Thought the mailday threads have been a bit slow lately so thought I'd spice it up with some of the new breed who caught my eye in the summer league or perhaps should have been playing in the summer league. Anyway, you get the idea - all the young bucks trying to make a name for themselves....
Darius Miller - started out all over the shop but finally honed in with a couple nice games to finish... Think his roster spot might be up for grabs though. Solid but not spectacular and with a limited upside... Card is headed to France....
Kevin Murphy - never made it to Summer League and has played sparingly in the Big Show. Has a scorer's mindset and keeps busy without the ball ala Rip Hamilton but just sems to ely too much on hesitation moves and fakes to make it at the next level.... Signing Ian Clark probably signals the end for Mr Murphy...
Arnett Moultrie - Young, athletically gifted and can play above the rim. Also not afraid to trade elbows and mix it up inside. Can shoot from distance, can take bigger guys off the dribble and capable of scoring in the low post. Once he bulks up a bit more he's gonna be the daily double double guy for the 76ers...
John Jenkins - Shooter! Shooter! Shooter! Off the dribble, coming off screens, to his left, to his right - flawless shooting mechanics. Struggled a bit in Summer League as the primary offensive weapon but as a true shooter does he just kept on pulling the trigger! Doesn't help that he's behind Korver and Williams on the Hawks at SG but hopefully will get his time to shine sooner rather than later. Keep on firing those long range bombs JJ!
Jeff Taylor - good ol' Jeff hit the 'Beast Mode' button in Summer League racking up 21ppg at almost 48% whilst dropping a couple of bombs per game at 37% from downtown. Outstanding athlete and a much better shooter than either MKG or Henderson Jr at the SF slot for the Bobcats. Charlotte is run n gun city! Hope he maintains his minutes and production - energy guy who can defend, hustle and even score when he's inclined to do so.. Rock that rim young fella!
Andrew Nicholson - Surprised everyone in his rookie year and he summer league was basically to avoid the build up of any unwanted rust. Not a strong rebounder he's more of a floor spacer with a decent shot. Scores at a good clip and another complementary player who probably will never be headed for stardom as he lacks the physical tools to dominate on a night in, night out basis...
Nolan Smith - High scoring Dukie PG who had a great summer league last year after a poor rookie showing. Poor second year meant he didn't get much of a look in in this year's Summer League after injuring himself after playing 5 minutes for the Celtics. As much as I like the kid's potential I think his NBA days are well and truly over... Cool looking cards though - acetate ftw!
Elliott Williams - has suffered with injuries of one sort or the other since coming into the league and has now been unceremoniously dumped by he Blazers who have since drafted Will Barton, McCollum and A Crabbe - I think they want to get better at SG?! Shame, guy has a lightning first step, gets into the lane and finishes at the rim. Uses that same quickness to help him become a lock down defender. Needs to develop a more consistent shot with 3 point range. I hope someone take a chance on this guy because he has that X factor which could make him an NBA fan favourite one day.
Mike Scott - Mr Average. Doesn't do anything to blow you away but by the end of the night the guy has 17 & 7 and you wonder who the heck was that?! Not a great athlete, rebounder, shooter, scorer or defender the guy just plays hard every night and gets the fundamentals right - position defense, boxing out, no turnovers, smart shots and makes his FTs! Classic hustle guy who gets the most out of his abilities. Dominated Summer League with 19 & 7 at a 46% from the field...
Marquis Teague - Combo guard showed some sizzle in the offseason! Showed both the ability to score and run an offense although not necessarily in the same game... Didn't get much of a run with Rose out injured and now that he's back things don't look much better although Hinrich is another year older and Dy-NATE-mite is out of town too. Turnovers are his problem though so if he cut out that bad habit and hone his playmaking skills you might see more of the 'other Bulls PG'.
Myers Leonard - Thought he was coming along reasonably well, keeping his man honest defensively, rebounding the ball (could improve), playing D and even blocking the odd shot or two.... Then Portland goes out and grabs Robin Lopez which makes no sense at all! Hardly a vote of confidence in the young fella! Terrible looking card too, can hardly see the auto!
Tyler Zeller - See Myers Leonard above. The older more mechanical version of Cody. Does a lot well. Crowded Cavs frontcourt doesn't bode will for his minutes next season - Bynum, Bennett, Thompson, Varejao, Earl Clark.........and T Zeller. That's a lot of guys to keep happy with 96 minutes a game to divide!
