Chicago Bulls: Summer League Has Come, Is Anyone Excited?

With temperatures reaching triple digits in the Southern U.S., it’s undesirable to think of shootin’ some hoops on a piping hot blacktop court.

It’s a good thing Summer League ball is played indoors.

Yes boys and girls, it’s that time of year again. Baseball is in full force with All-Star games, pennant races, and trade deadlines.

Football is just around the corner with training camps coming at the end of the month. And for those of you that are interested, golf, NASCAR, and international competitions (i.e. softball and soccer) are cramming up TV slots day and night.

So, does anyone even have time for basketball right now?

Most people don’t, but for those of you itching for a little hoops action, the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas was full of action, including scoring records set on back-to-back days.

Golden State Warrior Anthony Morrow (G, Georgia Tech) dropped 47 points, a Summer League record, just a day after teammate Anthony Randolph (F, LSU) put up 42 points.

But for those of you Bulls fans whose blood doesn’t bubble by sub-50 point scoring performances, here’s a look at how Chicago’s Summer League team performed over their five games in Vegas (final record 3-2).

James Johnson (F, Wake Forest)–Johnson, the Bulls’ first overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, was the workhorse for the young Bulls team. He played in all five games, averaging nearly 36 minutes per game (35.8).

While his shooting seemed a little rusty (39.7 percent on 27-of-68 shooting from the field), he showed off his athleticism and well-roundedness on the court.  Johnson averaged 16.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, and 1.0 bpg.

He also showed that he can knock ‘em down from the charity stripe, shooting 77 percent (22 of 35) from the line.

Anthony Roberson (G, Florida)–In the era that can now be known as post-Gordo, the Bulls have been looking at cheap replacements that can score in bunches. They signed former Bull Jannero Pargo to hopefully soften the blow of losing Ben Gordon.

However, Roberson is trying to earn a spot in the guard rotation, which also includes shoe-ins Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich, and wily veteran Lindsey Hunter. Roberson proved that he can score, but that’s about it.

He averaged 12.8 ppg in all five games in Vegas, including a 24 point performance on Friday. However, the way he went about scoring his points was Iverson-esque. Roberson shot 38.6 percent (22 of 57) from the field, including 32 percent (eight of 25) from behind the arc.

The rest of his game resembled A.I. also, as he went on to average 1.2 apg and 1.2 rpg.

DeMarcus Nelson (G, Duke)–Nelson is another guy who’s trying to slip into the guard rotation come October, and his all-around game already has him a step above Roberson. 

In five games, Nelson averaged 13.8 ppg in 26.4 mpg. He also averaged 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. His shooting touch also proved superior to Roberson’s as he shot 48.1 percent (25 of 52) from the field, including 60 percent (three of five) from three-point range, and 70 percent (16 of 23) from the line.

James Augustine (F/C, Illinois)–Augustine may have provided the most head-scratching performance of the week. In the Bulls first game, he scored 21 points on 10 of 11 shooting from the field.  He also added seven boards in the process. 

However, his scoring consistently slipped throughout the week as the next four games he had 10, nine, eight, and 0 points respectively. His shooting percentage never changed, but the amount of shots he took did. 

He ended the week averaging 9.6 points per game on 67.7 percent (21 of 31) from the field.  He also led the team in rebounds with 8.6 per game.

Taj Gibson (F, USC)–Gibson ended up only playing the first two games as he nursed a heel injury. In those two games, he averaged 27.5 minutes and 13.0 points per game on 55 percent (11 of 20) shooting.

He also grabbed 20 boards between the two games and had a block and an assist.

Taurean Green (G, Florida)–Green and the next guy were definitely the biggest disappointments of the week. In four games, he averaged 15.8 minutes and six points per game on a rough 29 percent (seven of 24) clip from the field, including 26.7 percent (four of 15) from behind the arc.

The one bright spot of Green’s week was his ability to distribute the ball.  His 3.8 assists per game led the team.

Josh Shipp (G, UCLA)–Shipp was absolutely abysmal this week in Vegas. He appeared in all five games, averaging 4.4 points in 14.2 minutes per game. He actually failed to hit the Mendoza line (which is unheard of in basketball) as he shot 19.2 percent (five of 26) from the field, including 20 percent (two of 10) from behind the arc.

The one bright spot?

He shot 83.3 percent (10 of 12) from behind the line!

Other people did play for the Bulls, but guys like Linton Johnson and Bryan Mullins have little chance of actually making the roster.

So take what you want from the numbers from this week. There’s still a lot of off time from now until October.