Pistons in summer league
The Detroit Pistons are one of 21 NBA teams expected to participate in NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports, in Las Vegas. The league is scheduled to run July 11-20.

In addition to whoever the Pistons select in next month's NBA draft, current Detroit rookies Arron Afflalo, Rodney Stuckey and Cheikh Samb are all expected to be on the Pistons squad as well.

Summer League > ECF

Stuckey averages 30/5/3 here with 2 steals and 3 turnovers?

He'll have to share PT with the two new SGs that we draft, though.

fuck completely forgot about that. stuckey for 15 points a game with him sharing minutes with some cats who will get 2 minutes of plying time the whole next season.

Has Amir maxed out his eligibility in these leagues?

Otherwise, I'm pretty sure he circles these dates on his calendar every year.

Sammy Mejia, Andreas Glyniadakis, Will Blalock, Rodney Billups, Rickey Paulding, Todd Day...

Pistons Summer League Legends

Don't forget Gabe Muoneke and that other dude with the super hairy shoulders.

and Alex Acker, greatest player ever from Pepperdine...

dc

and Alex Acker, greatest player ever from Pepperdine...
I bet Dennis Johnson makes it in HOF before Alex Acker.

:langlois:


The Pistons are putting together their summer league roster and nothing is official yet, but three names on the preliminary list are interesting. One is Alex Acker, who played with the Pistons three seasons ago as a rookie second-rounder but has played in Greece and Spain the past two seasons. He remains Pistons property. The two that aren’t solid yet, neither of whom would be Pistons property even if they play in Las Vegas but could be invited to camp or signed to contracts even before camp, both will be familiar to NBA fans.

And they are?

http://sportswrap.berecruited.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/Shawn%20Kemp.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1320/1408067140_236dc13920.jpg

Yuck, I'd rather see Pepe' Sanchez and Anthony Goldwire.

I assume you are kidding.

How is Acker still our 'property'??? Somebody please explain that to me...

Will Blalock isn't our 'property', is he?

When he wanted to go to Europe, we cut a deal with Acker that says "fine, you can do that, but only if we own your rights here if'n'when you come back to the NBA".

did we do the same with Blalock when he went to play in Jerusalem?

We gave Acker his qualifying offer after his rookie contract, giving us his rights, but he didn't take it so he could go play in Europe. That means when he wants to come back to the NBA, we still have his rights. I don't think we did that with Blalock

ISIAH THOMAS! HE'S GOING TO BE ON THE SUMMER ROSTER!

Ok, no.

Exactly what does that mean...familiar to NBA fans? Like, all NBA fans? Even ignorant fans like Heat fans and Pacer fans?

So, Harold Minor and Jonathon Bender?

Trent Plaisted and................shit, I already forgot our draft picks names. Sounds great, no?

So far:
Rodney Stuckey
Arron Afflalo/Alex Acker
Walter Sharpe/Deron Washington
Amir Johnson
Cheikh Samb/Trent Plaisted

That's a rotation. Now we have to just fill out the team with some more fringe NBA players, old or new.

I'd like to see Drew Neitzel get a look, just for shits and giggles. and definitely Davon Jefferson, an undrafted freshman. and Keith Brumbaugh, for that matter.

wonder if we'll have a Sammy Mejia sighting...

We no longer own his rights, correct? Because we cut him.

So does Joe give Neitzel a summer league spot?

I'm sure he'll agree to play in Europe...

I'm sure he'll have to play in Europe...
Robert Ficksed

add DeMarucs Nelson to the summer league team too...i've always liked him, though I highly doubt he's nba material...

:langlois:


Summer League roster set

Just a quick note about Summer League. Dee Brown, the former Illinois All-American who played with Utah as a rookie two years ago, will be on the Pistons’ roster. Sammy Mejia, last year’s second-round pick, was going to be but he sprained an ankle recently and won’t make it. Alex Acker will also be on the team and has a shot at sticking with the Pistons next year.

Because the Pistons will have three draft choices on the team – as well as Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo, Cheikh Samb and Amir Johnson – they won’t be filling it up with a bunch of other notable players. That’s an unusual number of players for a Summer League team who have already cinched roster spots or have realistic NBA futures.

Acker making it would be a great promotional tool for Dumars to use for future 2nd rounders. They'll be much more interested in agreeing to go overseas if there's a success story to inspire them.

ASB said Acker would be on the team (not summer league the big squad) last year...

I'll believe it when I see it...

I'd rather have Juan Dixon as our 14th man than Alexander Acker

you haven't seen Acker play in 2 years.

Ledezma,

If Joe Dumars thinks that Alex Acker is better for this team than Juan Dixon, then this discussion is over.

THREAD LOCKED

Ledezma,

If Joe Dumars thinks that Alex Acker is better for this team than Juan Dixon, then this discussion is over.

THREAD LOCKED

You have learned something.

Can we ban Wil?

Or just restrain him from posting?

Dee Brown's been added to the team...

Jeezus, read the damn thread.

#28.

Wow, lol.

Did you guys know Alex Acker is on the team??

Hey guys, I heard we finally signed Check Sam. He was playing really well in Europe, or so I heard. Glad to have him on the roster.

Have you heard of this Amir Johnston guy? I guess he's pretty young but he's got some potential. Maybe he could make the team, we'll see how his summer league goes.

Did you guys know Walter Sharpe has narcolepsy? b/c I just found out...

Dee Brown? Cool, if he's fully recovered i'd love to see him make the roster in spite of not much room being available. he's a long shot though.

I hope to see a King Kong jam.

During the 10-day stretch, the Pistons will play five games, two of which will be shown on NBA TV. The Pistons play the NBA finalist Lakers on July 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern, and the second against the Mavericks on July 17 at 4 p.m Eastern.

All of the games will be held at either the Thomas & Mack Center or the COX Pavilion.

Here's the schedule:

July 11, L.A. Lakers, 8 p.m. (NBA TV)

July 13, L.A. Clippers, 10 p.m.

July 15, Milwaukee, 6 p.m.

July 17, Dallas, 4 p.m. (NBA TV)

July 18, Charlotte, 6 p.m.

ixnay on the Dee Brown thing

:langlois:


Bynum, not Brown, on Summer League roster

The Pistons released their 13-man Summer League roster on Monday and Dee Brown, who apparently found a better opportunity to get back into the NBA on a team with a less crowded backcourt, wasn’t a part of it.

Somebody who could fill the same role, though, was – Will Bynum, who, like Brown, was a Chicago high school star. Bynum has played in Israel the past two years after playing 15 games with Golden State in the 2005-06 season. Bynum was suspected in hitting a 22-year-old man with his car outside an Israeli nightclub last January, but charges were later dropped.

Bynum is joined by four other free agents: guard Marcus Stout of Fordham, forward Ryvon Coville of Detroit Mercy, forward Derrick Allen of Mississippi and forward/center Kentrell Gransberry of South Florida.

