| 2012 Vegas Summer League | ||
|---|---|---|
|
|
vs. |  |
| 3-1 | 1-3 |
|
| July 22, 2012 | ||
| COX Pavillion, Las Vegas | ||
| 3:00 PM CT |
||
| TV: NBA.com Broadband | ||
| Probable starters: | ||
| Aaron Miles | PG | Marquis Teague |
| Doron Lamb | SG | Ramone Moore |
| Tobias Harris | SF | Jimmy Butler |
| John Henson | PF | Leon Powe |
| Xavier Gibson | C | Malcolm Thomas |
On the Bulls: Blog-a-Bull / Bulls by the Horns / Bullsville
The Milwaukee Bucks are guaranteed a winning record in 2012 Las Vegas Summer League play, but nobody really cares. The Chicago Bulls finally won their first Summer League game on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, but again, nobody cares. It's all about how well the top prospects for each team have performed over the course of the week. Larry Sanders' first two games aside, it's all been good news for Milwaukee, while things have been a mixed bag for Chicago. Let's explore the numbers a bit.
Update: After his bounce-back game last night, Sanders will sit out the finale.
With Tobias Harris averaging 21.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG over four games and rookie John Henson adding 19.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG and 2.0 BPG, the Bucks have to be ecstatic about what their two first-round picks have done in Summer League play. A rebounding surge on Saturday from Larry Sanders added a bit of extra excitement, and Doron Lamb's play early in the week is more than enough to keep everyone happy (although he has yet to hit a three-point shot in Vegas). If Milwaukee can avoid any injuries in the final Summer League game, the entire process has to be labelled a huge success.
As for the Bulls, Jimmy Bulter has been the star of the show. He holds a 20.8 PPG average and has attempted at least 10 free throws in three of Chicago's first four games (hitting 89.7% from the line). Aside from one stinker of a game against the Golden State Warriors, Butler has put a lot of positive things on tape for the coaching staff.
Marquis Teague, the Bulls' 2012 first-round pick out of Kentucky, hasn't enjoyed the same success. He is shooting just 29.8 percent from the field through four games, and is averaging more turnovers per game (4.5) than assists (3.0). For a team looking to bridge the gap during Derrick Rose's recovery from surgery to repair his torn ACL, Teague play isn't putting fans or coaches at ease.
The unexpected performer on Chicago's side is former San Diego State forward Malcolm Thomas. Four straight double-doubles is enough to catch anyone's eye -- he is averaging 13.3 PPG an 14.5 RPG -- so it will be interesting to see if the lanky frontcourt of the Bucks can end his streak of strong rebounding production or keep him off the scoreboard.
Enjoy this one, because it's the last Bucks game you will see for a while.