James Harden Hooping At The Drew League

Guard James Harden recently made his second straight appearance in The Drew League, long labeled California’s best Pro-Am summer league. For more than 35 years, the league, based in South Central L.A., has attracted some of the best high school, college, international and NBA talent. Players such as Paul Pierce, Byron Scott, Dennis Johnson, Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Cuttino Mobley, Trevor Ariza and O.J. Mayo have played at “The Drew.”

Playing opposite Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings this summer, Harden showed off his shooting touch and underrated athleticism on a few breakaway dunks, as evidenced by the below video.

I know there always will be a segment of fans who hate it when players play for anyone anywhere outside of organization that’s signing the checks. And if I’m a season ticket holder who has paid hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to see these players play I’d be a little on edge as well. But at the end of the day, basketball is just like anything else in life. You have to practice and spend time on it to get better. And that’s what I take away from this clip of Harden playing against some solid competition this summer. He’s having fun but also improving his skills. Ultimately, that can’t be anything but good for the Thunder, the team that’s paying him handsomely, and the fans, the ones ponying up to watch him play.

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Locals Off To Slow Starts In The NBA

This year’s draft class was the deepest the state of Oklahoma has ever offered the NBA.

Four players who are either Oklahoma natives or played at state colleges went in the first round of last month’s draft. Another three were drafted in the second round. This looked like a landmark year for the locals.

Then came July.

All seven of the locals drafted into the NBA this year have struggled to start their careers on the right foot. Something –  injuries, contract disputes or poor play — has plagued every one of this year’s players with Oklahoma ties.

Consider it a two-year trend of crummy luck, seeing as how 2009 No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin has yet to play a regular season game due to a knee injury.

But this year’s misfortune is just mind-boggling.

Former Edmond Sante Fe center Ekpe Udoh, drafted sixth overall by Golden State, is out four to six months with a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Former Putnam City phenom Xavier Henry, selected 12th overall out of Kansas by Memphis, is on the sidelines because of a contract dispute as his Grizzlies compete in summer league play in Las Vegas. (How a team and its first-round pick has a contract dispute with pretty clear rookie scale contract regulations is beyond me.)

Former Oklahoma State star James Anderson, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year who San Antonio selected 20th, likely will miss the Spurs’ entire summer league slate because of an injured hamstring.

Former Bishop McGuinness standout center Daniel Orton, drafted 29th overall by Orlando, averaged just 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in four games at summer league in Orlando. Orton shot just 4-for-27 from the field (14.8 percent) and made only eight of 17 free throws.

And then there’s the second-round picks.

Former Tulsa center Jerome Jordan, playing for New York following a draft-night trade to the Knicks after being selected 44th overall by Milwaukee, has averaged more fouls (6.5) than points (6.0) and more turnovers (4.0) than rebounds (3.5) in two summer league games.

Former Oklahoma big man Tiny Gallon, taken 47th by Milwaukee, actually has fared fairly well. On Tuesday night, he scored eight points with a game-high 11 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench against Memphis. That followed his five-point, three-rebound effort in just seven minutes Monday against Dallas.

And former Oklahoma guard Willie Warren, selected 54th by the L.A. Clippers, looked nervous and thoroughly outmatched while starting opposite No. 1 overall pick John Wall on Monday night. Warren finished with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting but had just one assist, struggling to play off the ball alongside Eric Bledsoe or keep his man in front of him.

These first three weeks have been cruel to this year’s crop of locals. But by no means will the first 21 days define their careers. As with any rookie, they’ll need time. We should all give them that time and wish them better luck down the line.

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Nick Collison’s Two-Day Adventure

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nick Collison has had his eyes set on a family vacation.

At some point over the next couple of years, the Thunder’s power forward was going to take his family to Disney World.

Oddly enough, knee surgery fast-forwarded his timeline.

Collison has come to Orlando to rehab his right knee, which needed arthroscopic surgery in mid-May. While here, he thought it best to squeeze in that highly-anticipated trip to the place where dreams come true. Before making his first appearance at summer league on Monday, Collison took his wife, Robbie, and 4-year-old daughter, Emma, to the world’s most famous theme park.

“If it didn’t work out like this I might have waited a couple of years,” Collison said. “But (Emma) had fun. It was only a couple of rides she wasn’t tall enough to go on.”

But what’s a family vacation without a few snags?