The other eight members of the Summer League team include four who played with the Pistons last season – rookie guards Arron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey, forward Amir Johnson and center Cheikh Samb – as well as Alex Acker, who played with the Pistons in 2005-06 before playing the past two seasons in Europe; and the three recent draft choices, Walter Sharpe, Trent Plaisted and Deron Washington.

The Pistons open their Summer League schedule on July 11 and will play five games over 10 days.

So we'll face Eric Gordon, Joe Alexander, and DJ Augustine.

Probably a bunch of 2nd round picks and last year's rookies as well.

Our squad should own these kids.

I was kind of excited about Dee Brown. He could have been a solid #3 PG for us, assume and praying that Hunter retires

Also, unlike some past seasons when an assistant would coach the team, our coach is going to get his first head coaching experience in Vegas.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080630/SPORTS03/80630066

Curry will be the coach in Vegas, with his entire coaching staff.
I kind of like the move.

HA! he should wear a full on suit and everything. Intimidate them.

I was kind of excited about Dee Brown. He could have been a solid #3 PG for us, assume and praying that Hunter retires
I thought so too, the kid can push a fast break like its nobody's business.

Curry is coaching the summer league team, FYI.

Thanks for the update, Wilfredo.

Pistons will use summer league to evaluate talent
by A. Sherrod Blakely
Tuesday July 08, 2008, 12:05 AM

AUBURN HILLS -- The Detroit Pistons got a few more phone calls than usual from agents looking to land one of their clients on Detroit's summer league team that will compete in Las Vegas later this week.

That's because unlike past years when the Pistons' most recent draft picks were the main attraction, this summer league team has something to offer those others lacked -- available roster spots.

"It's definitely an opportunity for free agents to come in and play well and make an impression on our coaches and basketball staff, and maybe have an opportunity to make the ball club," said Scott Perry, Detroit's vice president of basketball operations.

Detroit currently has 10 players with guaranteed contracts.

In addition to second-round pick Walter Sharpe, the Pistons also are expected to re-sign Lindsey Hunter and Theo Ratliff to one-year deals. That would bring Detroit's total number of guaranteed contracts to 13, two short of the NBA maximum.

One of the stronger free agent candidates on Detroit's summer league roster is point guard Will Bynum.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Bynum signed with the Boston Celtics prior to the 2005-2006 season, but was waived shortly before the season opener. He would later appear in 15 games that season with the Golden State Warriors, averaging 3.6 points on 40.4 percent shooting from the field.

If Bynum plays well this summer, he has a good chance of entering training camp as the team's No. 3 point guard behind Chauncey Billups and Rodney Stuckey.

Former Pistons draft pick Alex Acker also is on Detroit's summer league team, and he too has some experience playing the point guard position.

Acker, who has played overseas each of the last three seasons, appeared in five games for Detroit during the 2005-2006 season and averaged 1.8 points per game.

Other summer league free agent notables for Detroit are Kentrell Gransberry, a 6-9, 270-pound power forward who was among the nation's top rebounders each of the last two seasons at South Florida; and Detroit native Ryvon Coville, a 6-9, 250-pound power forward who played in Israel last season.

In addition to discovering new talent, the Pistons also will use summer league to gauge how much progress their young big men such as Amir Johnson and Cheikh Samb have made.

Johnson, who appeared in 62 games last season, appears to have bulked up some this summer for what the Pistons anticipate will be a breakout season for him.

"I just want to use this summer to just get better, get my whole game better," Johnson said in an interview earlier this summer. "Hopefully that'll get me even more playing time next year."

Joe Dumars, Detroit's president of basketball operations, said he anticipates Johnson will have more opportunities to play this season.

"We think he can be an X-factor type player, a guy that can make plays above the rim, athletically on the defensive end and the offensive end," Dumars said. "He's a young guy that has more athleticism, more speed and energy than anything we have up front. Where we are as a team right now, it's imperative that we have a player on the floor like that right now."

Dumars has similar praise for Samb, a player he acknowledges has progressed at a rate quicker than the Pistons anticipated.

Dumars said some front-office executives have reached out to see if he was willing to part with Samb.

"This kid can stroke it; I mean really, really stroke it," Dumars said. "I know I got a 7-foot-1 guy who is coming, in a hurry. He is a guy that I think, in certain situations, can help us this season."

He's got to play someone knew if he doesn't make any trades.

He's got to play someone knew if he doesn't make any trades.
Really?

gnew?

Much better.....

Gary?

Get it, Great Space Coaster?

I'm old

Did you guys know that Curry is coaching??

"This kid can stroke it; I mean really, really stroke it,"
:VOLCANO:

SDB whose that ummmm douche in your avatar. He looks like Andre Agassi's father.

Well, forget Acker.


Acker's knee KOs him from Summer League

Alex Acker’s attempt to return to the NBA after two years in Europe has hit another roadblock. Acker, a Pistons second-round pick in 2005 who spent his rookie season with the team before playing in Greece and Spain the past two winters, is again experiencing problems with the same knee that he injured last summer.

The Pistons only learned of the injury on Tuesday, the day they held their first practice in preparation for Friday’s opener of the NBA Las Vegas Summer League.

“That’s too bad,” Pistons executive Tony Ronzone said. “We really wanted to take a good look at him this summer. He’s a talented kid who had a chance to help us. It’s a setback for him.”

The 6-foot-5 Acker played mostly point guard for the Pistons as a rookie but his NBA future is probably similar to Arron Afflalo’s – a shooting guard who can defend all three perimeter positions. If Afflalo is stronger defensively, Acker might be a more accomplished shooter.

The Pistons have an unusual number of players with NBA futures for a summer league roster, including three who figure to be in their rotation next season – Afflalo, Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson. Cheikh Samb could force his way into the mix, as well, as he appears to be more polished.

New coach Michael Curry said his first unit – which he expects to play the majority of minutes – will consist of Stuckey and Afflalo at guard, Samb at center, Johnson at power forward and draft choice Walter Sharpe at small forward.

“He has a great feel for the game,” Curry said of Sharpe. “The kid has a great work ethic. He wants to learn. He’s raw in a lot of areas, but that’s what we have to do as a staff – mold him in the player we need him to be. As long as he’s willing to work, we can get him to the point where he has a chance to be a really good player. Instinctively, he does things you can’t teach. The things we can teach, we’ve got to do a good job with that.”


Curry said he considers point guard Will Bynum, who signed on to play with the Pistons in Las Vegas, an NBA player. Bynum spent the past season playing in Israel.

“Will Bynum is a guy I’m really familiar with from the D-League,” said Curry, who spent the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons working in NBA operations and helped oversee the D-League. “We watched him a lot this year because one of the kids on his (Israeli) team, Omri Casspi, we bought in for a (predraft) workout and we watched him on tape and saw Will. He’s an NBA player. He’ll keep plugging away and I think he’ll be in the league – if not with us, then with someone.”


