More from RealGM
 NBA Draft WiretapSpanish PG Sergio Rodríguez ups his stock in ZaragozaDeputy Director of International Scouting Luis Fernandez was in Zaragoza this past week watching the European U-18 Championship. This is part one in a series about the top NBA draft prospects that participated in the tournament. The first one discusses the tournament MVP, Sergio Rodríguez: This kid is a truly special and tireless creator. He was the brain, the heart, and the lung of the Spanish team. No other player at this tournament came close to reaching the level of influence and importance he had on the offense of his team. Sergio was by far the best passer here, averaging 8.5 assists... Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Prep guru Frank Burlison reports from VegasLAS VEGAS — At least from the perspective of being in a gymnasium, Saturday Day IV of the Basketball Watching Endurance Test (BWET, for those just joining us on the trek) got off to a distressingly slow start. The hotel room 5 a.m. wakeup call jolted me out of bed via a vertical jump that would have done even the most spectacular of the 7,000 or so high school basketball players in town proud. My late-night/early morning endurance is sputtering: By 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, all hopes of pounding out the Day III version of this diary had disappeared into Slumbersville. If all had gone according to plan, I would have been in the Foothill or Basic High gymnasiums by 8:45 for a 9 a.m. tipoff. But I didn't click on the "submit" icon to the computer software program we use to send stories and columns to the Press-Telegram until about 10:25 a.m. Then I raced to the Key Largo/Quality Inn lobby to join San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and former Portland Trail Blazers' assistant GM Mark Warkentien for the beginning of the day's BWET Cross-Town Caravan. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Shoe Companies Rule Hoops SceneLAS VEGAS -- Players say they're more important than their high school seasons. The NCAA says they might be the most concerning events on the calendar. Many coaches think they've grown out of control, but virtually all say they can't afford to ignore them. Teenage basketball players have flown around the country each July for years, playing in sneaker company-sponsored events that draw criticism from those who feel summer-league coaches possess too much influence. But this month, with Reebok raising a new challenge to Adidas and Nike for summer basketball supremacy, excess has become the norm, and competition among the competing shoe companies has raged hotter than the triple-digit heat here. The three shoe companies each spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on summer-league teams, in hope of signing the next NBA superstar or, as current pro standout Baron Davis said, simply "building the brand." While the increased interest has created additional opportunities for high school players, it has also made getting a handle on the summer camps even more untenable for the NCAA. Over the past week here, some 700 summer-league teams competed in three simultaneous tournaments. Earlier this month, more than 600 of the nation's best high school players competed in summer camps in Atlanta, New Jersey and Indianapolis. "There is a culture in the South: There was a gas station on every corner and a church on every corner," said Bobby Dodd, the president and CEO of the Amateur Athletic Union. "Now we have a summer basketball camp on every corner." The camps are vital to players' success, as well. Former Nevada standout Kirk Snyder is an exception, someone who made the NBA without competing in a major camp. Snyder said he was invited to Nike's camp but did not attend because his mother needed him to stay home and care for his sister. Partially as result, Snyder received far less attention than his peers, many of whom were hyped since middle school. Only after leading Nevada to a surprising run in this past spring's NCAA tournament did Snyder begin to emerge from obscurity. The Utah Jazz made him the 16th overall pick in June's NBA draft. Josh Smith, who was drafted straight from high school by the Atlanta Hawks in June, said camps are more important than the high school season because of who gets to see you play, namely college coaches and pro scouts. But George Karl, the former NBA coach who addressed the players at Adidas camp, said he has trouble accurately evaluating talent in such a setting. "I'm not sure I understand" the camps, he said as his eyes bounced between two courts. "The games are [not good]. It's guard-dominated." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Jul 2004 Archive
|