NBA Summer League: Memphis/NO
By Coup
Enter the star power as OJ Mayo makes his pro debut leading the Grizzlies. By his side is Mike Conley, along with Javaris Crittenton (aka the other guy not named Kwame in the Pau trade) Darrell Arthur and PJ Tucker. New Orleans boasts Julian Wright, Hilton Armstrong, Derrick Byars and Adam Holuska. Also the return of NDUDI EBI!!
Hornets start Hilton Armstrong, Bobby Brown, Adam Holuska, Julian Wright and Brandon Bowman
Grizzlies start Darrell Arthur, Conley, Crittenton, Malick Badiane and Mayo.
Crittenton starts off the game in attack mode and gets to the line making only one of two. Last year in summer league he looked pretty dangerous, I think I even said something about him being better than Farmar. Clearly I was wrong.
OJ’s first touch…he works a pick and roll and throws the ball out of bounds. Well that was uneventful.
The only thing sloppier than the opening minutes of a summer league game is a poorly made Sloppy Joe. I promise you this.
Darrell Arthur has a chip on his shoulder: he’s got 4 of their first 5 points.
New Orleans has zero points and are zero fun to watch right now. Thanks for selling your draft pick to us by the way, really appreciated that. We’ll have Batum send you a croissant. Just don’t sign Darius.
OJ’s on the board with 2, Memphis is up 7-1. Two more free throws and a dunk by Crittenton make it 11-1. And I can clearly tell I will be avoiding anything relating to the Hornets and Summer League basketball.
Hornets call timeout as they have 5 turnovers in the first four minutes. U-G-L-Y. By the way what happened to the Baha Men?
Javaris Crittenton is big. He’s getting to the line at will right now, dropping in two more free throws to put Memphis up 15-7. Hilton Armstrong responds by jumping from outside of the lane and getting a two hand dunk. It was impressive because it wasn’t even of a fast break.
Another timeout (GROAN) and Memphis is up 15-9. 50 Cent is playing (boy he’s fallen off) so I’m happy. Crittenton has 7 for Memphis while Armstrong has 5 for NO. OJ Mayo has 2, 1/1 shooting but he looks to be in chill OJ mode. I can tell he’s not looking to force anything at all.
Hornets get a couple transition layups and cut it to 15-13. OJ comes off a pick and takes a pullup from about the free throw line that clanks of back rim. It was a good shot. What’s not so good? Getting ripped by Flip Vadenov and losing the ball out of bounds. That’s not so good.
End of the first quarter, Memphis is up 15-13. So exciting.
OJ is coming alive in the second. He had a nice sequence where he scored, then picked his man up full court and cause him to turn it over at half court. Then he just slammed home an alley oop to make the fans real happy. Well as happy as fans can be in that hot box of a gym. Mayo has 8 points and 4 TO’s as Memphis is up 7.
OJ MAYO JUST DUNKED ON SOMEONE REEEEEEEAL BAD! Thanks to the stream and no replays I can’t tell who it is…but damn. OJ DUNKED HIM. Terribly. The whole arena is still chattering about it. Full on facial. Welcome to the NBA OJ.
Memphis is up 38-30 at half but who cares. OJ’s dunk saved this game from getting ripped on. Other than the 5 turnovers, OJ is playing real efficient basketball. 12 points, 4/5 shooting, 4/5 from the line, 2 steals. Darrell Arthur has 10 for Memphis and Hilton Armstrong is leading the Hornets with 7. By the way NO is just terrible. This game has been sloppy, 28 turnovers between the teams and I’ve groaned about 12 times.
And yes after watching Arthur in the first half I will be forever convinced from that a purely talent based standpoint trading away him and Dorsey for Batum was terrible.
Of course right after I write that Arthur hits a college 3 to put Memphis up 44-37.
You know after watching Beasley play and now watching Mike Conley out here…anyone else think maybe just maybe the Bulls made a mistake going for the PG?
Arthur with another college 3…ok we get it you’re good. He has 16 and Memphis is up 46-40.
I should point this out…Julian Wright has more turnovers (8) than points (7). I wonder if he wants to be playing right now…
NO has 18 turnovers and Memphis has 19. Such a joy to watch glorified pickup ball.
A Bobby Brown jumper cuts Memphis lead to 46-44. And yes I giggled at that sentence about 4 times before typing it.
Memphis outscored the Hornets 14-3 the last 5 minutes of the quarter. 60-47 going into the fourth and I am miserable watching this NO team. Every year there is a team that makes you not want to watch…New Orleans is that team.
Mike Conley had his summer league moment. Split three defenders down the lane…got the ‘ooh’ and ‘ahhs’ and then bricked the layup. Damn indeed.
Darrell Arthur is pouring it on, this time with a Sheed-esque fadeaway.
FILIP VIDENOV IS BURNING!!!! Three 3-pointers for Filip in the quarter and Memphis has a chance to cut the lead to 5 and make this interesting. Yes Filip….yes.
Bobby Brown uses the brains of his namesake and takes the worst possible shot. A pullup with your feet right inside the three point line. He made it so more power to him, cut the lead to 64-60 before PJ Tucker drew a foul on Ndudi Ebi and knocked down both free throws. Oh Ndudi…just can’t get it right.
Memphis is not letting Filip shoot. Swarming on him Celtics style. Sad…I was just getting entertained.
Conley with a nice hesitation but he makes the layup this time. Meanwhile New Orleans is completely ignoring Filip, much to my dismay. I mean the past two trips Memphis has trapped, one extra pass from hitting a wide open Filip from behind the arc. Instead they either tried to force a lob or Julian Wright did his best Corey Maggette impersonation (put his head down and drive….turned into an offensive foul). Wright has 10 turnovers and 7 points.
PJ Tucker….scores the bucket….and one.
Some told Julian Wright “JuJu…you can’t keep making that pass”. He responded by immediately jacking up a three and making. Gotta love NBA players.
PJ Tucker…scores the bucket….and one. He’s got 11 and 8….anyone remember he was Big 12 Player of the Year? Anyone? He was better than LaMarcus. Ha. I know chuckle at that one if you want it’s the truth.
Adam Holuska takes OJ to the bucket and….cue Sue Bird…scores the bucket…and one. Too bad it’s 86-75 Memphis with under a minute left. But really OJ? Holuska takes you to the hole?
PJ Tucker at the line again. He’s trying to beast his way back to the league.
Well Memphis won 88-75. It was a classic summer league game: a lot of turnovers and fouls, just sloppy all around. OJ looked smooth out there. He finished with 15. Struggled shooting in the second half (1/5) and had 8 turnovers but never seem rushed. A bit on the tentative side but never rushed. You can never draw too much from a summer league game but he’s definitely got some traits of B-Roy DNA in him. Arthur poured it on offensively with 18 while Conley and Crittenton didn’t look bad but didn’t look great.
The less said about NO the better. Hilton Armstrong had as many fouls as he rebounds (9). Julian Wright barely had more points (12) than turnovers (11). Just ugly. They made me question my own sanity for a little while.