NBA Summer League: The Last Game

The final Summer League game for the Blazers. Get ready to say goodbye to the Mountain Man in a Blazer uniform. Interesting to see if Finland can bounce back from a rough performance. Maybe Batum can stop sucking. And yes I said it.

Coup just told me possibly no Bayless. Well that just took everything out of me. Kind of like paying hundreds of dollars to see a UFC fight and the main event goes 20 seconds. Bold prediction: this game is going to be fun to watch. Not.

5:06: We are live and it’s the WNBA?!?! Sheesh didn’t see that coming. Sacramento vs. Detroit and it’s close. How old is Ticha Penichero? I feel like she’s been in the WNBA forever. Maybe there’s a rule that she can’t retire who knows.

5:09: Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith miss a couple three-pointers that would have tied the game and continued to delay the Blazer game. Thus I cheered.

5:10: It’s 8-7 Blazers early. No Bayless indeed. JR Pinnock has 4, Koponen has 2 as does THE MOUNTAIN MAN. Bobby Brown has 3 for the Hornets….I’m afraid he may kill us. He’s like Chris Paul’s cousin in Summer League action.

5:14: Finally we return to our regularly scheduled programming. Blazers up 14-13 after Derrick Byars scores a bucket. Funny how he turned into Koponen for us.

5:16: THE MOUNTAIN MAN FOULS!!! Oh boy…no Bayless…This game is going to be rougher than I thought. I can just feel it in my bones. I got one of those Criss Angel premonitions.

Coup: This might be the shortest diary ever…but DEAN is coming on so we got that going for us.

Not even Dean Demopolis can get me excited for this one.

5:19: Finland drives out of control and just runs over a Hornet, definitely Sergio like and definitely should have been a charge. Coup says he should have been arrested. By the way NBA TV actively cut away from the game to show Jerryd Bayless highlights. That sums everything up right there.

5:20: JR Pinnock just drove from the baseline and shot a floater that went over the rim touching nothing. SUMMER LEAGUE BASKETBALL!!

5:21: The Mountain Man leaves the game. *Sigh* 22-18 NO at the end of one….thanks to the WNBA we missed the Mountain Man’s two blocks. *double sigh*…Bobby Brown has 7 points and 5 assists. He will be in the L next year. Pinnock has 8 for the Blazers.

Me: When did Jason Kidd get in on the Better Basketball paychecks?
Coup: I’m pretty sure that was filmed in 2004….so sometimes around then.

I think I just got served.

5:23: Bobby Brown vs. Troy Hudson Jr. What. A. Matchup.

5:24: One of the announcers likes Bayless’s swagger. I hate when the announcers say swagger. Especially the ones who look like they’ve never played basketball in their lives. You didn’t have a swagger how can you like his? Sheesh. Jamal Mashburn…you can talk about swaggers’. For one because you’ve dropped 40 in a game and another because I think you could murder me and get away with it.

5:25: I’m convinced Bobby Brown is the Chris Paul of Summer League.

5:27: Troy Hudson Jr nails a jumper but Bobby Brown responds. I told you that was a matchup. And yes I’m too bothered to actually figure out his name. It’s something Finley from UAB if you really wanted to know. To me… he is still Troy Hudson Jr.

I love the last day of Summer League. Guys are desperately trying to go off and impress the remaining scouts. Even more desperate for these Blazer guys who have been watching Bayless and Koponen go off. It’s beautiful.

Coup: Is Batum playing?
Me: Has he played the whole week?
Coup: Good point.

Until death I will argue that we absolutely got bitchslapped on that Batum trade. I don’t care, I’ll argue like Laker fans argue about Kobe. And if you make a good point I’ll just call you a hater. I don’t like it.

5:28: Koponen with a pretty reverse. Way to be Finland, way to be.

5:30: Road to Redemption commercial plays back-to-back…again. I got nothing else to say about that just that it irked me.

5:34: Coup: You could see the D-Leaguers deferring to Bayless but they don’t give a crap that Batum’s out there.

This is very true. I hope they don’t ever send Batum to the D-League. For his sake because they may never pass him the ball. Ever.

5:35: The announcers try to jump on the ‘Brown vs. Hudson Jr.’ bandwagon. Let the record show I said that 12 minutes ago. And I’m not even getting paid. Hornets are up 34-32 late in the first half. Pinnock has 13.