Doing Disney World during the jammed-packed, summer-vacation, dog-days of spicy-hot July can be brutal for any parent. And Collison learned that lesson the hard way. He split the trip over a two-day span, making sure his leading ladies got the most out of their visit.

As for Collison, well he got a surprising workout.

“It was a lot of work, man,” he said. “We were there six, seven hours standing in line with the heat. It’s a grind, man. Eighty-two games is nothing compared to that. It’s tough but it was fun.”

Asked his favorite ride, Collison didn’t hesitate.

“Splash Mountain,” he declared. “That’s a good ride.”

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Who Impressed Me In Day Two In Orlando

Simply put, some players have it and others don’t. Here’s who I thought had it in Day Two in Orlando.

Others of note: Derrick Brown (Charlotte), Tony Gaffney (Boston), Luke Harangody (Boston), Gerald Henderson (Charlotte), Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia), Oliver Lafayette (Boston), Jodie Meeks (Philadelphia), Terrence Williams (New Jersey), Lance Stephenson (Indiana).

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Daniel Orton Juggling Jitters

ORLANDO, Fla. — Daniel Orton thought he had his emotions in check.

The former Bishop McGuinness standout and rookie center for the Orlando Magic figured his first summer league game, in his new backyard, would be no big deal.

But when game time crept closer, the butterflies grew bigger and bigger in his belly.

“It was crazy,” Orton admitted following his forgettable debut.

Orton’s brother, former Oklahoma State forward Terrence Crawford, phoned Orton on Monday afternoon to do what big brothers do. Crawford offered comfort. A few words of advice and some well-wishes. Before ending the call, Crawford asked Orton if he was nervous.

“I said no,” Orton remembered.

“And then I texted him about 30 minutes later and said, ‘OK, I’m nervous now.’”

The first-game jitters never went away. Orton rushed everything in the Magic’s 86-77 loss to Indiana. His post moves and his jumpers. His fouls shots and his ball screens.

“I didn’t think I was going to be that nervous but I really was,” Orton said.

The fouls, some of them phantom, most of them legit, but five in all, took him out of the game mentally. Orton grew more frustrated at the sound of each whistle. It took him out of his rhythm and too often sent him marching to the bench for pep talks and instruction. Orton played just 13 minutes.

Everyone from Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, to assistant Bob Beyer, to star guard Vince carter tried to console Orton on Monday. Orlando summer league coach and legendary center Patrick Ewing, the foremost figure in charge of developing Orton’s skills, was in his ear the most.

“He said I have to slow down, take my time and just get more relaxed out there and feel comfortable,” Orton said.

Orton will get a mulligan at noon today against Utah. And this time, Orton is confident he’ll be calmer.

“To get the first one over was just a relief,” he said.

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Thoughts From Day One In Orlando

Observations from the opening day in Orlando…

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Who’s Ready For Summer League?

OKC's five-game summer league schedule starts Monday against Boston.

ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s been 66 days since we last watched Thunder basketball.

But you can kiss that streak goodbye at approximately 4 p.m. today and gear up for a week of summer league hoops. The Thunder kicks off its five-game schedule in the AirTran Airways Pro Summer League against the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. OK, well maybe not the Celtics crew that won the East but you get the idea.

A lot of jokes are made about summer league ball but, as I wrote over the weekend, the Thunder takes this time quite seriously and stresses summer development a great deal in its program. And that dedicated approach has paid off nicely for Oklahoma City. This is the third straight summer the Thunder has participated in this league, and last year’s roster was the only outfit that traveled to Las Vegas as well. Laugh at these leagues if you must, but Russell Westbrook’s breakout second season originated in Orlando. James Harden and Serge Ibaka now appear next in line.

I’ve been asked a lot lately why the Thunder chose Orlando and is not competing in Las Vegas again this year as well. My explanation is that Orlando is shorter, has a much more compact schedule and is cheaper. But here’s a good article by Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that lists the “no frills” aspect of Orlando as a leading reason several teams prefer this place. You can count the Thunder among those teams.

This should really be a fun week. For the first time, NBA TV will broadcast all 20 games being played here live. And for $14.95, you can get Summer League Broadband, an online package that provides streaming access to these 20 games as well as the other 55 contests being played in Las Vegas from July 9-18.

