Jerome Randle Signs In Turkey With Aliaga
by Scott Schroeder on Jul 28, 2010 7:51 PM EDT
in 2010 Vegas Summer League
4 comments
Jerome Randle, last season's Pac-10 Player of the Year, will play his first professional season in Turkey as he has reportedly signed with Aliaga Petkim according to Turkbasket.
The 5-foot-10 point guard, dubbed a "super squirt" according to the headline I Google-translated in the Turkish media, led Cal with 18.6 points per game last season to go with 4.3 assists while shooting a healthy 40+% from beyond the arc.
Randle played for the Orlando Magic in the Orlando Summer League, but the statistics weren't promising. They weren't even decent. In three games - including two starts - the point guard averaged 7.0 points and 3.3 assists while making just 6-of-25 from the field. Worse, though, was that the normally hot shooter from beyond the arc made just one of his nine attempts from beyond the arc.
Randle then had a second opportunity to prove his NBA-worth in Vegas with the Washington Wizards' Summer League team, and while it went better, I doubt many people walked away believing he was a shoo-in to play in the NBA next season. He ran the team the way we became accustomed to in his time at Cal, made 47% of his field goal attempts and didn't seem to get down following his awful performance in Orlando.
All of that said, I guess, is a longwinded way of saying that Randle didn't impress enough people in the Summer Leagues to make them forget he's just 5-foot-10 and has trouble on the defensive end due to that fact.
In Turkey, Randle will reportedly team up with Aubrey Coleman to form what would have been the best scoring backcourt in the NCAA this past season.
Aubrey Coleman Signs In Turkey With Aliaga
by Scott Schroeder on Jul 28, 2010 3:20 PM EDT
in 2010 Vegas Summer League
0 comments
Aubrey Coleman, the reigning NCAA scoring champion out of the University of Houston, has signed a deal with Turkish team Aliaga Petkim according to the Hurriyet Daily News.
Coleman averaged 25.6 points per game for the Cougars last season, but made just 42% of his field goal attempts - including hitting a dismal 32% from beyond the arc.
Nonetheless, the 6-foot-3 shooting guard's scoring prowess got him a look with the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA Summer League where he shot a much improved 51% from the field on his way to averaging 11.4 points in 17 minutes of action down in Vegas.
With the Hornets, Coleman was asked to play point guard during most of his time on the court - and while he defended the opposing team's point guard and brought the ball up the court, that's about the extent of his point guard playing duties.
Coleman typically reverted to what he's best at - scoring the rock, obviously - instead of trying to initiate the offense and get his teammates involved. He was very good at what he was trying to do, too, it just probably wasn't in his best interest to show that he's still a gifted scorer when he probably needed to show more aspects of his game off in order to secure an NBA training camp invite.
Kenny Hasbrouck Is Going To Camp With The Miami Heat
by Scott Schroeder on Jul 28, 2010 3:00 AM EDT
in 2010 Vegas Summer League
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Kenny Hasbrouck, former Siena star before joining the D-League last season, will sign a contract today that will put him on the Miami Heat's training camp roster according to Fox 23 News in Albany, NY.
Hasbrouck was called up from the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers in March and was eventually extended a contract for the remainder of the season after his two 10-day deals expired.
The deal, which could pay Kenny upwards of $200,000, is not guaranteed until December 1st.
"I'm grateful for it to finally happen, to finally put my name on the paper where I know I'm going to be secure for at least a couple months. So, it's good," Hasbrouck told FOX23 during his visit back to Siena College Tuesday.
Hasbrouck was Miami's leading scorer in the Vegas Summer League averaging 13.6 PPG to go with 2.4 RPG and 2.4 APG in 5 games.
I'm guessing the $200,000 mentioned is the amount of money he'll make if he makes it to the December 1 guarantee date since the mininum NBA contract for a second-year pro is $762,195, but that still isn't a bad chunk of change for a player that was one of the more surprising call-ups from the D-League last season.
The Heat also invited Shavlik Randolph to camp Tuesday.
Darvin Ham Named Head Coach Of New Mexico Thunderbirds
Former NBA player Darvin Ham was announced as the next head coach of the NBA Development League's New Mexico Thunderbirds at a press conference this morning.
Ham will be the fourth head coach in the team's six-year history, following in the footsteps of John Coffino, Jeff Ruland and Michael Cooper.
Ham, 37, has served as the Thunderbirds' top assistant over the past two seasons while learning the ins and outs of the business from then-head coach Coffino.
Prior to joining Coffino's coaching staff, Ham played as an unofficial 'player-coach' for the Thunderbirds under Ruland during the 2007-2008 season, his last year as a professional player, averaging 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Marqus Blakely, Los Angeles Clippers Agree To Two-Year, Partially-Guaranteed Contract
by Scott Schroeder on Jul 27, 2010 2:03 AM EDT
in 2010 Vegas Summer League
3 comments
Marqus Blakely, a rookie forward out of Vermont, has signed a partially-guaranteed two-year contract with the Los Angeles Clippers according to Draft Express.
Blakely played with the Clippers' Summer League team, averaging 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while shooting an uber-efficient 65% from the field over four games in Vegas.
The 6-foot-5 do-it-all (formerly power/kind-of-combo, but will almost assuredly have to play exclusively at the three) forward averaged 17.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.9 blocks as a senior for the Catamounts, but probably didn't end up on too many NBA radars until his successful performance at the Portsmouth Invitational following leading Vermont to the NCAA Tournament and winning the NCAA Slam Dunk Contest.
