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Summer leagues offer beneficial practice for former Jayhawks

By Jesse Temple

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Summer league games in the National Basketball Association certainly won’t be confused with the league’s regular season contests that begin in three and a half months.

In July, the superstars are still at home. Rosters generally consist of rookies, other young players and basketball journeymen trying to make a team. And the rules are a bit lax, too, as players are allotted 10 fouls instead of the usual six.

That doesn’t mean the Kansas hoopsters taken in last month’s NBA draft aren’t getting anything out of it.

In fact, perhaps no player has benefited more from participating in the summer league already than former Jayhawk Mario Chalmers.

This year’s version of the summer league has been split into two sections thus far. The first was a six-team league from July 7 to July 11 in Orlando, which included Chalmers’ Miami Heat team. The second was the bigger, 21-team field in Las Vegas, which began on Friday and runs until July 20. Both Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson are currently playing there for their respective franchises.

Chalmers played so well for the Heat that he earned second-team all-league honors in Orlando, averaging 15.8 points and 5.4 assists in five games. He also was rewarded for his play with a three-year, $2.3 million contract, even though Chalmers was not guaranteed any money by being selected in the NBA draft’s second round.

Heat general manager Randy Pfund said the summer league played a pivotal role in determining Chalmers’ value.

“He kind of proved what we optimistically thought was good about Mario with his play in the Orlando Summer League,” Pfund said. “He handled the ball very well as a point guard, shot the ball well and defended very well against a couple guys drafted very high.”

Pfund was referring to Chalmers’ match-up with No. 1 overall draft pick Derrick Rose and No. 4 pick Russell Westbrook. Against each player, Chalmers scored 11 points and averaged five assists.

“We already were very high on him, but it kind of validated the pick we made with Mario and led to us being convinced that doing a three year contract with him made the most sense,” Pfund said. “Getting those five games under his belt was a great opportunity to get some experience under fire.”

Jackson made his pro debut Monday in the Las Vegas Summer League for Cleveland. Selected No. 52 in the draft by Miami and traded to Cleveland, Jackson is expected to sign a two-year contract worth about $1.2 million. Cavaliers assistant general manager Chris Grant said the summer league was a good opportunity for Jackson to show what made him so valuable while at Kansas.

“We expect him to compete at a high level, defend and be open to coaching,” Grant said. “It’s the first time around the block. So we’re learning as much as they’re learning.”

In his first game with the Cavaliers, Jackson scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds.

Arthur also made his professional debut in Las Vegas, playing for the Memphis Grizzlies. He struggled mightily in his team’s first three games, committing a whopping 26 fouls. Arthur bounced back, however, to score 23 points with six rebounds on Monday, this time picking up five fouls.

The only Jayhawk playing on an NBA team this season that did not have the benefit of participating in his team’s summer league was Brandon Rush. Rush’s Indiana Pacers began the Orlando Summer League on July 7, but Rush — who was traded from Portland to Indiana on draft night — did not officially join the Pacers until July 9. On Tuesday afternoon, Rush signed his contract, which will pay him more than $3.1 million over the next two seasons.

Indiana president of basketball operations Larry Bird said he was certain that missing summer league wouldn’t affect Rush’s NBA readiness. As a lottery pick, Rush had much less to prove by attending the summer league than other KU players.

“With his talents, I think once real practice starts, he’ll get a better feel for it,” Bird said. “But he’ll be here most of the summer. Just having him here this summer, getting acclimated to the city, that’s a major factor.”

— Edited by Mandy Earles

Comments

ckeefer (Case Keefer) says...

Jesse Temple + Larry Bird = BFFs

July 17, 2008 at 2:19 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

DaytonMooreMooreMoore (anonymous) says...

Larry needs to bring back the mustache

July 17, 2008 at 11:37 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

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