[外電]Starless summer Key newcomers see little time in summer
Timberwolves officials were left with as many questions as answers after
Minnesota wrapped up its summer league Tuesday.
The idea coming in was to use the three-day minicamp and ensuing five games as
a teaching laboratory while evaluating talent. The mission was stunted because
of injuries to key players.
Minnesota's first-round pick, Rashad McCants, did not play because of a
strained hamstring. The second-round pick, Bracey Wright, missed almost three
full games because of a sore ankle. And forwards Nick Horvath and Nikoloz
Skitishvili were sidelined almost all of the games with injuries.
That means the information came in dribs and drabs.
"It's tough because a lot of the guys are more role-player type guys," said
Kevin McHale, vice president of basketball operations. "Sometimes they try to
do a little too much. You try to temper that (criticism), knowing they're
trying to impress."
Second-round pick Wright, free-agent center Dwayne Jones and free-agent guard
John Lucas all stood out for the Wolves. And Paul McPherson, among the few in
camp with NBA experience, earned praise for his defense.
The hope for any summer league player is to earn an invitation to veterans
training camp in October and a shot at making the roster.
McPherson knows the summer-league drill. After leaving DePaul in 2000, he made
an impression with his scoring in the Rocky Mountain Review summer league.
McPherson played in 55 NBA games with Phoenix and Golden State. After spending
last season playing in Italy, he's trying to get back onto an NBA roster.
McPherson said he realizes now that offense isn't his ticket back to the
league. McPherson's broad-shouldered, 232-pound build would lead one to believe
he's a football player, not a shooting guard. He uses that strength to his
advantage.
"If you make a team as a free agent, you're probably not going to be asked to
score a lot of points because most teams already have their scorers," McPherson
said. "For me, it's just being an energy guy, someone who can play hard and
play lock-down defense. And be a good team player."
Each player faces different challenges. One of Minnesota's summer league head
coaches, Don Zierden, said he likes Lucas' quickness and passing ability. But
Lucas also has an impediment: his height, generously listed at 5 feet 11.
Lucas' accurate midrange jump shot makes him effective executing the pick and
roll. But in the end, the discussion inevitably turns to his less-than-ideal
size.
"I look at Muggsy Bogues, Spud Webb," Lucas said. "Those guys played 15 years
in the league. I bet they went through the same thing, people saying they were
too small. But every time you saw them, they were playing on a winning team."
For Wright, he showed he can play point guard, a position he never played in
high school or college. The coaches liked his ball handling and court presence.
His fluid shooting remains his strength.
Jones ran the floor well, and played defense and rebounded well. His biggest
adjustment came at the hands of the officials, who whistled him for 26 fouls in
five games.
Entering his third year in the league, former first-round pick Ndudi Ebi had
flashes of brilliance and embarrassment.
In a game against Toronto, free agent Bryant Matthews crammed a dunk on Ebi on
a fast break. Overall, Ebi showed some signs of improvement. But he remains a
player who has yet to live up to his potential.
"I think during the summer league, he has shown his athletic ability," Zierden
said of Ebi. "He can help a team on the offensive boards. (But) he needs to
work on his defensive positioning and his defensive footwork."
Ebi averaged 10.4 points, the highest total on the team for anyone who played
more than two games, though he also played the most minutes.
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