Who's the second-best
center in the NBA?
by Chad Ford
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Also Below: Rashard Lewis calls Sonics offer "disappointing" | Have the Magic run out of money? | Sixers to sign Greg Buckner today | Summer League update | Peep Show
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Clippers owner Donald Sterling has to feel right at home. With more and more owners closing their wallets, holding hands in unison and chanting "we won't pay," Sterling's cheapskate ways are no longer the laughing stock of the league. Now, they're the norm. Another offseason like this and Sterling may very well become the poster child of NBA fiscal responsibility. A kind of prophet of tightwads if you will.
Of course, Sterling has bucked the trend of actually paying for players for decades, maintaining all along that spending has gotten out of control before it even had. We suspected that Sterling's stance on the subject was certainly due to his legendary cheapness that extended far beyond the player contracts he always refused to offer.
Now, in the free-agency period that has yet to see a player sign for more than the mid-level exception, wouldn't it be just a little bit ironic if Sterling signed the biggest contract of the summer?
Over the last few days, Clippers officials have been meeting with Michael Olowokandi's agent, Bill Duffy, trying to feel out exactly what re-signing Olowokandi will cost them. Duffy has steadfastly maintained over the last few months that Olowokandi is a max player because of his potential and the dearth of capable, athletic centers in the NBA. The Clippers have pointed to his uneven play over the last four years and claim they'll give him a nice contract, but he isn't worth the max.
Both sides have a point. During the 2000-01 season, Olowokandi's numbers actually slipped. He averaged just 8.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg. He didn't start this past season off any better. For the month of November, Olowokandi averaged just 5.9 ppg and 6.9 rebounds per game. His performance in December wasn't much better He averaged 6.7 ppg and 9.9 rpg.
Duffy, however, can look to a scintillating March and April, by far the two most impressive months of Olowokandi's career to point to his client's real worth. In March, Olowokandi averaged 16.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg and 1.4 bpg. He recorded a career-high 30 points versus the Bulls in March and pulled down and career-high 20 rebounds versus the Celtics in December.
While sources from both sides claim that talks have been "encouraging," they still aren't on the same page as far as contracts go. Olowokandi is patiently waiting to see what the Kings do with Mike Bibby before really pressing his case. If Bibby gets the max, expect Duffy to point to that contract as milestone. If Bibby doesn't, right now sources claim that Kings are offering seven years, $77 million, it's possible that Olowokandi's camp would reduce their demands.
If the two sides can't come to an agreement, Olowokandi can take the Clippers' one-year tender offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Which leads us to the big question: Should the Clippers really shell out almost a $100 million for a center who still has the p-word attached to his name after four years in the league? We've discussed this before and many of the general managers I've talked to on the issue claim that they'd empty out their wallets for a shot at him. But Duffy's recent claim that Olowokandi is the second-best center in the NBA, when you factor in his age, physical skills and untapped potential, warrants a closer look.
If you were building an NBA team, and you couldn't get your hands on Shaq, who would be your starting center?
Here's a quick look at the candidates. We left out several power forwards like Ben Wallace and Kurt Thomas who, at times, played center. We're looking for players whose primary position is center. Where does Olowokandi rank?
Alonzo Mourning, Heat
2001-02 averages: 15.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 52% shooting
2002 salary: $20.6 million
Skinny: He can still play, but his kidney disease and age hurt his overall value. No one plays harder or with more of a ferocity, but in the end, his uncertain health status would scare most away.
Dikembe Mutombo, Sixers
2001-02 averages: 11.5 ppg, 10.8 ppg, 2.4 bpg, 50% shooting
2002 salary: $16.1 million
Skinny: Mutombo is 78 years old. How long can he keep it up? Last season his game really slipped. Expect it to keep slipping.
David Robinson, Spurs
2001-02: 12.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 51% shooting
2002 salary: $10.2 million
Skinny: He's doing a farewell tour this season. A bad back and ageing knees mean that the Admiral is washed up folks.
Vlade Divac, Kings
2001-02: 11.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 47% shooting
2002 salary: $11.2 million
Skinny: One of the most skilled, slippery centers in the league. But with the chain smoking and all the miles on those knees, exactly how much longer can he last?
