SPORTS STUFF (sorry, I suck at titles)

1. I haven't watched a pathetic amount of summer league ball, but I've watched some--well, I guess any amount is pretty pathetic. Anyway,I don't think you can draw too many conclusions about someone dominating against a bunch of rookies or crappy veterans hoping to grab a 12th man spot, but some guys stick out and just have the look of serious ballers. Anyone can have a good shooting game or get a few easy dunks in transition, but then you'll see someone make a particular move and it's like, wow, Matt Carroll or Smush Parker couldn't do that in their wet dreams.

I already loved Mike Conley, but he's even better than I remember. He just has that silky smooth game that great players have, everyone else on the floor looks like a spaz by comparison. Nice midrange game, unstoppable penetrator (his hesitation dribble is seriously as good as Tony Parker's, and his top end speed is pretty damn close too), great ballhandler, nice vision, and impressively always under control. Most guys in the league are trying to do too much, Conley just has this quiet confidence and poise.

He looks like the next great PG in the NBA, joining Chris Paul and Deron Williams. And we have OJ Mayo, Derrick Rose and Darrin Collison coming through the ranks, it's a pretty crazy time for point guard talent. A welcome change from the dearth of the last 10 years.

I still think Brandon Wright has more potential, but I don't think Memphis will end up regretting this pick. It's like Utah with Williams. Maybe (*maybe*) Chris Paul will end up better, but I'm pretty sure Utah's A-OK with Deron Williams.

Another guy that's looked pretty damn good is Yi, playing for the Chinese National Team. He's had some ups and downs, but I've seen him make some real nice moves. He's a lot more athletic than Darko, he's definitely more like a 3/4 rather than a 4/5. And he can really pull. I saw a 30 second stretch where he took his man off the dribble, stopped on dime and hit a pull-up 17 footer, and then the next time down the court came off a pick and hit a fallaway jumper from beyond the top of the key. You have to have a lot of confidence in your J to take that shot, and it was nothing but net. I'm thinking he could be a poor man's Dirk (or homeless guy's or whatever Bill Simmons always calls it; I don't really get that, doesn't "poor man's ____" already mean he's significantly worse than than whoever you're comparing him to? Otherwise you'd just say, "he's sorta like Dirk". Anyway.)

Hopefully he and his agent will continue to strong arm the Bucks and the Lakers will be on his very short list of desirable franchises. But they still don't have shit to offer (I mean, you're not going to give up Bynum for him in a million years), and some teams in Asian-friendly markets like Golden State have many tradeable pieces.

2. The guys on NFL Live pretty much agreed Ladanian Tomlinson is a better football player than Peyton Manning. I don't really get that--if you were holding a draft from scratch to win a super bowl this season, is there anyone in his right mind who wouldn't take Petyon or Tom Brady over LT? He's a great, great football player, but he simply isn't a quarterback.

It's like the Shaq vs. Kobe thing all over again. You know I'm a Kobophile, but I never understood when Laker fans said stuff like, "Shaq's more valuable, but Kobe's the best player in the league". What does that mean? I agree Kobe does cooler shit and is a hell of a lot more fun to watch, but c'mon, anyone can see Shaq was The Man on those championship teams and would have been a laughably obvious #1 choice in the draft-from-scratch question. Kobe was and is a truly great perimeter player, but Shaq was a dominant post guy and defensive presence in the lane (in the playoffs when he was motivated). Just like a great QB is more valuable than a great RB, a great C is more valuable than a great SG (some exceptions do apply, like MJ vs. Ewing, Olajuwon, Robinson, um, Shaq, Duncan, uh, Kareem, Wilt, Russell...)