Legendary Observations

New Edition to Column

This is an idea for my column when I either have several stories I want to discuss or various thoughts to cover and do not need an entire column to carry them.

Let's see how this works . . .

Boys of Summer

As some may or may not know, the NBA's summer league has begun. I was fortunate to catch Kevin Durant's pro debut with the Supersonics against the Dallas Mavericks' squad of youngsters. Durant showed that, even though he is too young to drink or gamble, he is going to make an impact right away for the Sonics. Durant struggled at times with his shot but quickly grew comfortable in the low post against smaller defenders, showing off his fancy footwork and collection of post moves to the Vegas crowd. Despite hitting his first jumper, fellow Supersonic rookie Jeff Green looked timid in his debut.

Here are my three favorites thus far from the Summer League in Las Vegas:

Yi Jianlian: Was I wrong in my draft column to say that this guy could be a bust? Absolutely. But Yi, playing for Team China rather than the team who drafted him (Milwaukee) has impressed many this weekend and had his own variety of go-to moves against the Memphis Grizzlies. Yi scored 23 points, showed an aggressive side that Chinese players don't normally show (as we have seen with Yao Ming and his growth in the NBA) and battled with second-year forward Rudy Gay, who had his own way of welcoming Yi to the league. Yi had a bad game the next day against the Sacramento Kings and then played well against the Cleveland Cavaliers, including hitting a buzzer beater for the win. Yi is making headlines that don't involve how he's playing but rather where. There is an ongoing dispute between his representatives and officials with the Bucks because it has been made known that China (and perhaps the NBA as well) wish for Yi to play in a market with a large Chinese population, which the Milwaukee area sorely lacks.

Jose Juan Barea: Throughout the entire game, NBA TV's broadcast team kept discussing how this kid played in eight different leagues in five countries over the last year. Now I know very little about the point guard from Puerto Rico, but Jose Barea made a quick impact on me Friday night. Against Durant's Sonics, Barea was easily the most active of all the game's participants. He was similar to those college guards who never seem to stay still when they touch the ball, forcing his defenders to backpedal whenever he ran the Mavericks' offense. Jose ended the night with 14 points, 9 assists and left a few guards for Seattle gasping for oxygen.

Marco Belinelli: When looking at the Sixers options for their #21 pick in last week's draft, two international guards caught my attention. Rudy Fernandez was my favorite of the two because he was 6'6, athletic and with a great shooting touch. He also has a difficult buyout that would require him to stay overseas for another season, which would have been in the Sixers' best interest where they don't have him included in next season's salary cap space and save a roster spot, while the young gun develops his game for another season.

Belinelli made me sorry for choosing favorites. An inch shorter than Fernandez, Belinelli is a young shooting guard from Italy with many of the same characteristics as the Spaniard. Belinelli was selected before the Sixers pick at #18 by Golden State and is ready to play for the Warriors this season. In Saturday's Summer League game against the New Orleans Hornets, check out Marco's line:

40 min. (the max in Summer League), 14-20 fg, 5-7 3pt, 4-6 FT, 5 rbds, 2 ast., 3 pfs, and 37 points!

Sure, its just summer league competition, but Marco showed off his athleticism with his flashes to the basket and incredible abilities shooting the basketball. He creates his own shot, demonstrated when he faced his man up and took a quick dribble and spun into his fade away jumper, and shows he can catch and shoot with quick reflexes. Most bullets don't fly out of pistols the ways the ball jumps off his fingers. His range is ridiculous as he caught a quick pass on the fast break about 5 feet beyond the arc and wowed the crowd with a simple swish of the basket.

And just think . . .its just the summer!! Imagine what he is going to do when he is groomed by Warriors coach and offensive guru Don Nelson. Marco hasn't shown what he is capable of when receiving the ball after running through multiple screens or catching a pass from a penetrating Baron Davis.

NBA Draft Recap

Well, I got the first four picks right. That's worth something? I want to break down my winners and losers.

Winners
Sonics: The number two selection was the easiest decision of the draft because Durant seemed to drop there (drop is such a cruel word). The Sonics made a big splash by going after the Celtics draft pick and picked their pockets of young guard Delonte West, giving up sharpshooter Ray Allen in the process. They selected Jeff Green with the #5 pick from Boston and while I stated that I was weary of Green being selected by the Sixers because he seemed prime to bust (which I stand by had he ended up in Philly), Green is in a great position. Green shows that he is better suited to be a distributor and all the attention will be on Kevin Durant, not him. The two can grow together and be quite a force in a few years.