Raef LaFrentz, Mavs
2001-02 averages (with Dallas): 10.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 43% shooting
2002 salary: Expected to sign a seven-year, $60 million deal with Mavs
Skinny: Is he really a center? LaFrentz likes to hang around the perimeter and shoot jumpers. He's a very good shot blocker, however and, at times, can really put up points. But is he the second-best center in the league? Please, if we're not sure whether he can even play center, he isn't the second best.
Elden Campbell, Hornets
2001-02 averages: 13.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 bpg, 48% shooting
2002 salary: $8.1 million
Skinny: A solid, consistent producer. But the second-best center in the league? Forget about it.
Marcus Camby, Nuggets
2001-02 averages: 11.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 1.2 bpg, 45% shooting
2002 salary: $6.8 million
Skinny: His best season was his rookie one with Toronto. What does that tell you? Last year, managed to play just 29 games. He's never played more than 63 games in a season and isn't really a center anyway. Forget about it.
Theo Ratliff, Hawks
2001-02 averages: Injured
2002 salary: $9.4 million
Skinny: Played at an All-Star level until mid-way through the 2000-01 season. He never recovered from a series of injuries and missed all but a few games for the Hawks last season. While it's looking like he's healthy now, he still likes the size and inside toughness that most GM's covet.
Rasho Nesterovic, T-Wolves
2001-02 averages: 8.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 49% shooting
2002 salary: Looking for at least $4.5 million
Skinny: No one is pretending that Nesterovic is in the same category as the other folks, but the fact that several teams, including the Wolves, are considering paying him a starting salary of at least $4.5 million gives you an idea of the type of inflated prices teams will pay for a big guy. Seattle's Jerome James and Calvin Booth along with the 76ers Todd MacCulloch are three other good examples.
Yao Ming, Rockets
Skinny: We're not sure what he'll be, or whether he can even play at an NBA level, so forget about trying to rank him. Yao is one of several young centers in the league with potential. Jamaal Magloire, Eddy Curry, Jake Tsakalidis, DeSagana Diop, Brendan Haywood and Nene Hilario all have interesting upsides, but no one is predicting stardom for any of them.
That brings us back to Olowokandi.
2001-02 averages: 11.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 43% shooting
Skinny: The thing about Olowokandi is that of all of the aforementioned centers, he's the only one with the size, athletic ability and youth to put up a semi-serious fight with Shaq. While he's still miles away from realizing his potential, who would the Clippers replace him with? He's unselfish, doesn't need the ball to make an impact and, on the few times the team has called on him to score, has shown the ability to light it up.
With the top-flight centers of the past (Mutombo, Robinson, Divac, Mourning) with one foot in the grave, the top centers of the present (LaFrentz, Campbell, Camby, Ratliff) all possessing some fatal flaw and the top centers of the future (Yao, Magilore, James, Curry, etc.) still years away, Olowokandi can make a very strong case that, next to Shaq, he's the only center in the league with the tools to be truly dominant in the near future. Note: Apology accepted.
Does that mean he's worth the max, or does it just mean that true centers are a dying breed? That's the multi-million dollar question for Clipps.
Rashard Lewis calls Sonics offer "disappointing"
Did the Sonics finally give Rashard Lewis an official offer Wednesday? Lewis told listeners on a Seattle radio station Wednesday that the Sonics did give him an offer, and he's not happy with it.
"They gave me the offer, and I didn't like the offer, and so I'm going to take a trip to Dallas," Lewis said during an interview with KJR-AM. The Tacoma News Tribune reported that the offer was worth more than $60 million over seven seasons.
"They're not matching the offer that I think I'm worth," Lewis said. "To me, it made me a little bit disappointed because of the fact they told me that I'm a guy they want to build the team around. But to me, the contract that they offered me, it doesn't seem like they want to build the team around me."
Lewis will arrive in Dallas this morning and Mavs owner Mark Cuban is hoping to convince Lewis to bolt Seattle and sign with Dallas and the mid-level exception. The Mavs aren't the only team that will get in the hunt
A Rockets team source told Insider Wednesday that the team is extremely interested in signing Lewis. While the source downplayed a possibility of a sign-and-trade with the Sonics, they did say that the Rockets plan on meeting with Lewis and his agent, Carl Poston. Lewis, who just built a new home in Houston, has maintained all year that he'd like to join the Rockets.
Poston confirmed the Rockets interest to the Houston Chronicle. "They have expressed interest informally. They don't understand why Seattle has not signed Rashard. But if they don't sign Rashard, [the Rockets] would be very interested in having him be here."
