The Vegas Summer Pro League kicks starts today at 3PM CST. This is much larger and higher profile than the Orlando SPL. Unfortunately you can’t watch this one for free. You can watch all games online here for a fee of $14.99. The video quality should be much better than the Orlando SPL but that price is a little steep for SPL. Don’t worry though, the Pub will do our best to keep you updated on the action.

The Games from July 10-19 click here for the complete schedule

Teams (Click for Roster)

Chicago Bulls

Who we’re watching: Bryan Mullins: Mullins is a personal favorite of mine just because I really enjoyed watching him run the point at SIU for 4 years. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever make an NBA roster but he should have a lengthy career overseas.

Juilus Hodge: Hodge was a prolific scorer during his brief career in the NBA. Many beleived the kid would be a star in the NBA.

James Johnson & Taj Gibson: These guys were 1st round picks for the Bulls so they will be make the team regardless of their performance. Johnson could be a sleeper for ROY.
Cleveland Cavaliers

Danny Green: Green was a 2nd round pick for the Cavs and I really like his upside. He is a freakish athlete that has developed a reliable jumper. When it’s all said and done I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be the best UNC alum in this draft class.

Christian Eyenga: The Cavs drafted this 6′5″ swingman from the Congo with last pick of the 1st round. Guess we’ll see if he has the skills or upside to warrant a 1st rd selection.

Dallas Mavericks

Nick Calathes: Calathes was a 2nd round selection by the Mavs and he’s reportedly going to play the next season or 2 in Greeece but it still should be interesting to see how he performs in Vegas.

Ahmad Nivins: Nivins was beast in post during his days at St. Joe’s. It’s unlikely that he’ll make an NBA roster but he could develop into a solid role player for an NBAin the future.

Denver Nuggets

Ty Lawson: Critics saw Lawson is too short and too injury prone to succede in the NBA. I think the Nuggets were smart to trade for him shortly after Minnesota drafted him in the 1st rd. He should devlop into an excellent PG backing up Billups.

Detroit Pistons

Michael Bramos: Bramos will prboably never make it the NBA but I really enjoyed watching him in college.

DaJaun Summers: Summers has a lot of upside but it may take a season or 2 of development before he turns into a reliable NBA player.

Austin Daye: The Pistons 1st rd pick and former Gonzaga Bulldog needs to add about 20lbs but I thought the same thing about Tayshaun Prince. I doubt he’ll ever be a starter in ther NBA but who knows.

Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry: All eyes will be on Curry. Will he tear up opposing defenses running the point or simply end up as a 3pt specialist?

Houston Rockets
Chase Budinger: Budinger could develop into the greatest ginger the NBA has seen since the days of Bill Walton. He can flat out jump out the gym and has a solid offensive repertoire.

James White: Coming out of High School White was touted as a can’t miss NBA prospect. Things didn’t quite pan out for Mr. White but it’ll be interesting to see if he can work his way onto an NBA roster.

Los Angeles Clippers

Blake Griffin: Not much of a question here. The #1 pick will be good. It’s just a matter of how good. Will he develop into a superstar or be a solid 18-10 guy?

Eric Gordon: The combo of Gordon and Griffin may just make the Clippers the team to beat. Wow did I just say the LA Clips are the team to beat? Yep it’s summer pro league.
Los Angeles Lakers

Mustafa Shakur: Shakur had an excellent college career. He may not ever pan out to be a productive PG in the NBA but I’ll still watch every time he plays just because I enjoyed his collegiate career.

Memphis Grizzlies

Hasheem Thabeet: There no question about whether or not Thabeet can play defense. It’s all a matter of how he develops his offensive game. Even without offense Thabeet should have a long NBA career as a defensive big man.

SamYoung: Young was amazing for Pittsburgh. It’ll be interesting to see how his NBA career pans out.

Donta Smith: The former Hawk was a 2nd round pick out of SE Illinois CC in 2004. He was viewed as a player with a lot of upside but his NBA career ended up being brief as he has ended up playing pro ball in Europe.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are loaded with players to watch. Brandon Jennings, Joe Alexander, Jodie Meeks, Dominic James and Salim Stoudamire are players to keep an eye on.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Gerald Henderson & Wayne Ellington:

NBA D-League Select

Curtis Stinson: OK he probably doesn’t have what it takes to play in the NBA. However he’s another one of the guys that I enjoyed watching in college.

