NBA Summer League Day 6 blog: McCaw impresses again
6:29 p.m.: McCaw impresses again
Former UNLV standout Patrick McCaw scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, continuing his hot play for the Golden State Warriors.
He now is averaging 20 points through four games, best on the Warriors.
“He just knows how to play,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s really good defensively, anticipates well. He’s very active and athletic. The guy’s going to be a big-time player for us for long time.”
The question is how long will the Warriors put McCaw back on the court. Shutting it down is something McCaw didn’t want to hear, saying he wants to help the team win the NBA Summer League championship.
“I don’t know what rest is,” McCaw said. “I came here to play, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
McCaw, a 6-foot-7-inch guard, started 20 games as a rookie last season and played in 71 others. He said the experience has helped him going into summer league, and it’s noticeable in his scoring average. McCaw averaged 15.7 points last year in Las Vegas.
“I’ve been working on my game extremely hard this summer preparing for summer league,” McCaw said. “This is what I’ve been waiting for.”
— Mark Anderson
6:13 p.m.: Washington’s Ike Diogu oldest player in NBA Summer League
A one-time lottery pick, Washington’s Ike Diogu last played in the NBA during the 2011-12 season with the San Antonio Spurs.
The 6-foot-9 forward, an Arizona State product, still believes there’s “a lot” left in the tank.
And he’s at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas to prove it.
“I’m here like everybody else, auditioning for an NBA team,” said Diogu, 33, the ninth overall selection in the 2005 draft. “I can’t say I don’t feel like an NBA player — I know that I’m an NBA player. But I just want to come out and show teams I’m in shape and I can go in there and be a defensive presence and help the team out.”
Diogu had 15 points and five rebounds in an 89-88 loss to the Miami Heat in the Cox Pavilion on Wednesday afternoon. It was only the second of four Washington games that he‘s played in.
“Summer League is mainly for young guys,” Diogu said. “So I respected (the Wizards) when they came up and told me the games I wasn’t going to play (in two games). That’s what the league is all about, though. It’s about staying ready. You never know when your number is going to be called.”
Diogu, who has played overseas since leaving the NBA, including China last year, shot 2-for-6 from the field and 11-for-15 from the free-throw line in the loss. He led the team with 27 minutes, and said afterward that he feels ready to return to the league.
“I never truly got to play my time in the NBA,” he said. “I still feel good. I’m in great shape. I can play with anybody. … (Former Golden State coach Don Nelson) likes his specific type of guy and I didn’t really fit his mold. So then I just started being thrown into trades and then you get the ‘journeyman’ tag and that’s how it goes.”
Not only did he use a few veteran moves in the post on Wednesday, but Diogu also showed a chiseled physique, which allowed him to give fans some flashbacks from his college days — back when he was a consensus second-team All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year.
It’s the second Summer League that Diogu has played in. During his rookie season, he scored 37 points here in Las Vegas.
“When I came to Summer League my first time, I came as a lottery pick,” Diogu said. “So it’s not a situation they can tell me about because I went through being a lottery pick to being a quote-on-quote, ‘Bust.’ So I know exactly how all these undrafted, second-round guys feel. And I know how the first-round picks feel. …
“I’ve gotten better since (my first Summer League). That’s the key as you get older. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to show guys I can still play. That’s really all I wanna show.”
Utah Jazz center Julian Wright (30) is the second-oldest player in this year’s Summer League, followed by Golden State guard Deividas Dulkys (29), Washington center Jasonn Hannibal (29) and San Antonio guard Jeff Ledbetter (29).
— Ashton Ferguson
3:48 p.m.: Rockets’ Williams lets play do talking
Houston Rockets forward Troy Williams walked out of the locker room with ice covering his cut lip and wasn’t able to meet with the media.
He has let his play make enough of a statement.
Williams scored 20 points in an 87-81 loss to the Denver Nuggets at the Thomas & Mack Center, actually lowering his average at the NBA Summer League to 24.3 points per game.
The second-year pro is trying to make a push to be an integral part of a Rockets rotation that added veteran point guard Chris Paul.
“It’s too early to say that,” Rockets summer league coach Roy Rogers said of Williams trying to make the rotation. “I’m just happy that he’s playing well. He’s understanding our system better. If he continues to do what he’s doing, it gives him a chance.”
Williams, a 6-foot-7-inch player, went undrafted last year after coming out following his junior season at Indiana. He wound up playing in 30 games and starting 16 between stops with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Rockets.
“He’s had a year in our system, so he understands how we play,” Rogers said. “He’s doing a very good job of running the floor, getting to the corners and shooting the open shot. He’s being aggressive attacking off the pick-and-roll. He’s making the right read, whether it’s a shot or a pass to the open man.”
Williams in Las Vegas is playing as if he has something to prove.
“Any time you go undrafted and you feel like you should’ve been drafted, you’re going to have a chip on your shoulder,” Rogers said. “But that can’t be the only motivation. The motivation has got to be you want to be the best player that you can possibly be at all times.”
— Mark Anderson
3:36 p.m.: Hawks rookie John Collins takes flight
It wasn’t the result he wanted, but Hawks rookie John Collins would not call Atlanta’s fourth summer league game a bad day at the office.
Collins, the 19th overall pick in last June’s NBA draft, put on a dazzling display against the New Orleans Pelicans at Cox pavilion filled with fluid moves below and above the rim. He was able to dribble through three defenders for a layup in the first quarter, and punctuated both halves of the game with high-flying, crowd-pleasing dunks.
“I think I did solid,” he said. “Could’ve stayed out of foul trouble, could have helped my team a little bit more. Other than that I think I was solid.”
Collins finished the game with 25 points, going 11-of-15 from the floor.
— Jonathan Saxon
2:21 p.m.: Mavericks guard Devin Harris taking in Summer League
Dallas guard Devin Harris was at the Hawks-Pelicans game and likes what he is seeing from the young players at Summer League. Harris, who has been here since Saturday, was encouraged by the level of play and what he’s seen happening on the court.
“Our rookies really surprised me. Dennis Smith, and I’ve enjoyed watching (Jayson) Tatum too. He’s very fluid and very smooth in the stuff he’s doing out here.
“I come every year, I enjoy watching the games and the young guys coming in. So far I’ve been kind of impressed. The games have been pretty good, seen some pretty good talent.”
— Jonathan Saxon
1:10 p.m.: No talk for now regarding a team in Las Vegas
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said there was no discussion regarding relocation or expansion at this time, but said he expected the league to add teams in the future at some point.
“In essence, in some ways we feel like we have a team here already if you think about the presence we have,” Silver said. “I feel that we do well in the Las Vegas market, so from an expansion standpoint, I’m not focused on having a team here. But at the point when we ultimately may look at expansion, which we will at some point — growth is inevitable — I’m sure we’ll look at this market. We’ll look at others as well.”
The NBA announced rules changes regarding timeouts and the trade deadline.
As for timeouts, the league reduced the number for an entire game from 18 for both teams to 14, with each side being allowed to call up to two instead of three in the final three minutes.
Also, the NBA moved the trade deadline from after the All-Star Game to 10 days beforehand.
— Mark Anderson
