I’m not sure how they pick the teams at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament — my guess is that there’s a secret draft between the eight team “owners”, perhaps with some influence from agents — but Jeremy Lin has found himself on a pretty decent team. However, that’s only if he’s at point guard and he’s starting at point guard. We should know in about three hours, when the PIT tips off. Jeremy’s team plays first.
The good news is, Jeremy’s team probably has the best backcourt in the entire tournament. At the two-guard is Aubrey Coleman of Houston, who led the entire NCAA in scoring. He’ll probably be a 2nd-round pick, as I alluded to in my earlier post about the six or seven players who play in the PIT and end up being an NBA draft pick two months later.
There’s also Nic Wise of Arizona, but this could also be bad news, as I alluded to as well. It’s good news if Jeremy starts ahead of Wise, has a great game, and basically outshines Wise at the same position. It’s bad news if either Wise starts over Jeremy or both of them are starting. You’d have to assume Coleman is a shoo-in to start. Because Wise is under 6′0″, you’d have to assume that he’d play point anytime he’s on the floor. That’s why it’s bad for Jeremy if Wise not only starts, but also is on the floor at the same time as Jeremy.
As far as other teams, they appear to all be somewhat evenly-matched, except that the injury to Da’Sean Butler has left that team without a player of star quality (I’m pretty sure Butler would’ve been a 2nd-round pick), so that team is probably now the 8th-best team out of 8.
I think the best team is the one that has both power forward Wayne Chism, whom I praised in my GSoM “NCAA Through NBA Eyes” series (here and here), of Tennessee and Brian Zoubek of Duke, the 7′1″ rebounder that DraftExpress loves and therefore has him on their draft board in the 2nd round. How those two, probably already in the top five of frontcourt players in the entire 64-player PIT, got on the same PIT team is beyond me. Doesn’t seem fair.
I’ve left out the actual team names, because I think that would just confuse you more. It certainly confuses me. No disrespect to the PIT organizers, who I think are doing something vital to the rank-and-file core of the NBA. The PIT is very unsung.
I’ll be watching live in a few hours, in an obscure high school gym no less.
I’m excited to see what kind of atmosphere this will be. While it’s probably a watered-down NBA Summer League vibe, don’t forget, this is still a college all-star tournament with pro careers on the line. The rosters have more talent than, oh, 64 of the 65 NCAA teams this year, I’d say. One thing that may be lacking is teamwork and chemistry, though. I expect to see a lot of turnovers, but a faster-paced game than the NCAA Tournament, in general.
As far as Jeremy is concerned, I still think he’ll get drafted, unless he absolutely sucks or is non-existent in the PIT. You can’t help but speculate if Wise’s agent insisted to PIT directors that Wise be on the same team as Jeremy, for that reason (who knows?). If Jeremy knocks people’s socks off here at the PIT, which I know he is capable of doing, then Jeremy’s a shoo-in to get drafted. If he plays “regular”, then it’s still probable. All because of his marketing potential as the only Asian-American ever to be drafted (well, if it happens). Remember, the NBA is a business.
If Jeremy’s non-existent in terms of his performance or stats in the PIT, then that may be the death-knell for draft hopes. Then you open up a whole new can of worms as to how to get on an NBA roster as an undrafted.
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