Now that Commissioner Stern has been forced to cancel up to a month of the NBA regular season and many players like Deron Williams choosing to play overseas, it appears that the only chance to catch a glimpse of your favorite NBA superstar is at the many pro-am and celebrity games that have been taking place throughout the off-season.
Those in attendance at the Rucker in New York, Barry Farms in D.C., or the Drew League in LA this Summer got to bear witness to a plethora of NBA superstars like Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, and even Kobe Bryant tuning up their game.
With the NBA under an official Lockout, there was no NBA Summer Leagues from Las Vegas and Orlando to witness all of the incoming rookies getting their first taste of NBA action. But that didn’t stop show-stopping rookies like Kenneth Faried, Josh Selby, and Derrick Williams from participating in the many unofficial Summer Leagues from LA to Baltimore.
But with so many games on the docket each and every weekend, it’s hard to keep tabs on just how well your favorite NBA superstars have fared. Let’s take a look at who were our offseason standout stars.
Kevin Durant
Not many, if any NBA superstars were as busy as “The Durantula” so far this offseason. All that the 2 time NBA scoring champ did was pack up his backpack and play seemingly everywhere he could find a court from East to West coast, dropping buckets at an alarming rate, scoring an unreal 66 points at NYC’s legendary Rucker Park. Then came additional scoring nights of 54, 46, 44, and and unreal triple double consisting of 42 points, 26, rebounds, and 11 assists before a home crowd for an exhibition in OKC. That’s not even including the unveiling of his new “Back to the Future” themed Nike shoes, starring in his own web series titled the 35th Hour, and filming his first major motion picture, due out in 2012. But his ultimate highlight had to be dropping 59 points in his head-to-head matchup against Lebron in the Melo/Goodman contest.
Brandon Jennings
After an amazingly successful 2010 NBA rookie campaign that saw him drop 55 points in an NBA game and earn All Rookie 1st team honors, Jennings continued to play well last season. But after notching his first career triple double in the first month of the season, the former HS prep POY broke his left foot and returned only a shell of his former self. But Bucks fans had to be ecstatic to see Jennings looking even more explosive in the Drew and Melo Leagues, taking on all comers like Josh Selby and Kevin Durant. He even found time to diss Kobe, probably setting up another high scoring revenge game by the “Mamba” when the Lakers are next in Milwaukee. Jennings also has been all over the country, hocking his newest signature line of Under Armour shoes. Most notable was his 2 part epic showdown against Grizzlies rookie Josh Selby dubbed the “Battle of Baltimore.”
John Wall
Fresh off an outstanding rookie NBA season that would have netted him ROY honors if it wasn’t for someone named Blake Griffin, Wall has shown the Wizards faithful that he could be even better next season by proving to be nearly unstoppable this offseason. In his own flashy, yet enjoyable style, Wall has destroyed the opposition, even scoring 38 points in 3 quarters in the DC/ Philly “Battle for I-95“ contest. He continues to tour as part of the Kentucky All Stars against the Villains and was hands down, the biggest celebrity guest and UK’s Midnight Madness. Let’s not forget the unveiling of his newest Reebok kicks, tabbed the “Zig Encore.” Check out Wall killin it in the Melo League.
Josh Selby
Despite a rather uninspiring finish to his collegiate career at Kansas, Selby did just enough to convince NBA GM’s to take a flier on the former HS star, with Memphis selecting Selby with the 49th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The Memphis franchise may have gotten the steal of the Draft after witnessing his show-stopping performance this Summer. Selby starred in his hometown Baltimore based Melo league, continually taking it to fellow NBA PG Brandon Jennings. Check out Selby dropping 48 on Jennings in the Melo/Goodman rematch.
Lebron James
After tarnishing his image with “The Decision”, then faltering down the stretch during the NBA Finals, Lebron more than anyone needed a good showing this Summer. It didn’t start so well as he decided it was a good idea to dunk all over a paid customer at one of his camps, then was caught on video getting dunked on by some random asian kid. But Lebron redeemed himself nicely by putting in a spirited performance in LA’s Drew League before teaming with CP3 and Carmelo to take on all comers from Philly, DC, and OKC. He even returned home to play a pick-up game at his old stomping grounds and recently released his newest kicks, the Lebron 9‘s. Check out Lebron holding his own in the Goodman/ Melo contest.
Honorable Mentions:
James Harden
The man with the illest beard and bro-hawk this side of Philly definitely showed the OKC brass that he deserves a spot in the starting line-up alongside KD and Russell Westbrook after starring in LA’s Drew League, even dropping 51 points in one game.
Lou Williams
The Philadelphia 76ers’ scintillating 6th man made it a point to show coach Doug Collins that he deserves to get the ball more within the at times non-existent Philly offense by dropping 50 points in a game not once, but twice this offseason. We wont mention his attempt at his budding rap career.
Kenneth Faried
The self proclaimed “Manimal” is hoping to make everyone in Denver forget about Kenyon Martin, now playing in China, by using his outstanding physical skills to out jump and outwork everyone during his rookie season. He dominated the competition in LA’s Drew League, even getting his head clear over the rim.
Allen Moll has been a lifelong NBA and NCAA College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously, and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen also provides content to Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, in addition to being a tenured NBA and NCAA columnist for TheHoopDoctors.com.
