FanHouse Notes From Summer League

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

In the last year, a dark cloud has been cast over the NBA. Or maybe it's more of an oddly colored umbrella. There is a clear conspiracy outlined by bizarre coincidences that are obviously part of a greater conspiracy.

No, not that thing. Or that thing. The other thing.

Bloggers are constantly wondering as to the validity of what is alluded to in hushed tones as "The Cheesecake Factory thing." It began simply, with whispers and vague references. Then, the first comprehensive report was published by ESPN's TrueHoop, outlining the longstanding relationship between NBA players and the Calabasas Hills, CA headquartered restaurant chain.

Then there were more reports. And still more. It has become clear that this is more than just a selective set of responses. This is a phenomenon.

And so, here at the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League, at the intersection of the major and minor leagues, with USA basketball practice mere hours away and a bevy of young NBA players and select veterans in attendance in a popular NBA vacation spot, we elected to test the hypothesis.

Hypothesis: Given the concentration of NBA players, staff, and personnel in Las Vegas, and the ratio of said individuals to the number of Cheesecake Factories, a trip to Cheesecake Factory will result in at least one NBA player "run-in."

After watching the Jerryd Bayless nova-explosion, we headed off to test our theory. Our investigators? Myself, our own Matt Watson, and Frank from BrewHoop. Join us after the jump for our discoveries.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Unless the Suns plan on running Steve Nash into the ground, they really, really need to find a backup point guard this summer. As things currently stand, second-year man DJ Strawberry looks like the favorite for the job, but as Terry Porter told me after Saturday's game, Strawberry may still face some more competition.

"Our roster's not fully completed yet," said Porter, "so we're going to see exactly who else we're going to bring in before we make that decision. DJ, we wanted to give him a lot of opportunities here to try to play that position. It's not something he did naturally in college -- he kind of was a combo -- but we think he has a lot of positives and upside. We like that he competes extremely hard and that he can do some things."

In five summer league games, Strawberry averaged 18.0 points and 3.0 assists but also turned the ball over 3.4 times a game. Obviously, the guy has some work to do.

As far as his front court, though, Porter did seem pleased with what he saw from rookie Robin Lopez.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Kevin Love looked like the real deal in Las Vegas, manhandling the competition en route to averaging a league-high 13.5 boards a game. He would have finished with more, too, had he not played just 18 minutes in his final game due to a sore left Achilles. Wearing a bag of ice on his shoulder and on his left foot after Saturday's game, Love talked with me about what he needs to work for the rest of the summer.

Matt Watson: Has this experience meet your expectations?

Kevin Love: I adjusted pretty well. I still need to pick up on a lot of defensive aspects of the game, but other than that, I rebounded the ball well, shot the ball pretty well from the field and got to know a couple of my teammates I'm going to play with next year. So overall I think it was successful. I just need to ice my ankle a little bit and I'll be fine.

MW: Was there anything that now you know you have to work on a little bit more?

KL: Definitely the defense. I think that as every rookie would say, the biggest thing they have to improve on is the defense. That's going to have to be key for me before training camp and getting ready for the regular season.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

A couple of days ago, I wrote that the player who impressed me the most in the Las Vegas Summer League was Kevin Love. After examining more evidence, I'd like to re-phrase that.

I still think that Love is the most NBA-ready prospect I've seen -- and I'll go so far as to say that he's my early pick for Rookie of the Year -- but Jerryd Bayless has been flat-out electric. He had the crowd in awe as he put up 36 points in a close game last night, including 17 in the final quarter.

All in all, he's averaged 29.8 points in four games. He warmed up for today's game with his teammates, but he's spent most of the game sitting on the sidelines with his hand wrapped in ice. (It's nothing serious -- an MRI was negative -- but after being named to the USA Select Team that will scrimmage against Team USA over the next few days, he could use the rest.)

Bayless was awarded the T-Mobile NBA Summer League Top Rookie trophy before tonight's game, which, judging by the way he filled the bucket, is an honor I completely endorse.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

That's Nate Robinson's jersey hanging from the wall here at UNLV's Cox Pavilion. The reigning 2007 Vegas Summer League MVP had it retired today during a ceremony at halftime between the Knicks and Timberwolves game. He only appeared in two of New York's five games this year, but he was being honored in part for playing four straight years in the league.