In the end, the Sonics were interested in resigning forward Rashard Lewis but Lewis opted for Florida sun instead with the Orlando Magic. Whether Seattle was trying to fool us into believing they wanted him back or not, Rashard not sticking around is the best thing for the Sonics. He would have eaten up a chunk of salary for Seattle for the next 5-7 years and there would be egos clashing in the locker room as Lewis and Durant would battle for Alpha dog status (stole that one from Bill Simmons). Now, Seattle can grow with their two young talents and they have Delonte West to really add a great dimension to their offense. Next season, they will have the money to make a splash in free agency and bring a big name in ready to help them compete for a championship. People argue that Oden will be the first so see a championship, but its possible that Durant will see the playoffs before him.

Trailblazers: Yes, I know I just said I believe the Sonics will make the playoffs before the Blazers. But Portland did very well in the draft. Besides grabbing Oden at #1, Portland Owner Paul Allen spent money buying draft picks enabling GM Kevin Pritchard to bring in multiple talents such as Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez, Finland's dazzling point guard Petteri Koponen, Florida's Taureen Green and Duke's Josh McRoberts. He also pulled off a trade to get disgruntled forward Zach Randolph out of town to the Knicks and brought in another young chip in forward Channing Fry as well as Steve Francis. Portland has an incredible amount of young talent and will be deep in a few years with the level of talent they will own.

Other winners: Celtics for making a push for the playoffs and bringing in Ray Allen while jettisoning Wally Szczerbiak's contract and not losing any of their premier trade assets. While they still have Al Jefferson to build around, they can become an instant contender in the Eastern Conference and can still make a trade with Theo Ratliff and any of their young players. They also have money to play with in the offseason to bring in a veteran. Imagine Steve Blake running the point for them, or even better - Derek Fisher (Fisher and the Utah Jazz came to a mutual agreement to release him from his contract so he can be in an area better suited for his daughter's medical needs).

I also see the Hawks as winners by doing something sensible in the draft for once and drafting two players who can play right away. Al Horford and Acie Law join a deep core and could help Atlanta pierce the very fabric of the Eastern Conference and, GASP!, make the playoffs. I think Atlanta can make the post season if they don't collapse, but then again . . .

Losers:
Suns: I think the Suns tried desperately to grab Kevin Garnett or land in the lottery. But, despite their misfortune, they still held three first round picks and passed up Rudy Fernando, opting to sell the pick instead. The Suns have done this the past several years, selling picks to avoid the luxury tax and focusing on free agency instead. Last season, they opted not to draft UConn's Marcus Williams and instead signed Marcus Banks. Even though the Suns had a good run, Banks was hardly a part of it and Williams was a quality player for the Nets.

Rockets: The Rockets had a dire need for a power forward and a crowded backcourt. So with their first round pick, they selected 6' point guard Aaron Brooks from Oregon. The Rockets have two scoring point guards in Mike James and Rafer "Skip To My Lou" Alston, so Brooks not only enters a crowded position, but is only unique because he'll be the smallest player in the group. They also drafted undersized power forward Carl Landry from Purdue. There were reports that Indiana wanted their pick and were willing to depart with Ike Diogu. Whether true or not, the Rockets had more dire needs in the first round and could have selected from a larger pool of talent with the 26th pick.

Sixers: Not so fast! This deserves a full column. Coming soon...

Hockey Anyone? ANYONE!?

For the record, I am not a hockey fan. I was not phased when the NHL went away for a year. I was not heartbroken when my hometown Flyers were one of the worst teams in the NHL last season. I am also not excited for their upcoming Stanley Cup run (Philly fans found something to hang their hopes on while the Phillies are one loss away from 10,000 and Eagles' training camp is weeks away). However, I am saddened by the news that Jeremy Roenick is retiring after 18-seasons in the NHL.

Roenick was the first player I enjoyed watching in the Orange since Brian Boucher was in net while the Flyers made a run at Lord Stanley's Cup. Never afraid of the media, Roenick walked out or rather texted out of the game by messaging the Philadelphia Inquirer "I'm retiring; is that still news?"

One of my most memorable moments of Roenick was him having his jaw shattered by a speeding puck and then rushing back to join the Flyers playoff run. He was a tough S.O.B. and Philly has missed his presence since his departure a few years ago. When all the buzz was surrounding the Flyers making a big splash into the NHL's post-apocalypse era of free agency with the signing of Peter Forsberg, Roenick knew immediately that he was going to have to be ousted to free up money.

Hockey hasn't been the same in Philly since. It won't be the same for the NHL now that he has faded into the shadows. Coming from a non-enthusiasts of the NHL, it may not be much. But if I'm upset over his departure, imagine the frozen expressions on the faces of real hockey fans.

Our 42 of the DayRyan Howard wearing the blessed number
on Jackie Robinson day.
Howard will try to defend his Home Run Derby Crown
tonight in San Francisco