The Advocate has an excellent story about what the Pelicans are looking for out of Summer League. The quote they chose to go with is from Bryan Gates, Monty's right-hand man and the head coach of the Summer League team - they're looking for "that special guy." Last year, of course, it was Brian Roberts, who lit summer league on fire with his shooting and playmaking ability. With a roster filled out to 14, however, finding a special player likely means dropping another. That means that implied in Gates's comments is the notion that one of the established Pelicans players on this year's Summer League team (Rivers, Roberts, Jackson, Miller, Thomas) might not be coming back next year. This could be one of the more consequential Summer Leagues New Orleans has seen in a while.
Jim Eichenhofer presents a new theory on why Austin Rivers was god-awful last year: nagging foot and ankle injuries. Pointing out that the previous high school dunk champion never dunked once last year, people from the team are saying that he now has his athleticism back. We'll have to see how that new athleticism (and hopefully a new left hand) work out for him when New Orleans kicks off Summer League tomorrow at 3pm CT against the Knicks. Speaking of Rivers, here's a video talking about what his goals are for summer league.
When Jason Smith was injured last year, I really enjoyed him hopping on the Hornets telecasts and talking with Joel Myers and David Wesley - I thought he was entertaining and provided some good insight. Apparently I wasn't the only one that thought he might have a future as a sportscaster, considering that J-Smoove just went to Syracuse to take part in Sportscaster U.
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