Top of the draft board shines at Summer League
LAS VEGAS: The depth and quality of the 2017 NBA draft had teams tanking at the end of the regular season in hopes of vaulting into the top three picks.
With the huge caveat being that it was only summer league action, those at the top of the draft made quite a first impression.
Summer league play ended on Monday night after the Los Angeles Lakers beat Portland in the Las Vegas league championship game. Over leagues played in Orlando, Salt Lake City and Vegas, many of the top 10 picks gave their teams plenty to feel good about before heading into the league’s quiet period for the next two months.
No. 2 pick Lonzo Ball owned Vegas with a pair of triple-doubles and was named Vegas MVP. Top pick Markelle Fultz showed off his wide array of scoring tricks in Utah before sitting out much of Vegas with an ankle injury and No. 3 pick Jayson Tatum of Boston was drawing comparisons to Paul Pierce while dominating both in Utah and Nevada.
The competition these rookies will face will increase exponentially when training camps open in October. And there is a long list of summer league standouts — Nikoloz Tskitishvili, anyone? — who never amounted to anything in the NBA. But for struggling franchises like the Lakers, Sixers, Suns and Kings, seeing some real promise from their youngsters the first time they step on the court is encouraging.
Here are some other takeaways from summer league action:
VEGAS TITLE GAME: Kyle Kuzma had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Lakers to a 110-98 victory over the Trail Blazers.
Kuzma hit 6 of 10 3-pointers and Matt Thomas scored 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 5 for 5 on 3s to help the Lakers overcome the loss of Ball, who sat out with a calf injury.
Caleb Swanigan had 25 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists and Jake Layman had 21 points and seven boards for Portland.
PACKED HOUSE: Buoyed by Ball and the Lakers, the Vegas Summer League enjoyed record attendance numbers, including multiple sellouts of Thomas & Mack Center.
What started as a gathering of a few teams 13 years ago has turned into a full-fledged event under the guidance of coaching agent Warren LeGarie and Albert Hall. Sponsors are lining up to get in on the action, fans crowd the concourses looking for autographs of the next big things and established stars like LeBron James, Isaiah Thomas and John Wall sit courtside to watch the games.
Rockets owner puts
team up for sale
Houston Rockets owner Alexander is selling the team.
Rockets CEO Tad Brown made the announcement Monday, hours after Alexander made the decision.
“It’s been my great joy and honor to own the Houston Rockets for the past 24 Leslie years,” Alexander said in a statement. “I’ve had the incredible opportunity to witness true greatness through the players and coaches who have won championships for the city, been named to AllStar and All-NBA teams, enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and done so much for our franchise and our fans.”
Alexander took over as owner on July 30, 1993, and the Rockets went on to win back-to-back titles in 1994-95. In 24 seasons under Alexander, the Rockets have won 56.9 percent of their games, fifth-highest in the league. Brown said the 74-year-old Alexander had been approached over the years by potential buyers, but never considered it until very recently.
Pierce signs with Boston
Paul Pierce is retiring as a member of the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics announced Monday that they have signed Pierce to a contract so the 10-time All-Star can retire with the team where he spent his first 15 seasons in the NBA.
Pierce helped bring Boston a championship in 2008 as part the “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Pierce previously said that last season would be his final one in the NBA.
Drafted by Boston as the 10th overall pick in 1998, Pierce started a 15-season run that is behind only John Havlicek’s 16 seasons for the most played in a Celtics uniform.
“It’s an honor to have this opportunity to once again call myself a Boston Celtic,” Pierce said in a statement. “The organization and city took me in and made me one of their own, and I couldn’t imagine ending my career any other way. I’m a Celtic for life.”