Curry said he talked to Rodney Stuckey after the Pistons were eliminated from the playoffs by Boston – Curry was scheduled to coach the Summer League team even before succeeding Flip Saunders as head coach – and made a deal with him. If he brought his teammates to Las Vegas in top-flight condition, the Pistons would hold just one practice a day leading up to the Summer League opener instead of two.

“We sort of had an agreement that the guys were going to be in shape,” Curry said. “They were (in Auburn Hills) about two to three weeks, getting some work in. They held up their end of the bargain and we’ve had two really good days of practice so far.”

like that little tidbit at the end about stuckey. that shows me he's a leader and a hard worker and wants to be as good as he can possibly be. i really like our young kids and wish i could be there to watch them tear up Vegas.

:dana:


Samb, Sharpe add intrigue to summer league play

The Pistons' summer-league roster is loaded and they hope to fi nd out where second-year center Cheikh Samb and rookie small forward Walter Sharpe fit into their plans next season.

Samb and Sharpe will join three members of the Pistons' regular rotation - guards Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo and power forward Amir Johnson - in the starting lineup. They will play five games in the Las Vegas Summer League against the Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, Mavericks and Bobcats. Their first game will be tonight against the Lakers.

The 7-foot-1 Samb, who appeared in four games as a rookie, has the wingspan to be a top-flight shotblocker and he has shown a surprisingly-soft touch on his midrange shots. With improved strength and a year under NBA tutelage, the Pistons are hoping that Samb can crack the rotation.

Sharpe was the Pistons' surprising top draft pick, but they have been quietly thrilled (shhhhhhh) with the work ethic and all-around skills he's shown so far in workouts and practices. If Sharpe plays well in the summer league, the need to acquire a backup small forward would diminish.

stuckey
afflalo
sharpe
amir
samb


that's a pretty nice group of talented kids to be working with. i'm very curious to see how they all develop over the coming year/s. of all of them, i'm probably most unsure of afllalo and sharpe. but we'll see....

Sharpe, among others, looking good for Pistons

by A. Sherrod Blakely Friday July 11, 2008, 2:56 PM


LAS VEGAS -- I just left the Detroit Pistons' morning shootaround a little while ago.
A lot of guys looked pretty good, but Walter Sharpe stood out. He has an extremely smooth mid-range jumper, but it's too soon to tell what that'll translate into tonight's game, let alone this season.
Still, based on what I saw this morning, Sharpe was definitely worth a second round pick based on his potential.
I also liked Will Bynum, who I sense Detroit hopes will be the team's No. 3 point guard this season. His build -- and to a lesser extent, his game -- reminds me of Nate Robinson. I'm looking forward to seeing him in action tonight as well.
The one guy we won't be seeing is Alex Acker, whose knee injury will keep him off the summer league roster. He has been replaced by 6-5 guard Jonte Flowers, a defensive standout at Division II Winona State where he was his conference's Defensive player of the year three times and set an NCAA Division II record for steals. But as he proved in last spring's national championship, he can score as well.
Flowers poured in 30 points in rallying Winona State to an 87-76 win over Augusta (Ga.) State which gave the Warriors their second national title in three seasons. He's a long shot at making the team, but definitely worth a last-minute invite.
Deron Washington from Virginia Tech came in with the reputation for playing above the rim. That was very clear in this morning's practice. But every other part of his game, like shooting, ball-handling and being where he needs to be on the floor, needs work. I see him spending at least one season overseas.
Detroit's other second-round pick, Trent Plaisted from BYU, is interesting. I like the way he moves without the ball, and seems to know where he's supposed to be on the floor. He's fairly agile for a 6-foot-11 player, and seems fairly comfortable around the basket.
He's another guy I'm looking forward to seeing on the floor tonight.
The last guy I'll mention from this morning's session is Kentrell Gransberry. One word for this guy: BIG!
He's listed at 6-9, 270, but he looks bigger than that. And from what some of the players were telling me, Gransberry is unbelievably strong.
That's it for now. I'll have more after tonight's game.

the webcast link should be here once the game starts:

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/scoreboard.jsp

I'm thinking that we win, 105-87

They have Stuckey listed at forward and Afflalo and zzzzzzz at guard.

There's obviously a problem there.

The Lakers have that Caner-Medley guy on ther squad, too.

That's a true summer league squad that the Lakers have there.

What a bunch of stiffs.

what the freak, i'm getting no video...just an "NBA live event" screen...

the score is only 4-2 and Amir has 2 TOs, 2 fouls, 1 reb, and 1 stl....that's a busy minute...

ZALTER IS ON FIRE

I think I like "The Sandman" best so far.

Glenn, watching on TV or NBA.com? i still have no video :(

Just watching the box score for now.

Man, that Samb/Amir front line could probably swat a dozen or so shots a game (in the 15 minutes combined that they could play before fouling out, that is).

3 fouls for Amir already

Good thing you can't foul out.

I wonder if Curry knows that?

Looks like Shorty and DW are in now.

no video.....this saddens me.

yeah I have no video also.....this blows.

basketball without borders, my ass...

Stuckey has 9 pts. he's on pace for 40 pts tonight....!

Who the shit is C. Karl!! He's DESTROYING us!!!! I think.

George's son, Coby

George's son, Coby

Is he white?

hey, video's on!

a delay, i guess.....in case Samb has a wardrobe malfunction....

Sharpe is making Dumars look pretty smart right now.

Sharpe's game looks pretty methodical and efficient. Nothing jumped out at me as overly impressive, outside of an interior touch pass to Amir. Sharpe seems willing to bang in the post, which is good and he grabbed two offensive rebounds, which is also good.

Stuckey's such a sweet passer...

Stuckey is so much better than everyone else out there.

Sounds like fun watching Samb and Sharpe. Pure speculation without seeing any summer league, but I don't see why Samb can't do what Theo did last year and hopefully Sharpe can spell Tay some.

Stuckey is so much better than everyone else out there.

gotta feel for the guy a bit. he went from making big plays in a pressure packed playoff series to the summer league, lol.

i'd really like to see Curry run more pick and rolls with Stuckey. he's so quick to turn the corner and he makes good passes, it might be a bread and butter type play

Samb is the same as samb, but with a much quicker trigger.

Sharpe looked athletically superior out there. He plays a lot like Amir.

I'd expect sharpe to get much better as he gets used to playing alongside stuckey and afflalo.

Sharpe surprised me with a little cross over early on to create space for a jumper. he missed the J, but the move was nice. a guy who can create his own shot is something we've been missing from the backup SF spot.

oh, and I forgot to mention: Samb is HUGE now. Dude has been pumping iron.

great to hear. because from something i read recently he's still listed at 216 lbs. i hope he's at least 25 lbs. heavier than that.

i think he'll always be kind of a lean player, but strength is equally or perhaps even more important that just plain 'bulk'.

how about washington and plaisted...? how did they do tonight?

