Okay, okay, okay. Let's get this out of the way.
OMGFREEAGENCYWHATSLEBRONGONNADO
CANHEPLAYWITHWADEANDBOSH?!@?!?!?!??
Happy? Now we can handle some more important business. Like the Sixers summer team. Exactly. Here's your up-to-date roster, minus DeVon Hardin, who was re-snatched by Oklahoma City and the all-powerful League. Plenty of intrigue here.
Sneak Preview: Someone named Ndudi is on the team. I'm not gonna say his last name, you'll have to hit the jump for that, this ain't a free library (it is).
I'll do a little writeup on everybody, then the chances they get a contract this season. Bear in mind all of this is guesswork. Also, take into account that I just finished reading my first ever book (Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?) so I'm not quite sure if I'm the most credible source. Let's get to it!
LARGE MEN
#16 Marreese Speights, PF-C - Sixers, 6'10, 245 lbs
Good to see Speights on the court, after having his work ethic and in-shapeness questioned multiple times last season. He needs to get better on defense, otherwise Spencer Hawes will eat up all his minutes, and Mo will go hungry on the bench.
Chances -100%
#17 Cedric Simmons, PF - North Carolina State, 6'9, 235 lbs
Here's another talented big who never developed the way scouts thought. Playing for 4 teams over parts of 3 seasons, he didn't show the consistency needed from a power forward without much quickness. He's strong with a rebounder's mentality and still has a glimmer of that Upside moonshine he glossed on himself after his sophomore year at NC State.
With a good summer league performance and some more D-League work, he could push his way onto a roster by midseason.
Chances - 7%
#44 Trent Plaisted, PF-C - BYU, 6'11, 245 lbs
Tall stiff but with more athleticism than you'd think - He just doesn't like to show it off much. He's just a big body at this point with too much softness and timidity to play in today's NBA game. Think Jason Smith without a jump shot and better post footwork.
Chances - 0.7%
#35 Jason Love, PF - Xavier, 6'9, 265 lbs
J-Love had a very efficient career at Xavier, shooting a shade under 58% from the field for his career and raking in 2.3 O-Boards per game in under 20 minutes. He's not a guy that'll jump out at you with his athleticism or his offense, but he's a wide body that knows how to box out, and in a spread system under coaches Sean Miller and Chris Mack, he managed to produce.
As a senior, he developed a mid-range game and continued monitoring the glass, notching his best performance of 21 points on 9-11, shooting, 19 rebounds (8 offensive) and 5 blocks against Marquette. With Xavier on the highest tier of mid-majors, he's faced good competition and should prove that in his first year in the D-League. Jason's not a complete black on either side of the ball, but a solid role player he could be.
After some more seasoning and exposure, there's a shot for him on the end of a pro bench somewhere.
Chances: 5%
#50 Ndudi Ebi, PF - Westbury Christian High School (TX), 6'9, 200 lbs
Let the name-calling begin. Ndudi has been everywhere since he passed up a spot for Lute Olsen's 2003 Arizona team for a first-round selection by the Timberwolves. While that didn't exactly work out as planned, Ndudi did play two years in the NBA for a combined 86 minutes and 40 points (ppm anybody?). Since then, he has gone to Israel's Bnei HaSharon team, Italy's Carife Ferrara, and most recently Basket Rimini Crabs. I'd sign him for a 10-day for that alone, but most people with less enjoyable names will see it differently.
Chances: Ndudi.
#51 Vernon Goodridge, PF - La Salle, 6'9, 230 lbs
Scott wrote about him in his Nets post, and I like Scott so I'm going to re-post what he said here.
Goodridge is getting an invite to the
NetsSixers Summer League team after playing for Miramar in the Dominican Republic this past season (stats unavailable).Prior to that, the 26-year-old Brooklyn native split his college career between Mississippi State and LaSalle. His best college season came during the 2008-09 season when he averaged 6.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.
His agent is apparently former NBA player Greg Foster.
Thanks Scott!
