NBA Summer League Las Vegas 2009 Edition

The NBA's Summer League 2009 kicked off in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 10, 2009. The schedule includes 21 teams participating and 55 games total, wrapping up on July 19th. You can expect to see the likes of top NBA draft prospects and D-Leaguers in action. The top NBA draft picks will be in action: Blake Griffin of the Clippers, Hasheem Thabeet of the Grizzlies and James Harden of the Thunder. Some of the vets in the summer league include the Thunder's Keith McLeod and Spurs' George Hill.

#1 pick Blake Griffin expects to have a busy summer, according to NBA.com:

“I’m going be to be working out as hard as I can,” Griffin said. “You know, Summer League, I'll be there, and I'm also going to the USA trials at the end of July in Vegas.”

There's also a summer league going on down in Orlando, and according to NBA.com, the Thunder are one team that is competing in both of the leagues. Guard Russell Westbrook will be in Orlando, while James Harden and BJ Mullens will play in Vegas. Several other second year players and some international prospects from their team will also make the trip to the desert. Unfortunately, Blazers rookie Patty Mills suffered a broken right foot and won't be participating in the league.

NBA.com has also picked out 10 games of note, including a July 12th battle between the #2 and #3 picks, Memphis Grizzlies' Hasheem Thabeet and OKC Thunder's James Harden. One of the final games of the schedule features Blake Griffin in action against the Phoenix Suns.

On day 1 of the league, Pistons #35 pick DeJuan Summers scored a monstrous 24 pts against the Kings, including many dunks, and seven rebounds as well. The Warriors' young phenom, Stephen Curry, scored 16, missed 10 out of 14 shots and had 7 fouls (I guess the rules change in a summer league).

All in all, the 2009 NBA summer league will provide a fresh look at some of the top prospects to possibly gauge who will be making some noise during the regular season, possibly propelling their team to greater success.

Also see: 2009 NBA Draft Results, Round 1

2009 NBA Draft Round 1

The 2009 NBA draft lottery picks started off just as expected as Oklahoma phenom Blake Griffin was selected first overall. The Grizzlies snatched up imposing Connecticut defensive player Hasheem Thabeet to man the middle in Mephis. From there the Thunder took James Harden who many continue to be the most talented overall player in the draft. Minnesota had two picks in the top 5, and took Tyreke Evans of Memphis followed by Ricky Rubio from Spain.

Here's a look at the first 13 picks in the 2009 NBA Draft:

#1 Blake Griffin (Oklahoma) drafted by Los Angeles Clippers
#2 Hasheem Thabeet (UCONN) drafted by Memphis Grizzlies
#3 James Harden (Arizona St.) drafted by Oklahoma City Thunder
#4 Tyreke Evans (Memphis) drafted by Sacramento Kings
#5 Ricky Rubio (Spain) drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves
#6 Johnny Flynn (Syracuse) drafted by Minnesota Timberwolves
#7 Stephan Curry (Davidson) drafted by Golden State Warriors
#8 Jordan Hill (Arizona) drafted by NY Knicks
#9 DeMar DeRozan (USC) drafted by Toronto Raptors
#10 Brandon Jennings (USA-Intl.) drafted by Milwaukee Bucks
#11 Terrence Williams (Louisville) drafted by New Jersey Nets
#12 Gerald Henderson (Duke) drafted by Charlotte Bobcats
#13 Tyler Hansborough (UNC) drafted by Indiana Pacers

As usual, the local NY Knicks fans booed their teams pick Jordan Hill, but according to the commentators he was the best pick available at that spot. Of course, the NY fans have quite a bit to be unhappy about with their team failing to make the playoffs yet again, and possibly losing out on the Lebron James sweepstakes with the news Shaquille O'Neal had been traded to Cleveland earlier in the day.

In other trade news, New Jersey Nets All-Star forward, Vince Carter, was dealt to the Orlando Magic, in what appears to be a rebuilding effort for NJ. Orlando definitely added to its lineup now with Dwight Howard having the shooting services of Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis.

More draft coverage at NBA.com

2009 Draft Lottery Results

Tuesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers were on the court getting ready to try to take out the Denver Nuggets and move one step closer to the NBA finals. Meanwhile, their in-state rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers won the draft lottery on Tuesday night, possibly securing a franchise player in the process. Blake Griffin from Oklahoma was interviewed by Mark Jones of ESPN, and asked about the possibility of him coming to LA as the #1 pick. Griffin said he plans to try his best to learn on the fly and make an immediate impact wherever he's drafted to. Other top draft picks will include the likes of Johnny Flynn, James Harden, Stephen Curry and Hasheem Thabeet of Connecticut.