OK, here we go:

not sure how accurate this really is as it says we didn't have ANY blocked shots the whole game. (amir and samb, and no blocked shots...?)

anyway stats aren't everything. wish i could've seen the game.

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=1520800003

From what I saw, Stuckey is still awesome, Afflalo seemed like he was trying too hard, and Sharpe (and Plaisted, to some extent) were pretty solid. Amir's fouls are big warning flag at this point. Samb looks stronger than he did last year, but like HW said, he probably should continue to bulk up.

Stuckey was...Stuckey

Afflalo was really good after the first 5 minutes.

Samb was ok and would have been much better but his shooting touch was way off.

Sharpe was average but showed flashes of his athletic ability and great handles for a 6'10" guy.

Amir looked like he didn't give a shit.

Plastaid blows.

Washington didn't play enough to make any impression at all.

In the stat line Plaisted looked ok, right? So was he horrible defensively? Where those all junk points?

And actually, if they were junk points that makes me happiest. One thing this team has missed is a junk points guy. Varejao is energy + junk points + annoying. But it beats teams from time to time. I would take that.

I've heard the Plaisted blows talk, but that's some pretty uninformative talk when he out scored and out rebounded Sharpe. How did he blow exactly?

I'm not going to get too high or low on Plaisted or Washington. Both of them are heading overseas next year anyway.

Plastaid got the ball knocked out of his hands at least 7 or 8 times. The only reason he had 2 turnovers was because 5 or 6 times the ball was saved by a teammate.

He just looked so clumsy out there. The only nice play he had the whole game was a dunk ,and there was nobody within 20 feet of him.

when you said that Samb got huge, like what do you mean...?

does he actually fill out his jersey now, or did he add some meat on his bones?

when you said that Samb got huge, like what do you mean...?

does he actually fill out his jersey now, or did he add some meat on his bones?


Not sure if his legs got any bigger, but he's got some serious upper body muscle now. You could see it when he was shooting his free throws. Everyone else watching the game agreed.

I think it showed in his confidence as well, he was super-aggressive all game.

Plastaid got the ball knocked out of his hands at least 7 or 8 times. The only reason he had 2 turnovers was because 5 or 6 times the ball was saved by a teammate.

He just looked so clumsy out there. The only nice play he had the whole game was a dunk ,and there was nobody within 20 feet of him.


Yeah, he looked like one of those big white centers, but missing 3 inches. Not a pro game IMO.

The thing I liked about plastaid is that he is a legit 6'11", is fairly mobile for a guy that size and appears to have a nose for the ball (he always seemed to be near the action on rebounds/loose balls). He has a way to go defensively and seemed a bit like a "deer in headlights" on a few occasions but that could also be attributed to this being his first NBA experience (even if the lakers squad could barely qualify as being nba-calibur). I'll be interested to see if he improves off this effort.

As for Sharpe, I liked his physical attributes and the fact that he appeared to know what to do with the ball, especially in finding his teammates, starting fast breaks, etc. He just had problems putting the ball in the basket (and threw up a few very ugly shots and seemed at times to not know how to finish his move both when creating his own shot and also on the break). He has a way to go offensively but appears to have potential. His size and physical skills are very legit.

Washington is terrible and will never play in the NBA.

he's a legit 6'11" that plays like he's a legit 6'3."

Actually kstat, I agree with you 100%. For a guy with legit size he does play small. With that being said that's not necessarily a bad thing if he can shoot the ball and understands his role. He actually reminds me of a left-handed fred roberts, a guy that was never great but did play 15 seasons in the NBA (who also graduated from a school from utah).

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/r/roberfr01.html

he's a legit 6'11" that plays like he's a legit 6'3."

Sounds like how Memo was here. I think we all remomber him being constantly stripped going up with the ball and flailing his arms. Obviously players like that never become all stars (if they can't use their length), but if he can simply come in and knock down open jumpers (along with rebounding and playing decent defense) as a backup center that's pretty good, especially for a 2nd rounder.

Hell, if he develops into a 3rd string center we should be happy. To have him eventually have a Theo Ratliff-esque role (on the team to use in spot situations, not counted on to be a full-time player) we still got decent use from a 2nd rounder.

From what I saw, he's a euroleague lifer. There wasn't anything he really did well on an NBA level aside from run the floor.

although memo did become an allstar player.


Sounds like how Memo was here. I think we all remomber him being constantly stripped going up with the ball and flailing his arms. Obviously players like that never become all stars (if they can't use their length), but if he can simply come in and knock down open jumpers (along with rebounding and playing decent defense) as a backup center that's pretty good, especially for a 2nd rounder.

he was a replacement for somebody, he wasn't originally chosen

Still was an all star though.

Sharpe again showing a lot of Amir-like qualities. Pretty good transition player.

He's also holding his own against Al Thornton.

Yeah, trent's hands are trash for a guy with a supposedly refined game. Again, getting stripped with the ball repeatedly.

Where did all these Pistons fans in the crowd come from? I understand going on the road during the regular season, but the summer league?

The Pistons have a strong fanbase in vegas, for whatever reason.

Walter Sharpe is 6'10" but handles the ball like a guard. He's definitely got a future as a small forward.

If he puts some weight on, I can see Lamar Odom comparisons being realistic.

Pistons win another laugher. Afflalo's the dominant player this time. 25 points on %80 shooting.

Sharpe guarded Thornton the entire game, and held him to 5/18 shooting. He also was able to play some point-forward at 6'10."

His jumper needs work, but he's looking like a legit player.

Samb is looking more like Rik Smits now than Mutombo, which isn't all bad.

His shot blocking has gone way down, but his offensive skills have gone way up. He's very comfortable in the offense now.

He's got a nice jump hook he can use anywhere out to 12 feet, and he still has that face-up jumper.

Stuckey didn't play well tonight, but he played hard. Amir I think doesn't really care about being there.

Will Bynam has got to be turning heads with his defense and scoring. His passing blows, but as long as he plays that great defense, he's likely going to be our 3rd PG if Joe doesn't bring anyone else in. He has some Lindsey Hunter in his game.

if we make no trades what are we looking at here?

billups
rip
sheed
prince
dice
stuckey
j-max
amir
afflalo
sharpe
vet SF/SG with portion of MLE
ratliff
samb
bynum
maybe hunter?

who else am i forgetting?

OK i figure we'll sign at least 1 more vet and (hopefully) make a trade. but i'm just trying to look at who we potentially have for our 15 man roster.

we're going to make a trade, so it's really a scenario that isn't being planned for.

I don't anticipate Lindsey comign back. If he is, then it's as a 4th point guard. He'd even be behind Bynam.

Deandre Jordan sure would've looked good in the Pistons red, white and blue.