The Rockets do have a bit of a logjam at small forward with Glen Rice and Bostjan Nachbar. However, the Rockets source told Insider they wouldn't pass up the opportunity to sign Lewis if he's willing to leave Seattle.
The Chicago Tribune and Sun Times are also reporting that GM Jerry Krause has also expressed interest in Lewis. The 76ers, Raptors, Jazz, and T-Wolves have also expressed interest.
With that said, several GM's told Insider Wednesday that, when all is said and done, they expect Lewis to return to the Sonics. "I think the Sonics will step up and make a better offer if they really believe they'll lose him. I think Lewis' decision to go to Dallas is a negotiating ploy. He'd never touch the ball there."
Lewis indicated as much Wednesday. "I'm hoping it's not going to be the final offer because my main thing is re-signing in Seattle. Everything is pretty much on them if they want me to be back in Seattle or not. Hopefully, when I make another couple of visits, maybe they'll come with another contract to put on the table. But I can't really say. That's up to Seattle."
* Unhappy with offer, Lewis visits Dallas
Danny O'Neil / Seattle Post-Intelligencer
* Upset by Sonics' offer, Lewis tests waters in Dallas today
Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune
* Rockets let Lewis know of interest
Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle
* Sonics' Lewis moves into Bulls' picture
K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune
Have the Magic run out of money?
The re-signing of Pat Garrity to a five-year, $17 million contract ($15 million without incentives) raised a few eyebrows around the league Wednesday.
"I'm very surprised," one GM told Insider. "They've worked so hard to clear cap space the last few years I thought they'd let him slip away."
Indeed, the Magic have gone to extraordinary means the last few seasons to get all of their long-term contracts off the books so that they could make a major run at Tim Duncan when he becomes a free agent next summer. In the last few years the team has given away players like Bo Outlaw and Brendan Haywood in an attempt to get further under the cap.
However, with the salary cap dropping, and Garrity re-signing, it looks like the Magic will now have about $36.5 million on the books next summer. If the salary cap stays around $40.5 million, the Magic won't have the cash it takes lure Duncan to Orlando next summer.
Was Garrity really worth it? He's one of the best long-range shooters in the league, but he isn't Duncan, or even Keon Clark for that matter.
Ironically, Garrity's agent, Lon Babby, is also Duncan's. Insider talked to Babby Wednesday, and he said he was aware of the cap impact for the Magic. He refused, however, to address Duncan's plans next summer.
Here's how their salaries break down in 2003.
Grant Hill: $13.3 million
Tracy McGrady: $13.3 million
Mike Miller: $3.4 million
Garrity: roughly $3 million
Steven Hunter: $1.4 million
Ryan Humphrey: $1.1 million
Jeryl Sasser: $1.0 million
The move also puts the Magic perilously close to the luxury-tax threshold this summer. Free agent Keon Clark is heading to Orlando soon to meet with team officials If the Magic toss their mid-level exception ($4.5 million) his direction, not only will they wipe out most of their remaining cap room next year, they'll pay a pretty seriously penalty this year in luxury tax fines.
The team tried to clear some room Wednesday by waiving Jud Buechler. However, the move will really only buy the Magic about an extra $1 million in cap space. The team is also hoping that Patrick Ewing will retire, which would clear out another $2.3 million in room. Horace Grant, who was also considering retirement, told Magic owner Rich DeVos that he'll return next season, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The Magic have talked to Toronto about sign-and-trade options for Clark, but the Raptors are in a similar position to the Magic. They can't afford to take back extra salaries because of tax issues.
* Garrity signs 5-year deal
Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel
* Horace Grant tells DeVos he'll return this year
Brian Schmitz / Orlando Sentinel
Sixers to sign Greg Buckner today
It looks like the Sixers will finally ink Mavs guard Greg Buckner to that six-year, $18 million deal that has been rumored since the first week of free agency. Sources told Insider that he'll likely sign the contract today.
The Sixers have been working with the Mavs over the last few weeks trying to work out a sign-and-trade. However, the Mavs insistence that Tariq Abdul-Wahad be included in the deal may have killed it for the Sixers.
That means the Sixers will have to use roughly $2.4 million of their $4.5 million mid-level exception to sign Buckner. While that doesn't exactly price them out of the free-agent market for a player like Rodney Rogers, it pretty much ends any chance they have to sign Keon Clark or Rashard Lewis.
