Summer League Thoughts

The following are my thoughts from the four-day Orlando Summer League, held at RDV Sportsplex from June 6 until June 10.

-Dante and Galante are quite funny. They don't talk about the game as much as you like, but it is freaking Summer League and they don't take it or themselves too seriously. It is worth the listen just for them.

-To the players, James Harden looks like he will be able to hold his own. He got to the basket and has a better jump shot than I thought. Of course the competition was not so great either.

-As Dante and Galante pointed out, Serge Ibaka for Oklahoma City is very good when he is trying to score. Not so good when he is trying to do anything else. He looked real athletic around the basket, blocking shots and scoring in the post. Still incredibly raw though.

-Shaun Livingston looked healthy. Not dominant yet, but he should be able to contribute to Oklahoma City next year. Good to see him playing basketball period.

-Richard Hendrix is an absolute beast. Dante and Galante claimed he is planning on going to MMA if this basketball thing does not work out. I do not know if that is true, but I would believe it. He is a fantastic rebounder (in this game) and he will get put backs. Don't know how useful he would be in the season. But the way he works, I think he would be good to have at the end of the bench just to throw in for five energy minutes a game. I don't think you can get a bad minute out of him.

-Ryan Anderson's much anticipated premier with the Magic was so-so, in my thought. His jumper was better than I thought, but I don't feel comfortable with him standing behind the 3-point line shooting threes all day. He is also better in the post than I thought. But he also is not a very strong rebounder and, as reported earlier, he is not particularly strong around the basket. I am interested to see how he develops this week.

-Jeremy Richardson can shoot the ball. Is he the next Darrell Armstrong?