Dorsey, Greene, Leunen SL wrap-up opinions, predictions

granted its summerleague,. greene looks like a solid pic, bit of a chucker. luther head with height.

 

Great idea for a thread, I watched all the games, here is what I observed.


Greene - Can really shoot the ball, not necessarily MAKE them all the time, but he can sure shoot em, and seems to love to shoot it. Basically he had no conscience. I am not knocking him, as I think that from the first game to the 5th he showed good improvement in the other areas that will get him on an NBA floor. He played better D, rebounded, and got a few assists. I like him as a project, but it will be entirely up to him as to whether he develops into a true rotational player, he has the skills to eventually develop into a starter if he works at it.
Prediction for this season: NBDL for him most of his playing time this year I suspect - but as part of the Rockets.

Dorsey - Can really finish strong, plays very aggressively, and rebounds really well. However, Morey called him the best defensive big in the country at Memphis and I didn't see ANYTHING like that at all in his short time on the court. He was getting beat on both left and right sides, and had issues blocking quicker players out. I was hoping he would replace Hayes, but he is not even close to Chuck on defense......but he is on FTs..
Prediction for this season: NBDL for most of his playing time too, unless someone is traded and hurt, but I think he makes the final roster.

Luenan - I was not expecting ANYTHING out of him, thought he would be a Novak type who feeds off of others on the perimeter, I was completely wrong. Maarty Luenan was the biggest surprise of the summer league for me, he can flat out play. He has a sweet 3pt shot, but he also takes it to the rim and is has a decent finish and pass on the move. I think he is a great fit for the Adelman High post offense.
Prediction for this season: This is a tough call, because I think he is more valuable than Novak right now, but Novak has a guaranteed contract. Luenan may have to play overseas, but I would not be shocked if after his SL the Rockets rethink that and try to shoe horn him onto this year's team. They would need to clear some space, and I am not sure they can...so I think he will play overseas at least one year.

Harris - What more can you say about the guy, he is the consumate garbage man who works harder than anyone else on the floor. He has slimmed down some and his shooting touch at least in the mid range area looks much improved, he also goes strong to the hole, a LOT.
Prediction for this season: I think the Rockets find a way to keep him this year as a power 3/4, he plays hard, and smart, and there is nothing better than having the end of your bench playing hard and pushing the first and 2nd unit for playing time.

Brooks - His shooting was off, but I believe that was because he was being asked to concentrate on his playmaking abilities, and I was seriously impressed by his improvements in that department. He was the 2nd leading assist man at 7apg in Vegas, and made some nifty left and right handed passes to cutters on the baseline from the top of the key. I believe that the toughest thing for a PG to do is to learn new teamates and where they need the ball to be useful, I saw MAJOR progress from him in almost every game...and his work with Greene, Dorsey and Luenan was particularly good.
Prediction for this season: Backup PG, I think he replaces Bobby Jackson as a scoring PG off the bench, this is his year to hit that rotation.

Barrera - Where did this guy come from? I loved watching him play, he is probably the best pure PG on the SL team. You could tell his BBall IQ is off the charts. Very nice passes, decent defense, not sure about his shooting, but he always made great plays especially on the break.
Prediction for this season: No room on the Rockets for him, too bad though, because I would love to see a tall developing PG like him at the 15th spot on the roster, but I think with Bjax, Francis, Brooks, & Alston there just isn't any room. He probably plays in Europe for another year or so, and may eventually make it to the NBA as a backup...maybe....long shot, but he does have skills.

Robinson - I loved how he played in the first game, however it seemed that was basically his best game, I don't think he is good enough right now.
Prediction for this season: Europe or other minor leagues.

The rest of the team was.....meh......

DD

 

maybe its just the summer league but maarty was looking like a very solid all around player. he can clearly shoot the three at a consistent clip but is not completely one dimensional. if novak can eek out some minutes here and there who's to say he couldn't find his way onto the team?

donte is raw but has lots of potential. his handle was a bit sloppy and got his pocket picked on a lot of the drives i saw him attempt.

didn't get to see dorsey play but loved his stat line.

brooks is solid and will continue to improve, i like him a lot.

barrera impressed me, wish we didn't have so many options at that position.

absolutely love mike harris, please keep him.

 

I think the chances that Greene makes the roster is 100%. We've already signed him to a 2 year deal, so he's not going to get cut.

 

how many blocks did dorsey get? i wasnt impressed. and he already hurt his ankles? we have enough injury prone rockets.

brooks did well, but he still isn't as good as rafer, and neither are as good a cp3 or that jazz pg thug. if stevie is back in shape, brooks will be keeping the bench quite warm.

greene looked like a college freshman. he needs to work his IQ a bit. D-league should suit him nicely...

marty was amazing. a novak with better game. i love novak, and hope he learns to play some D. i really think marty should be on the roster.

dorsey should get some d-league time. if he doesnt get injured and improves his game (at least get some better defense outside rebounds), then we should keep him. we still need a real backup center. hopefully landry gained some more strength and game.

