the playoffs.

[td450]

I think AB was/is way more of a detriment to this team than turner. and I am in no way a turner advocate. but at least he showed he could play in the playoffs.

In the playoffs Bradley shot .380. Turner shot .364. IT shot .333.

The Cav's sensibly focused their defense on IT and Bradley, because they are our best two offensive players. On the other hand, Turner has always had the problem of being a talented but inefficient offensive player.

I really don't understand the negativity about Bradley. He's a legitimate offensive player with average output for a starting NBA 2 guard, combined with top tier defense. Check out the playoff numbers for other NBA players. Jamal Crawford shot .364 last year. Kyle Korver couldn't score at all. Kris Middleton shot .380 too. He's the least of our problems.

[max215]

I think AB was/is way more of a detriment to this team than turner. and I am in no way a turner advocate. but at least he showed he could play in the playoffs.

In the playoffs Bradley shot .380. Turner shot .364. IT shot .333.

The Cav's sensibly focused their defense on IT and Bradley, because they are our best two offensive players. On the other hand, Turner has always had the problem of being a talented but inefficient offensive player.

I really don't understand the negativity about Bradley. He's a legitimate offensive player with average output for a starting NBA 2 guard, combined with top tier defense. Check out the playoff numbers for other NBA players. Jamal Crawford shot .364 last year. Kyle Korver couldn't score at all. Kris Middleton shot .380 too. He's the least of our problems.

Defensively, I have no qualms, but on offense he is one-dimensional with low BBIQ. Bradley can do one thing on offense: catch and shoot off the PnR. He lacks any ball handling skills. However, his lack of PG skills might be a good thing for Smart. If they both start, it is imperative that Smart have good ball handling skills to compensate (probably a good thing). On the other hand, I think Rozier could easily be AB plus offensive versatility, BBIQ, and PG skills, so giving him playing time would behoove us.

[max215]

I think AB was/is way more of a detriment to this team than turner. and I am in no way a turner advocate. but at least he showed he could play in the playoffs.

He may not be a smart offensive player, but he is unselfish and team-first. Not to mention he's a defensive stalwart. While I don't think AB has a long term future with us, I'd say Turner is the greater detriment right now. And ET did put up stats in the playoffs, but they were empty stats. He was selfish on offense and manhandled on D.

[SHAQATTACK]

Keep Hunter , Mickey and Rozier



Trade AB and Young .

Dump ET ......garbage ....recycle bin

Pressey fly away to China.


I like Holmes to keep...but..I just don't see how ......we got JJ.....is already signed and is a very very good high energy ...experienced player .

I think Danny needs to trade off AB and ET .