Monday Insider

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It's rarely a time when stars are made or broken, but we did learn a few things in the last three weeks during the NBA summer leagues.

First, those international kids of mystery are groovy, baby. While only one of them made Insider's All-Summer Team, players like Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Jiri Welsch, Nene Hilario and Mehmet Okur all showed that they belong. Most of the international players are worn out from a long international season, which slows them down a bit. It was the first look for many at Tskitishivili, who showed that he has NBA range (he went 7-15 from beyond the arc) on his jumper and terrific athleticism. Welsch struggled at time running the team, but showed a nice mid-range game and lots of toughness. Okur looked to be the most polished of the group and should be able to come in right away and have a major impact on the Pistons. Hilario was the biggest project, but you could definitely see glimpses of his raw potential. He'll be a beast on the boards.

Second, there are going to be some interesting position battles in camp this fall. Perhaps the most intriguing will be Jamal Crawford versus Jay Williams. Crawford started in the summer league and played really well. However, Jerry Krause didn't draft Williams to sit him on the bench. While at times, the Bulls can slide Crawford to the two spot, that's not why they drafted him. Several GM's swore that Krause played Crawford so much in an attempt to showcase him for a trade.

The Hawks will have a similar backcourt jam. Dion Glover won MVP at Shaw's, DerMarr Johnson was getting major minutes at the end of last season, it's tough to sit Jason Terry, and Dan Dickau proved that he has the leadership skills (his team was undefeated in Boston) the Hawks are looking for at point guard.

Richard Jefferson's emergence as the best player at Shaw's should really put some heat on Kerry Kittles in the Nets' camp. The strong play of Amare Stoudemire and Alton Ford for the Suns will put some heat on Bo Outlaw and Tom Gugliotta. And Casey Jacobsen and Joe Johnson look like they're in a dead heat to keep Penny Hardaway stranded on the bench in Phoenix.

Finally, we have seen the future of refereeing in the NBA and it's simply more frightening than a David Stern-Jerry Krause nude mud wrestling match. It's evil baby. The general opinion among GM's was that the officiating was simply awful. The games were marred with a plethora of calls that made the Kings-Lakers series look legit. It was ugly, folks. Ugly.

FIRST TEAM

Zach Randolph, F, Blazers

Stats: 18.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg on 49 percent shooting

Skinny: Randolph was a summer star last year and followed it up with another big performance at the Rocky Mountain Revue. He's perhaps the most gifted offensively of any of the big men playing in the summer leagues. He's also great on the boards. While the Blazers worry about his weight, it will be tough not to dole out a few minutes to Randolph this year. He's starting to get impatient.

Drew Gooden, F, Grizzlies

Stats: 15.7 ppg, 9 rpg on 43 percent shooting

Skinny: Gooden was the most polished rookie on the floor in L.A. and Salt Lake. He looked comfortable at both the three and the four, was relentless on the boards and most importantly, he was consist -- a rare attribute in rookies these days. He also averaged 22.6 points and 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies at the L.A. Summer Pro League.

Richard Jefferson, F, Nets

Stats: 22 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.5 apg on 50 percent shooting

Skinny: He was the best player at the Shaw Summer Pro League. His athleticism, court savvy and improving outside shot were all on display. The Nets are considering moving Jefferson to the two guard position, but it was his ball handling and ability to play point forward (the Nets didn't have a strong point guard on their team) that impressed NBA execs. Said one GM, "He's the total package. He's going to be a star."

Dion Glover, G, Hawks

Stats: 17.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 3.5 apg on 48 percent shooting

Skinny: Glover had an advantage over most players at Shaw's. He's had two full years of experience in the NBA and it showed. Glover was named the MVP at Shaw's while leading the Hawks to a perfect 6-0 record. Glover clearly outplayed teammate DerMarr Johnson, which should lead to an interesting camp battle this fall. Johnson has the size and the pedigree, but it's Glover who keeps producing.

Dajuan Wagner, G, Cavs

Stats: 20 ppg, 2.3 apg on 50 percent shooting

Skinny: Let the Allen Iverson comparisons begin. Wagner had a couple of huge scoring games (35 pts and 28 points) that have quickly made the Cavs believers. While his aggressiveness waned when he played point guard, the Cavs were impressed with his outside shooting touch and shot selection. How good was his play, exactly? The Cavs and Clippers restarted Andre Miller trade talks Friday (see below).