 

Donte Greene:Of course the 40 point debut game caught my attention.I didnt go out on a limb and say he would be a future super star,because hey it's Summer league.He then went ice cold the next 3 games,but again i didnt go out on a limb and say his bust.The last game vs the kings I think was his best game,he showed a much more well rounded game on the offense.He needs to work on his handles,of course not every one has Mcgrady handles,espacially at 6'10,but I think he is farely decent.Al needs to work on Shot selection,this is SL of course,and Coaches do want players to shoot.SL grade B-



Joey Dorsey:We really did'nt get to see much of him.He missed 3 out of the 5 games,But from what I saw he impressed me.He was a beast on the boards and thats all I expected from him,but he showed can score from the paint with the 22 point game.SL Grade B


Maarty Luenanrobably the most surprising from the Draftees at pick 54. He impressed me the most.Pretty much a better more athletic steve Novak.He will play in the NBAm,maybe not this year but Defintly in the future. Sl Grade A

 

For me, this SL is all about Barrera! I really hope the rockets can invite him to join the training camp and give him one more chance!

 

Excellent Analysis. Thanks!

 

I don't know about some of you guys, but I think Donte Greene will make the 12 man squad, along with Dorsey. This is just my prediction, & no NBDL deal. However, since I live in the Rio Grande Valley, it would be cool to see both of them in action. I think Maarty Luenen will go to Europe for seasoning!

 

Very good thread. Props!

Greene: He'll make the 15 man roster. No idea how much he plays in NBDL, if at all. He's a project who I don't expect much out of as a rookie. He is more than just a jump-shooter. If Greene works hard on his game, he could be an impact player in the future.

Dorsey: Of the 3 new guys, he has the best chance to get rotation minutes during the season. It all depends on how much he can defend and rebound without fouling. If he doesn't learn to defend without fouling, it will be a long season for him. Maybe Scola and Chuck can give him lessons since they started out with the same problem.

Leunen: Pleasant surprise. I assume he will still go to Europe for one year and return back to us next summer. There is a slim chance he makes the 15 man team. Playing in Europe will help him more than sitting on the bench in street clothes.

Harris: It will be tough for him to make the cut. He'll be playing for a spot in training camp.

AB: Did OK. I don't think he's ready to be an NBA rotation player on a good team. Brent Barry will eat into his playing time. If Bobby Jackson isn't cut or traded, he and AB will battle it out for 3rd string PG. Sorry AB fans, that's just how I see it.

 

Maarty will definitely not be a Rocket for at least another 2 seasons. I am pretty sure Maarty has already signed somewhere. He could be a long shot for next year's roster, but I don't see him usurping Novak's coveted bench time anytime soon. His performance is worth more to us as trade fodder, at least at this point.

http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_select_Donte_Greene_J-276233-34.html

 

Greene, was better than I thought and I agree with the general assesment of his strengths and weaknesses.

Despite the raw nature of his game, wouldn't a line up of T-Mac, Greene, Yao, Scola, and Alston be a nice offensive group? For short stints at least. Greene would just need to score the open shot or win the one on ones playing off the two stars. Doesn't he have the skills to do something like that now?

Like Barrera, but no room, and maybe it was just me, but he seemed wild at times.

Dorsey. I heard all the praise and saw the stat line, but I only actually got to see him when he was tossed from the game. Personally, it bothers me a little that we haven't found a tall center to sub in for Yao other than Mutombo. I think its a major problem depending on him. I would rather have a player that is just a solid backup rather than a player playing exceptionally solid considering his age.

I liked Luenen, but someone with better bball eyes than mine, how does his defense look to you? I saw him taken down low a couple of times and abused, but I my connection wasn't the best so I might have just caught some bad examples. I would take him over Novak in a heartbeat.

Harris. I've always like Harris, but do you notice we have quite a few players that fit the "man he really plays hard, if only he were taller," mode. Do we own the paten on that type of player?

No one else stuck out to me. Positivly at least.

Question for anyone who knows. How much teaching is actually done in the NBDL? If you send a player like Greene, or as some have said Dorsey to the NBDL, what are they actually going to learn, or is it just an experience through play type of thing. I wonder what criteria teams use in desiding who to sit at the back of the bench versus who to send to the D-league.

 

Wow!!

I didn't get to catch any of the SL games. But from what all you guys are saying. It appears Money ball has found some players again!


Well, Les Alexander "This is to you", you better make sure he is signed for a longer contract, because I see New York Knicks giving him a big A$$ contract to get him to look for talent for them.


Wow!!

Last year, Brooks and Landry. This year Greene, Dorsey, and Leunen!!!


Oh, and let not anyone forget! The Rockets wanted Landry to go to Europe last season. But Landry fought them hard not to go to Europe. So, all this talk about Leunen going to Europe is wishful thinking for the Rockets. If Leunen shows the coaches he can play, then why shouldn't they keep him on the team?

From reading this!

Leunen > Novak!!!

 

i think the rockets will throw donte in the fire from the begining and have him learn as they go cause it will pay dividends by the end of the season! Learn from tracy on the go.

 

Great first post. Welcome to the forum!

 

Thank you, I wish I did a better job of spell checking. And I've actually lurked here quite a bit as well as several years ago posting a couple of times under a different name.

 

Hmmm, we will see.

 

Maarty Luenan:
most valuable player this summer.
I wonder why he must play overseas,cause I still think he is better than Novak including more handsome.
I hope he will be a Mike Miller for Houston