New Orleans Hornets

Luke Nevill:

Darren Collison:

Julian Wright:
New York Knicks

Wink Adams:

Toney Douglas:

Patrick Ewing Jr.:

Jordan Hill:

Nikoloz Tskitishvili:

Oklahoma City Thunder

James Harden:

Shaun Livingston:

Byron Mullens:

Serge Ibaka:

Phoenix Suns

Robin Lopez:

Micah Downs:

Earl Clark:

Portland Trail Blazers

Patrick Mills:

Pooh Jeter:

Sacramento Kings

Tyreke Evans:

Jon Brockman:

Jason Thompson:

San Antonio Spurs

DeJuan Blair:

Jack McClinton:

George Hill:
Toronto Raptors

DeMar Derozan:

Patrick O’Bryant

Smush Parker:

Washington Wizards

Tyrese Rice:

Josh Heytvelt:

JaVale McGee:

Nick Young:

Standings

Team_________W _L _PCT__GB__ PPG __OppPPG_ Margin

Indiana Pacers           3  0   1.00     _     87.0      78.0        +9.0   team stats
OKC Thunder             2  1   .666     1     90.0      83.3        +6.7   team stats
Orlando Magic            2  1   .666     1     90.0      85.3        +4.7   team stats
Boston Celtics            1  2   .333     2     83.6      78.3        +5.3   team stats
Utah Jazz                   1  2   .333     2     72.7      83.2       -10.5  team stats
NJ/PHI Nexers            0  3   .000     3     73.6      88.6       -15.0  team stats

Individual Leaders

(Min 2Games Played)

Points Per Game

1. 27.0   Ryan Anderson, F, Orlando Magic
2. 23.2   Russell Westbrook, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
3. 21.3   Tyler Hansbrough, F, Indiana Pacers
4. 19.0   Roy Hibbert, C, Indiana Pacers
5. 17.3   Chris Douglas-Roberts, G, NJ/PHI Nexers

Rebounds Per Game

1. 10.5   Ryan Anderson, F, Orlando Magic
2.   8.3   Roy Hibbert, C, Indiana Pacers
3.   7.3   Terrance Williams, F, NJ/PHI Nexers
4.   7.0   Marreese Speights, F, NJ/PHI Nexers
5.   6.5   Darian Townes, F, Orlando Magic

Assists Per Game

1.  7.3   Russell Westbrook, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
2.  4.0   Shaun Livingston, G/F, Oklahoma City Thunder
2.  4.0   Gabe Pruitt, G, Boston Celtics
2.  4.0   Russell Robinson, G, Orlando Magic
5.  3.7   Eric Maynor, G, Utah Jazz

Steals Per Game

1.   2.7   Russell Westbrook, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
2.   2.3   Will Blalock, G, Indiana Pacers
3.   2.0   Coby Karl, G/F, Boston Celtics
3.   2.0   A.J. Price G, Indiana Pacers
3.   2.0   Russell Robinson, G, Orlando Magic

Blocks Per Game

1.   3.3  Marreese Speights, F, NJ/PHI Nexers
2.   2.0  Kasib Powell, F, Orlando Magic
3.   1.7  Kevin Rogers, F, Boston Celtics
4.   1.5  Serge Ibaka, F, Oklahoma City Thunder
5.   1.3  Roy Hibbert, C, Pacers & Kyle Weaver G/F, OKC Thunder

Turnovers Per Game

1.  4.3   Russell Westbrook, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
2.  3.5   Maurice Ager, G, Orlando Magic
3.  3.3   J.R. Giddens, G, Boston Celtics
4.  3.0   Will Blalock, G, Indiana Pacers
4.  3.0   Coby Karl, G/F, Celtics & Ryan Anderson, F, Orlando Magic

3PM

1.   7   Chris Lofton, G, Boston Celtics, .636%
2.   5   Dionte Christmas, G, NJ/PHI Nexers .454%
3.   4   A.J. Price, G, Indiana Pacers .800%
4.   4   Ryan Anderson, F, Orlando Magic .444%
5.   4   James Harden, G/F, Oklahoma City Thunder .400%

FG% (min 10 attempts)

1. .800   Serge Ibaka, F, Oklahoma City Thunder
2. .786   James Augustine, F, Utah Jazz
3. .777   Josh Duncan, F, Utah Jazz
4. .677   Roy Hibbert, C, Indiana Pacers
5. .586   Ryan Anderson, F, Orlando Magic

FT% (min. 8 attempts)

1. .941   Ryan Anderson, F, Orlando Magic
2. .923   Marreese Speights, F, NJ/PHI Nexers
3. .903   Russell Westbrook, G, OKlahoma City Thunder
4. .900   Jrue Holliday, G, NJ/PHI Nexers
5. .889   Eric Maynor, G, Utah Jazz

Game 1: Pacers 95-Jazz 79 boxscore

The Pacers were just too much for the Jazz in this one. Indiana was once again led by Tyler Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert. Hansbrough finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds and was a perfect 14-14 from the free throw line. Big Roy Hibbert, finished with 21pts 8rebounds and 2Rejections. AJ Price had his best game of the SPL  finishing with 14pts, 4rebounds and 2 assists.

