Grizzles vs Lakers: Chalk this up to Stu Jackson

I don't care how teams perform in Summer League games. I really don't.

Having said that I do hate to see the Grizzlies look bad on national TV (even if it is just NBATV. Being that the only game being televised this summer (and I am sure to write a blog about how disappointing that was later) is was a shame that our Baby Bears had to play their 3rd game in as many days against a Lakers team that was well-rested.

I don't know if Stu Jackson actually writes the summer league schedule but whoever it is that does write the schedules obviously has been in touch with Stu. How else can you explain three straight games (and a fourth consecutive game tonight) in a 5 game summer league format? It's not like the entire league is being shortened to 7 days or anything. The Las Vegas summer league runs from July 11th to July 20th but the Grizzlies finish their summer league participation on July 16th. 5 games in 6 days. That is ridiculously tiring for any player much less rookies just getting back into game shape after working on drills to prepare for the NBA draft over the last two months.

Right now traditional NBA whipping boys the LA Clippers and our Memphis Grizzlies are the only teams to have played 3 straight games. LA already lost rookie Eric Gordon to a hamstring pull and won't play Game 4 until the 16th (against the Grizzlies) before ending their summer league participation on the 17th. Coincidence? I don't think so. The more glamourous Lakers won't play game 3 until the 16th.

What difference does it make? Well summer league isn't about the whole team (sorry Ere, Tucker and Burtt to name a few players). It is about getting your high draft picks prepared for training camp. To get them up to speed on the offense and for the known players to spend time with the coaches. Guess which teams is getting more practice time to indoctrinate their rookies. Memphis' rookies are having everything thrown at them in 8 days from start to finish. The Lakers have the pre-tournament practices and then 10 days in Vegas to work on things.

Now I know I am tired and frustrated after watching the game and seeing our tired legs getting constantly beat down the court and failing to establish position but I think I have a point too. I hope this isn't a foreshadowing of the upcoming schedule from the NBA. The Grizzlies would probably play 60 games back to back with travel if the same idiot who wrote the Summer League schedule gets to write the real season schedule this season.

Addendum: Does ESPN ever get information correct about the Grizzlies? Here is an exerpt from their NBA coverage of last nights game:

The Grizzlies will play their fourth game in as many days on Monday as they play the San Antonio Spurs in the final game at Thomas & Mack.

They were so close to getting that information right. It isn't the Grizzlies last game (they play the Clippers on Wednesday night).

Sunday Night Party: It was a lot of fun seeing everyone at the Buffalo Wild Wings last night. About 20 people showed up including the 3 SOB crowd sans MemphisX (he doesn't like to be seen in public with the rest of us), Memphis Slim, HPTMatt, The NoG crowd of CircleK, Commodore 64, Zac and PMI (I suppose it isn't a shameless plug to promote NoG), NancyW, GrizzLifer, GrizzBoyd, Mr Wright and True Blue (with some beautiful friends by the way), the poster formerly known as Grizzman (who was barely recognizable after losing 70 pounds - Can you say Jarret) and of course the resident Grizzlies experts Chris Herrington and East Memphis Bob. It was frustrating the team didn't play better but the conversation was lively and interesting.

Darko Update: One conversation in particular made me think last night. Someone asked if Serbia was in the pre-Olympic basketball tournament. I said no because I didn't think they were. I now found an article that supports that contention: Pre-Olympic teams. Darko is playing on his national team this summer but in a Euro Cup qualifier not the Olympic qualifier. Hope that helps clear things up.

Career Choice: College vs Internationals

A lot of people have been claiming that the international game is a better feeder system to the NBA than the NCAA lately. I must admit it does seem to be a compelling argument when you consider that three of the top rookies this season came from international backgrounds (Navarro, Scola and Yi). Throw on top of that Jamario Moon who played internationally before making it in the NBA and there is serious support for the allegation that the international game, with their focus on team play and fundamentals, should be the place kids go while waiting to be allowed access to the NBA. And this is not taking into account the OJ Mayo situation where college players are being paid under the table.