Blakely's best Summer League performance came against the Portland Trail Blazers when he scored 14 points, grabbed six boards - four of which were on the offensive end - and contributed two steals and a block for good measure all while shooting 6-of-9 from the field.
After watching, and then tonight rewatching, Blakely's performance in Summer League, I can tell you what you already know about him (if you know anything about him, I guess): He's aggressive, active on defense, raw on offense and will hustle his ass off.
Tyler Wilkerson To Sign In Israel If Spurs Don't Guarantee Him A Contract
by Scott Schroeder on Jul 26, 2010 7:20 PM EDT
in 2010 Vegas Summer League
3 comments
Tyler Wilkerson, a rookie out of Marshall and one of several San Antonio Spurs' Summer League standouts, has agreed to a deal in Israel with defending champs Galil Gilboa according to Walla Sport.
The 6-foot-8 power forward averaged 11 points and 6.6 rebounds while starting three of the five Spurs games in Las Vegas.
Wilkerson showed to be an interesting NBA prospect in Vegas as he showed a strong motor in attacking the offensive glass as well as being a decent spot up shooter for his size. He doesn't seem to be able to do much with his back to the basket, but the Spurs have shown a knack for being okay with face-up forwards - especially if they're able to contribute on the glass as Wilkerson did in Vegas.
Wilkerson's best games came against Los Angeles - he played well against the Clippers (while matched up with lottery pick Al-Farouq Aminu) and the Lakers (he matched up with draft picks Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter in this game). Against the Lakers, Wilkerson scored 20 points and grabbed nine boards (four offensive) and then followed that up with a 12 point, six rebound and three steal performance against Aminu and the Clippers.
Interestingly enough, according to my usually accurate but loose-google-translation system, Wilkerson does have an out with the Israeli team if he's offered a guaranteed contract with the Spurs. The Spurs do seemingly have a need for a sixth big man, but it will more than likely come down to a training camp battle between Wilkerson and fellow San Antonio Summer Leaguers (and former Spurs draft pick) James Gist along with Darryl Watkins also an outside possibility.
Yaroslav Korolev Heads To Spain To Play With CB Granada
by Scott Schroeder on Jul 26, 2010 1:52 PM EDT
in 2010 Vegas Summer League
2 comments
Yaroslav Korolev will be taking his talents to Spain for the 2010-2011 season because he's signed with CB Granada according to the team's official website.
The 6-foot-9 forward and former 12th overall pick of the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2005 NBA Draft averaged 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 43% from the field last season in the D-League, splitting time with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and Reno Bighorns.
Those aren't very good numbers, especially for a former lottery pick playing in the D-League, but the fact that Korolev is still just 23 years old and was believed to have ridiculous upside coming into the NBA allowed Yari to make an appearance in both the Orlando and Vegas Summer Leagues.
In Orlando, Korolev played for the Magic and averaged 7.0 points on an abysmal 31% shooting from the field before leaving to play with the D-League's entry in Las Vegas. Korolev had a bigger role with the D-League team - he even started two games - but failed to impress while averaging 10.4 points while shooting a better, but still bad, 37% from the field. The biggest problem, perhaps, was that he kept insisting on firing shots from the top of the key despite making just 5-of-18 from beyond the arc (Note: That's less than 28%).
I had the chance to talk with a well-respected European scout while down in Vegas and, like most of my conversations, Korolev came up. I didn't have my recorder on, but the conversation went something like this:
Tyrese Rice Signs In Germany With The Artland Dragons
by Scott Schroeder on Jul 26, 2010 1:00 PM EDT
in 2010 Vegas Summer League
2 comments
Tyrese Rice, a 6-foot-1 guard out of Boston College, has signed with the Artland Dragons in Germany according to the team's official website.
After having a decent season in Greece last season, Rice played for both the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings' Summer League entries.
With the Jazz in Orlando, Rice averaged 6.0 points and 2.3 assists while shooting 47% from the field in right around 14 minutes of action. The following week with the Kings, Rice averaged 6.4 points, 2.6 assists and a steal, but shot a disappointing 40% from the field while averaging just under 18 minutes of playing time.
Rice showed a knack for delivering highlight reel passes on the Summer League circuit, but unless he's able to relearn a jump shot (not that it doesn't work, but more conventional form would probably help his consistency) he'll have trouble becoming more than a fast, flashy point guard without a consistent jumper. He might also benefit from looking for his own opportunities at the rim instead of trying to dish it - Rice never would have been accused of being too unselfish in college, but there were points in Vegas where he could have helped himself had he simply taken it to the rim and finished himself.
On defense, Rice is pesky but ultimately didn't show what he needed to in the Summer League. He was handsy (which isn't necessarily a positive - or negative - term), but most point guards he defended were all able to blow past him on their way to the hoop due to Rice's poor speed while changing directions.
If nothing else, the Kings' Summer League roster has been able to have quick success in signing overseas as Rice, Sylven Landesberg, Devan Downey and Wayne Chism have all signed to play in Europe next season.
Rice becomes the second Kings point guard to sign overseas following their acquisition of Pooh Jeter, a more experienced guard that player for the Cleveland Cavaliers' Summer League team in Vegas.
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