Apologies for being somewhat absent today, both on this site and on Twitter (@dontbeabrick, if you haven't heard). After doing this for eight straight days my brain essentially collapsed on itself and I spent the entire afternoon watching a documentary series about medieval times, not because it was interesting (though it was) but because I just wanted to hear a British person talk for awhile and not Brent Barry. I should be better from now on, though, since I also left the house at some point and don't feel like I'm chained to my Ikea chair. You're interested in none of this, I'm sure.
Since most people visiting Ridiculous Upside are probably doing so as a way to see who's looking good and bad at Summer League in lieu of a recap of each game, Scott has saddled me made the brilliant decision to bring back the lovely Monstars and Nonstars that we employed during the D-League playoffs. These are the three(-ish) best and non-best players of the day, again sticking with players you may not be familiar with. Hit the jump to see who they were.
Monstars
- Wayne Chism, F, Sacramento Kings - After going undrafted this year, Chism has played decently in Vegas. He semi-exploded for 13 points on 6-7 shooting along with four rebounds. Chism played center for Tennessee, and he has a pretty nice face-up game, though he's undersized for that position (6'9") and projects as more of a forward from here on out. He had a bit of a foul problem, with five in a little over 15 minutes, but if he keeps that in check he could be a viable NBA post player.
- Russell Robinson, PG, D-League Select - Sadly, no one has made a fool of themselves in front of T-Bone yet (translation: lost to the D-League team), but that doesn't mean the D-League team has been playing poorly. Robinson in particular has been running thangs, and had 20 points on 12 shots, though he also had three assists to four turnovers. Robinson played well for the Magic in last year's Summer League and is a borderline NBA backup, and a few more good performances could cement him on someone's roster.
- D.J. Strawberry, G, Los Angeles Lakers - Strawberry had a nice game for the Lakers, with 17 points on 10 shots, four assists (both of those team-highs) and two blocks. I'm not sure Strawberry will end up with the Lakers, as they've signed Steve Blake, but he's a good defender and can get to the rim pretty well, and is likely ready to move back up to the NBA (he's a former Suns reserve) at this point in his career.
- Bonus Additional D-League Player: Mark Tyndale, SG, D-League Select - Tyndale took nine free throws, which is par for the course for his game, but he also shot 6-9 from the field and scored 17 points in almost 23 minutes off the bench. He also grabbed three rebounds and had a pair of steals. Tyndale got a pre-season look with the Bucks last season, and he's probably better this year. His propensity for garnering foul shots may or may not translate to the NBA, but if it does then he'll have real value.
Nonstars
- Jonathan Wallace, PG, D-League Select - Wallace is probably more of a shooter than a point guard, which means nights like he had against Cleveland (1-4 shooting for two points) really hurt. He's not a terrible point guard, as he doesn't turn the ball over much, but he also doesn't garner many assists, as his one in 14 minutes indicates. He's not the worst PG option out there, but I have a hard time seeing Wallace making a roster this year.
- Ronald Dupree, SF, Toronto Raptors - I really like Dupree as a player, and think he could make it in the NBA, but nights where he scores three points on 1-4 shooting with four fouls and two turnovers aren't going to cut it. He's in the prime of his career, meaning there's not much upside left for NBA teams, and I'm starting to resign myself to the fact that Dupree's likely headed back to Europe this year.
- Sean Sonderleiter, PF, New Orleans Hornets - I've said before that Sonderleiter isn't exactly the first D-League big man I'd pick to call up, but having as many fouls+turnovers as points+rebounds (six) certainly isn't going to cut it. He's not the most athletic guy around but gets by, particularly since he got in better shape over the past year or so, but getting one of his two shots blocked (and just plain missing the other one) doesn't help Sonderleiter's cause.
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