It's always possible that the Sixers will just re-sign Matt Harpring. However, now that he's an unrestricted free agent, the Sixers can no longer match another offer.
According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the Sixers are expected to sign Magic free agent Monte Williams to a minimum-salary offer.
"It's a steal," said Magic GM John Gabriel. "If we weren't faced with the luxury-tax situation, the way most teams are, he'd have a job with us forever. He's one of the best [as an influence] in the locker room; he's coming off his best year as a pro; he's one of the best smaller low-post players. He was always able to get to the basket, but now he's able to finish. He's not a very good shooter, but he's a pretty good scorer and able to defend against shooting guards, small forwards and some power forwards."
* Finally, Sixers ready for changes
Phil Jasner / Philadelphia Daily News
Summer League update
Qyntel Woods continues to impress at the Rocky Mountain Revue. He led the the Blazers to a 89-80 victory over the Mavs with 18 points, seven boards and four assists. In the nightcap, Drew Gooden had another fantastic game as the Grizzlies defeated the Jazz, 84-76. Gooden ended the game with 25 points, 10 boards and four assists. DeShawn Stevenson led the Jazz with 17 points.
Make sure you check out our Rocky Mountain Revue, Pro Summer League , Shaw's Pro Summer League, and Orlando Summer Pro League pages for rosters, leaders and box scores.
Peep Show
Raptors, Jazz: It looks like the Raptors are now balking on a sign-and-trade that would've sent Donyell Marshall to the Raptors for Jerome Williams and Michael Bradley. A league source told Insider that the Raptors are reluctant to part ways with Williams, a fan favorite who has been a sparkplug off the bench the last few years.
Spurs: Expect the team to sign Malik Rose to a seven-year, $42 million deal as early as today. Interest in Antonio Daniels, for whom the Spurs continue to entertain trade offers, has increased with Boston and Minnesota among a number of teams that are interested the San Antonio Express News reported.
Nuggets, Cavs: While GM Kiki Vandeweghe acknowledged interest in Cavs free-agent Ricky Davis, he expects Davis to be back with the Cavaliers. "Everybody in the league knows Ricky is a great player," Vandeweghe told the Denver Post. "He's a positive on any team, and any team would be lucky to have him. But I think things will work out in Cleveland." Said Davis' agent Dan Fegan, "Nothing is imminent."
Knicks: The team is closing in on signing Michael Doleac, but the Jazz and Blazers aren't completely out of the picture, the Bergen County record reported. The Knicks are one of two teams that watched Doleac work out in Utah Tuesday. The other is the Raptors. If the Knicks sign Doleac, it virtually ends any chance they have to get a top-flight free agent like Keon Clark or Rashard Lewis.
Jazz: The team signed restricted free agent Jarron Collins to a two-year deal Wednesday. The signing of Nuggets guard Calbert Cheaney could come as early as today, league sources tell Insider.
Grizzlies, Heat: It looks like Jerry West is after another foreign big man. West worked out Heat center Vladimir Stepania this week while at the Rocky Mountain Revue. "They have an interest in him, as do three to four other teams, and we're kind of seeing what's out there," Tony Dutt, Stepania's agent, told the Sun Sentinel. "He [Stepania] knows that the Heat does nothing but make him better, but that being said, we've got to protect the other side, too.
Rockets: The team is targeting Oct. 14th as the date Yao Ming will be released from his China national team duties, a Rockets source told Insider. That's smack dab in the middle of the Rockets preseason schedule. To make up for his training camp and preseason absence, the Rockets are already planning on having a presence at every city Yao plays in conjunction with the World Championships.
Pacers: It looks like Al Harrington is recovering on schedule from a torn ACL last season. He has the weight back, and much of his strength, too. Harrington has been working on his shot six days a week. It's getting better. "Most of it is confidence," Harrington told the Indianapolis Star. "For a month-and-a-half, I couldn't do nothing but shoot jump shots. I'll shoot the long ball a little next year. I won't fall in love with it, but I want it to be there."
Bucks: It looks like second-round pick Ronald Murray has a reasonable chance of making the opening-day roster. "No question," assistant coach Don Newman told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I think he does. If you look at the future, I think Ronald Murray might be considered a great pick years down the road. And the Milwaukee Bucks will give him every opportunity." GM Ernie Grunfeld told Insider in Boston that there's a good possibility that the Bucks may have three rookies on their roster this summer: Murray, Marcus Haislip and Dan Gadzuric.