So why don't kids chose the international game with their professional seasons and salary over college?

The cynics might say their handlers have no pull overseas and so they push them toward the college ranks where they can continue to exert their influence (and continue to get 'gifts' from agents). Some might say that the kids don't want to leave their homes and families to be alone in the old world. There is validity to both arguments.

But is that reason enough that no high school players have tried to go overseas? Imagine you are a talented player and you don’t have the grades to get accepted to a major college. Would you rather attend a junior college hoping to get your grades up and transfer or spend a year in Barcelona getting paid and living the good life? In my opinion the answer seems simple.

Of course, to me the language barrier could be overcome easily and I have no dreams of making the NBA as a player so my opinion isn't really germaine. Things are different overseas and it is quite likely those differences and not pay-offs or the love of their family and friends that keeps Americans at home. The European basketball game is college length so players don't play 35 minutes a game most nights, the players are more mature and as a rookie in the league you would not be playing more than 20 minutes at most. Would that exposure enable you to reach the NBA in a year or two? How would a 19 yr old rookie who doesn't speak the local language compete with older men familiar with the lifestyle, the language and the system? Consider how hard it was for Navarro to break into the lineup in Memphis when he couldn't speak English and Navarro was a former MVP overseas. Wouldn't it be even more difficult for a young man who knows no one, can't speak the language and is away from hoome for the 1st time?

It's a risk and a big one at that.

This assumes the European leagues would want want such a player. Right now the NBA and FIBA has a cordial relationship. Would that continue if European teams started to aggressively court US high school players for their leagues? It was rumored that an Italian league team offered LeBron James a contract as a high school junior to play his senior year overseas so it may already be happening. How long would the NBA maintain the age limit if players started darting to Europe instead of the NCAA after high school? Do the European leagues want players who would want to be paid a nice salary and yet have cheap buyouts every year of the contract? Do Europeans want to be a feeder league for the NBA?

Probably not but the Euroleagues might be interested in acquiring American players earlier. Players turn professional as early as 16 in Europe. Would a team be interested in signing Americans onto their junior rosters when they can get 3-4 years to develop the players? What would happen if that 8th grader who promised to sign a letter of intent to USC suddenly decided to play for FC Barcelona instead?

If a US high school athlete was seriously considering a professional basketball career at a young age he might be tempted to play overseas. What are the pros of going overseas? The 3 pt line is between the NBA mark and the college line so you would have a better idea about how that player could shoot the three in the NBA. He would be playing a more physical game which would prepare him for the NBA life much better. Playing a professional season would train him physically more than college would. The competition would be higher over all. The maturity of the player playing oversees would be higher in general from the experience.

The cons are that he may not make it overseas and then he doesn't have an education, even at the high school level. What would he do then? The trapezoid lane and other rule differences would alter the players development in ways unimaginable. He wouldn't be as familiar to NBA coaches and scouts which could hamper his draft status. He could get into trouble being a teenager on his own. It happens here with college players in their teens. What would happen to a teenager in Europe in similiar situations?

I suppose that some player will take the challenge and bolt to Europe instead of college some day and depending on how he develops more may follow but for now I doubt the international game will be viewed as a realistic alternative for most players no matter how many OJ Mayo's are found taking money.

Unless the NCAA starts penalizing the players instead of the school for accepting money for their efforts. Then all bets are off.

Despite 'Average' Play, Miller Represents

Most Griz fans are well aware that 4 current players participated in international, Olympic qualifying tournaments this year. Shades of Blue has reviewed the play of Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro for Spain and Darko Milicic for Serbia (and his, um, performance).

I’m going to delve into Mike Miller’s play for Team USA.

Of the 4 Griz players, Miller had the least impact on his team. This was, of course, due to Team USA being composed of nothing but top tier NBA players at least 3 of whom are future Hall-of-Fame players.

Despite his limited role, I don't want to take anything from Miller. I thought just being invited to the try outs said a lot about Miller as a player and by itself was a high honor. Miller was originally on the bubble to make the team. Just before cuts were finally made, I read arguments on both side regarding Miller's status. Here is what one prominent NBA writer wrote:

Since Miller is considerably less mobile than Redd, there's no strategic reason for him to be given a uniform.