James Augustine came off the bench to lead another balanced Jazz offensive with 12 points. Josh Duncan reached double figures once again with 10 points and 3 rebounds.

Game 2: Thunder 94-Celtics 82 boxscore

The Thunder capitalized on a big 2nd quarter as they cruised to victory in this one. Russell Westbrook put together another dominating performance. The 2nd year player out of UCLA, finished with 26points, 5 steals, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Former Hoosier, DJ White put together his best SPL performance with 16points, and 5 boards.Kyle Weaver and Devon Hardin also finished in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively. Former Lotto Pick, Shaun Livingston, put together a solid performance with 10points and 6 boards in just 21 minutes.

J.R Giddens led the Celtics with 16 points but Chris Lofton was the story for Boston. Lofton caught fire, hitting 4-5 from 3pt land and finished with 15pts. Bill Walker chipped in scoring 12 points and hauling down 5 boards.

Game 3: Magic 108-Nexers 86 boxscore

Game 1: Celtics 82-Magic 85 boxscore

The Magic were led by Ryan Anderson in this one. He absolutely dominated the Celtics from the start in this one.  The former Cal Bear was 4-4 from the field in the 1st quarter as he led all scorers with 14 1st quarter points.  The show did not end there as he went on to grab 14 boards and score a Summer Pro League High 33points. Kasib Powell also chipped in with 15points in his SPL debut for the Magic. Stevan Milosevic looked completely lost in his debut as he committed 5 turnovers in just 12 minutes of play. George Karl’s son Coby, led the Celtics with 18 points. Coby actually looked surprisingly good in this game. J.R. Giddens threw down a couple of spectacular dunks and finished with 17points. Nevada alum, Nick Fazekas, had a solid game with 12 points and 5 rebounds.

Game 2: Jazz 83-Phil/NJ 68 boxscore

This one wasn’t much of a game as the Jazz controlled this one from the start. Rookie PG Eric Maynor led the balanced Jazz effort with 12pts, 5 reb &4ast. Josh Duncan had another solid performance with 12 points. Former Running Rebel, Keivn Krueger was a strong contributer10pts and 4 boards for the Jazz. Chris Douglas-Roberts was the one bright spot for the Nexers. CDR shot 8-14 from the field and 11-13 from the charity stripe as he finished with 27points.

Game 3: Pacers 91-Thunder 88 boxscore

This Pacers led through most of this one but Thunder stormed back and this one was tied at 88 before the Pacers sealed the deal. The Pacers were led by big men Roy Hibbert and Tyler Hansbrough. Hibbert scored 24 points and pulled down 8 boards. Psycho T was 2-2 from 3pt land and finished with 23 points and 4 boards. Josh McRoberts dominated this one early with 10 points and 3 boards. Unfortunately McRoberts came down awkwardly on his ankle with just under a minute to go in the 1st and missed the rest of the game. He eventually left the lockeroom on crutches so it’s unlikely that he’ll play during the next couple of days. Russell Westbrook once again led the Thunder with 22points, 8 assists and 3steals. 3rd overall pick, James Harden also had another strong performance with 19points and 5 rebounds.

Today was the first day that I had a chance to watch any of the games online. All I’ve got to say is what the hell is the deal with the commentators? Dante Marchitelli and George Galante, aka Dante & Galante, are horrible. All they do is bitch and moan the whole game. In betwenn their bitching and moaning they’re cracking lame jokes. They provide absolutely ZERO intelligent insight. If I wanted to hear comedy then I certainly wouldn’t tune in to the SPL and I especially wouldn’t listen to hacks that simply steal their jokes from movies and other people. Some people do enjoy these guys but anyone that actually wants to follow the game does not. If they hate doing these games so much then why are they there in the first place? If it’s a contractual obligation then why does their employer allow them to make a mockery of the games? I’ll admit that they do have  a cult fan base. That would be a decent excuse for keeping them but ratings don’t matter because there is absolutely no advertising during these games!

