We're not going to get real hung up on Summer League results. I mean, it's just Summer League. But still, on paper, the Clippers starting five of a $50M center, a lottery pick, a veteran of one NBA season and 2 second round picks who both hope to make the team, should be one of the more formidable units out there, right? Once again, I did not watch the webcast of this game, but looking at the box score, recap and play-by-play, a 20-4 run at the end of the first quarter was the entire difference.
Here's what I wanted to see in the play-by-play:
Kaman Dunk Shot: Made
Here's what I didn't want to see:
Kaman Layup Shot: Missed
Guess which one appears more frequently? 0 dunks and 3 missed layups. One of the layups was blocked by Ivan McFarlin. That's 6'8" Ivan McFarlin for those of you who aren't from Stillwater and have never heard of him. I didn't see any of these plays, but I sure as hell don't like the implications.
It's all well and good if Kaman wants to go to Vegas and work on his jump shot. That's something that he can and should do - a weapon he needs to add. If he goes 2 for 6 on jumpers (which he did), no big deal. It's ok, practice that shot and if you miss a few, fine. That's what Summer League is for. But if you're at the rim, DUNK THE DAMN BALL! He can NOT lead the league in missed layups yet again.
If Summer League is supposed to be a confidence-builder, either for him or for ClipsNation, we have a problem thus far.
It's precious little data, but I continue to like what I see from Subway. 6 assists against 1 turnover is a solid point guard effort, especially in the notoriously sloppy summer. (He had 5 assists and 2 turnovers in the first game.) Without having seen the game, it's impossible to know for sure, but he may have struggled with the quickness of Aaron Brooks. Brooks had 4 points and 2 assists in the fateful first before Kim Hughes took Subway out of the game in favor of Will Conroy. Of course, that's also when the wheels really came off for the Clippers, so while there's a case that he's struggling on D, there's a stronger case that the Clippers really need him out there. At least the Summer League team.
Also, for what it's worth, NBA.com has put together a 45 second highlight reel of Al Thornton from the first game. Al scored 17 yesterday. He's doing a good job of getting to the free throw line and converting them (17 for 21 in two games). Obviously there are a lot of whistles in the summer, but still, that's an aspect of his game so far that I was not expecting.