5:40: Coup: Oh he just had to go there…He pulled the ‘Steven Hill looks like he should play in Portland, get him some flannel, some gore tex for those rainy winters’ card.

That’s a pretty big card. We get it though. We’re not all a bunch of lumberjacks in Portland people. This is worse than my freshman year of college when everyone kept asking if life was actually like the Oregon Trail game. Seriously.

5:41: Coup: I’m going to start picking out all the girls wearing Uggs in the crowd and saying they look like they should be East Coast groupies.

5:43: Chris Paul is in the building. That’s all I got on that one.

Coup: Did they just put Chris Paul and James Posey in the same sentence?

Yes they did. And yes….they should be taken care of by Frank Lucas.

5:44: Hornets are up 2 at the break. JR Pinnock has 13, Koponen has 8 (3/8 shooting). Bobby Brown has 9 points, 7 assists and no cocaine for the Hornets while Julian Wright continues to want to get out of town with a mediocre 6. He really might as well have not played.

5:49: Not one of the better halftime pieces by NBA TV. It was really a top 10 random quotes from the Finals. Coup thinks it was very weird and I would agree. By the way Cox Pavilion is empty.

5:55: Batum with another layup where he just happens to be under the basket at the right time. So French.

5:56: THE MOUNTAIN MAN BLOCKS!! And then fouls. I’m going to miss Pryzbilla’s cousin. Bobby Brown crosses Finland but of course misses the shot. It’s a summer league law.

5:59: Speechless after reading the following Love > Oden argument on a Lakers board. You know I’ve never once said Oden was going to be the truth, as a matter of fact when he had microfracture I told myself we could be ok with just Big Joel. Never once have I put the monster expectations on Oden that many have. But to say that Kevin Love is better than him without either of them playing any real NBA games is just plain dumb. Classic Laker fans though.

Coup: I like the guy about 2/3 of the way down who just says don’t bother, it’s like arguing with a tree stump.

6:05: JR Pinnock has apparently taken a page from Bayless’ book and is putting on a show. Blazers are up 49-43 and he has 20.

THE MOUNTAIN MAN FINISHES!!! Left hand scoop right over the defense. It probably should have been a dunk but that’s ok.

6:06: Most unbelievable moment as whoever is watching the TV on this feed decided to turn to the ESPY’s. Literally.

6:08: Justin Timberlake managed to wear a tearaway jumpsuit over an actual suit. He’s had about one good joke about Beckham improving soccer about *this* much. I chuckled.

6:14: Coup: Timberlake is terrrrrbs.

Well…the man did have Scarlett Johannson and Jessica Biel within weeks of each other. Not to mention Britney in her prime. He can make as many corny jokes as he wants, that’s HOF type numbers right there.

6:17: We’re at a loss right now…the feed is on the ESPY’s now. We’re on the NBA.com feed which is
tape delayed so it’s halftime. This is awesome.

6:19: Coup: Do you think the proceeds from the Hyperdunk Recovery Center go to Andre Kirilenko?

I think he may have a wing named after him inside the building after what BD did to him.

Coup: Who do you think started it? Pat Ewing? The 4 Bulls John Starks destroyed? Yao Ming?

I say Shawn Bradley or Patrick Ewing. Pat got dunked on all the time he didn’t care. What Scottie Pippen did to him was pretty disgusting but no one remembers it. Shawn Bradley just got abused to the point where he may actually be in hiding at the HDRC.

Coup: For some reason I bet the center is in South Africa.

6:24: We get to see Bayless get the MVP all over again. You think watching a repeat is bad? How about a summer league repeat? Could there be anything worse?

Coup: Rewatching a WNBA winter league game. Or minor league baseball.

That is true. I’ll throw in middle school girls basketball just for kicks. Actually just middle school basketball of any kind why be sexist.

6:25: Brandon Bowman nailed a jumper for the Hornets. Notable because he has a long sleeve dri-fit on. Come on man you’re trying to get paid what’s wrong with you. Only Candace Parker can pull that off.

6:26: THE MOUNTAIN MAN STUFFS HILTON ARMSTRONG!!! Damn. If Armstrong wasn’t already in the league his career may be over. I mean Armstrong went up for a strong dunk and got sent back.

Coup: I get the feeling Steven Hill would get dunked on a lot if he made the L and got time.

I agree. I also get the feeling he would foul out of every game…and then become Scot Pollard.

