Well, finally saw the rest of that one:
1) ugly game, we had three guys play well, and that was more than enough given that they had zero guys play well and did not break 50pts.
2) Hawes' looked smooth and professional inside and out on offense, but wasn't really dominant. He went aggressively after 2 or 3 boards in the first few minutes, although maybe only got 1 of those, and then was just a guy there the rest of the way. Had three or four right until the end of his game when he got a little pack all at once. Perhaps the difference between a guy concentrating on getting boards and then slacking off, and a guy like Justin who just goes after them instinctively and relentlessly. He's long enough to get up and dunk it given a little room, which is a nice change. Finally realized who he reminds me of physically -- Will Perdue. Narrow, long, not a good athelte, but not quite as bad as the body looks. Showed pretty decent defensive mobility against his man for a guy his size and can rotate and switch with reasonable fluidity (even challenged a three point shooter). But not surprisingly will never be able to stay with the quick guys, and was no factor as an interior defender (had few enough opportunities given the Chinese team's jumpshot orientation). In general, he did what he was advertised as being able to do. The questions remain for another day.
3) Williams did not truly blow me away simply because he's still doing the same things he was last time we saw him, and the competition here was ready made to be overwhelmed by an athletic guy going right at the rim. But they are good things to bring. Not sure how much bigger he is -- some I think, but the Chinese team is so very scrawny that everybody looked like Shaq next to them. What was most impressive wasn't really his game, but the sense (and it helped that you could hear the players talking) that he thinks of himself as not only belonging now, but of being a leader. That was surprising for a guy who just seemed to be fighting to prove he even belonged last season. But he was out there talking and encouraging the whole time as a combo defensive captain/coach on the floor + worked pretty well with Hawes. I didn't see him having added anythign particualrly to his physical game (except some extra muscle which could make a difference). But mentally he believed that he belonged, and that's a a huge step in and of itself. Here his relatively old age might help -- he's got 5 years on a guy like Hawes, and could almost call him "kid".
4) Cisco was the third gun and maybe biggest problem of them all for the Chinese, but he was actually playing the game furthest from what he can/will be doing in an NBA regular season contest. He really was at times playing it lie Kobe or someone. Predictable, in that as the old hand and most established guy on the team he kind of IS the summer league team's Kobe. And the Chinese had no answer for that sort of player. But its still hard to draw many conclusions from that sort of game. Reminded me of my "glory days" basketball game in a pickup game at a gym at Penn, where I, not known as a scorer, got stuck as the best/most established player on a hopeless team of scrubs going against a pickup juggernaught. And so looking around, I had this sudden epiphany (that alas lasted no longer than that one afternoon) that it was either me or nobody to prevent a complete pasting, and proceded to call for the ball and attack on nearly every possession and score 11 of our 13 pts (we lost 15-13 by ones) and generally play entirely and completely above my head in a way I could never duplicate. That was the feeling I had watching Cisco -- he was just doing things he would never do in a real NBA game...er...well...wait...this IS Cisco we are talking about.
5) Yi actually looked better than I originally thought he did in the early going. He converted nothing, but the shots weren't jumpers, they were turnarounds in the post. There was only one stretch of jumpers to open the third quarter. Of course if you don't make them its still ugly, and he obviously did not have it yesterday. But it wasn't rampant passivity and outside shooting softness so much as...well, not having it, being the focus of the defense, and I think credit has to go to Justin as well for being right there and making every shot tough. This of course will be one of Yi's tests -- he showed a lot of moves inside and whatnot, but against a big ahtletic player, and on aback to back, he did not finish them. He has to adjust to those conditions to be an impact guy.
6) Of the benchers, Caner-Medley was an amazing foul machine and it must be a sinking feeling to know after one game that you probably have no chance of getting that dream invite to an NBA camp. Watkins had some nice solid big man moments as kind of a slightly slower Justin, and I barely noticed the other guys. Donta showed nothing, and Pooh went back and forth making one good play, one bad play, and pretty much just looked like a summer league caliber PG.