Pistons win another laugher. Afflalo's the dominant player this time. 25 points on %80 shooting.

Sharpe guarded Thornton the entire game, and held him to 5/18 shooting. He also was able to play some point-forward at 6'10."

His jumper needs work, but he's looking like a legit player.

Samb is looking more like Rik Smits now than Mutombo, which isn't all bad.

His shot blocking has gone way down, but his offensive skills have gone way up. He's very comfortable in the offense now.

He's got a nice jump hook he can use anywhere out to 12 feet, and he still has that face-up jumper.

Stuckey didn't play well tonight, but he played hard. Amir I think doesn't really care about being there.

Will Bynam has got to be turning heads with his defense and scoring. His passing blows, but as long as he plays that great defense, he's likely going to be our 3rd PG if Joe doesn't bring anyone else in. He has some Lindsey Hunter in his game.


Yeah, samb looked like he was told to play a different role than we're accustomed to seeing from him. Like Dyess in our 5 man rotation.

stucky and Amir were both deferring.

Clips never looked to be running plays, and had no one on the perimeter to break us down. Not worth showing up for these guys.

Al Thornton is a quality NBA player, and Sharpe kept him from getting to the rim...

Deandre Jordan sure would've looked good in the Pistons red, white and blue.


Sharpe looks better. Jordan has the basketball IQ of a turtle.

He looked good today on wide open dunks. The more you watch him player the crappier he looks. This is how he went from a top-10 pick to the mid 2nd round in a span of a month. The guy just has no skills at all.

When the season starts, Jordan is not going to get those scramble baskets, and Walter's defense and dribbling abilities will both still be there. I'm much happier to have Sharpe.

Sharpe looks better.




Couldn't we have had both though?

in all seriousness, are our young kids really getting better beating up on teams that are nearly all made up of a bunch of nobodies?

i guess it's good for guys like sharpe who haven't been in an nba environment with nba coaching.

and maybe it's more for us to evaluate how they work to improve and handle the situation. but it kind of seems that the stat lines are completely meaningless, even moreso than usual, considering who they're going against.

Couldn't we have had both though?

No, Jordan was picked before our 2nd pick.

If this was a Jordan vs Plaisted debate, yeah I'd rather have taken Jordan., as well as 25 other players.

FYI, Plaisted spent another game getting the ball swatted out of his hands like a 13-year old.

in all seriousness, are our young kids really getting better beating up on teams that are nearly all made up of a bunch of nobodies?


1. I'd say Sharpe got a lot of good work in today against one of last year's top rookies. I also want to see him play vs Joe Alexander on tuesday.

2. Curry is coaching, so this is a great chance for our guys to get a feel for his system early.

but playing in europe for a year or 2 will surely solve that, right? *sarcasm*

i thought he was our worst pick of all. but what do i know- we'll see what happens. he has some tools to work with, but if he's going to be edward scissorhands out there, he won't make it.

eh, it was a grab-bag pick anyway.

Sharpe looks really gifted. Washington and Plaisted both look terrible.

At least Plaisted has the chance to become decent in a few years if he works hard. Washington I think will go the way of James White and never be heard from again.

"I've always said that when Arron plays consistent minutes, he shoots the ball consistently," said Detroit head coach Michael Curry. "You're always glad to see everyone play well, but especially Aaron because of how much time he puts in to improve his game. He's going to be our backup 2-guard this season, so we expect him to come in and play consistent minutes each night and he'll be a good contributor for us."

in all seriousness, are our young kids really getting better beating up on teams that are nearly all made up of a bunch of nobodies?
No, but you gotta do something during the summer.

my thing is, with stuckley slated for 25+ minutes a night, there's not much left for afflalo at the backup 2 guard. i still think he'll need to play at SF a bit to give him more than 10 minutes a night.

my thing is, with stuckley slated for 25+ minutes a night, there's not much left for afflalo at the backup 2 guard. i still think he'll need to play at SF a bit to give him more than 10 minutes a night.

With Stuckey backing up the PG and SG positions and Afflalo backing up the SG and occasionally the SF positions...there are more minutes available than you think. There will be around 46-50 minutes to spread around (at the PG, SG and SF positions) between three (maybe four) players; ie. Stuckey, Afflalo, Sharpe and whoever the Pistons insert as a backup SF on the roster to compete with Walter. There are minutes to go around.

No, Jordan was picked before our 2nd pick.

If this was a Jordan vs Plaisted debate, yeah I'd rather have taken Jordan., as well as 25 other players.

FYI, Plaisted spent another game getting the ball swatted out of his hands like a 13-year old.

You are correct. I wonder if both 2nds (not Sharpes pick) could have been used to get Jordan or Chalmers though.

my thing is, with stuckley slated for 25+ minutes a night, there's not much left for afflalo at the backup 2 guard. i still think he'll need to play at SF a bit to give him more than 10 minutes a night.

RIP would probably slide to SF at times to give AA time at SG. If Sharpe is ready to contribute at some point he probably steals AA's minutes and RIP does not slide over to SF at all.

I just hope that they are careful with playing Rip at the 3 too much or he's going to get broken in half.

It won't be against the PP's of the world IMO. That will be Sharpe's roll off the bench. Most backup SF's aren't matchup nightmares so he'll be ok I think. They better hope Sharpe (or a MLE guy) is able to spell Prince though or you are correct that RIP and Tay will get worn down.

That's a big reason that TMac doesn't play much SF anymore. It's a much harsher pounding, physically, than playing SG. Although Rip is used to taking a beating running around all of those screens.

Here's some solid reporting by the Freep.


Report: Rodney Stuckey aggravates toe injury against Clippers
July 14, 2008

Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey re-injured his toe during Sunday's summer league game against the Clippers, according to NBA.com.

Stuckey scored eight points before sitting out most of the second half with the injury. The injury stems from a misstep during Saturday's practice, according to Keith Langlois of the Pistons' official blog.

The Pistons won the game, 75-66, with Arron Afflalo scoring 25 points.

The Pistons are 2-0 in the league after last night's win. The Pistons next play the Bucks at 6 p.m. Eastern in Las Vegas.

Would it kill them to have someone, you know, cover the team?

shut him down. don't need this turning into a nagging injury like 'turf toe'.

Walter's summer league stats to date:
http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=walter_sharpe

More team stats:
http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/team/index.jsp?team=pistons

--Amir's shooting 73%, btw (8-11 FG), he's also got 15 fouls in 2 games

--The Pistons have taken a grand total of 3 three pointers through 2 games.

--They have a total of 2 blocks, both by Samb

How many fouls does he have?

How many fouls does he have?

15, lol

I just edited that in.

--Amir's shooting 73%, btw (8-11 FG), he's also got 15 fouls in 2 games

--The Pistons have taken a grand total of 3 three pointers through 2 games.