Warriors: Did Golden State finally get something right? The team is expected to hire Hawks assistant Eric Musselman as its next head coach. While Musselman may be the youngest coach in the league, he is absolutely driven and should be able to light a fire under the lethargic Warriors. If he tells Antawn Jamison to shut up and play small forward, he'll be on my ballot for coach of the year.
* Spurs bring Aussie coach back
Johnny Ludden / San Antonio Express-News
* Davis unlikely
Marc J. Spears / Denver Post
* Knicks step up courtship of center
Al Iannazzone / Bergen Record
* Knicks: Hands Are Tied
Greg Logan / Newsday
* Knicks mulling deal for Doleac
Frank Isola / New York Daily News
* Harrington, Tinsley redouble their efforts
Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star
* A bare market in Miami could make Stepania a Grizzly
Harvey Fialkov / South Florida Sun-Sentinel
* Murray earns a point
Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
* Going for young, hungry coach not a bad idea for hapless team
Mark Purdy / San Jose Mercury News
2.ESPN Insider: Summer League — Buckets On the Rise!!!
IN and OUT: Dajuan Wager lights up the Rocky Mountain Revue
The summer league saw a few top draft picks like Dajuan Wagner, Drew Gooden, Marcus Haislip and Amare Stoudemire have stellar debuts, but for the most part, the NBA rookies struggled to get into an early rhythm. Instead, it was the second-year players like Richard Jefferson, Kedrick Brown, Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph who were stealing headlines in Week 2 of the NBA summer leagues.
IN
Richard Jefferson, Nets
Jefferson was, by far, the best player at Shaw's last week. His athleticism, court savvy and improving outside shot were all on display. He led all scorers at Shaw's with 22 points per game and added 5.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. The Nets are considering moving Jefferson to the two guard position this year, but it was his ball handling and ability to play point forward (the Nets didn't have a strong point guard on their team) that impressed NBA execs. Said one GM, "He's the total package. He's going to be a star."
Dajuan Wagner and DeSagana Diop, Cavs
Wagner had a sweet opening night with 15 points and three assists but exploded in the second game of his career. His 35 points on 14 of 26 shooting was a thing to behold. The kid is coming as advertised. He connected on four three-pointers, and showed surprising acumen from the outside. What is even better news for the Cavs is the early play of Diop. Considered a huge first-round bust last season, Diop has shown some definite improvement, especially on the defensive end. On Saturday, Diop pulled down 14 boards and blocked a whopping 11 shots versus the Raptors. He completely outplayed veteran Michael Stewart.
Dion Glover, Hawks
Glover had an advantage over most players at Shaw's. He's had two full years of experience in the NBA and it showed. Glover was named the MVP at Shaw's. He averaged 17.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.5 apg on 48 percent shooting while leading the Hawks to a perfect 6-0 record. Glover clearly outplayed teammate DerMarr Johnson, which should lead to an interesting camp battle this fall. Johnson has the size and the pedigree, but it's Glover that keeps producing.
Steven Jackson, Spurs
Jackson didn't see many minutes in San Antonio last season, but that may change. He was consistently one of the most explosive scorers in camp. For the tournament, Jackson averaged 15 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 2.4 spg. His athleticism is off the charts and he seemed very smooth out there. The Spurs were impressed and that should lead to more playing time behind Bruce Bowen this year.
Zach Randolph, Blazers
If only the summer league lasted all year long. Randolph, one of the stars of last year's Rocky Mountain Revue, picked up right where he left off last season. Randolph scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on opening night versus Utah and followed it up Sunday with a 28-point, 14-rebound performance. The Blazers were shopping him hard before the draft and another strong performance here may get the Blazers some takers.
OUT
Kwame Brown and Jared Jeffries, Wizards
The Wizards will tell you that both players played well, but their impact on the summer league team was disappointing. Kwame missed the first three games with a groin injury and averaged just 10 points and six rebounds in the games he did play. Though his injury may have been legitimate, the lack of aggressiveness is what really concerns the Wizards. As for Jeffries, he did a nice job of handling the ball (he averaged 3.3 assists), but his outside jumper is very suspect. He looked much more comfortable in the post, but that's not where the Wizards need and want him to play. For the tournament he averaged just 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game on 42 percent shooting from the field.