Though Mike DeCourcy made a much better argument for his inclusion.

If I asked you to find the single essential member of that team by perusing that list (of 15 invitees), would you come up with the right guy? Would you recognize that the U.S. absolutely needs Miller to be an important part of this team?

In the end, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, and JJ Reddick (why was he even invited?) got cut from the 15 man roster and Team USA (correctly) kept Miller.

Miller competed mostly with Michael Redd and Tayshaun Prince for reserve playing time at the wing. In the Las Vegas tryouts, Miller shined while Redd was off. For the most part, the opposite was true during the 10 FIBA games. Miller and Redd were the resident 3-point specialist, with the two leading the team in 3-point attempts. Below average 3-point shooting was identified as one of the weak spots in the last Olympics.

Speaking stats, Miller averaged 7.9 ppg and 38% on 3-pointers. The 38% was by all accounts a disappointing number. It is about 2 percentage points lower than his NBA career average despite the 3-point line being closer. In comparison Redd's numbers were much better (which is who everyone will compare Miller with because likely one of the wing players is going to get bumped to make room for another big come '08). Redd averaged 14.4 ppg on 45% on 3-pointers.

Though I must say, although Redd averaged more points and shot better from beyond the arc, I think Miller is a better overall fit for Team USA. I think Redd forces too many shots. Miller is at his best being setup for open catch and release 3's against either a zone or trailing the break. Team USA has plenty of players that can force shots.

What grade would you give Miller for his 2007 Team USA performance? The consensus seems to be 'average'.

ESPN's Sheridan gives Miller a C+:

Had his best game of the tournament Saturday with four 3-pointers and 14 points, but was erratic in the games before that and shot only 43 percent overall, 37 percent on 3s. Can't see him having any chance of making next summer's team unless injuries make Michael Redd and/or Joe Johnson unavailable.

SI's Chris Mannix gives Miller a C:

He was brought on board to shoot threes, and when he couldn't do that effectively (38 percent), he lost his usefulness. Expect Wade to snatch Miller's spot next year.

Looks like the conventional wisdom will be that Mike's Team USA roster spot is as good as gone next year. Regardless, I'm proud to see a Grizzly on the team, even if he underperformed. Miller represented the Grizzlies well (and I'm extremely happy he came away unhurt). We have been told that Iavaroni's system needs good 3-point shooters and if Miller was good enough at that skill to be selected for Team USA as a 3-point specialist, my guess is he is going to follow up this summer with the confidence and opportunity to have a career year in the NBA.

International Flavor

The European Basketball Championships came to an end Sunday night, as Russia stunned host country Spain 60-59 in the Finals, while Lithuania knocked off Greece in the bronze medal game 78-69. You can read a recap of the Final on Yahoo! Sports and get some analysis from my source for international baskeball commentary-- The Painted Area. Also, be sure to check out Chris Sheridan's spotlight feature on J.R. Holden, the American born Russian basketball star who aided Andrei Kirilenko in bringing home the gold medal. In fact, check out all of Sheridan's columns about the tournament, as he shows a true committment to covering the international scene, rather than just relying on boxscores and highlights to form opinions. He's one of the better NBA writers out there right now. Henry Abbott has some insight on TrueHoop, too.

This was a disappointing conclusion to what had been a great tournament for Spain and its premier player, Pau Gasol. Gasol joined his entire team in having a rough day, as Spain shot a tournament low 29% from the floor, with Gasol having difficulty from the floor (3/12) and the free-throw line (4/9). He finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds, but missed what would have been the game winner at the buzzer after J.R. Holden scored the go-ahead bucket with only seconds left on the clock. Gasol had played very well throughout the tournament, averaging 19.4 ppg on .680 FG% and .773 FT% in 27 mpg prior to the Final against Russia. As noted earlier, he was not alone in his struggles, as only José Calderón seemed to be on his "A" game, scoring 15 points on 5/7 shooting from 3-point range. Newest Memphis Grizzlies member Juan Carlos Navarro also had an abnormally quiet game, going scoreless in 17 minutes after averaging 14 ppg in his previous 4 games. While the final result was a huge disappointment to Spain, its players had performed extremely well all tournament and they suffered no serious injuries, so for NBA fans paying attention to the tournament, this was an all-around success for all teams involved.

Of course, Gasol and Navarro weren't the only Grizzlies to play this summer, as both Mike Miller and Darko Milicic joined their national teams in action. You can check out ChipC3's thoughts on Darko . We'll have a post about Miller later this week, so be sure to check back for it.

Darko's Summer in Turmoil

Darko Milicic has had the type of summer movies are made of this year. Disaster movies like Earthquake, The Towering Inferno or The Poseidon Adventure.

First he began the summer as a restricted free agent who's agent was suggesting Darko was worth $10 million a year. Then Orlando relinquished his rights choosing to sign Rashard Lewis instead. This led to rather hostile discussions between Darko's agent and the Magic which eliminated any chance Darko would return to Orlando in any manner other than an opponents uniform.

Darko accepted Memphis' offer of $6.5 million a year instead. This became a little uncomfortable when it was released that Darko had possibly implied that Pau Gasol, Memphis' resident big man, may be less than physical in his approach to the game. This was most likely misinterpreted and more directed at Spain than Memphis but it left a sour taste in people's mouths.

While this was going on Darko was preparing to play for his home country of Serbia in the FIBA European Championships. Serbia is a relative newcomer to European basketball. Originally a part of Yugoslavia and then combining with Montenegro this was to be the first European championship where Serbia competed as an individual country. Darko felt immense pressure to perform at the highest level for his country.

And perform he did. Darko was second in scoring (14.7 ppg), first in rebounding (9.7 per game) and first in blocked shots (3.3 per game). While shooting a disappointing 41% from the field a major reason for that was the 2-13 shooting performance against Russia. Darko did shoot over 50% for the rest of the tournament. His free throw shooting left much to be desired however.

Unfortunately Darko was also first in fines at the tournament after an expletive laced commentary about the referees following a close loss to Greece.

Serbia failed to win a single game in the competition but lost all three games by a combined 15 points. Russia, the eventual champion, beat Serbia by 10. Greece, the 4th place team, won by a single point in the highly controversial game. Israel beat the deflated Serbian team by a mere four points that was probably more of a hangover from the Greece game than anything else.

So what did we see from Darko's international experience this summer? We found that Darko won't sit around and accept things. We discovered that Darko is capable of rebounding and scoring on the international stage and as a player is ready to mature his game on the bigger stages. We also saw quite graphically that Darko isn't mature yet and still has troubles with maintaining his emotions.

Most encouraging was his rebounding, a major weakness of the Grizzlies in previous seasons. Darko was among the best rebounders in the tournament averaging 9.3 a game. To put it in perspective that was more than Dirk Nowitzki (8.6 per game), Pau Gasol (7.0 per game) and Andrei Kirilenko (8.6 per game). His weaknesses were maintaining his composure and free throw shooting (52.6%). Throw in the physical way he played and there is a lot more to be excited about than some originally thought.

Now if he can co-exist with Pau and Hakim Warrick in the paint, things could be very good for the Grizzlies this season.

Darko Act I

Memphis, meet Darko Milicic.

You might have missed his initial press conference this summer. You probably wish you would have missed this story too.

Darko Milicic, the Grizzlies top free agent acquisition and 7 foot Serbian center provided his Memphis fanbase with quite the opening act.

Darko Act I featured a profanity laced tirade directed towards the refs after Serbia lost to Greece. It was, of course, in Serbian. It was not only directed at the refs, but also their families. It was nasty, viscous, appalling, inappropriate, and whatever other negative descriptor that comes to your mind. I'm leaving it up to the reader to find the translation for themselves. Google.

Naturally, Chris Wallace didn’t like what he read. I don’t like reading what he said. No sensible person would approve of what he said.

