Monday is one of my basketball nights... though it seems I only actually play once in a blue moon. But I get to play tonight, so I'm going to dash off some quick thoughts on the Clippers in Summer League and then watch the game when I get back.
The game is 7 PM, on NBA-TV and ESPN-3... so if you want to watch it, you should at least be able to do so online on "der Drei" (that's "der Drei", not "the Ocho").
The Wizards of course feature first overall pick John Wall, but will also play their 2008 first round pick JaVale McGee. And look for Sam Cassell on the Wizards' bench.
You never much know with Summer League, but I'd guess that the Clippers will start Eric Bledsoe, Willie Warren, Al-Farouq Aminu, Sofoklis Schortsanitis and DeAndre Jordan tonight. Those are the five guys they have incentive to keep on the roster (Bledsoe, AFA and DJ are signed, the others are draft picks so they have at least an emotional investment in them). Still, you never know. Maybe Warren isn't ready, and with former NBA players Trey Johnson and Jeremy Richardson on the roster, the Clippers have options at the two.
The most interesting matchups will definitely be at the one and the five. Wall and Bledsoe were teammates for a season at Kentucky, where they formed a starting backcourt, and were arguably the two best point guards in this draft. Can Bledsoe hang with the ultra-hyped Wall? We'll see. At the center, McGee and Jordan were both chosen in the 2008 draft. Jordan was once thought to be a lottery pick, and fell to the Clippers in the second round, the 35th overall pick. McGee was a bit of an unknown, who rose through the workout process to go to the Wizards at 18.
Jordan was a huge surprise in Summer League last season, displaying offensive moves that we'd never seen from him before. He looked great in pre-season as well - and then went back to be more or less the intriguing but not exactly productive player we saw his rookie season during the regular year. Will he have added more to his game this year? Will it stick this time?
And of course there's the long-awaited (try seven years) Clippers debut of Sofoklis Schortsanitis. See my profile of Big Sofo on SBNation LA today. He may be the most fascinating player in Vegas this summer, even if you aren't a Clippers fan.