--They have a total of 2 blocks, both by Samb

It concerns me that MC hasn't realized that maybe we should run some sets for Amir. Maybe he's capable of scoring the ball off more than putbacks.

Edit: While the fouls are a bit concerning, I'm not putting too much stock into quite yet, just because SL is kind of "testing grounds" for the refs. They're all a bit trigger happy.

What does concern me is that FG% for Sharpe (.235). Lets hope that is just adjusting to a new position and new league.

Wow, the vid quality on these IS really bad. Worse than I could have imagined. I can't pay attention.

Hit me with a link! I'm in class so I can't watch with sound but I can watch at least.

Hint: Secret Channel within U.S. Alien Place

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=1520800019

stuckey sits, we lose. amir another 9 fouls FWIW.

Judas priest, that's a lot of fouls.

Also I tried the NBA.com version before and it didn't work, so I went thru the site to which I was referring. If that works, then by all means.

Did Walter fall asleep at any point?

Yeah, couldn't get the NBA site to work, then skipped out on the second half of class to go pick up my new computer.

Game 3 analysis:


Arron Afflalo (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=arron_afflalo) played well most of the game, and once again showed flashes of the player that Joe Dumars had hoped for when he drafted him in last seasons NBA draft. In addition to his 18 points, Afflalo also had 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 35 mintes.
Will Bynum (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=will_bynum) started at point guard for the injured Rodney Stuckey(toe). At times Bynum played erractic(two fouls in 10 seconds) but handled the offense fairly well and stayed in front of his man, for the most part. Bynum is not playing his way out of a camp invite and could be making a play for a spot on the Pistons roster in the Fall. He finished with 9 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 28 minutes, but also had 5 turnovers and 6 fouls. Ouch.
Walter Sharpe (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=walter_sharpe) continued to impress coaches and fans alike with his play. Sharpe showed his versatility and looked very comfortable in the Pistons offense and defense. If Sharpe continues to improve at his current pace, it's hard to imagine that he can't fight his way into the Pistons rotation, depending on what changes are made to the current roster. Sharpe finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 23 minutes of play.
Cheikh Samb (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=cheikh_samb) had another good showing, using his size and athleticism to defend the Pistons net and his new found range to make a couple jump shots. Samb would find himself defending the pick and roll on numerous occasions and in most cases was excellent in both the rotation and getting back to cover his man. He needs to learn how to position himself better for rebounds, but to imagine that he had not even played basketball under 5 years ago is mind boggling. If he could just put on another 15-20 pounds while retaining his quickness, he will have a solid NBA career. Samb finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks in 21 minutes.
Amir Johnson (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=amir_johnson) had another tough night, and at times looked downright bad. Watching him play in this years summer league has to have one wonder if he is the same player who excited crowds at the Palace in his limited playing time last season. Johnson did show some flashes of his potential as he leaped through the air for a dunk, one after a nice pass from Afflalo, and blocked shots, but he must learn how to rotate on defense and stop using fouling at such a high rate. Amir finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in 23 minutes. Unfortunately he also was charged with 9 fouls.
Deron Washington (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=deron_washington) had his best game so far in the summer league. On defense he showed why he was considered a defensive forward in college. Although there was one play where he fouled a Buck shooting, and making a jump shot, giving up a traditional 3-pt play. Washington completed an alley-oop dunk and a put-back slam from a missed Trent Plaisted shot, showing his leaping skills. Still, Deron will be heading over to Europe for at least a season. He finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes.
Speaking of Trent Plaisted (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=trent_plaisted), he had his most quiet game of the summer league season so far, going scoreless in 15 minutes and finishing with 1 assist and 1 rebound. Although it should be noted that he played his usual very good defense, always being where he should be on both ends of the court and even showed his ball handling ability by breaking a trap from the Bucks and taking the ball up the court. Still, that was the highlight for Trent, other than Deron Washington having a monster dunk off of Trent's lone shot. Plaisted is probably still on his way to Europe for a season, but Dumars and coach Curry have to be giving the young big man an extra look because of his basketball IQ.
Southfield native Marcus Stout (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=sl_marcus_stout) had another solid game for himself on the offensive end, making two long jump shots and just rimming out a third. A few mistakes marred his nice shooting performance, having 3 turnovers and 3 bad fouls in 15 minutes of play. Stout is auditioning for a job in Europe or maybe to catch on from a team in the D-League.
Detroit native and former U of D Titan Ryvon Covile (http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/players/index.jsp?player=sl_ryvon_coville) finally got in a game for more than a minute or two and although he didn't score, or even get off a shot for that matter, he played well and grabbed 5 rebounds in 9 minutes of play. He used his big body to box out, defend and grab rebounds in a pretty impressive way. He may have earned some more minutes in the Pistons' next game Thursday night against the Mavericks.

Thanks for the recap, Chris.

Things are sounding a bit dire for Amir.

You'd think that he'd take this opportunity to try and win favor with Curry, it's kind of a fresh start for him.

I've read a lot of negative reports about his performance so far, and the stats (fouling) don't lie.

Amir is what he is, an energy guy that can run the floor and change the pace of the game with his presence. He's also not a very skilled player in that he's not a guy you can dump the ball to in the post and expect him to finish with consistency. He'll never excel when the game becomes a 1/2 court contest.

The summer league also isn't the best forum for him to display his skills. The games aren't as wide-open as a regular-season NBA game (except for golden state games) plus the referees call entirely too many fouls which severly slows the pace of these games and makes it primarily a 1/2 court contest. (not to mention there's too much 1-on-1 action and not much team play during these games)

It's why you see the guys that can create off the dribble do very well during the summer like a rodney stuckey, etc. (I'm actually really excited to see that afflalo is finding ways to score in these games, something I didn't think he was capable of doing).

Also people (pistons fans especially) tend to overrate amir johnson into something more than he is.

Andy (vegas): What do you think about Amir Johnson? I personally feel like if he was a real real player, we woulda seen it by now...

http://assets.espn.go.com/i/sn2.gif David Thorpe: I've never cared for him.

Ryan (Detroit): How do you like Aaron Afflalo? Is he capable of being the permanent backup 2 guard?

http://assets.espn.go.com/i/sn2.gif David Thorpe: Yes!

I've meant to ask this in the past but WHO THE FUCK is David Thorpe?

Also people (pistons fans especially) tend to overrate amir johnson into something more than he is.

BUT HE ALWAYS RANKS VERY HIGHLY IN HOLLINGER'S PER RANKINGS

I've meant to ask this in the past but WHO THE FUCK is David Thorpe?


http://espn.go.com/i/columnists/thorpe_david_m.jpg (http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=David_Thorpe)David Thorpe (http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=David_Thorpe)

ESPN Columnist | (http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=David_Thorpe)Archive (http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=David_Thorpe) | (http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=David_Thorpe)Chats (http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/story?page=ChatArchiveThorpe) | (http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=David_Thorpe)RSS (http://sports.espn.go.com/keyword/feed?query=David_Thorpe)

David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com and the executive director of the Pro Training Center at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., where he oversees the player development program for the NBA and college players.
(http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=David_Thorpe)


"Fuck you", that's my name.

