Five Things We Learned From the NBA Las Vegas Summer League

Las Vegas is known for glitz and glamor, but for two weeks in July it is more than a hedonistic escape. It is where 22 teams of hungry players come to make a name for themselves in the pros, execs come for business and the occasional All-Star drops in to check out the talent.

This year, faces in the crowd included Paul Pierce, Chris Paul, James Posey, Kevin Durant, Ryan Gomes, Antawn Jamison, Sebastian Telfair, Rudy Gay and Kevin Love.

The 2009 NBA Las Vegas Summer League wrapped up this weekend after 10 straight days of competition. Even though it may seem like an unconventional location for hard work, it was a basketball hot spot.

BASKETBALL IS A BUSINESS ... EVEN IN VEGAS

Amid the throngs of tourists and party-seekers, NBA executives and coaches came to Las Vegas to work. Every day the stands were packed with basketball personnel scouting talent and talking business. The trip was far from a vacation.

Execs in attendance included Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge, New Jersey Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe, Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith, New York Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh, Denver Nuggets VP of Operations Mark Warkentien, Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Even though summer league teams are led by assistant coaches, a handful of head coaches also stopped by the Thomas & Mack Arena to check out prospects, including Mike Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers), Mike D'Antoni (New York Knicks), Alvin Gentry (Phoenix Suns), George Karl (Denver Nuggets) and Byron Scott (New Orleans Hornets).

Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck was also in Las Vegas to participate in a Board of Governor's Meeting. He emphasized the Celtics’ dedication to winning next season to WEEI.com -- “I just looked at the Vegas odds and the Lakers are 2-to-1, Cleveland is 3-to-1, and we’re 4-to-1,” he said. “So Vegas has us at 4-to-1. We’d like to win that bet.”

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS OFTEN STAYS IN VEGAS

Every year there are standout performances at Summer League. Many of those performances, though, stay there.

Take John Lucas III. In 2006, he ranked second in scoring above Amar'e Stoudemire and Brandon Roy. He hasn't played in the NBA since the 2007 season.

Marcus Banks set a Summer League record in 2007 with 42 points in a single game. Since then, he has played in fewer than 60 regular-season games while bouncing to three different teams.

Last summer Jerryd Bayless was named T-Mobile NBA Summer League Top Rookie. He averaged less than five points per game in his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers.

This year two members of the Golden State Warriors tied and then broke Banks' scoring record. Anthony Randolph met the mark two days before Anthony Morrow surpassed it with 47 points. This coming season, eyes will be on the pair to see if they live up to the expectations set in Vegas.

But that isn't to say that all performances should be taken with a grain of salt. There is no denying the pure talent of this year's first overall pick Blake Griffin. Not only is he huge, but he plays smart basketball, which lends itself to high-percentage shots. The Clippers have a double-double machine in the making.

There are also those who would like to move on from Vegas. Second pick Hasheem Thabeet admitted his debut could have been better. Even though he struggled, averaging less than nine points and five rebounds per game, Summer League was a glimpse into the long road he'll have to travel to succeed in the NBA.

Whether a player fares better – or worse – in the NBA, often times what happens at Vegas Summer League really does stay there.

THE LEAGUE IS TALKING SHEED

The Celtics’ signing of Rasheed Wallace was one of the hottest topics of conversation in Las Vegas. It's not just about his emotional outbursts either. Players around the league believe the addition of Wallace gives the Celtics a dangerous versatility that will have them back in the battle again next season.

“I just thought how much more fire power the Celtics could get,” Los Angeles Clippers center Marcus Camby told WEEI.com. “They had a pretty good season last year without (Kevin Garnett) being there, but coming back with a healthy KG and then adding a guy like Rasheed Wallace and what he brings to the table, he's definitely going to help that team.

“And I also think they made that move because Rasheed is one of the guys in the league that can play Dwight Howard one-on-one pretty much by himself. He does a pretty good job. I mean, no one can really contain Dwight, but Rasheed does a pretty good job of it. And with that veteran team with Pierce and Ray and KG, they've got to be one of the favorites.”

Minnesota Timberwolves forward – and former Celtic – Ryan Gomes echoed Camby.

“Wow, that's the first thing that I said. Wow,” he recalled. “Now they've got two guys, speaking of Garnett and Sheed, who on the court are so vocal defensively and offensively and they know the game so much that that's going to bring the level of intensity up. Paul has gotten way better with that over the last three years and now he's been out there on the court taking so much leadership.

“And they have a lot of different lineups they can go with. Now Perk is in foul trouble, Sheed can play the five because he played the five in Detroit. And Sheed can hit threes so now, Garnett is on the block, Sheed is out there, it can cause a lot of match-up problems for a lot of people.”

THE NBA IS COMBATTING THE ECONOMY

The NBA is taking the steps necessary to combat a down economy. Last week in Las Vegas the league held a Board of Governor's Meeting to address its financial state.

Following the meeting, NBA Commissioner David Stern said less than half of the teams made a profit in the 2008-09 season. The league will focus on new revenue opportunities and hold workshops on best practices for increasing profitability in response to a projected 10 percent decrease in ticket revenue and less interest in sponsorship opportunities.

The league has also decreased the salary cap and increased the luxury tax. In response, Stern has appointed league executives, including Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, to a Labor Relations Committee. This group will participate in a meeting on August 4 with the National Basketball Players Association Union’s executive committee. Stern's goal is to keep players aware of the financial state of the league as they move forward.

“We would very much like to begin these negotiations on a positive note of complete disclosure of financials and the readiness to provide more,” he said, “because that will lead us together to look for a good agreement moving forward that will continue to pay our players, which is (now) what is the largest average salaries in the history of professional sports, while at the same time return our teams to profitability.”

VEGAS HAS A POSITIVE “IMPACT” ON PLAYERS

Travel past the Vegas strip and find one of the best equipped training facilities for NBA players. Impact Basketball (www.impactbball.com), run by Founder and President Joe Abunassar, is a haven for those looking to improve their game in the offseason.

This summer swarms of players, including former Celtics Ryan Gomes and Sebastian Telfair, spent their days with dedicated coaching staffs at Impact's new facility, which boasts a regulation-sized basketball court, training rooms, and workout areas.

Even though Impact Basketball may not be as widely recognized on the East Coast, the Celtics community has been positively affected by its work -- Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins, Tony Allen, and Gabe Pruitt have all trained there.

Other Impact alum include Ron Artest, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Baron Davis, Rudy Gay, Al Harrington, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Jermaine O'Neal, Tayshaun Prince, and Josh Smith.

Visit Green Street for complete coverage from the 2009 Las Vegas Summer League.