Jared Sullinger - The classic low post bruiser is a fan favourite already! The modern day version of the Mailman with a bad back - sooooo more like a Larry Johnson in his later years. Hope he stays healthy and has every chance to play on the rebuilding Celtics instead of Kris Humphries...
Luke Babbitt - Did everything right in college but never did find his stride in the NBA, still a standout in the D-League though! Has now signed a one year deal for Nizhny Novorogord in Russia which says it all really... Love this Abs Mem bad boy though #4/5
Damion James - Another injury plagued player who has taken his lumps and was a D-League All-Star last year. Multi faceted player who can just as easily grab 10 boards, drop 20 points, hand out half a dozen helpers or come up with a big defensive play. If he could do it consistently he'd be an all-star in the NBA! These Certified RPAs are the bomb!
Kyle O'Quinn - Big bustling double double shot blocking machine who just needs some playing time. Unlikely to get it though behind Vuuuuuuuuuuucevic and the Big Baby... But check this out - jersey numbered goodness #2/49
Enes Kanter - No Big Al, no Paul Millsap, you better believe it's his time to shine. Put up huge numbers when given the chance so if you're into fantasy basketball take a flyer on him this upcoming season. 15 and 9 - all day, every day! Assuming Gobert doesn't eat into that playing time....
Klay Thompson - Shoots a lot of 3 pointers and shoots them well. Well he has to, he's a run and gun Warrior! Don't need to say much more - he has plenty of fanboys already!
Thomas Robinson - Raw, chiselled and now on his 3rd team after his rookie season. After being drafted 5th overall he was dealt for a couple of euro draft and stash players and two future second rounders. Something isn't adding up, but the guy can rebound with the best of them... Love these Silos too, great looking product, one of Panini's best efforts.
Derrick Williams - Too cool for Summer League school! Is he a SF or a PF? Is he a team player? Who cares - I have 3 of his printing plates now so I hope he dominates!
Bradley Beal - Forms part of a solid young nucleus with John Wall in the Wizards backcourt. Has plenty of fans too so will leave this short, expecting a surge in production next season...
Kawhi Leonard - Played big as a starer on the NBA Finals Spurs squad last season - 'nuff said!
All cards up for grabs. Apologies for the novel, just trying to get a bit of action on the mailday threads again! Thanks for looking and thanks for reading if you've stayed with me for this long! There's a story behind every card and every player and for some reason I feel compelled to tell it! Comments always appreciated...
Darius Miller - started out all over the shop but finally honed in with a couple nice games to finish... Think his roster spot might be up for grabs though. Solid but not spectacular and with a limited upside... Card is headed to France....
Kevin Murphy - never made it to Summer League and has played sparingly in the Big Show. Has a scorer's mindset and keeps busy without the ball ala Rip Hamilton but just sems to ely too much on hesitation moves and fakes to make it at the next level.... Signing Ian Clark probably signals the end for Mr Murphy...
Arnett Moultrie - Young, athletically gifted and can play above the rim. Also not afraid to trade elbows and mix it up inside. Can shoot from distance, can take bigger guys off the dribble and capable of scoring in the low post. Once he bulks up a bit more he's gonna be the daily double double guy for the 76ers...
John Jenkins - Shooter! Shooter! Shooter! Off the dribble, coming off screens, to his left, to his right - flawless shooting mechanics. Struggled a bit in Summer League as the primary offensive weapon but as a true shooter does he just kept on pulling the trigger! Doesn't help that he's behind Korver and Williams on the Hawks at SG but hopefully will get his time to shine sooner rather than later. Keep on firing those long range bombs JJ!
Jeff Taylor - good ol' Jeff hit the 'Beast Mode' button in Summer League racking up 21ppg at almost 48% whilst dropping a couple of bombs per game at 37% from downtown. Outstanding athlete and a much better shooter than either MKG or Henderson Jr at the SF slot for the Bobcats. Charlotte is run n gun city! Hope he maintains his minutes and production - energy guy who can defend, hustle and even score when he's inclined to do so.. Rock that rim young fella!
Andrew Nicholson - Surprised everyone in his rookie year and he summer league was basically to avoid the build up of any unwanted rust. Not a strong rebounder he's more of a floor spacer with a decent shot. Scores at a good clip and another complementary player who probably will never be headed for stardom as he lacks the physical tools to dominate on a night in, night out basis...
Nolan Smith - High scoring Dukie PG who had a great summer league last year after a poor rookie showing. Poor second year meant he didn't get much of a look in in this year's Summer League after injuring himself after playing 5 minutes for the Celtics. As much as I like the kid's potential I think his NBA days are well and truly over... Cool looking cards though - acetate ftw!