Fuck him.

I'm caring less and less about the summer league each day.

So does that mean I'm becoming more like Amir each day?

You've got to STOP editing your shit after I've already posted what you are thinking in reply.

You've got to STOP editing your shit after I've already posted what you are thinking in reply.

I assume that you are talking about the GGGR quote, which I edited in before I read what you posted. I thought that you were responding to that quote with your post, actually.

But I see what you did there, now.

Mavs finish league on a winning note
Courtesy of NBA.com
Updated: July 17, 2008, 8:06 PM ET

LAS VEGAS -- The Dallas Mavericks, who spread the wealth with four players scoring in double-digits, held on to defeat the Detroit Pistons 79-73 in the first of six games Thursday at the 2008 NBA Summer League Presented by EA SPORTS.

The balanced Dallas offense was led by Aaron Miles who finished with 14 points, while Shan Foster finished with 11 and Charles Rhodes and James Singleton each chipped in with 10 in the win.

The even-keeled first quarter, which saw five ties and one lead change, got off to a fast start as both teams brought energy to the court early on. The period ended 19-15, with the Mavericks owning a four-point lead.

In the second quarter, the Mavericks continued to play energetic basketball, going on an 8-0 run in the opening two minutes of the quarter to bring the score to 27-15. Detroit battled back, cutting what grew to a 13-point Dallas lead to as few as six, 38-32 as the half drew to a close.

Cheikh Samb's nine-point quarter helped Detroit close the gap, tying the game at 50 with under a minute to play in the period. Dallas then scored a quick six points, including a last-second runner by Reyshawn Terry, to the Pistons' one and at the end of the third, the Mavericks hung on to a four-point lead, 56-51.

Dallas' domination continued in the fourth quarter, until Detroit's Will Bynum kept it interesting, converting on a steal with 1:22 to play to bring Pistons within three, 68-71. The clubs traded hoops, bringing the score to 74-70, Mavericks' advantage, with 39.3 to play, but the Mavericks never looked back, eventually winning the ballgame by six points, 79-73.

The Pistons were led by Bynum's 20-point outing, while Walter Sharpe finished with 16 on the afternoon.

Dallas finishes the summer league with a 3-2 record.

"It's been great," Foster said of his experience at summer league. "There are a lot of great coaches here and I've been able to learn a lot from them and our veterans. I'm just getting better -- it's a process, just getting better every day and trying to learn everything I can -- but in the end I just want to be able to help my team in any way possible."

Holy shit! Afflalmao! 1 for 13?

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=1520800030

Amir with 7 more fouls, but 10/9, too.

Pistons were outrebounded by 7.

SAME OLD PISTONS

Vegas league panic buttons? Or maybe just the reality of nothingness?

Joking, actually.

Joking, actually.
I know, but its cooler to take you seriously when things like this and flip murray love jonez comes up. Also wtf is the cow about, its pretty selfish to make things you like the main emoticon smilies Glenn. :VOLCANO:

It's a sacred cow.

Bleh, thats not the most clever use of the analogy.

Now if you photohopped Joe D in India showing some sacred cow props, then it would look pretty cool.

Or atleast have the anti-emoticon emoticon.

http://www.gnosis.org/saltlake/images/nosacredcows.gif

Nice find!

Here's a "branded" version (har har) in case anyone feels the need to post this "elsewhere" (hint).

http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/6807/nosacredcowswtfoo9.jpg

http://blog.mlive.com/fullcourtpress/2008/07/pistons_vs_mavericks_las_vegas.html#more

Pistons Vs. Mavericks: Las Vegas Summer League game four recap

Posted by Dave Dial July 17, 2008 21:07PM

The Detroit Pistons played another summer league game without their starting point guard and future star player, Rodney Stuckey, losing to the Dallas Mavericks 79-73 in what was an exciting game with players on both teams giving 100%.

Will Bynum got another chance to play a lot of minutes and prove to Joe Dumars and Michael Curry that he can be trusted to run the Pistons offense during the regular season. Bynum seemed to prove that point, and more, as he ran the Pistons offense and played defense with a lot of pressuring and aggression. And for a player that played with such aggression on both ends of the court, Bynum only turned the ball over once and committed 4 fouls, one of which was a very questionable call. He also ran the fast break like a veteran point guard(one time feeding Amir from 3/4 court for a slam dunk) that resulted in easy baskets. It could be possible that he locked up a camp invite with today's performance, finishing with 20 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 34 minutes.

Arron Afflalo took over much of the scoring when Stuckey's toe bothered him too much to play, but in today's game Afflalo couldn't seem to find the basket, shooting 1-13. His lone basket was a put back after a rebound. Although while you are watching the game it didn't seem as if Afflalo was having a bad game. He was involved in the offense, played good defense and led the team in assists. The Pistons are not going to rely on Afflalo to shoot 13 times a game or be their go to player, so Afflalo's shooting performance isn't of any real consequence. Arron finished with 7 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds in 36 minutes.

A player that may be a go to guy when he gains the confidence of the coach and starts getting playing time next season is Walter Sharpe, who again looked very impressive. You just can't say enough about how much Sharpe is improving from game to game and how NBA ready he is starting to look. Sharpe started off the game making a 3 point shot, showing range and the ability to hit a fade-away jumper. On defense he knew his assignments and was in position most of the game. I say most of the game because on a couple of occasions he played too far off Shan Foster that allowed uncontested jump shots to fall. The announcers agreed that Joe Dumars may have got the steal of the draft in Sharpe, and you have to agree with them if he continues to improve. Sharpe finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes.

Cheikh Samb continued to show that he has range and an improved jump shot and had another impressive game on both ends of the court. In the opening minutes of the first quarter Samb blocked a shot, hit a 16 foot jumper and fouled a Maverick shooting a 3 pointer. Samb was all over the court on defense and has shown the ability to cover the pick and roll and still get back to his man. He altered shots with his height and fear of a blocked shot and seemed to surprise Maverick defenders with his range. Samb finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocks in 23 minutes.

The last Piston starter is Amir Johnson, who had a good defensive and offensive game. He paired with Bynum to run some traps and showed a lot of quickness and athleticism for a player targeted for the PF position. Johnson ran the fast break and was rewarded with easy baskets on offense, while rebounding and boxing out on defense. This was Amir's best all around game of the LVSL. Johnson finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Pistons Vs. Bobcats: Las Vegas Summer League game five recap

Posted by Dave Dial July 18, 2008 20:11PM

The final game for the Detroit Pistons against the Charolette Bobcats, a Piston win(78-67), in the Las Vegas Summer League was a dunk-fest. Or a near dunk-fest, had the Piston players not been fouled in half of their attempts. Deron Washington, Walter Sharpe, Amir Johnson, Cheikh Samb, Arron Afflalo and even Will Bynum all had at least one dunk attempt.

