On Doubting Alexander

Going against mostly fringe NBA players, first round pick Joe Alexander's stat line surely didn't impress in Vegas. As someone who pushed for Jerryd Bayless when he fell, and Anthony Randolph pretty much all along, Alexander's initial games in a Buck uni are doubly difficult to digest.

David Thorpe, ESPN's rookie guru, only makes matters more depressing, calling Bayless the "best rookie combo guard" and claiming Randolph "showed more pure talent than anyone." And he wrote this about Alexander on July 14:

Simply put, the worst performance of a first-round pick I've seen thus far in Vegas. He rushed his movements and his shots, and looked totally lost most of the time.

Then again, Thorpe did praise Alexander for improving a day later, noting:

He is definitely starting to figure it out. As long as he keeps making simple plays, his talents can come through in other areas.

I'm siding with Frank on this one and not getting too down on the number eight overall draft pick.

Moreover, in times like these, I should really heed my own advice and sometimes take Summer League stat lines with a grain of salt.