Sean Banks is considered one of the most talented basketball players that has played in the D-League.

Sean Banks is also considered a headcase.

That's the word I get from players, coaches, and media.  A former Conference USA Freshman of the year, a former top NBA prospect, a physical phenom.  And a headcase.

He's a 6-8 shooting guard.  When I say that, I don't mean, he's 6-8 but doesn't have the muscle mass to play the 3 or the 4.  I mean, he's a 6-8 shooting guard.  His vertical is nothing spectacular, but that really doesn't come to mind when you see him throwing down a ridiculous dunk on a break away.  He's a 6-8 shooting guard.  And a headcase. 

He absolutely dominated the D-League last year, averaging 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists.  He was the only player to make the list of all the coaches I interviewed for callup prospects at the end of the season. Headcase.

Terrific runner. Headcase.

Solid defender who's committed to improving. Headcase.

Funny thing, though.  When I first talk to him on the phone, and when I first meet him at the Palms hotel for the Vegas Summer League, he doesn't seem unstable.  He doesn't seem at all violent, abrasive, or surly.  He actually seems like a genuinely nice kid.  He just seems worried.

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via www.nba.com

The following is part two in a three part series on Elton Brown at the 2008 Las Vegas Summer League. Click here for Part 1.

It's 7:30PM at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets are set to tip off n the third to last day of Summer League play.  Elton Brown steps on to the floor, full of energy, but not nervous.  The swagger he has, which some refer to as arrogance, others, confidence is apparent.  He's got a slight smile on his face, but there's nothing lighthearted about it.  His reputation as a brutal player is evident, and it's a little scary. 

Brown wins the tip off, easily scaling up to knock the ball to his man.  The pace is back and forth in the beginning, paced by Houston's outstanding (in Summer League) Donte Green and the surprising young rookie for Denver, Sonny Weems.  Brown is playing physical, but can't get into a groove.  He's blocked on a putback, but on the sam possession, fights for two more rebounds before knocking down a surprisingly smooth fadeaway jumper.  He begins to tire from the back and forth game and commits a touch foul to stop a breakaway at his coach's request.

Brown's frame is bizarre.  He's often considered too small to play the 4.  But he's definitely not a three.  He's not overweight, he's just big.  He's got a legit center of gravity that's low and powerful.  Hhis lack of heigt is an issue early on versus Joey Dorsey's impressive length, and Dorsey's able to use his moves and touch to get to the basket, especially with the Rockets running and gunning as they are.  What Dorsey lacks in size, he makes up for in work ethic and skill, though.  He swings in for another offensive rebound, his third of the first quarter, and nails a drop hook.  Denver's coaching staff shouts out approval.

Defensively, Brown's not slugging with Dorsey, mostly because Dorsey is drifting from baseline to baseline until he can get the ball.  It's a common perception that you don't want any part of Brown in the block.  Not because he's a block machine, but because he knows how to put a body on you and make you notice. You'll remember a night spent with Brown defending you. He needs to improve his lateral foot work, but it's impressive that he doesn't drift looking to make the big play.  He keeps an eye on his man and knows where he's at on the floor.

With time running out in the first, as Varem misses a three with 2 seconds left, Brown gets away with a shove off and collects an easy bucket.  He finishes the quarter with 6 points and 6 rebounds.

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Part of me wonders if he's not tired from being in Vegas.  On top of the games, the practices, the stress, the heat, these are young guys in the world's sin capital.  Brown insists he's a homebody.  So does every player I've ever talked to.  Not one player has ever said, "Man, I love to go out and drink and gamble."  It's just common sense, but you ask anyway, just in case.  I do hear from some folks that Brown was out with his agent earlier in the week, hanging out in a night club.  There's no harm in it, but the fact that you can tell Brown won't talk about it says a lot for the fear of looking like a trouble case.  It's a bizarre duality.  You're expected to be out and about, it's Vegas.  But you're not expected for anyone to notice. It seems unfair for the league to have such high expectations for players in terms of their behavior, and yet place them in such a tempting situation.  That may be part of the test, though. I ask Brown about the things I'd heard about.

"Okay, yeah, it's Vegas. I went out for a drink.  What else am I going to do?"

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Brown sits for the second quarter, as the coaches explore other options.  The Rockets lead by five at the half. He retuns in the third.  He nails a running jumper which is surprisingly smooth.  His body motion is strange on rebounds.  He gathers himself low, springs up, collects the board, and then wraps up down low again.  It's like watching Super Mario duck and then jump and then duck again, if the plumber was actually a 6-8 power forward.

