The Clippers don't have a game today, so I'm trying to watch some games in a slightly more relaxed manner. So rather than hanging in the media area behind the baskets, I'm sitting in the stands. Of course, I still can't quite bring myself to put the netbook away.
I caught the end of Detroit versus the Knicks already, and am currently watching the Kings versus the Raptors. From a practical standpoint, that means I saw Greg Monroe (who the Clippers might have drafted had Detroit not taken him) earlier, and I'm watching Ed Davis now. Davis dropped down to the Raptors picking 13, but from a practical standpoint those guys in the six to 14 range were pretty tough to distinguish.
The sample size is of course ridiculously small, but Monroe appears to be a much more finished product than Al-Farouq Aminu. He looked good hitting a face up jumper while I was watching, and also threw a beautiful outlet pass that led to a layup (we knew he could pass). Davis also looks more ready to contribute right away than AFA; but that's not a huge surprise either. The bottom line is that we're going to have to be patient with Aminu. It's likely that many rookies are going to outperform him this season, including some picked after him.
I wanted to watch this game to see DeMarcus Cousins, who's been tearing up the summer league so far. Lucky me, he's been terrible so far today. He hasn't made a shot yet, and has missed several really easy ones, including an airball from about 3 feet. Yikes.
Both the Kings and Raptors have some key guys here, which stands to reason since they're both pretty early in the rebuilding process. The Kings likely have at least two starters here: Cousins at center, and either Omri Casspi or Donte Greene at the small forward. They also have Hassan Whiteside, the 2010 draft's version of DeAndre Jordan (lottery pick who dropped to the second round).
In addition to late lottery pick Davis, the Raptors also have DeMar DeRozan, who figures to have a prominent role for the Raps, given that half their team from last season is gone. DeRozan has looked very good so far, showing a much more developed offensive game than we've seen from him before. The Raptors also feature former Clipper Bobby Brown, who frankly looks much more like a Summer League player than a Winter League player.