SECOND TEAM

Carlos Boozer, F, Cavs

Stats: 17.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg on 49 percent shooting

Skinny: The Cavs are starting to wonder if they got the steal of the second round in Boozer. Teams questioned on draft day whether he'd be able to make the transition from college center to NBA power forward. While nothing is definitive, Boozer showed nice range on his jumper and did a great job attacking the boards. Given the Cavs' woes on the front line, he should see a few minutes this year.

Amare Stoudemire, F, Suns

Stats: 14.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg on 49 percent shooting

Skinny: He was the surprise and, to many, the star of the summer. Stoudemire was supposed to be not quite ready for prime time. While you can still see that he has a long way to come, his talent and ability to impact the game had several GMs, including Jerry West, proclaiming that he could ultimately become the star of this year's draft.

Eddie Griffin, F, Rockets

Stats: 22 ppg, 10 rpg

Skinny: Griffin's inside-outside game is lethal. His rebounding and shot blocking skills are highly developed and he continues to show surprising range from beyond the arc. Do the Rockets even care if Mo Taylor comes back?

Jason Richardson, G, Warriors

Stats: 21.2 ppg on 54 percent shooting

Skinny: Richardson is another star in the making. What the Warriors were really impressed with this summer was his improved shooting from the perimeter.

DeShawn Stevenson, G, Jazz

Stats: 17.2 ppg, 3.2 apg on 44 percent shooting

Skinny: Consider this Stevenson's coming out party. After two years of hit and misses (mostly misses), Stevenson showed great poise for the Jazz. His outside jumper is coming along but it was his smart decision making and defense that will earn him a sport in Jerry Sloan's regular rotation.

HONORABLE MENTION

DeSagana Diop, C, Cavs

Eddy Curry, C, Bulls

Marcus Haislip, F, Bucks

Kedrick Brown, F, Celtics

Mehmet Okur, F, Pistons

Jerome Moiso, F, Hornets

Qyntel Woods, F, Blazers

Steven Jackson, G, Spurs

Joe Forte, G, Celtics

Jay Williams, G, Bulls

Gilbert Arenas, G, Warriors

SUMMER SLEEPERS

Wang Zhizhi, C, Mavs

Stats: 12.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg

Skinny: Zhizhi was the talk of the L.A. Summer Pro League. He rarely got a chance to play center in Dallas but showed in L.A. that he is capable of doing the dirty work down low. His 14-point, 14-rebound game against the Grizzlies should add a few million to his paycheck.

Chris Andersen, F, Nuggets

Stats: 12.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg on 58% shooting

Skinny: He was the first person called up from the D-league last year and continues to impress with his toughness, rebounding and athleticism. He'll stick on the Nuggets this year and may end up eclipsing the play of more heralded rookies like Tskitishvili and Hilario.

Olumide Oyedeji, F, Magic

Stats: 6 ppg, 6 rpg

Skinny: Again, ignore the numbers. The Magic have been looking for the next Ben Wallace and Oydeji outplayed both Steven Hunter and Rashard Griffith. He's very strong and active on the glass. His play was so impressive, the Magic immediately signed him after the Shaw camp ended.

Tamar Slay, G, Nets

Stats: 14 ppg on 53 percent shooting

Skinny: He was a long shot to make the Nets when you looked at their contract situation. However he was, by far, one of the best rookies in Boston. While his outside shooting still needs work, he's got the size and athleticism to succeed in the league. Chances are, with a good preseason, the Nets keep Slay on the roster. If they don't, another team will quickly pick him up.

Ronald Murray, G, Bucks

Stats: 18.2 ppg on 47 percent shooting

Skinny: His play was, at times, so spectacular that he probably belongs in the second team. Murray has great confidence shooting the balls and looks like another second round steal. If he can do a better job of running the team as a point guard, he'll have a long career in the NBA.

SUMMER BUSTS

Kwame Brown, F, Wizards

Stats: 10 ppg, 6 rpg on 44 percent shooting

Skinny: Kwame didn't play terribly, but he lost three games to an injury and then played tentatively. The Wizards were hoping that the summer league would be a chance for him to get his confidence back. Now it looks like it may have actually taken a step back.

Tyson Chandler, F, Bulls

Stats: 8.2 ppg, 7 rpg

Skinny: Chandler played aggressive defense and did a good job on the boards, but his play wasn't what the Bulls expected. After showing real promise toward the end of the season he couldn't get anything going offensively. The Bulls really need him to step up this year if they are going to end their losing woes.