Brown clearly needs some conditioning to get into game shape, needing to improve his endurance.  He's proven in the D-League he can handle extended minutes, but after so many games in the Summer League with the additional weight he's put on, it's apparent he's struggling with keeping his energy up, especially since Dahntay Jones and Donte Green are in an up and down pissing match. He sits the remainder of the third with 8 points and 7 rebounds.

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I'd asked Elton before the game what the D-League taught him.

"The coaching was actually great. Colorado had a great coaching staff.  I learned that if I just keep improving, working on things, the game will come to me. And that's important."

His former coach Joe Wolf, now an assistant coach with the Bucks, and one of the most terse people I've ever met in my life, said the same about Elton.

"He's definitely got the skillset to play in the NBA. He's just got to keep improving, that's the key.  He works hard, but he's got to keep his head on straight and keep working at it.  He's played tremendously well here."

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On the scoreboard, the Kiss Cam is displayed.  No one is paying attention, and no one kisses. Sad panda. Summer league.

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The fourth quarter startes with the Nuggets down by 3.  This thing has suddenly turned into a game.  Brown cements himself deep in the block, gets the entry pass, works a nice inside dribble, and nails a fall away hook while being fouled. Count it. Everyone's starting to hustle, as Dahntay Jones is taking over, giving the Rockets a two point lead. Brown snags another board, his elbows jabbing the air.

He's got the same kind of butter fingers you'd expect from a hustle big man, usuall losing the ball only on rebound attempts.  When he gets it in the block, he moves to quick for a support defender to swipe it. He dribbles like he defends, low.

The game goes back and forth, the teams trading the lead, and this thing is actually a high scoring affair. The Rockets end up shooting 53% in the game, the Nuggets, 44%.  Dorsey is a man-child, dunking with authority at every opportunity, clearly angered by his lack of respect in the draft.

81-80 Nuggets, Greene rejects Weems and it falls to Brown deep underneath the basket.  Brown spins, uses his body to shed the defender, and scores again. The Nuggets go back to him on the very next possession, and he spins his way free of Dorsey for another lay-in.  The feetwork is polished, it's not raw in any way. What he lacks in raw strength he compensates with full body power. 

After Brown collects his seventh offensive rebound, he pump fakes and slips in between three defenders for the reverse lay in.  The Denver bench erupts.

The Rockets answer each time by using their speed and athleticism to get out in front of the break, attacking constantly.  Down 7, the Rockets get two free throws, then capitalize on a turnover by Keith Langford and knock down a jumper to pull within 3.  Token white kid Marty Luenen hits a three to tie the game. Neither team can score, including Brown missing a fadeaway, and this summer league game is going to overtime.

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In the overtime, Brown collects another 3 rebounds and 3 points, Dahntay Jones hits a layup at the buzzer, and the Nuggets win, moving to 4-1 in Summer League play.  Brown finishes with 21 points on 9-14 shooting, 12 rebounds, 5 fouls, and 3 turnovers, in 21 minutes.  While Jones was the star of the game, the coaching staff keeps talking to Brown and patting him on the shoulders.  Brown was the rock for this team, the hustle, and the energy.

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After the game, I ask him if he wanted to put an exclamation point on his Summer League performance.  He smiles.

"Well, you know I just wanted to go out there and contribute.  I just felt like I could be productive and help my team..."

I cock and eyebrow at him. "Come on."He laughs.

"Yeah, a little bit. I just wanted to feel like I did everthing I could do to show what I bring to a team, and I was in a groove tonight.  It was a hard contest and guys were really going at it out there.  People say Summer League's not real basketball, but I'll tell you, that was some hard stuff going on out there."

Brown's clearly thrilled with his performance.  I ask if the coaching staff or front office has said anything further to him.

"Just that they're happy with the work I've put in, which is all I can ask for right now."

Brown walks out, the happiest limping guy in the building.  For a guy who's considered small for his position, Brown certainly seems to be walking tall now.

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Next... Brown is supposed to rest on the last game, but fortunes change quickly, and Elton looks back on his Summer League experience...

If you don't know Brandt Anderson, you probably should ask somebody.  He's young, charming, an energetic and involved owner, and he manages to let the Jazz be heavily involved in the basketball side of things while still building his own brand in Orem. 