Despite a report saying that Rodney Stuckey would be playing in the game against the Bobcats, it didn't happen and Will Bynum got another start for the Pistons' summer league team, and had another impressive game, putting the Pistons above .500 finishing 3-2.


July 18, NBA.com: The Pistons jumped out to a quick start, scoring the first eight points of the ballgame and finished the opening quarter up 24-17.

Detroit's hot shooting continued throughout the quarter as they connected on eight for 12 from the field behind Cheikh Samb and Will Bynum who each tallied seven points.

Detroit continued to dominate the game in the second quarter, building their lead to as many as 12 in the quarter and took a 45-36 lead into the locker room.

The Bobcats, however, came out strong in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Pistons 10-to-4 early in the quarter to pull to within four of the Pistons. But Detroit answered back, outscoring the Bobcats, 10-5, to close out the game.

Now this recap is the last one for the summer and we are going to do it a little differently to wrap things up. Each Piston, that had enough participation, will get a grade after their game recap. Starting off the will be Will Bynum, the Pistons leading scorer against the Bobcats.

Will Bynum had another very good game as the Pistons starting point guard. His defense, running the offense and ability to drive to the basket and make something happen has to caught the eye of Joe Dumars and coach Curry. Bynum even showed he has leaping ability when he went up for a tomahawk slam that looked like his eyes were even with the rim. Too bad he was fouled on the play that prevented what would have been one of the best dunks of the summer. Bynum finished with 16 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in 28 minutes.
Grading Will Bynum: Expectations: B+ Performance: B Potential: C+ Overall: B

Cheikh Samb is starting to look like a larger, more athletic, better defensive version of Joe Smith. He is shooting from all around the court, running the fast break and his defensive rotations are excellent. The plan might have been to have Samb come over and spend a couple seasons playing D-League basketball, but Dumars and Curry may have no choice but to put him in the rotation next season. A 7'1 big man who can stroke 16-18 foot jump shots, run the break, finish with a dunk, block shots and play defense has to be able to help the Pistons next season. Samb even hit a 16 foot jump shot after being passed the ball with the shot clock running down, getting it off right at the buzzer. He finished the game with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in 30 minutes.
Grading Cheikh Samb: Expectations: B Performance: B Potential: B+ Overall: B

The surprise of the summer has been Walter Sharpe. Partially because not many people have seen him play before, and partially because of how NBA ready he has looked. With a smooth shot, range, a bevy of moves and the ability to handle the basketball like a PG, Sharpe has impressed fans, media and the coaches. The only complaints about Sharpe could be that he hasn't taken over a game with his offense and he didn't finish around the rim in his first two summer league games. Which has to far exceed expectations for a second round pick that only played in 18 games the past three seasons. Sharpe went to the basket hard two times, making one dunk and getting fouled on the other. He also hit a three-point shot and used his play making skills running the fast break, feeding Washington for a dunk from half court. Sharpe finished the game with 8 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 blocked shot and 1 rebound in 24 minutes.
Grading Walter Sharpe: Expectations: A Performance: B+ Potential: B+ Overall: B+

Arron Afflalo played another solid game, giving his presence to the other Pistons on the court when they needed direction. On one play Afflalo fed Deron Washington a pass from foul-line to foul-line that led him right to the basket for a slam dunk. Arron had a tough time around the basket, drawing hard fouls multiple times. He shot 6-8 from the free throw line to make the Bobcats pay, but he hit the ground a couple times pretty hard. Afflalo finished with 10 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds in 32 minutes.
Grading Arron Afflalo: Expectations: B Performance: B Potential: B- Overall: B

Amir Johnson might find that one of his niches in the NBA will be running the trap and pressuring the ball in the full-court press. Johnson's quickness and long arms make him a perfect candidate for applying defensive pressure with the ball in the backcourt. Amir had a short jumper and a dunk, but was fouled going for a couple more dunk opportunities that would have resulted in thunder dunks. He also had a block that saved a basket with the Bobcats closing in on the Pistons lead. Amir finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 30 minutes.
Grading Amir Johnson: Expectations: C Performance: B- Potential: B+ Overall: B-

Deron Washington had his best game of the summer, by far. Washington could be seen flying through the air for multiple dunk attempts, making a couple and getting fouled on a couple, while his defense was extraordinary and non-stop. He also had a nice baseline move to the basket and scored on an up and under flip shot. If he is going to Europe next season for a year of experience, and I think he is, then this was a very good impression to leave Joe Dumars and coach Curry. Washington finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 20 minutes of play.
Grading Deron Washington: Expectations: C Performance: C+ Potential: C+ Overall: C+

When taking notes for the summer league games there is not one game where there is not a note about Trent Plaisted's pick and roll defense, and this game was no different. On one occasion he was covering the pick and roll near the three-point line, got back to his man, boxed out, grabbed the rebound(or would have had he not been fouled), was fouled and went to the free-throw line making 1 of 2. You just cannot ask for much more than that. Maybe Keith Langlois' Ben Wallace comparison is off a bit, but one cannot help but be impressed with Trent's basketball IQ and defensive abilities. One can hope that Trent can be compared to Ben in the years to come, or at least Trent and Piston fans can. Plaisted finished the game with 3 points in 15 minutes of play.
Grading Trent Plaisted: Expectations: B+ Performance: B Potential: B+ Overall: B+

Getting into the game and getting significant minutes for the first time was Jonte Flowers, and he had an impressive debut. Flowers was a last minute replacement for Dee Brown. Flowers finished with 4 points, 2 steals and 1 assist and played well on both ends of the court in his 15 minutes of playing time. Flowers and the rest of the players can't really be graded because they did not have enough playing time. Flowers, Covile, Stout, Gransberry and Allen will all be playing in Europe or the D-League next season. Good luck to all of them and their efforts are appreciated.

Rodney Stuckey isn't getting a grade either because he played in one full game and half of another. But judging by what we saw of him he is starting to hit his outside shot and would have dominating the summer league. Stuckey's ability to create his own shot and get to the basket is something that Piston fans will appreciate for a long time to come.

That wraps up this years Piston summer league season. Training camp begins in the fall, so there is a lot of time between now and then for Joe Dumars to set the Pistons roster.

Stay tuned.....

Box score: http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/games/boxscore.jsp?gameId=1520800037

sounds like we've got at least 3 or 4 future HOFers on that summer league roster- good stuff!

Dial has a bit of a homer streak in him, but he knows his stuff.

I've tried to get him to post here (we've traded some emails), but no luck so far.

in case anyone cared, ricky paulding is on the jazz sumerleague team

How did he do?