6:29: JR Pinnock is on fire as we’re almost to the point we left off at. I mean he is putting on a show.

6:33: Oden just sang on the ESPY’s. He could average 2 and 5 for his career and I would still love the guy. And I’m only half kidding. The man is hilarious.

6:39: I got distracted by Timberlake’s musical medley. Blazers up 56-49 as Pinnock nails a three. He has 20 and is the only guy in double figures. Hilton Armstrong is determined to dunk on the Mountain Man but Hill is having none of it. Hilton is possessed. It’s like Chris Paul said he can’t come back to the Hornets if he doesn’t do it.

6:42: Someone needs to tell Bernard Robinson that he’s not getting a job shooting jumpers. Please…I just want to help the guy out. Who am I kidding I don’t want to watch him shoot anymore.

6:44: This game is just u-g-l-y right about now. Blazers up 58-53 and KP is on with the dorkiest NBA cap in the history of life. He looks more like the father of an 8th grader and less like a general manager. Moments like this scare me by the way.

6:47: The announcers get muted by yours truly during their interview with KP by asking the ‘Does Portland need a veteran’ question for the third straight game. Honestly…I hear one more thing about a veteran I’m getting a steel chair and going to work.

Coup: Thank you KP, shut these announcers up on the veteran talk.

I wasn’t listening by choice but apparently they got served. I’m starting to get a little tired of everyone fawning over the Blazers sorry….I mean we haven’t won anything yet. Let’s take it easy.

6:51: The only thing that could be worse than watching this game is being forced to watch High School Musical. I’m convinced of this.

6:56: Derrick Byars wide open with a baseline three…airballs it. SUMMER LEAGUE BASKETBALL!!

6:58: JR Pinnock tries to split the defenders off a pick-and-roll but he turns it over. You, kind sir are no Bayless.

7:02: THE MOUNTAIN MAN BLOCKS!! Blazers up 69-61 with 1:48 left in the game. And then JR Pinnock tries to hit Bernard Robinson with one of those ‘jump in the air and pass at the last minute’. Goes out of bounds. Gotta love Summer League.

7:03: I rag on my partner-in-crime for being silent for about 15 minutes. He responds with the following.

Coup: I got nothing to say.
Me: …….
Coup: JR Pinnock. There.

7:04: Bernard Robinson with a couple acrobatic layups late in the game as the Blazers go up 74-63 with 52 second s left. Where was that all week?

7:08: Bobby Brown drives baseline and goes to dunk….THE MOUNTAIN MAN SAYS NO!!!! Ref calls a foul but the Mountain Man rules all. Brown misses the first free throw….Sheed?

Sheed: BALL DON’T LIE!!

Thank you very much.

7:10: Batum with a breakaway layup as time expires and the Blazers win their final game 78-63. Such a French move to do that Nicholas. It was the JR Pinnock show as he had 30, Koponen had 10 and the Mountain Man had 8 points, 5 fouls and 4 blocks.

7:11: Coup: Steven Hill might have earned himself a roster spot with the Bobcats. JR Pinnock could take Von Wafer’s spot in Denver….they need a bench swingman.

Larry Brown seems like he would love the Mountain Man. And Denver needs a lot.

Coup: Didn’t see a whole lot from Finland tonight but you can’t knock him for it. He’s like the anti-Jack. Batum’s energy level steadily rose throughout the Summer League, but like I said yesterday, he really needs to work on footwork.

Koponen is solid. He’s solid. He does not turn the ball over. He’s really struggled shooting the past few games, and To be honest I’m not so sure. I’d feel a lot better about his game if had showed off a better perimeter jumper. But that’s neither here nor there. Realistically can I put him above Sergio? He’s more solid but he has some Sergio in him. That can be chalked up to having to carry the offensive load in Summer League but who knows. Overall he’s further along than I thought so props for that.

Batum…well…you already know how I feel about him. Time will smooth his rawness out. He needs to work on being more aggressive. Too many times you couldn’t tell he was on the court at all.

Coup: Kind of depressing knowing the season doesn’t start for 3 months.
Me: I disagree I mean come on the WNBA and the Road to Redemption.
Coup: Oh right…you mean Road to Rudy.
Me: Ohhh no you didn’t. You do know I’m sending this to Kobe.
Coup: I’m actually scared.
Me: As you should be.