The Detroit Pistons just concluded their summer league play in Vegas on July 15. They finished with a respectable 3-2 record and quite frankly, learned a lot about their young talent, or lack of.
Though I wasn't fortunate enough to watch any of the games, I have followed closely through the internet and newspaper. People hoping to see Delfino return to his old self before his injury during last year should be quite disappointed. Carlos only played in 3 games and averaged just 7 points/game. 5.3 turnovers/game won't help your image either. For good measure however, Carlos did average 2 steals/game, ranking second of all the players on all 16 teams that participated.
Seen Darko play? Well, his numbers weren't astounding, neither were they bad. He averaged 9.8 points/game and 5.8 rebounds/game. But the downside is the field goal shooting he displayed, a mind boggling 36.7%. Shake it off Darko, you tied for 5th in blocks at 1.4/game.
"How well did the rookies play," you are screaming at the computer hysterically, "Who cares about these foreigners." Well I do, considering Brown never gave them the light of day to display their skills. Did I mention Brown is out? Amen.
Rookies, yes the rookies. I now know why the Pistons drafted Alex Acker. He's got mad skills, mad ones. Alex averaged 14.4 points/game, second best on the team only to Maxiell. Alex also drained 46% of his 3 balls. This kid definitely kicked Ricky Paulding out of the mix for another year. Ricky only averaged 4.2 points/game. Ouch, see ya back in Israel Ricky.
Jason Maxiell was the main man in Vegas for the Pistons. His 15 points/game and 52% field goal shooting really surprised a lot of people. Although Jason only averaged 3.8 rebounds/game, he blocked 9 shots during the 5 games. His performance considered by many team analysts and reporters was really exceptional. His stats proved it, so I'll have to agree. He better be ready for a nice role off the bench this year. I can't wait to see the day where there's 3 and 4, maybe even 5 guys coming off the bench for the Pistons, yes. Have fun in New York Larry!
Don't sleep on this youngster by the name of Amir Johnson. He showed glimpses of great talent during the majority of the 5 games. He averaged 8.8 points/game and shot a solid 18-26 from the field, giving him a 69% field goal shooting effort. Not bad I say, not shabby at all. I really doubt whether the Pistons will keep him on the roster, they will probably send him to the NBDL for a year and bring him back for 06/07. But that all depends what changes are made to the NBDL.
I'm not saying that Alex Acker will be on the team this next year, but he sure didn't hurt his chances in anyway. Every team needs some off the bench shooters and Acker would be just the guy to help out. Though if the Pistons sign Rose or Finley or whoever, there's not much room for Acker, but if the NBDL turns out sort of like the minor league baseball system, Acker would be a great choice for that. A guard gets hurt, bring Acker up, we know he can shoot.
If you want to see a sweet dunk by Gerald Green of the Celtics, here's the link
http://www.nba.com/media/celtics/green_dunk_320.mpg
BTW- Good job by Sean Douglass last night- and what was Trammell thinking, leaving Spurling out there after the first homer and the next hit?
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2 comments:
What is Joe D doing with Darko? If Joe D doesnt start playing Darko this season, Piston fans are going to think they are just hiding him because he doesnt have the talent. If Darko doesnt have it by now, I dont think it will ever come. How does he look in the summer league's?
What bugs me about Darko (and this could have to do with the way Brown handled him, or the fact he's suddenly a rich teenager with no one to tell him what to do and he went soft) is that before the draft, Chad Ford on ESPN.com was touting the fact Darko had a "nasty streak" and was totally unlike the typical European player, that he enjoyed dunking on people and banging underneath the rim.
Where the hell is that attitude now?
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