2009 NBA Summer League round-up: Washington Wizards

July 26th, 2009

– Alade Aminu: I’ve not yet seen Aminu, to be honest with you. But his stats from last year go like this; 11.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 27 minutes per game. Solid. So is the 6’10 230lb size with a 7’3 wingspan. However, the points came somewhat inefficiently, he turned it over a lot, and he fouled quite a lot too. And he could use some muscle gain. But he’s also only 21, despite having just played his senior season, and that’s got to bode well.

– Dwayne Anderson: In all the times I watched Villanova last year, I didn’t realise Dwayne Anderson was a senior. He didn’t have a bad senior year, but he’s a forward in a guard’s body, with not much of a jump shot and little dribbling ability, who rebounds well and who could be a good defender, but who kind of isn’t. This is probably his only ever NBA sniff.

– Ryan Ayers: Ryan Ayers is here for three reasons. The first is because he has great size for the NBA at 6’7. The second is because he has a fine set jump shot that already has NBA three-point range. And the third is because he’s the son of recent Wizards assistant coach Randy Ayers. To be 6’7 and a fine shooter sounds like a good start, but here’s the thing with Ayers; he does little else. He only catches and shoots. He’s fairly athletic and his defence is all right, but he will only ever catch and shoot. Even at the college level with 6’2 prospective morticians matched up on him, all he did was catch and shoot. That’s not going to get it done, even if he is extremely good at shooting and with a good NBA physique.

– Jimmy Baron: See this.

– Andray Blatche: Andray Blatche, there’s a reason you’re still doing summer league after five years in the league. It’s because you still haven’t figured out that you’re not Kobe Bryant. I tell you this in the hope that it may help. Go to the post and stay there.

– Javaris Crittenton: In August 2007, the Grizzlies traded a heavily-protected first rounder to the Wizards for the rights to Juan Carlos Navarro. The pick was at least top 12 protected until 2012, at which point if it still hadn’t been conveyed, it became a second-round pick and cash instead. However, the Navarro move went a bit wrong, and the Grizzlies got all of one year out of him because he sloped off back to Spain, ne’er to return. They then traded Crittenton to the Wizards in December last year to get the pick back, in spite of all its protection. To be honest, I’d rather have Crittenton.

– John Edwards: Edwards is 28 in about a week, but he never stops trying. Aside from one stint in the Ukraine, he’s never played outside of America; he’s either in the NBA, or in a minor league trying to get back there. Unfortunately, it’s no longer happening for him. Last year in the D-League, he averaged 9.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.6 fouls for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. That’s not getting it done.

– Josh Heytvelt: Heytvelt had a good college career, if you ignore the whole recreational drugs thing, but that doesn’t mean he’ll have an NBA career. His inside-outside offensive game is fun to watch. However, if you’re 6’11 and not a defender or a rebounder, you’d better be a bloody efficient scorer. And Heytvelt isn’t.

– James Lang: Lang is a former Wizard, and the owner of his own theory. He played 11 games with the team in 2006-07, showing little in very little opportunity. He’s done little since then, too, averaging only 6/4 in the D-League last year. Lang is still freaking huge, so the NBA still continues to monitor him. But he’s never developed.

– Tits McGee: The bad news for McGee is that Brendan Haywood is back this year. The good news for McGee is that the Wizards will no longer have to feel like they’re obliged to play Darius Songaila. Even at centre.

– Dominic McGuire: McGuire’s contract for next year is fully unguaranteed. He’s the 15th man on the roster, on a team that figures to be a heavy tax payer next season. Somehow, Dominic McGuire is going to have to show that he’s worth the $1.65 million it’ll cost to keep him. And I don’t think the 21% shooting he managed in summer league is getting it done.

– Tywain McKee: None of us watched a Coppin State game last year, so let’s not kid ourselves. So here’s some numbers; McKee averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 2.8 steals and 3.0 turnovers per game, shooting 40% from the field, 36% from three-point range and 81% from the foul line. Those are the numbers. This is the fluff piece.

– Tyrese Rice: Rice averaged 21/5 in his junior season, but that dropped to 17/5 in his senior season. Maybe he was trying to reinvent himself as more of a pass-first player – which wouldn’t be a bad idea as a 6’0 guard with not a great jump shot – but either way it was a downwards trend. And that’s why he went undrafted. I do love the Boston College uniforms, though.

– Jason Rich: Rich got a pre-draft workout with the Wizards last summer, but went undrafted out of FSU. He then spent the year in Italy, averaging 9.8 points and 3.1 rebounds for NGC Cantu in Serie A. He shot 39% from three-point range, which shows improvement, but he still doesn’t have obvious NBA talent.

– Alex Ruoff: Ruoff has signed in Belgium next year for Belgacom Liege. I feel this is all the Alex Ruoff news and views that you need.

– Diamon Simpson: Simpson is an athlete and a great rebounder but a poor shooter, and not much of an offensive player in general. His points come from running, rolling, hustle and scrappiness around the rim; he got to the line over seven times a game last year, just to shoot 58% from there. His size at 6’7 230lbs isn’t really getting it done at the top level, either. And as is mentioned in the McGuire section, the Wizards are already carrying 17. Apart from the four already with contracts, none of these boys really have a chance. Still, Simpson will play as a pro somewhere.

– Kyle Spain: A shooter out of San Diego State. (Sorry. I can just see the end in sight, finally.)

– Brandon Wallace: Last season in Poland, Wallace averaged 7.8 points and 5.6 rebounds. His usual high defensive numbers weren’t really there, averaging less than a block per game. He shot 38% from three-point range, which is a good sign, but it came in limited attempts. If the Wizards decide they can replace McGuire with an inferior but cheaper version, then Wallace could be a candidate. But that doesn’t seem as likely as just not going with either of them.

– Nick Young: Fun Nick Young fact: Nick Young’s career PER in the playoffs is 1.3. That is all.