Elliott Williams - has suffered with injuries of one sort or the other since coming into the league and has now been unceremoniously dumped by he Blazers who have since drafted Will Barton, McCollum and A Crabbe - I think they want to get better at SG?! Shame, guy has a lightning first step, gets into the lane and finishes at the rim. Uses that same quickness to help him become a lock down defender. Needs to develop a more consistent shot with 3 point range. I hope someone take a chance on this guy because he has that X factor which could make him an NBA fan favourite one day.
Mike Scott - Mr Average. Doesn't do anything to blow you away but by the end of the night the guy has 17 & 7 and you wonder who the heck was that?! Not a great athlete, rebounder, shooter, scorer or defender the guy just plays hard every night and gets the fundamentals right - position defense, boxing out, no turnovers, smart shots and makes his FTs! Classic hustle guy who gets the most out of his abilities. Dominated Summer League with 19 & 7 at a 46% from the field...
Marquis Teague - Combo guard showed some sizzle in the offseason! Showed both the ability to score and run an offense although not necessarily in the same game... Didn't get much of a run with Rose out injured and now that he's back things don't look much better although Hinrich is another year older and Dy-NATE-mite is out of town too. Turnovers are his problem though so if he cut out that bad habit and hone his playmaking skills you might see more of the 'other Bulls PG'.
Myers Leonard - Thought he was coming along reasonably well, keeping his man honest defensively, rebounding the ball (could improve), playing D and even blocking the odd shot or two.... Then Portland goes out and grabs Robin Lopez which makes no sense at all! Hardly a vote of confidence in the young fella! Terrible looking card too, can hardly see the auto!
Tyler Zeller - See Myers Leonard above. The older more mechanical version of Cody. Does a lot well. Crowded Cavs frontcourt doesn't bode will for his minutes next season - Bynum, Bennett, Thompson, Varejao, Earl Clark.........and T Zeller. That's a lot of guys to keep happy with 96 minutes a game to divide!
Jared Sullinger - The classic low post bruiser is a fan favourite already! The modern day version of the Mailman with a bad back - sooooo more like a Larry Johnson in his later years. Hope he stays healthy and has every chance to play on the rebuilding Celtics instead of Kris Humphries...
Luke Babbitt - Did everything right in college but never did find his stride in the NBA, still a standout in the D-League though! Has now signed a one year deal for Nizhny Novorogord in Russia which says it all really... Love this Abs Mem bad boy though #4/5
Damion James - Another injury plagued player who has taken his lumps and was a D-League All-Star last year. Multi faceted player who can just as easily grab 10 boards, drop 20 points, hand out half a dozen helpers or come up with a big defensive play. If he could do it consistently he'd be an all-star in the NBA! These Certified RPAs are the bomb!
Kyle O'Quinn - Big bustling double double shot blocking machine who just needs some playing time. Unlikely to get it though behind Vuuuuuuuuuuucevic and the Big Baby... But check this out - jersey numbered goodness #2/49
Enes Kanter - No Big Al, no Paul Millsap, you better believe it's his time to shine. Put up huge numbers when given the chance so if you're into fantasy basketball take a flyer on him this upcoming season. 15 and 9 - all day, every day! Assuming Gobert doesn't eat into that playing time....
Klay Thompson - Shoots a lot of 3 pointers and shoots them well. Well he has to, he's a run and gun Warrior! Don't need to say much more - he has plenty of fanboys already!
Thomas Robinson - Raw, chiselled and now on his 3rd team after his rookie season. After being drafted 5th overall he was dealt for a couple of euro draft and stash players and two future second rounders. Something isn't adding up, but the guy can rebound with the best of them... Love these Silos too, great looking product, one of Panini's best efforts.
Derrick Williams - Too cool for Summer League school! Is he a SF or a PF? Is he a team player? Who cares - I have 3 of his printing plates now so I hope he dominates!
Bradley Beal - Forms part of a solid young nucleus with John Wall in the Wizards backcourt. Has plenty of fans too so will leave this short, expecting a surge in production next season...
Kawhi Leonard - Played big as a starer on the NBA Finals Spurs squad last season - 'nuff said!
All cards up for grabs. Apologies for the novel, just trying to get a bit of action on the mailday threads again! Thanks for looking and thanks for reading if you've stayed with me for this long! There's a story behind every card and every player and for some reason I feel compelled to tell it! Comments always appreciated...