That's why it is embarrassing to admit that when I first saw the youtube clip of Darko's outburst, I was smiling and enjoying myself. Sure, that was mostly because I do not speak Serbian and had not yet read the translation. But still. My first thoughts was that if we didn't catch lightning in a bottle, we might have caught venom in a vile. And isn't that what we have always wanted next to Pau?

This isn’t the same Darko I remember. Admittedly, I did not see Darko play much in Orlando, being restricted only to the few Grizzlies games he made an appearance in. Still, this isn’t the same Darko I remember sitting on the end of the Pistons bench wearing a bandaid on his ear. This Darko is big. This Darko is mean. This Darko is pissed.

Wait. I need to remember what he actually let himself say to a bunch of reporters after a heartbreaking overtime loss. It probably can't be stressed enough that he needs to control his emotions better. He was unprofessional. Right or wrong, we expect players to play hard during the game while pushing their emotional level to the brink without going over, then after the game, be calm, professional and display role model type sportsmanship. When players do go over the edge, whether during or after the game, we then frown upon it to varying degrees. This situation isn't any different.

But screw it. I’m a homer and I don't want what looked like a great offseason tainted right now.

I want this to be a glimpse into a mean Darko who will be the teams enforcer that we’ve always wanted next to Pau (minus the vulgar content about the refs and their families of course). Someone that won't let the Mavs tip out a missed free throw in the closing minutes of a playoff game. Someone that makes opposing guards think twice before driving the lane. Someone that won't stand for Mike Miller to be elbowed in the throat (provided they aren't on the bench and it is a crucial playoff game).

Darko's low rumblings during his initial press conference reminded many Griz fans of Drago from Rocky IV. I'm not sure how this latest incident changes that comparison. Maybe a juvenile Drago.

Darko Act I: Young Drago gets mad

(Aside…Ever since Darko's press conference this summer I have had the idea that Darko would make a perfect pro wrestler. He is already known by a single name (I doubt most casual fans know his last name). He is big. He is mean. And he apparently gives pro wrestling quality backstage interviews after getting screwed by the refs. Maybe him and Pacman could be a tag-team.)

Update: Slam Online has a take on the subject.
Update 2: The always-entertaining Bethlehem Shoals weighs in.
Update 3: FIBA fines Darko $13,770.
Update 4: Chris Sheridan with a hilarious comment:

Speaking of the Serbs, by the way, we invite those not easily offended to seek out a full translation of Darko Milicic's rant against FIBA referees last week. Let's just say the rant is so vicious, we will no longer be accepting nominations for this year's version of the Tim Duncan I Hate FIBA award. In fact, we'll go so far as to say Darko's rant will set the standard for ref-bashing for decades to come. Yes, it was that bad.

Navarro to miss 1st round of European Championships

From Yahoo! Sports:

Spain will be without shooting guard Juan Carlos Navarro for the first round of the European basketball championships because of a muscle tear in his right leg.

"This is really a setback, having really worked hard over the past month," said Navarro, who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA. "But I'm not worried. We've got enough players to replace me."

Navarro will miss Spain's Group A opener against Portugal, as well as matches against Latvia and Croatia.

On Sunday, Toronto Raptors guard Jorge Garbajosa was cleared to play with Spain after recovering from leg and ankle injuries.

Before Grizzlies fans get worried about another injury affecting a season in light of Pau Gasol injury in the semifinal of the World Championships last summer, this injury seems to be minor and he should be 100% healthy by training camp.

In other news, Mike Miller played well for Team USA in helping them to resounding victory in the FIBA Americas tournament. However, it seems likely that Miller will not be part of the Olympic team next summer, as other "bigger name" players will be healthy at that time. That's unfortunate, since Miller provided the one thing that other American teams had lacked in recent international competition: outside shooting. If replaced with Dwyane Wade, the team will be left with Michael Redd as its lone "designated shooter". That could allow teams to once again collapse on the lane and force the Americans to have other, less capable players fire from the perimeter. Time will tell if this potential switch will come back to haunt USA Basketball.