I'm very excited about the summer league once again, in part because I NEED basketball, but also in part because the C's will field an all-star roster of college and H.S. players. Not that it matters, but they could easily run away with both the Orlando and Nevada leagues (although the Magic will field a team with Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson). Here is the roster as I can piece it together thus far:
PG: Marcus Banks, Delonte West
Marcus ate up the summer league last year with his quickness and defense. Expect more of the same and a further development of his jump shot this year. Delonte will attempt to learn the point. Hopefully the experiment works better for him than it did for Forte, Williams, and Bremer before him.
SG: Tony Allen
Tough, defensive minded player who won't see much time backing up Pierce. I don't know how good his jumper is, but he better show he can drain it.
SF: Justin Reed, Jumaine Jones
Probably the weakest position in camp. But no worries. With Jiri and Davis on the Varsity team, this position is overcrowded as it is. Look for Reed to be given every opportunity to earn a spot. However if no trades take the Varsity boys out of town or dump Jumaine's salary, I don't know if he can stick. Jumaine desperately needs some PT to prove himself a talent or a bust.
PF: Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson
Definitly going to see plenty of post work. We might even see these behemoths on the floor together for some stretches. Really looking forward to seeing their footwork and touch around the basket. Brawn will get you just so far, they'll need skill at this level, and I think they have it. (PS, is that Al Jeff holding up a #8 jersey? Is he nuts? If he throws up a single 3 pointer, I'm going to light myself on fire - small tribute to Bill Simmons)
C: Ernest Brown
Ernest signed right before the playoffs for height. May be some insurance in case Mihm signs elsewhere. C's made a qualifying offer, so that means we can match any offer another club makes for him. Still someone might offer more than we can stomach for a guy that shows constant promise and inconsistent results.
The Rest of the Campers
Chris Burgess, Robert Jackson, Tony Kitchings, Dexter Lyons, Bryant Matthews, Thomas Mobley, Micahel Watson. If anyone knows anything interesting about any of these guys, please let us know in the comments section below. I'm not holding my breath.