Steven Hunter, F, Magic

Skinny: After a lackluster rookie season, the Magic were hoping that Hunter would start to show some promise in year two. Unfortunately, he got off to a poor start in Orlando and then an injury kept him out of Shaw's. Hunter's lack of aggresivness is a real disappointment to the Magic. He's quickly turning into a bust.

Caron Butler, G/F, Heat

Skinny: It took until the Heat's last game for Butler to have a breakout game (23 points) but even then it came on just 6-of-17 shooting. The rest of the time he's been chucking up bricks and handing out turnovers at a miserable rate. Butler's slow start is probably due to an injury he suffered in camp, but still, the Heat can't be happy with the slow start.

Omar Cook, G, Celtics

Skinny: It took him a grand total of two games before the Celtics had already made up their minds that Cook wasn't their guy. Instead, undrafted rookie J.R. Bremer outplayed him and earned that partially guaranteed contract Cook was banking on. It looks like it's back to the NBDL.

Make sure you check out our wraps of the Rocky Mountain Revue, Pro Summer League , Shaw's Pro Summer League, and Orlando Summer Pro League.

Rookies are getting Nuggets' attention

Kyle Ringo / Rocky Mountain News

Cavs, Clipps start talking trade again

Whether it was a Dajuan Wagner summer league revelation or just a practical realization from the Clippers and Cavs that there just weren't any better deals on the table, sources told Insider this weekend that the two teams have begun discussing a trade that would send Andre Miller to the Clippers.

The Cavs and the Clippers were within minutes of completing a trade on draft night that would've sent Miller to the Clippers for Lamar Odom and the No. 8 pick in the draft. However, Clipps owner Donald Sterling screwed up the trade, the Clippers took Chris Wilcox instead of Caron Butler, and the deal fell apart.

This time around, it looks like the Cavs are insisting that Darius Miles, not Odom, be part of the trade. Odom's agent, Jeff Schwartz, let the Cavs and Clippers know after the draft that his client would not sign a long term contract with Cleveland. That gave the Cavs the freedom to demand Miles, who they wanted all along. The Orange County Register is reporting in Monday's editons that the two sides are talking about a trade that would send Miles and Harold Jamison to Cleveland for Miller and Bryant Stith.

The trade, however, is not done. Sources told Insider this weekend that the Cavs are trying to get the Clippers to include Wilcox as part of the deal. The Clippers consider Miles a steep price to pay for Miller and don't want to include Wilcox or their other first round pick, Melvin Ely. Sources also told Insider that while the Clipps management, including GM Elgin Baylor and coach Alvin Gentry, supports the trade, the team still hasn't gotten buyoff from Sterling.

If the Cavs are able to secure Miles and Wilcox, they'll begin talking again with the Spurs about a trade that would send Tyrone Hill, Chris Mihm and Lamond Murray to San Antonio for Steve Smith and Antonio Daniels. The move would be basically a cost cutting move by the Cavs. It gets Murray's long term contract off their books, clearing the way for Miles to start. It also adds Daniels, who can play both backcourt positions, to take the pressure off the rookie Wagner to play point guard.

Cavs coach John Lucas was impressed with Wagner's strong showing at the Rocky Mountain Revue, but stopped shy of saying Wagner was their point guard of the future.

"When he was at (shooting guard), he seemed to explode,'' Lucas told the Akron Beacon Journal. "When he was playing the point, he seemed to lack aggressiveness. But it's up to me to figure out how to play him. Right now, I'm not concerned about what position he is. He's a combo guard.''

Clippers offer Cavs Miles, Jamison

Art Thompson III / Orange County Register

This Cav has legs, but can he run the team?

Chris Tomasson / Akron Beacon-Journal

Will Lewis and Clark play for less?

The big question that lingered over the weekend was whether top flight free agents Rashard Lewis and Keon Clark would really bite the bullet and accept smaller contracts from the teams they'd like to play for.

Lewis was wowed by the spectacle that Mavs owner Mark Cuban put on for him Thursday and Friday. But the cold hard truth is that the Mavs can offer Lewis only their $4.5 million exception. The Sonics know in the end that once the wooing ends, cash talks.

"Recruitment for us takes place during the season when we're talking to him and where he knows the direction we're going in," Sonics GM Rick Sund told the Seattle Times. "In terms of we taking him to The Met (The Metropolitan Grill), we've already taken him to The Met. Are we going to take him to the top of the Space Needle? No. We're not going to do that. From a recruiting standpoint, it's always easier when a team brings in a free agent because they are able to wine and dine him and show him things he hasn't seen before."