Progressive is not really a word I tend to think of when I think of Utah, but man, Anderson's definitely out there.  Why do I say that? After the D-League Rocky Mountain Revue "Ambassadors" (name=lame) clubbed Iran's national team the other day like a baby seal (and trust me, this D-League team is not the best of the best. Those guys were in Vegas), Brandt had dinner with the Iranian team. He came away so profoundly affected by the experience that he wants to take the Flash to Iran next year for an exhibition game. 

I would LOVE to hear what the NBA and State Department say about this.

Mormons and Islamists, living together.  Or at least missing dunks together.

via www.nba.com/dleague/colorado

Elton Brown looks terrifying on the floor.  In person?  He's like a teddy bear.  A big friendly teddy bear that you're kind of concerned will eat you.

A physical bruiser known for his ability to bang down low and battle with bigs for offensive rebounds, Brown is a physical warrior on the court.  Surprisingly, his attitude is a lot more laid back in person.  Though people around him say he can be acerbic when provoked, he genuinely comes off as an easy going guy.  The confidence is stunning for an undrafted player out of Virginia, who's spent time in the D-League, Greece, and Israel, and is now competing again for an NBA roster spot. 

Brown was one of the last cuts with the Knicks in 2006, and one of the last cuts for the Lakers in 2007.  He's never made it over the hump, though, and last year,despite averaging a double double in the D-League and being leaps and bounds above his colleagues in terms of physical play and rebounding, frustration led him to take the money and run... to Israel.

He's back, though, because the goal of playing in the NBA is still so close to within reach.  And while that might drive some people completely nuts, for Elton, it's just another regular day at the office.

Summer League days are hard, but they're not unbearable.  He wakes up around 9 or 10, grabs something to eat, and heads to the arena for practice.  The practices, he says are harder than the players thought they would be, but he's happy with that.  He's a physical player.  He likes physical practices. He heads back to the hotel to rest before the game.

The games are fun for him, one of the few players here who can actually enjoy them.  The Nuggets feature more D-League players than any of the other teams, and they've been one of the better teams, especially from a talent perspective.  The games are tough, with most of the players scrapping for a roster spot to help them into that one good contract.

When I first meet him in the lobby of the Mirage, and after searching for a good fifteen minutes for somewhere just to sit where I don't have to drink, gamble, or be accosted by women that my wife would refer to as "tramps,"  we find some space to talk.

I ask him about college.  He tells me he went to Virginia University from Newport News, and got a lot out of the experience.

"I can honestly say it was the four best years of my life."

He graduated with a degree in anthropology, and went undrafted.  When he tells me he was an anthropology major, I do a double take.  He grins like "Waht? I can't be an anthropology major?"   It was then that he began the typical young journeyman route.  Summer leagues, workouts, training camps.  His game spoke loudly, but not loudly enough. His reputation was either of a guy with a lot of intensity, or a complete nutcase.  And he wound up in the D-League. 

It's not rare for a player like Brown to end up in the NBA's Developmental League.  He's not huge.  He's 6-9 (if he's wearing big shoes), and he maxes out at 255. He wasn't a top prospect.  Most people don't know who he is. And there has been talk of him being abrasive to coaches.  Interestingly,though,  he plays "bigger" than a lot of guys who are 7-0.  He brings a toughness, and a relentlessness, particularly on the offensive glass. Players like that are rare in the D-League, which is filled  with shooters who can do little else much of the time.

For a lot of people, the terrible pay, the unkept, tiny arenas, and disrespect is enough to get guys to go home.  Not Brown.

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JERRYD BAYLESS IS THE (Summer League) MOTHERFUCKING TRUTH.

That's all I got.

36 Points? Are you insane? The floaters? The fadeaway? The breakaway dunk?

DEAR GOD, HE'S GONE NOVA.

The Nuggets and Rockets were the nightcap.  Both teams featured the most D-League talent at the Summer League.  Both teams played terrific, and it's been an absolutely great game.

Dorsey has looked like an absolute beast, though most of his buckets have come off his guards ability to create open looks for him.  Donte Green is legit. Heavily, heavily legit. 

Down by one late in overtime, Elton Brown topped in a bucket off balance, drawing the foul for the and one opportunity. Brown, who finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds to continue his strong week at the D-League, knocked down the free throw to put the Nuggets up by 2.  But Aaron Brooks answered with a layup and a  touch foul by Keith Langford to put the Rockets back in control.  But with five seconds left, Dahntay Jones drove to the basket and banked in a runner to seal the game for Denver in a 105-104 victory.

The D-League works, people.

I'm a D-League blogger. I cover the D-league.  I love the D-League.  So I'm used to mediocre basketball and being able to spin it in a positive way.  And I think a lot of times the media's been off when it says the basketball is terrible.