Dante Marchitelli(left) George Galante(right) Wannabe Comedians

Normally,I just hit mute when I can’t stand the commentary. But the poor video quality eliminates that option. I tried scoring game 1 myself today but I had to give up.  It’s near impossible to make out the players numbers so you have to have a reliable play by play. Unfortunately these guys suck. Hell, they don’t even know who made the last shot half the time.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If you think Summer Pro League is garbage that’s fine with me. Just don’t ruin it for the people having hoops withdrawals that actually look forward to these games.

Later tonight I’ll post a recap of today’s games.

The Orlando Summer Pro League kicked off yesterday. I know it’s not that big of a deal but I’m always having serious hoops withdrawal this time of year. I actually enjoy these games. Sure, most of these guys aren’t going to be stars in the NBA and success in these leagues doesn’t always translate. I don’t care. It’s much more entertaining than watching the WNBA.Plus you can watch all of these games online for free here.

Game 1: Indiana 75-New Jersey/Philadelphia 67 OT boxscore

First off, I’ve gotta say that New Jersey/Philadelphia almost  makes it seem like there a small town co-op High School participating in this league. And I actually like that.  Marreese Speights and Chris Douglas-Roberts carried the Nexers(Nets+Sixers) with 28 and 20 points respectively. Jrue Holliday produced 9pts, 2ast, 4rb, 4stl, 5to in his shaky 38 minute debut. Unfortunately the 2 man show wasn’t enough as the Pacers pulled away in OT. Tyler Hansbrough came off the bench to lead the Pacers with 17pts. Those 17 were actually quite impressive considering Psycho T was in foul trouble for most of the game. Brandon Rush also chipped in with 15pts despite shooting only 22% from the field. Big man Roy Hibbert also put together a solid game with 12 points and 7 boards.

Game 2: Oklahoma City 88- Orlando 77 boxscore

Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to victory in this one. The 2nd yr PG gor to the Free Throw line 18times and he converted on 16 of those attempts to finish with 22pts and 9Ast. James Harden scored 17points off the bench in his impressive debut. Fellow rookie BJ Mullens chipped in with 11 points. Forward, Ryan Anderson led the Magic in scoring with 21. Teammate and Delta St. alum, Jeremy Richardson, contributed a double-double with 18pts& 11 boards.

Game 3: Boston 87- Utah 56 boxscore

This one was never even close. The Celtics absolutely spanked the Jazz in this one. It was a team effort for the Celtics as 5 players put up double digits. Bill Walker led the way with 14 followed   Nick Fazekas’s 13, Lester Hudson & Gabe Pruitt’s 11 and J.R. Giddens 10.  Lester Hudson was one hell of a college player and I hope he is able to land a spot in the NBA this season. There isn’t a lot of highlights for the Jazz but former Xavier Musketeer, Josh Duncan led the team with 12 points. Rookie PG Eric Maynor, was efficient scoring 9pts, dishing 4 dimes and committing Zero turnovers. Big Man Kosta Koufas did not play in this one.

That’s all I’ve got for day 1. Hopefully I’ll have a more insightful review of today’s games.

With the off season in full swing and little news from Lakerland these past few days, I have comprised a list of the top ten things to do while waiting for the upcoming season. Here are my top ten:

10. Pull out all of your old copies of games and videos (like the 2002 Championship DVD) watch them and build your own highlight reel of your favorite plays, then post it on YouTube.

9. Go to Vegas, watch the NBA Summer Pro League in person and complain out loud why the Lakers couldn’t pick up ______________ who is lighting them up right now.

8. Sneak into the Lakers El Segundo training facility to see who’s actually working out, then try out the Zero Gravity running machine yourself.

7. Start your own off season training program trying to gain 20 pounds of muscle like Kobe did in 2003 or lose 20 pounds like Kobe did in 2007.

6. Search through all of the celebrity gossip sites making sure that none of the Lakers got caught doing something stupid, like throwing someone’s birthday cake around.

5. Hang out at all the clubs and bars known to be frequent Laker hang outs and wait for one of them to come in, then when you see a Laker come in tell him to go home and practice some jumpshots.

4. Go on EBay and shop around for some Laker stuff.

3. Go to the Team LA Store and buy every Laker item on sale.

2. Take a trip out to Boston and tour the city in a wheelchair marked Paul Pierce and when someone asks tell them you bought it off Craigslist.

and finally….

1. Visit all of your favorite Laker websites (i.e. gamedayla.com, lakersground.net, clublakers.com, etc.) and post as many comments about the Lakers as you can!

Let me know what your top ten things to do in the off season are by posting your comments below. Go Lakers!