There is some pretty good talent on hand this year, too. Four of the top 10 picks in last month’s draft will make their pro debuts: Philadelphia’s No. 2 overall pick Evan Turner from Ohio State, New Jersey’s No. 3 overall pick Derrick Favors out of Georgia Tech, Utah’s No. 9 pick Gordon Hayward of Butler and Indiana’s 10th overall pick Paul George from Fresno State. Host team Orlando, with former Bishop McGuinness High standout and 29th pick Daniel Orton, and Charlotte are the final two teams in the league.

A quick primer going into Day One…

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More On The Durant Free Agent Front

durantindistance

This time next year, Kevin Durant will be eligible to re-sign with the Thunder for up to five more seasons beyond the 2010-11 season.

In Monday’s paper I wrote about Durant’s contract situation and how he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, in large part because, no matter how hard it might be for some to believe, he really has grown fond of Oklahoma and the Thunder. But I wanted to post some additional information about Durant’s forthcoming decision and give you an even clearer idea of why Durant isn’t likely to leave after his rookie deal.

In short, players like Durant just don’t walk after their rookie contracts.

Whether we believe Durant will do what he’s repeatedly said he wants to do — remain with the Thunder for as long as possible — is up to us at this point. It’s certainly understandable how fans and media types have revoked the benefit of the doubt from athletes and coaches. There are far too many examples of a player or coach insisting his or her heart is somewhere only to jump ship weeks later.

But if Durant’s good old-fashioned word isn’t enough, let’s examine history.

Out of 70 top 10 picks from 1999-2005, 40 players went on to sign an extension with the team that drafted them or the club that traded for them.

(I chose this seven-year time frame because the second most recent CBA was instituted in 1999 and still contained rules with similar structuring of rookie contracts to today. I stopped at 2005 because the jury is still out on the class of 2006, which just became eligible to sign extensions this summer and so far has seen No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani become the lone top 10 pick from that class to re-up.)

Of the remaining 30 players from 1999-2005 who didn’t sign extensions, 15 were players who can be considered busts or simply didn’t live up to early expectations: Marcus Fizer, Rodney White, Nickoloz Tskitishvili, Dajuan Wagner, Jarvis Hayes, Stromile Swift, Keyon Dooling, Joel Przybilla, Channing Frye, DeSagana Diop, Michael Sweetney, Darko Milicic, Rafael Araujo, Ike Diogu and Luke Jackson.

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Brooks Breaks Down Summer League

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Watson Released, Thunder Falls To 0-4

LAS VEGAS — Sort of a crazy day out here. The Thunder made its first transaction of the off-season, and it’s one fans have long craved, seemingly by any means necessary. Oklahoma City released veteran point guard Earl Watson, making the man a free agent and finally ending his unhappy stay in Oklahoma City.

Watson has agreed to sign with Indiana but can’t until he clears waivers after seven days.

I’ll try to sum up this move quickly by providing clarity on what seems to be the biggest question of the day. Why did OKC waive Watson instead of trading him?

The answer: the Thunder couldn’t trade Earl Watson for two reasons, 1) his trade value likely wasn’t high and 2) you have to get something of value in return when you trade a player. GMs don’t just trade a player to satisfy his desires without getting something in return, even if that’s peanuts that turns into money off the books (read, expiring contracts).

Oklahoma City would have had to take back a salary if they did last season. And it’s now clear whatever offers were out there clearly didn’t appease the front office. And the Thunder is way under the cap this summer. That means two things, 1) OKC doesn’t have to match salaries in a trade for Watson and 2) any trade would mean OKC would again be seeking something of value in return. It wasn’t there.

A trade would have brought somebody that the team clearly doesn’t want, either because of his skills or because of his contract. There was no way the Thunder was going to trade Watson and take somebody with another two, three or even four years on his contract. It would have messed up the cap flexibility that’s been built. The only logical instance would have been if it were a darn good player, which Watson alone doesn’t warrant.

So the Thunder saved some money, added an additional roster spot and got rid of a potential locker room cancer. All in all, it’s not a bad day at the office. I don’t know how much the Thunder saved, but teams generally don’t do things like this unless a player makes it worth their while. And the Thunder had the upper hand because Watson was desperate to get out of OKC. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave up half of his $6.6 million to get out of his deal. His agreement with the Pacers might be a good indicator of how much he forfeited. For example, if he signs a one-year deal worth $3.3 million, it likely means he gave up $3.3 million with the Thunder but is coming out even with his new contract with the Pacers.

As for the actual guys who are still members of the Thunder and are down here busting their tails in Vegas…..

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