Nice post KP.

I don't think anyone here is putting too much hope in Samb. It's more that he's potentially a backup center this season if he combines his previously shown shooting and shot blocking ability with more girth. Now that we see that he's heavier, the hope is that he can hold his own in there.

But there is so little data that it's still a mystery. His shooting form and comments from other Piston players/ coaches/ GM suggest that he can shoot well. It is logical to think that if he is given consistent minutes that his percentage will go up. But the real unkowns are whether or not he can hold his position in the post, play defense against real NBA centers without fouling excessively, and contribute offensively in the interior. Maybe we can answer some of these questions by watching LVSL games, but it will probably take some early season minutes to really find out what we have.

As far as the rest of the summer league squad, it is interesting how we got whooped without Stuckey. Milwaukee's PG lit us up.

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"Will was rolling, wasn't he? I roll with the guy that's hot." MC

Amount of turnovers is going to be high for the PG's in the tournament as they play with all new players and nobody knows any of the other players' tendencies. When you surround someone like Bynum with quality players who can actually hit the shots and demand defensive attention, he'll be a lot more effective, especially with enough practice.
Sharpe, Amir and Samb need playing time to learn the game. How many games have they played over the past 3-4 years? Very little. That's why you're bound to see all the mistakes and have a feeling of "player looking lost" on the court. Sharpe is probably due for the D-League to get his feet wet. Samb needs some playing time. It will be tougher with Amir, as Curry will have to find him time with Pistons.

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I think the Washington Wizards have got to be the dumbest team in the history of civilization. - C.Barkley

Sounds like a description I heard a couple years ago about a player whose name starts with "D" and ends with "O". I guess I'd just really like to see someone whose game is good enough to at least be effective in the summer league - and I've not seen it in anyone outside of Stuckey.

AA's not at that level, but he's trying. Plaisted has some game, and it shows. It's just doesn't rise to the level of NBA quality competitors. Sharpe has some NBA quality tools, but hasn't shown that they translate into an NBA quality game. He has some work to do.

Show me a guy who can show off his game against summer league competition. Maxiell did it last year - and he went on to contribute during the regular season. If you can't get it done in summer league, I don't hold out much hope that you can do it in the big league.

Samb seems to be doing about as well as Amir in the 3 games so far.

Amir/ 9 pts/ 4.3 reb/ 0 ast/ 1.3 stl/ 1.0 blck
Samb/ 8 pts/ 5.3 reb/ 1 ast/ 0 stl/ 1.7 blck/ fouling way less

While neither is lighting it up, they are only getting 22 and 25 mpg. I was only able to watch the first game off the internet and couldn't really see enough resolution to take much away from it.

I'm not saying Samb can contribute, just that I hope he can. And I'm curious as to how good he is. I'm sure we are in agreement there.

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"Will was rolling, wasn't he? I roll with the guy that's hot." MC

Didn't Amir light up the D-league ? similar competition minus a few name players . . . And hasn't he already contributed during the regular season when he got minutes ?

Yes, Yes, Yes......all this concern about Amir not dominating the VSL is crazy. He's already shown what he can do in REAL GAMES against REAL COMPETITION. He's tuning his game right now, he's not trying to prove anything to anybody.

Originally Posted by lpgrl26
Didn't Amir light up the D-league ? similar competition minus a few name players . . . And hasn't he already contributed during the regular season when he got minutes ?

Appreciate the reminders of his progress and positive contributions. Yes, he did put up some impressive numbers in the DL. And he has contributed positively to some regular season games.

But at some point he has to become more than just a young athletic kid with lots of potential who plays a scatter-brained, energy game. I keep hoping that one day he'll actually become a player. I'm disappointed that I'm not seeing that yet. Nothing in his game is showing professional level polish; it's still just athleticism. To be fair, I do realize that he's only 21 and the youngest player on our VSL roster - but he's starting his fourth professional season.

KGREG, what part of his game do you think he's "tuning": post moves, ball handling, jump shot, hook shot, passing, man to man defense, boxing out, not fouling? Perhaps I'm not watching closely enough. He still looks like Amir the pin-ball rather than Amir the professional. The concern would be "crazy" if we were talking about a 2nd round pick who's a long-shot to make the team, but we're talking about a fourth year player who's making $3.7mil a year and is expected to challenge for a spot in the regular rotation.

Based on what I've seen in the VSL the last couple of years, it dosen't surprise me that Flip made Stuckey and Max the first two young guys off the bench during the regular season. They've shown the most polish during the VSL - and the two of them together are making less $ than Amir.

I'm not writing Amir off, I'm still hopeful, but I'm disappointed with his performance so far in the VSL. And I have to think Joe was hoping for a little more polish and effectiveness out of him as well.

And regarding having something to prove, I think that Joe would expect Amir to feel a little incentive to prove to his bosses that their financial commitment to him is justified. Or at least that his game justifies taking minutes away from Dysse, Sheed, or Max - his next contract depends on it.

Nice Post...For all of the AJ admirers...This one seems right on to me..

We are talking about our most productive player per minute last year.

Fouling is his one real weakness right now, but that quality also compels him to challenge all shots, which is a strength. That is why I think he'll adapt... because he is choosing to challenge shots. When it results in going to the bench, he'll adapt.

Wow. Its crazy to think how much money he is making. Think MAX is a little jealous? Wonder how much AJ's contract will factor into the negotiations of his extension. Although, I bet one of them is included in any trade.