Caron Butler, Heat
It took until Sunday for Butler to have a breakout game (23 points) but even then it came on just 6 of 17 shooting. The rest of the time he's been chucking up brinks and handing out turnovers at a miserable rate. Butler's slow start is probably due to an injury he suffered in camp, but still, the Heat can't be happy with the slow start.
DerMarr Johnson, Hawks
His numbers were OK (13.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg) but they weren't the dominant numbers the team expected from their third-year swingman. Johnson was passive much of the time he was on the floor and got stuck shooting a lot of threes. For a guy who started a number of games for the Hawks last season, he didn't show anything special.
Andrei Kirilenko, DeShawn Stevenson, Curtis Borchardt, Jazz
This isn't what the Jazz expected when they came into the Revue. Kirilenko has looked terrible. He's averaging just four points and one rebound a game on 25 percent shooting. Stevenson has looked a bit better, but not much. He's averaging 11 ppg on 33 percent shooting. Borchardt has looked the worst of all. News that he has a broken bone in the same foot he injured at Stanford comes as a huge blow to the Jazz. It no longer looks like he was the draft night steal we all thought he was.
Ryan Humphrey, Magic
He had some nice games in Orlando, but really seemed to slip a bit at Shaw's. His numbers weren't impressive (8.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and for the most part, Humphrey looked like the tweener many scouts thought he would be. He still doesn't have the outside game to play the three and was often overmatched down low. The bad news just keeps rolling in for the Magic.
ASSORTED TIDBITS AND BAUBLES
* Dan Dickau's numbers didn't show it, but his play steadily improved each day at Shaw's. He ended up finishing second in assists for the tournament. While his outside shot wasn't falling, the team isn't worried about it. Dickau was able to use his quickness to create his own shot. He just needs to slow things down another notch and he should be fine.
* The Bucks are thrilled with the play of their draft picks so far. Ronald Murray has been a scoring machine and shown that he can handle so duties at the point. Dan Gadzuric finished second at Shaw's in rebounding at 8.2 a game and Marcus Haislip showed remarkable range from beyond the arc. Barring an unforeseen move, expect all three rookies to be on the Bucks' opening night roster.
* The Nets already have 11 guaranteed roster slots and still need to add a point guard, but second-round pick Tamar Slay made a strong bid for a guaranteed contract. Slay averaged 14 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals for the Nets while shooting 53 percent from the field. "He's a guy who, two years ago, if he'd come out, he'd have been a first-round draft pick," Rod Thorn, the Nets' president and general manager, said. "The last two years, his stock has dropped. Those kind of guys, normally there is a lot of pressure on them to prove that they're good players. He just plays. I like him."
* The T-Wolves got strong play from several of the prospects. Loren Woods averaged 11.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg, Quincy Lewis (12.3 ppg) showed a nice scoring touch and a slimmed down Khalid El-Amin (11.5 ppg, 3.5 apg) made a strong big to make the team as backup point guard.
* Boston got a so-so performance from Kedrick Brown but it was J.R. Bremer's play that stole the show. The undrafted Bremer not only played Omar Cook out of a job, he may have played himself into a significant role with the team. With Kenny Anderson on his way to Seattle, the Celtics won't have much in the way of point guard next season.
* The Wizards learned that Juan Dixon can score in the pros just like he scored in college, but can he run the point? He averaged more turnovers than assists in Boston. His 40 percent shooting from the field didn't help things either. The good news is that Etan Thomas looked healthy and ready to contribute. He led all rebounders at Shaw's with 9.8 boards per game.
* There was a silver lining to the Magic's summer league. After disappointing player from Steven Hunter, Rashard Griffith and Ryan Humphrey, the Magic did get a solid performance from last year's No. 1 pick, Jeryl Sasser. Sasser ended strong and had 13.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 3.0 apg.
Insider's Terry Brown is in Salt Lake right now. Check out his news and notes on our Rocky Mountain Revue page. Also, check out our Pro Summer League , Shaw's Pro Summer League, and Orlando Summer Pro League pages for rosters, leaders and box scores.
* Glover lives up to title of MVP
Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution
* Nets' Pick Makes Strong Bid for Spot
Steve Popper / New York Times
* Williams makes instant impact
K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune