Official 2013 Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League Thread

[HeHateMe 697]

Just finished the game, didn't know it was possible to be mad over a summer league game but I am. Just wanted to pull that out, especially after it was getting a little chippy.

 

Thoughts:

 

Yes Nicholson played better, but it's more of just who he is. An offensive option off the bench for some points, nothing more. The guy could not located rebounds tonight and had 2 costly turnovers. But When his post move works, it's a thing of beauty. The issue I have is it's all or nothing. If he touches it he's spinning around, backing down and shooting no matter what.

 

Vic was aggresive and can get to the lane whenever he wants, he's made that clear. And man, when he commits, he is a blur.

 

Osby back to earth but still like what he brings

 

Lamb is really playing good. He's the surprise so far if you ask me. If he starts playing with some confidence that shot could be lethal, not to mention his handles aren't bad either and he had some nice point play today.

 

Harkless is more aggressive but I feel like I'm seeing more intensity from him which is a big deal.

 

Ready for the next one.

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

The things I've enjoyed so far are Harkless looking more explosive from last year, Oladipo getting to the rim at will and Lambs all around game which has been very good.

 

For me Oladipo isn't a PG, his handle looks better than advertised but still isn't where it needs to be at the 1 and he doesn't have the vision.

 

I really want some of our free agents to get some burn tonight, I feel like 1 or 2 of them could definitely make the team given the opportunity. McGruder certainly looks good enough to take Jones' roster spot.

[ShefGator2 77]

Just finished the game, didn't know it was possible to be mad over a summer league game but I am. Just wanted to pull that out, especially after it was getting a little chippy.

 

Thoughts:

 

Yes Nicholson played better, but it's more of just who he is. An offensive option off the bench for some points, nothing more. The guy could not located rebounds tonight and had 2 costly turnovers. But When his post move works, it's a thing of beauty. The issue I have is it's all or nothing. If he touches it he's spinning around, backing down and shooting no matter what.

 

Vic was aggresive and can get to the lane whenever he wants, he's made that clear. And man, when he commits, he is a blur.

 

Osby back to earth but still like what he brings

 

Lamb is really playing good. He's the surprise so far if you ask me. If he starts playing with some confidence that shot could be lethal, not to mention his handles aren't bad either and he had some nice point play today.

 

Harkless is more aggressive but I feel like I'm seeing more intensity from him which is a big deal.

 

Ready for the next one.

 

I was hoping that Nicholson would have shown some improvement this offseason in his footwork and athleticism. I agree that the 19 points were nice and he showed that he can score with the hook shots with either hand. But, Nicholson has no jumping ability for rebounding or blocks and no lateral movement to defend. If Osby was 2 inches taller, Nicholson would be out of a job. Read that Osby's nickname at Oklahoma was "Death Ro". Hell, I'd keep him on the roster just for that nickname alone.

 

Also, O'Quinn was a steal as a 2nd round pick. He is exactly what you want as a backup center. Tough defender who can score a little and brings a nasty demeanor to the 2nd unit. I hope he picks a fight with Vucevic at training camp in the hope that some of that nastiness might rub off on big Nic who needs to play with more of an edge.

[Spaceman 58]

Soul's Thoughts - Game 2:

 

• Victor - Love his aggressiveness attacking the rim. We NEED that!!! (Yes, he forced some shots, but that'll improve).
• Lamb - Ballin' baby
• Nicholson - Much better today. Sped his game up and more aggressive.
• Moe - Love his aggressiveness but his outside shot is still a work in progress
• O'Quinn - Even though he's playing C, I think he should be our starting PF next to Vooch. Haslem 2.0
• Osby - Back to earth. I think he's a SF.

Overall, the word for today is aggressive. Love it!!!

Agreed, Nicholson did look better today. Even though VO5 couldn't make a jumper at least he got to the lane. I don't think he's a point guard (yet). Overall it looks like Lamb and KO have made some real progress now I hope the coaching staff can.

[Joseph_Kuhr 61]

AN seems to be trying to shoot himself out of trade rumors.

 

Where Lamb is doing that with miles difference with confidence. Dont need a back up if he plays like that.

 

Mcgruder may very well take jones' place.

 

With shot block city part 2 being up next we may be watching a log of mcguder/lamb stroking if oladipo can't drop shots. Getting points in the paint by anyone is going to be a challenge.

[Mauro Pedrosa 1,032]

We play the Heat tonight. Gotta win that

[Passenger57 65]

We play the Heat tonight. Gotta win that

The Battle for Florida. Moral victory is at stake. One for the ages.

[HeHateMe 697]

If Lamb keeps his play up no way he's not coming back this year. Guy has been a COMPLETELY different player in every facet of the game. I know it's just summer league, but improvement is improvement.

[Secretly Space Jesus 670]

Lamb's contract is guaranteed and below the veteran's minimum.

 

There was basically no chance he wasn't coming back anyway.

[JROD813 2]

The things I've enjoyed so far are Harkless looking more explosive from last year, Oladipo getting to the rim at will and Lambs all around game which has been very good.

 

For me Oladipo isn't a PG, his handle looks better than advertised but still isn't where it needs to be at the 1 and he doesn't have the vision.

 

I really want some of our free agents to get some burn tonight, I feel like 1 or 2 of them could definitely make the team given the opportunity. McGruder certainly looks good enough to take Jones' roster spot.

 

I agree with all of this except the FA's. Outside of McGruder possibly overtaking DeQuan and Osby maybe pushing Nicholson, I think the roster's pretty much set other than trades. I think it's good to let V.O. get experience trying to deal with pesky defenders like Jackson and hopefully Beverley later this week but he'd flourish on the wings.

 

Love what I've seen from Lamb the first two games...a shooter doesn't forget how to shoot. He's bulked up and right now is playing with confidence, if he carries that over to the regular season and we work on some sets that free him up off of screens I can see him developing into a nice option of the bench.

 

Other than that I can't believe there are people that are getting mad about Summer League games lol. You're in way too deep if you're mad about a 1 point loss in July.

[Bauncey Chillups 288]

Oladipo is playing the 1 because he needs experience working screens and handling pressure which are things he'll need as a 2 but are areas he needs to work on.

[TreyMachine 398]

I was certainly upset about yesterday's game, but I think it's a good wake-up call for us. We stopped playing when we were up by 8 with two minutes left. I think it's a reminder to these guys who thought they would stroll in and win everything. Outside of that

 

• Lamb is playing with much more confidence. He's always had a shot, but he was lacking it during the season. He's taking it to the rack and is getting that swagger back.
  
• Harkless is a natural slasher. He just doesn't have a consistent shot yet. When he releases it, it just doesn't look like he has a ton of control. It's either in or way off. I think we're going to need to give his jumper another year and his pull-up jumper another 2-3.
  
• Vic you can tell has a killer instinct in him. He doesn't sneer like Kobe, but man does he want to win.
  
• Nicolson is about at his ceiling unfortunately right now. Love his offensive repertoire, but he just hurts us in too many other ways when he's out on the floor. If he's ever going to get real minutes on a contender, he's going to need to lean to play amazing team defense because he's not becoming a stand-out one-on-one defender (or even average NBA defender) any-time soon.
  
• I don't know about you guys, but I really want to see Tobias jump in there at some point. Would be great to see what Chemistry he, Moe, and Vic could develop.