Steve Kyler of HOOPSWORLD: “Sources close to Rubio have said that Kahn has done absolutely everything right in terms of convincing Ricky not to take a deal in Europe and to let him get involved with DKV Joventut’s buyout talks. While the Timberwolves cannot offer anything more than $500,000 towards a buyout, there is a belief that the Wolves could enter into a partnership with Joventut should Rubio ultimately gain his release – the scenario painted in Las Vegas is that should Joventut decide to release Rubio, the Wolves might be willing to partner with Joventut on future exhibition games and possible assistance with coaching and player development clinics. The Wolves could not offer anything specific or offer anything that has a financial component as that would be a violation of salary cap rules. However Kahn’s visit could go a long way towards bridging future agreements should Rubio end up in Minnesota. If you recall the concessions reached to get Darko Milicic out of his deal with Hemofarm Vrsac included an elaborate array of things other than money. When the Houston Rockets obtained Yao Ming, they too had to agree to a huge list of concessions involving Yao, so there is a precedent for a deal with Rubio.”
John Krolik of Cavs the Blog: “Jamario Moon is, without any semblance of a question, the most athletic perimeter player the Cavs have gotten in the LeBron era. Moon’s an athlete and a leaper first and foremost, and there’s some potential for some truly freaky things to happen if Moon and LeBron are able to get out into the open floor. Also, LeBron finally has a solid alley-oop target, so we’ll see if that materializes into anything. However, the best thing about Moon isn’t his athleticism, but rather how he uses it around the basket. Regular readers know that one of my favorite statistical measures is how well a player finishes around the basket-in both Toronto and Miami, Moon’s eFG% on ‘inside’ shots, 76% in Toronto and 75% in Miami, would have been the best in the entire league by a considerable margin had he played enough games with either squad to qualify. In fact, the Cavs now have the ability to put 3 of the league’s 5 best finishers on the court at the same time (LeBron, Shaq, Moon), and 4 of the league’s top 11 finishers if you include Varejao.”
Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee: “As always, Martin is working hard in the offseason. After staying off the ankle for nearly a month after the season, he began a routine inspired by Kobe Bryant. The Lakers star has long been known for beginning his offseason workouts at 6 a.m., pushing himself to wake up when it’s dark and arrive at the gym long before anyone else. Martin pushed the schedule back a bit, starting at 6:30 a.m. four to five days a week for much of the summer while lifting weights four days a week as well. He arrives with two of his closest friends from his hometown of Zanesville, Ohio, then executes the workout routine provided by his personal coach, David Thorpe, before returning at night for another session. ‘I just decided I was getting up early to see where my dedication was because we’re trying to turn this team around – the mentality on the team and the whole organization,’ Martin said. ‘Turn the lights on and then turn them off, too. That’s what I’m doing this summer. It’s a lot tougher than what I thought it was.’ Martin had learned from Bryant up close last summer, playing with him on the Team USA Select team and impressing among the Olympians.”
Arsenalist of Raptors Republic: “The Raptors have been the most active team in the Eastern conference this summer but what does that mean in terms of how they’ll fare in the increasingly competitive East, a conference where Cleveland and Boston appeared to have already sealed up the first two spots and Orlando is poised for another great regular season. Once you get past those three teams it comes down to the likes of Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia and perhaps Detroit trying to snatch that final home-court spot. That’s the group the Raptors fall in and the one they hope to top next year. I’ve always said that you have to crawl before you can walk and before the Raptors make a serious dent in the playoffs they’ll have to go through a couple years of heartbreakers in the second or third round, next year is setup to be just that. Last year’s fourth seed – Atlanta – had 47 wins and if the Raptors were to match that and get home-court advantage it would mean a 14 game improvement and a 9 spot jump from the previous year. That in itself would qualify the season as a success in the eyes of management irregardless of what happens in the playoffs. And realistically speaking, that’s the best-case scenario for next season.”
Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: “‘Anything less than the playoffs is a failure for us,’ Durant said on June 30 while in town for his youth basketball camp. Durant’s words should be viewed more as motivational rather than a mandatory edict the Thunder must meet. Every player in the league will say the goal is the postseason. But just how realistic is that objective for Oklahoma City? The Thunder has a handful of factors that could boost its chances. The 20-30 record over last season’s final 50 games. The stability players and coaches now enjoy as opposed to shifting from Seattle a year ago this time. The continuity it has with Brooks center Nenad Krstic and swingman Thabo Sefolosha all returning for a full season. The Thunder played only 17 games last season with its projected opening night starting lineup of Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, Durant, Sefolosha and Krstic. Oklahoma City added more talent this summer in No. 3 overall pick James Harden. Draft picks Serge Ibaka and Byron Mullens also could prove to be everything Mo Sene and Robert Swift weren’t. Nineteen of the Thunder’s losses came by four points or less, the third-most defeats in the league by that margin, trailing only Indiana and San Antonio. That total figures to fall slightly as the young core gains more experience next season.”
