DraftExpress: Rocky Mountain Revue Day Two

Rocky Mountain Revue Day Two

by: Matt Kamalsky

July 21, 2008

The second day of the Rocky Mountain Revue offered onlookers their first glimpse of the Iranian National Team and the D-League Ambassadors. It also featured a great all-around performance from Devin Green in game two and another from Othello Hunter in the following game.

Game One: I.R. Iran 62, Dallas Mavericks 79

Iran

Hamed Hadadi: 19 Points, 7-12 FG, 5-8 FT, 16 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks, 6 Turnovers

Hadadi is unquestionably the star of the Iranian National Team, possessing tremendous size and nice touch at the rim. At roughly 7’2” tall, the 1985 born center plays professionally in Iran with Saba Battery BC. He’s one of the few members of the Iranian National Team that’s had the opportunity to play abroad, but turned down a contract with Partizan Belgrade to continue playing domestically. Hadadi isn’t a very polished athlete and was winded by the third quarter, but he showed the ability to put the ball in the basket when he got touches at the rim. Unfortunately for Hadadi, he’ll probably be playing almost every single minute of every game with Iran’s other center, 7’4” Jaber Rouzbahani, out of action due to illness. Hadadi’s mobility is limited, as is his leaping ability, but his sheer size and ability to finish makes him a nice asset for a team that doesn’t have many other consistent offensive threats. The young center has above average hands, but is prone to turnovers. Defensively, he’s not much of shot blocker due to a lack of quickness, nor does he alter many shots due to only average anticipation. Hadadi’s may never leave Iran to play professionally, but he’s unquestionably the nation’s top domestically born player.

-Mohammad Samad Nikkhah Bahrami was the other player in double figures for Iran. A small forward with good size, Bahrami lacks athleticism, but possesses a consistent, albeit very flat jump shot.

Dallas

Aaron Miles: 12 Points, 6-8 FG, 6 Assists, 1 Rebound, 1 Steal, 2 Turnovers

Miles had a nice contest today, using his decided quickness advantage to get to the rim whenever he wanted. Iran’s guard couldn’t keep up with him, and Miles did a good job both finishing at the rim and using his drives to the rim to set up teammates for open shots. The former Kansas point guard has made some strides since last season, showing some development in his pull up jump shot. His ability to take advantage of his athleticism was clear today, and while he can’t do the same things on a higher level, he was one of Dallas’s best players today. Miles is a tremendous pass-first point guard on the international circuit, and he’s a three-point jump shot away from being a NBA third point guard.

-Reyshawn Terry looked good again today, using the Iranian Team’s lack of depth to get some easy looks late in the contest. He has come a long way since last season.

-Gerald Green had his moments today, but got extremely frustrated after forcing a couple of shots. His body language was very poor when he returned to the bench, but the Dallas coaching staff recognizes that he’s still maturing and seemed to get him back on the right track mentally.

Game Two: San Antonio Spurs 68, D-League Ambassadors 65

San Antonio

Devin Green: 19 Points, 5-9 FG, 2-5 3FG, 7-9 FT, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks, 5 Turnovers

This performance was eerily similar to the ones that Green has been putting up in the D-League for the last two years. He’s a capable shooter, and while he doesn’t get much elevation, he’s very consistent when he has space. Greens ball handling is solid, but he’s not quick enough to turn the corner. This often leads to turnovers since he can’t beat his defender and often winds up getting caught over-penetrating when defenders collapse around him. The former Hampton guard shows good rebounding ability and court vision in the open floor. His comfort level against D-League competition is very high, but he’s a borderline NBA guy. Defensively, Green does a good job making hustle plays, and had one very nice block today on a dunk attempt. His athleticism limits his potential, but he’s a skilled guard who doesn’t do many things great, but does most things well.

-George Hill had a little bit tougher time turning the corner today, and he’ll probably be able to get to the rim in the NBA against some defenders, but not all of them. He didn’t do much scoring, but showed quick hands defensively on his way to five steals.