Clark lands in Orlando today and will visit with team officials. The Magic desperately want to sign Clark and Clark would love to play in Orlando, but like everything this summer, there's a catch.

The Magic are dangerously close to the luxury tax this season and also want to keep as much room as possible free for next summer. The only way they can achieve that goal is to convince Clark to take a less than market value contract for one year. Next summer, the Magic will have more room and, if everything goes well this season, Clark should be able to find the payday he's looking for.

He might not have much of a choice. The only other team that appears to be willing to fork over the cash is the Kings. However, the Sacramento Bee reported on Sunday that the team is also talking to free agent Donyell Marshall about accepting its mid-level exception.

Will it be Sonics or Mavericks?

Percy Allen / Seattle Times

Coveted free agent Clark visits Magic

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Kings talk with Clark, Marshall

Martin McNeal / Sacramento Bee

Peep Show

Bulls: GM Jerry Krause insists he has no intention of trading Jamal Crawford, despite that fact that several GMs were claiming that he's been showcasing him at the Rocky Mountain Revue. Won't there be conflicts between Crawford and Jay Williams since they play the same position? "You have to remember that in our [triangle] offense, the positions don't really matter," Krause told the Chicago Tribune. "The guards' responsibilities are interchangeable. I see it as a luxury, not a problem."

Knicks: Negotiations between the Knicks and free agent Michael Doleac, a 6-11, four-season center, are heating up and moving into the serious stage the N.Y. Daily News reported. "It's going fine. I'm optimistic Michael would be a real good fit if it were to happen," Doleac's agent, Glen Schwartzman, said. "We're still talking and I'll really have a better feel for matters [today]."

Nets: The team is close to finalizing a deal with their free agent target, Chris Childs the N.Y. Daily News reported. The Nets and Childs should reach agreement on their deal early this week. Childs, who began his career with the Nets and spent two years in New Jersey, is likely to get a two-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $3.5 million.

Hornets: Free agent Lee Nailon, who had a breakthrough season last year, is still waiting for an offer. Agent Larry Fox is unsure about the range in which the Hornets are willing to spend and the amount of playing time Nailon would get. "I think they like Lee, but they might not have the best situation," Fox told the New Orleans Times Picayune. "I don't think we know what his role will be or what level he would make. They also have the Baron Davis situation to think about. But we respect the Hornets' position, and we will have to see what happens."

Lakers: With 12 players under contract, and the payroll already deep into luxury-tax territory, the Lakers are pretty much done filling out the roster. "We are not pursuing a major move," GM Mitch Kupchak told the L.A. Daily News. "Nor do we feel we have a gaping hole on the roster."

Blazers: Assistant coach Dan Panaggio and the rest of the Blazers were happy with the play of rookie Qyntel Woods. "I'm just real happy with how he kept his eyes and ears open," Panaggio told the Oregonian. "I think he's going to be a good one." Woods said if he learned anything during summer league, it's that he still has a lot to learn. "It's been a big challenge, in a whole lot of different ways," said Woods, who averaged 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in six games. "I knew that I wasn't going to be able to go out and do the things I did in junior college, but I went out and got things done that I expected.

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[capstone21]

He did not even get an honourable mention for the summer league games. Give me a break.

Also they are still saying the HAwks are looking for a point guard. WHat is up with that.

If we start winning, watch them jump on the bandwagon.

[Guest]

Damn!How many PG's are we looking for?A half roster?HAHAHAHA!

They could atleast pick on a position we are weak at like backup

PF.

*Hawks are looking for a backup PF*

Hawks are looking for someone to backup SAR and they might not

have any luck because nobody out there is worth a damn.There

are rumors that Atlanta is looking to trade Small Foward Toni

Kukoc who came off and tough season for Vet Power Foward

Googs...

Our sources say this deal could go down anytime between

now and training camp.

Source:The Hawks are not pleased with Alan Henderson as

the backup.He is unwilling to accept his role as the backup

so the Hawks are looking for another overpaid bum that will

play the position.

Rumor also has it they are looking for a 4th PG because

it is Lon Kurger's old position.

David Aldridge:They are in heavy talks with bringing Rumeal Robinson

out of retirement to fill out that 4th spot.Rumeal was a bust for

the Hawks in 1990,but did provide the Hawks the chance to sucker

the Nets into sending taking the great college player for future

allstar Mookie Blaylock.

Comeback tomorrow to see what new trash we have spew out to

our ESPN lites.

[Hawksfreak]

DJ is out future rising star he better get respect!