He's the first player in Summer League history to receive the honor ... but for some reason, seeing his jersey hanging there cracks me up. Being named one of the best all-time players in a bunch of games that no one ever remembers seems like a backhanded compliment, no?

In any case, when asked about the ceremony last night, he seemed genuinely enthusiastic. "It's crazy, right? Yeah, it's kind of awesome. First time ever, so I'm glad I could be the first one. It's kind of cool. Maybe I'll set a new trend."

Keep reading for a better view of just how lonesome Robinson's jersey looks.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu is an insane athlete who attacks the rim like it insulted his mother. Unfortunately, guys like that with dreams of playing in the NBA are a dime a dozen, which is why he spent most of 2006-07 in the D-League (winning All-Star MVP honors along the way) and last season in Italy.

He's already agreed to a contract to play in Spain next year, but in a last-ditch effort to keep his NBA dream alive he's here in Las Vegas playing for Minnesota's summer league team. In three games, he's averaged 12 points and 4.7 boards in 23 minutes a game. I talked with Pops after his first game with the T'Wolves on Thursday about what his future holds and what his first impressions were of his summer league teammates.

Matt Watson: I was just reading that you signed with a team in Spain. What's going on with that?

Pops: I signed with a team in Spain a few days ago but they gave me an NBA out until July 22nd, so that's why I'm playing with the Timberwolves. If I get signed or picked up by an NBA team, they won't have to buy me out over there. I have until the 22nd to get signed. Hopefully that works out. If not, I have no problem going back to Spain.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Patrick Ewing may be an assistant coach for the Magic, but as he was quick to tell me, his presence in Las Vegas this weekend is strictly for family reasons. I chatted with him yesterday as we watched his son, Patrick Ewing, Jr., and the rest of the Sacramento Kings take on the Golden State Warriors.

Matt Watson: Of all the young big men that you've seen so far, who sticks out the most?

Patrick Ewing: Dwight Howard. (Laughing.) I haven't watched enough of these [summer league players] to say who's sticking out. I'm just here to be a father, to watch my son. That's all I'm here to do, to watch him, to evaluate him.

MW: What is that like for you? Everything that you've gone through, to now see your son going through the whole process, too?

Ewing: I think it's great. That's his dream to play in the NBA. He's moved one step closer to his dream becoming a reality. And I'm just happy. I'm proud of him. He's done an outstanding job -- he's graduated college, had an outstanding college career, and he's just a great person.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Robert "Tractor" Traylor hasn't appeared in the NBA since 2005, but after several stops in Spain, Puerto Rico, and, well, the courthouse, he's hoping to return to the Big Show by earning a roster spot in Summer League. I caught up with Tractor after the Cavs' game yesterday and talked about where he's been and what his future might hold.

Matt Watson: Your career has taken a little bit of a detour. Do you feel like you're on the right path again?

Robert Traylor: Yeah, I think so. I think with this point in time, this opportunity to come out and play in the summer league has given me a great opportunity to get myself back to where I want to be and hopefully be in the NBA when the season starts.

MW: Playing in Spain and Puerto Rico, how does that compare to the competition you face out here?

RT: It's a lot different, but I think in Puerto Rico the competition is actually great. You've got a lot of great players over there. We played a lot of games, like 32 games in 61 days.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Mike D'Antoni found himself in a whole new world of bizarre when he took the New York Job, from the environment to the media to the players. And by players, I mean Stephon Marbury. For a team trying to rebuild, the Summer League can be absolutely vital. I caught up with Coach D'Antoni yesterday to briefly ask him about Summer League, the plethora of guys on roster right now (16), and of course, Stephon Marbury's newest tat.

MM: What are the most important benefits the Summer League brings to a team?

MD: Well, it gives you a look at your rookies. It gives them a taste of the NBA. It gives you a chance to spend a week with them, and get to know the personalities of the first and second year guys, and work on their games.

MM: You signed Roberson, obviously, so there's going to be some thinning out of the roster. Do you consider it a blessing to have that much talent, or does this more give you a chance to get rid of some guys you don't want?

MD: Well, we're in the process of fixing the roster. We do have six days, so something's going to happen. We're pretty comfortable where we're at. There's no real set plan of "We'll do this tomorrow and this the next day." We're still evaluating every day.