2009 Draft Lottery order:

1) LA Clippers
2) Memphis Grizzlies
3) Oklahoma City Thunder
4) Sacramento Kings
5) Washington Wizards
6) Minnesota Timberwolves
7) Golden State Warriors
8) New York Knicks
9) Toronto Raptors
10) Milwaukee Bucks
11) New Jersey Nets
12) Charlotte Bobcats
13) Indianapolis Pacers
14) Phoenix Suns

Several of the representatives in attendance for the draft lottery selection show on ESPN wer either current or former players, as well as coaches. Chris Webber was there on behalf of the Kings, while Kevin Love was there for the Timberwolves. Former Knick Allan Houston was in attendance for New York. Scott Brooks represented his Oklahoma City Thunder, while Larry Bird represented the Pacers.

The 2009 NBA Draft will take place on June 25, 2009.

2009 NBA Mock Draft

Last year's #1 pick was a toss up between Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley, with Chicago grabbing Rose and making him their franchise player while the Miami Heat took Beasley. For 2009, it appears it may be a toss up between two monstrous players, Oklahoma's Blake Griffin and the human eraser, UCONN's Hasheem Thabeet. Both players have plenty of skills to offer teams in desperate need. Griffin may have a slight edge as he's the better offensive player, but teams can't go wrong by choosing a 7'3 guy who fills the lane, intimidates opposing players and sends shots into the stands.

Here's a look at just one NBA Mock draft for the projected draft picks #1 through 14. These team positions will most likely change, as of right now they are determined by worst to best ranking in the NBA amongst teams that may not qualify for the playoffs.

1 Sacramento Blake Griffin So.
2 Washington Hasheem Thabeet Jr.
3 LA Clippers James Harden So.
4 Memphis Jordan Hill Jr.
5 Oklahoma Cty Brandon Jennings Intl.
6 *Minnesota Gerald Henderson Jr.
7 Golden St. Earl Clark Jr.
8 Toronto Chase Budinger Jr.
9 Indiana Al-Farouq Aminu Fr.
10 Charlotte Demar DeRozan Fr.
11 New Jersey Craig Brackins So.
12 *New York Jeff Teague So.
13 Chicago DeJuan Blair So.
14 Phoenix Eric Maynor Sr

Currently opinions vary on where Connecticut Junior Hasheem Thabeet might be drafted. Mock draft sites currently speculate him anywhere from 1-5. MyNBaDraft.com has Thabeet going 5th to Oklahoma City, while draftexpress.com has Thabeet being drafted 4th by the Memphis Grizzlies. Of course, players' stock can rise and fall with the NCAA tournament as well as their performances in team workouts and pre-draft activities.

Also, for the 2009 draft, Minnesota receives the Miami Heat's first round pick, a top 10 selection due to the Ricky Davis trade several years ago.

Instant Classic: Syracuse Outlasts UCONN in 6th OT

Last night saw an extended Big East tournament matchup between the #4 Connecticut Huskies and #20 Syracuse Orangemen which went into the wee hours of the night. Originally the game was thought to have ended in regulation on a Eric Devendorf three pointer at the buzzer. But Devendorf's celebration was premature; upon further review the ball didn't leave Devendorf's hands in time. The game continued into overtime number 1. From there the two teams continued to battle it out, but UCONN failed to hit the buzzer beating last second shot opportunities they had in several overtimes. Player after player fouled out for both teams including Devendorf for Syracuse and big man Hasheem Thabeet for UCONN. Once OT number 6 came, the Orangemen simply had more gas in their tanks while UCONN was losing key players. A Rautins 3 sparked off a run that saw Syracuse outscore UCONN 17-7 in the final period. After six overtimes and close to four hours a classic game came to an end. Final score: Syracuse 127 UCONN 117.

The game was a true testament to just how tough and competitive collegiate athletes really can be. It saw feats of endurance and skill, including 7 foot 3 center Hasheem Thabeet diving to the floor for a loose ball for UCONN, then quickly getting a timeout out of the deal. The game also featured two hall of fame coaches and a well-known big East rivalry. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was proud of his team's win, while Jim Calhoun admitted the Huskies had chances at the free throw line and with several missed shots. After an exhausting extra 6 rounds in a heavyweight fight, both teams were seen exiting the garden around 2 AM in the morning.

The Huskies will most likely head into the 2009 NCAA Tournament as a top seed, to be determined Sunday night. As the Huskies get a much needed rest from the 6 overtime epic game, Syracuse must press on to their next contest, a 9PM meeting with West Virginia, scheduled for just 2 halves. In the words of ESPN commentators, "What could the Orange possibly have left?"

Read more about Thursday night's classic Big East basketball game at MSG.