25 CENT WINGS
#7 Ryan Brooks, SG - Temple University, 6'4, 200 lbs
The Philly product had a fine career as an Owl, overcoming his share of adversity and working to Temple into the top 25 for the first time since the Cheney era. He's a great kid that plays his ass off on the court, displaying a good basketball IQ and a reliable jumper with a high release that allows him to get his shot off over bigger defenders. It also makes up for his lack of quickness, playmaking, and handles. This is a nod to the big 5 schools, as the Sixers have done in the past with Dionte Christmas, Pat Carroll, Dustin Salisbury, and Lynn Greer, et al.
While I'm rooting for Ryan, he's not talented enough to make a big league roster.
Chances: 0%
#20 Jodie Meeks, SG - Sixers, 6'4, 208 lbs
Sixers fans caught a glimpse of him last year, but he's got plenty to prove if he wants to have any sort of role with this team now and, more importantly, going forward. He needs to show a consistent 3-point shot and a defensive improvement over Willie Green. Of the roster players on this team, I'd say he plays the most.
Chances - 95%
#30 Obi Muonelo, SG-SF - Oklahoma State, 6'5, 220 lbs
Coming out of the same high school as Ekpe Udoh in the tremendous '06 class, Obi was a 5-star prospect over guys like Tyler Smith, Jodie Meeks, projected shooting guard Russell Westbrook, and Da'Sean Butler, among others. Unfortunately for Obi-Trice (real name no gimmicks), his offensive game never came together like everybody thought it would. He's plenty athletic and quick with a really nice first step, but it seems like he got hooked onto the idea that he needed to have a lights out jump shot and never stopped shooting it. While he started hitting his junior and senior seasons (over 40% from deep), he settled for the outside shot and his overall game suffered.
Had he any sort of capable big man to play with at Oklahoma State, things could have been different, but as of now he's another guy that can't figure out how good he is. For whatever reason, I see a Mario West call-up in his future. Denver seems like a realistic destination -- maybe it's because Yakhouba Diawara played there a few years back.
Chances - 5%
#12 Evan Turner, SG - Sixers, 6'7, 214 lbs
My goodness.
Chances - A million
SMALLER CHILDREN
#4 Mike Green, PG - Butler University, 6'1, 175 lbs
The distributing half of one of the best guard combos Horizon League basketball has ever seen. Before there was Gordon Hayward, there was Green and AJ Graves for the Bulldogs. While Green doesn't have AJ's shooting stroke, he's got better athleticism, quickness, and point guard skills.
I haven't seen anything from him in two years, but having decided to play overseas instead of the D-League, I'm not sure he has much of a shot at making any team right away.
With a year in Fort Wayne displaying a better jump shot and tangible point guard ability, he could get a Sundiata 10-day to see what he's got as a backup point guard.
Chances: 0.5%
#11 Jrue Holiday, PG - Sixers, 6'4, 180 lbs
Last year, Holiday came into the Nets/Sixers Summer League team with question marks about why he wasn't 5 inches smaller and named Ty. This year, he's the starting point guard with oodles of noodles and projectability on this team for years to come. I wouldn't run him that much if I were coach Aaron McKie/Quin Snyder (!), just enough to get him comfortable with Turner.
Chances: Yes.
Judging by the Sixers cap situation, I don't think any of these fine gentlemen have a realistic chance at making this team, but they could hop on somewhere.
If I had to pick my favorite out of the group, I'd go with Cedric Simmons. He went the JJ Hickson route before JJ did it and was traded before he could develop on the Hornets like Hickson did on the Cavs. So much about sports is the situation you're placed into, and while some guys can make it work no matter where they're at, the separation between Richard Hendrix and Francisco Elson is so slim, if their roles were switched, Hendrix would have a lengthy-ish career.
Keep that in mind when scouring the summer leagues for high upside guys as I'm sure you're doing right now. There's always that chance the pieces could align and all of a sudden Obi Muonelo is Damien Wilkins. Nose to the grindstone, kids.
Anyway -- Like it? Love it? Hate it? Intrigued at the amount of big men? Who do you think out of the non-roster guys has a shot at an NBA contract this season? Everybody wants to talk Sixers summer league basketball, and I have now given you the forum to do so.
I'll take fanmail addressed to LeBron James in Philadelphia pleaseandthankyou.
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