Unfortunately, I many be able to blog the rest of the weekend, since Bobcats-Pistons made my internal organs liquidize in a pool of vomit. It wasn't the Pistons fault, really.  Stuckey's left Vegas, and the rest of the team was okay.  Even bordering on "good."  But then there's the Bobcats, and that was just painful without DJ Augustin.  They just can't compete with that team

On to happier matters, it's halftime for Lakers-Raptors, and this has actually been entertaining.

So, I was expecting to see Jawai and be heavily disappointed. I have not been. Even with only 2 points and 4 boards so far, Jawai has shown a ton of potential. He's got a massive body and a killer athleticism.  He also hustles like few others.  He's gone out of bounds on saves several times already.  He's got a soft touch and is active around the basket.  With a guy of his size, he's got to keep a good work ethic to keep the weight off and not Jerome James himself, but he's got much more athleticism and touch. At one point, he blocked into the fourth row.  That's not hyperbole.  He literally knocked it into the fourth row.  He's slow to rotate on some possessions, and his footwork needs a lot of development, but in terms of potential, Dear Lord Baby Jesus, he's gifted.  He also showed some offensive versatility and you can tell he's comfortable in the post.  The Raptors ran the majority of their possessions through him with him on the floor, and he managed the ball well. He's got a ton of talent. Jawaibberwocky indeed.

Hassan Adams is playing well.  You know what you're getting with him.  There was an alarming sequence on a fast break where he had a wide open Sean Banks in transition, and waited for Joey Graham to get back for a transition bucket, which let the defense back and cost them the bucket.  Not cool.

Joey Graham has soft touch and looks like he worked on some of his fundamentals.

John Lucas is the kind of player you root for and terrific stroke, but unfortunately, he represents the lollypop guild.  I'm a believer that you can overcome a lack of size.  But he's TINY.

Jaycee Carroll has really soft touch and absolutely no muscle. He's going to make a ton of money in Europe next year.

Coby Karl really has improved.  I've ragged on the kid in the past, but he's come along leaps and bounds.

I hate MCs.  HATE.  It's not just that inauthentic enthusiasm is annoying.  It's the volume that accompanies it.

Sean Banks, who we'll get to later, had an absolutely SICK alley oop.

The defense in this game has been great on both sides, and this game has been watchable. After losing steam early in the day, I'm feeling energized.  More later.

Robin Lopez is going to be that fan favorite that everyone loves.  He yelps, he dunks, he's got a good idea of where he is on the floor, and is miles above the rest in terms of work ethic and athleticism. He's been all over the floor, especially in the fourth quarter, nailing a huge block and dropping a lot of dunks.  I heard his reputation was that he's a lot better than advertised.  15 and 8 in 22 minutes?  Indeed.

We have a Song Tao sighting. Repeat! Songtao Zhang is in the building.

DJ Strawberry plays good defense, but he tries to do too much on offense.

Alando Tucker drives and scores to pull within 2 with a bout a minute left, catches the ball, and throws it at the ref, screaming "AND ONE!"  He is the first person to every yell that. Ever.

The thing with Tucker in the D-League and Summer League is that he gets to play the 3, and in the NBA he's a two.  I talked to Mike D'Antoni, and he mentioned how Tucker needs to work on his perimeter shot.

"In college, he played inside, and he just can't do that in the NBA.  He needs to work on his perimeter shot."

The Knicks squad is actually pretty good.  Wilson Chandler hustles and is killing it today (29 and 12), Von Wafer has a nice stroke, and well, they have Songtao.

Marcus Vinicius played well for the Suns. He was scrappy and played tough down the stretch.

Also, Anthony Roberson has some flat out ridiculous speed.

Ok, cats and kittens. I'm off to Summer League 2008.  Thats' right, me.  I've got an NBA Credential that says: "SBNation, Ridiculous Upside.com" (Suck it, CNNSI) and a jonesin for players that will never see a minute of play in the NBA this year.  I am checking in with some cool people, though.You'll be getting bidaily updates (hopefully) from Sean Banks, Elton Brown, and Sioux Falls Skyforce head coach/Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Nate Tibbets.

I'll also be doing several liveblogs over here, culiminating in the Saturday evening Golden State Warriors at Toronto Raptors game, which, God-willing, will feature Anthony Randolph versus Nathan Jawai.  And my brain will explode from disappointment.

We'll have coverage all weekend, and interviews, stories, and whatnot. Check back often. This should be fun.