With 2.3 seconds left, Craig Brackins hit a three pointer which could have given the New Orleans Hornets their first summer league victory of 2010. In the end it wound up being just another nice shot by the Hornets rookie. Washington guard Lester Hudson hit a crowd pleasing jump shot as time expired.

There was however a bright side to the game. Through three quarters Wall dominated a porous New Orleans defense, scoring 29 points and making me wonder how much longer Chris Paul will be able to hold the title of undisputed best point guard. I'm not going to talk about Wall too much, but he's a fantastic talent. His crossover gives me goose bumps. Once he finds his jump shot he's going to be nearly impossible to stop.

But I digress. Quincy Pondexter shut down Wall in the fourth quarter, holding him to only two points. His superior size and length frustrated him and disappointed those in attendance who wanted to continue watching the John Wall show.

Monty Williams would later remark on his pleasure with Pondexter's ability to guard one's, two's and three's, but not without checking the rookies ego. Although he has the ability, Williams noted, it remains to be seen whether or not he can actually do it. Seems to me like he can, but the real test will be in the regular season.

I also asked Williams about Julian Wright and got an answer I wasn't quite prepared for. With a scowl on his face that said more about his displeasure that any words, it was clear he was unhappy with the fourth year forwards absense. Williams added, "It is what it is." It wasn't an odd response considering Julian's struggles during the regular season, but it is very rare for NBA rotational players to attend summer league each of their first four years.

Regardless, it would make sense for Julian to be here, both for him and the team. He's been regressing for years and it would make sense to want to spend as much time with Monty as possible. Yes, he would have been heckled by the crowd, just like last year, but what's more important, avoiding scrutiny or improving as a player?

Let's rock some bullets-

  • Javale McGee dominated the Hornets centers, but it really doesn't matter too much because none of them have much of a chance of being on the opening day roster, especially after Aaron Gray re-signed.
  • Maurice Ager had a solid game, finishing with 23 points on only 12 shots, but he's really a liability on defense. It's too bad because you can tell he's a smart veteran player who attacks the rim hard every chance he gets. Still it wouldn't surprise me to see him on the Hornets opening day roster.
  • Brackins really takes a lot of jump shots. I asked Monty about it and he didn't seem concerned, responding "Did you see him shoot?". I told him I did, but was concerned at the lack of his low post game. He didn't seem to be and he's a much smarter basketball mind than I, so let's leave it at that.
  • Reigning NCAA leading scorer Aubrey Coleman sure is good at putting the ball in the basket. It's too bad that he can't do anything else particularly well. The offense was stagnant when he had the ball and more often than not he just dribbled around then then hoisted up a jumper. It worked well for him as he finished with 15 points on 7 shots.
  • Hines had a good game, finishing with 15 points and 14 rebounds on only 7 shots. Defensively he was not adequate.

Gotta run. Good night.