Chris McCosky of The Detroit News: “Dumars, it appears, has achieved his goal. He’s given the Pistons a major makeover without having to bottom out and rebuild out of the lottery. On paper, this team isn’t as good as Boston, Orlando or Cleveland. But, it’s a playoff team, a young playoff team, one that’s on the rise. Still, Dumars knows this new model won’t please everybody. With more than $18 million to spend this summer, some fans might have expected the Pistons to sign a more marquee-type player. Dumars knew that, not only were those players not readily available, signing one big-name player was not going to facilitate long-term success. Imagine what would have happened if Dumars either had not traded Billups when he did, or decided to save the cap space for the summer of 2010, when more marquee free agents were hitting the market. With the economic downturn, Dumars would have been left holding an empty bag. The league set the salary cap at $57.7 million this year and expects it could drop as low as $53.6 million next summer. All those teams who positioned themselves to be big shoppers in 2010 are now in major-scramble mode. Those thinking they could buy two elite players now hope to get one.”
Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times: “First Anthony Randolph had his record-tying performance topped by teammate and friend Anthony Morrow. Now, he gets jobbed out of summer league MVP honors. Big deal? Not really. But it’s a dis nonetheless. I just learned that Blake Griffin was named MVP of the Las Vegas summer League. I don’t know who chooses, but certainly they spent too much time at Margeritaville. Anthony Randolph shoulda been MVP. Certainly, Griffin had more hype. He cemented himself as one of the most dominant rookies in summer league history and many expect him to have a stellar rookie season. And, no doubt, many of the voters, whoever they are, may not have seen much of Randolph since the Warriors played the first half of the schedule and most people came for the second half, when Griffin arrived. Randolph did miss his last game. Still, a look at the stats would’ve been enough to crown Randolph the winner: Randolph: 26.8 points, 60.9 FG%, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks. Griffin: 19.2 points, 50.0 FG%, 10.8 rebounds and 0.4 blocks.”
Jessica Camerato of WEEI.com: “Every year there are standout performances at Summer League. Many of those performances, though, stay there. Take John Lucas III. In 2006, he ranked second in scoring above Amar’e Stoudemire and Brandon Roy. He hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2007 season. Marcus Banks set a Summer League record in 2007 with 42 points in a single game. Since then, he has played in fewer than 60 regular-season games while bouncing to three different teams. Last summer Jerryd Bayless was named T-Mobile NBA Summer League Top Rookie. He averaged less than five points per game in his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers. This year two members of the Golden State Warriors tied and then broke Banks’ scoring record. Anthony Randolph met the mark two days before Anthony Morrow surpassed it with 47 points. This coming season, eyes will be on the pair to see if they live up to the expectations set in Vegas. But that isn’t to say that all performances should be taken with a grain of salt. There is no denying the pure talent of this year’s first overall pick Blake Griffin. Not only is he huge, but he plays smart basketball, which lends itself to high-percentage shots. The Clippers have a double-double machine in the making.”
Susan Bible of HOOPSWORLD: “Oklahoma City’s biggest star, and arguably one of the biggest rising players in the NBA, Kevin Durant, sat on the bench cheering for his teammates in the last few Las Vegas games. Presti wasn’t surprised by his appearance. ‘We’re around Kevin Durant every day. None of us take for granted the fact that he’s a true team guy and continues to show that, whether it’s working out with guys in the offseason, coming to summer leagues, going through shoot-arounds in the summer leagues’, Presti said. Durant is just about as humble and real as they come. ‘I saw him do those types of things in his rookie year going back to the University of Texas during the all-star break when he could have been doing other things,’ said Presti. ‘I think that’s just what he’s about.’ Presti’s praise for Durant didn’t end there. ‘We’re fortunate to have somebody like that, and Kevin’s really committed to making himself a better player but ultimately he’s really committed to making this team better. He’s carried that sense of focus from the end of last season into this offseason. Being here at the summer league was another way for his to establish his leadership.’”