-Ian Mahinmi found himself in foul trouble for most of this game, but looked very good operating with his back to the basket. He has some quick moves that help him get clean looks at the rim.

-Anthony Tolliver had a nice game today, but was more aggressive than usual with his shot selection. The results weren’t the best, and he’s clearly more of a spot up guy that shouldn’t put the ball on the floor unless he has to.

D-League

Carl Elliot: 12 Points, 4-6 FG, 0-1 3FG, 4-4 FT, 6 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 5 Turnovers

Essentially no player on the D-League Ambassadors stood out today, but Elliot showed some unique skills. He’s one of the best rebounding guards around, and will box out bigger players when presented with the opportunity. He plays stingy defense, but is more tough than quick, preventing him from keeping the ball out of the lane on occasion. Offensively, the former George Washington mainstay showed average playmaking ability, usually just initiating the offense rather than setting up his teammates. San Antonio pressured Elliot all game, and their defense gave him problems. He’s not the best ball handler, and is turnover prone when he’s forced to protect the ball for an extended period of time. The young point guard is tough at the rim, and isn’t afraid to draw contact, but his perimeter game leaves a lot to be desired.

-Glen McGowan was productive, finishing with 13 points, but his shot selection down the stretch hurt his team when the pulled the game close late in the game.

Game Three: Atlanta Hawks 72, Utah Jazz 63

Atlanta

Othello Hunter: 19 Points, 8-13 FG, 1-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 8 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 4 Steals, 1 Block, 2 Turnovers

Hunter had his best game of the Summer League, showcasing all the things that he can do on this level. He hit an NBA three-pointer, a part of his game that he is still working on, and did a ton of damage in transition. The Ohio State graduate runs the floor as well as any power forward around, and finishes everything with a dunk. He showed good vision during the gaming, scoring off of a handful of cuts. Hunter did display one major weakness, and that is setting screens. He does a poor job getting in position so his point guard can get separation, on a couple occasions he found himself setting as many as four bad screens before his point guard could use one. While this is a nuance of the game that he’ll improve as he gains experience, it is something that slows down an offense and makes life difficult for his teammates. Hunter showed adequate court vision as a passer, and even got an assist after pushing the break up the floor. His defensive presence still leaves a lot to be desire, since he struggles to defend bigger, heavier post players, but he showed great lateral quickness defending the perimeter when he had to. He’ll need to add weight to be more competitive on this level in the post. Hunter has so many raw tools that he’ll be one of the most interesting undrafted players to monitor from this class.

-Acie Law struggled early on today, but came on strong in the third quarter and finished with a very respectable 17 points. He’s so much stronger than he was last season, but still isn’t an explosive finisher. His range is still a work in progress as well.

-Mario West collected 10 rebounds today, a pretty impressive total for a guard. He’s not a threat offensively, but will get some easy baskets and record some defensive highlights due to his athleticism and hustle.

Utah

Kosta Koufos: 12 Points, 3-11 FG, 6-6 FT, 10 Rebounds, 1 Assist

Koufos played much better in his second Summer League contest, making some nice contributions offensively. His jump shot is still a little off, but he got to the line at a high rate today. Koufos seeks out contact at the rim, but isn’t strong enough to finish most of the and one opportunities he’s presented with. The former Ohio State player did a nice job on the class, keeping possessions alive on a couple occasions by using his length to bat the ball back up at the rim. While he’s more of a finesse player, the Greek bigman did most of his damage by being physical today. Defensively, his performance left a lot to be desired. He struggled to keep up with Atlanta’s quicker front court, something that will be a concern for him at the NBA level.

-Kyrylo Fesenko bounces back from his awful performance yesterday with a solid outing today. He was much more active offensively, earning 7 offensive rebounds for his efforts. His size will allow him to have games like this periodically, but he must improve his focus, develop his body, and become more consistent as time goes on.

-Morris Almond had another good offensive showing. His jump shot is starting to fall, which is a very good sign for the Jazz, who have lacked a scoring punch in both of their games.

Feedback for this article may be sent to mwk1441@yahoo.com .

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