Summers' Day: Georgetown Rookie Drops 24 in Debut

Posted Friday, July 10, 2009
Summers’ Day: Georgetown rookie drops 24 in debut

LAS VEGAS – If DaJuan Summers needed a reality check to stave off complacency after a headline-grabbing Summer League debut, all he had to do was look down the court at Donte Greene.

It was Greene who lit up Las Vegas last summer, scoring 40 points in his debut after being drafted in the first round out of Syracuse by Houston before being traded to Sacramento in the Ron Artest deal. Playing for the Kings, the worst team in the NBA last season, Greene – a hybrid forward, much like Summers – appeared in 55 games, averaging 3.8 points.

But Summers, after a 24-point, seven-rebound game in Detroit’s 86-77 win over Sacramento, has his own frame of reference: an up-and-down junior season at Georgetown for a team that was ranked in the top 10 in the early months of the season and played its way to the bottom tier of the Big East by March. Summers saw his personal stock decline along the way, going from a likely first-rounder to a player whom the Pistons were delighted to select in the second round, 35th overall.

“I could have easily come out and had a bad game and it would be the other way around,” he said. “You’ve got to stay level-headed. Last season, that was the biggest thing I learned from my college career. We had a lot of good games and a lot of bad games. Just staying even-keeled is the biggest thing.”

Summers is, at some level, fighting for a spot in the rotation pecking order alongside the two other combo forwards the Pistons took in the June draft, Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko. Jerebko stood out in Thursday’s practice after receiving FIBA clearance to join the team midway through the workout, but it was Summers who had the best day of the three on Friday.

Daye had some nice moments, as well, showing off his ballhandling and shooting skills and getting his hands on loose balls with his freakishly long reach. He finished with eight points in 19 minutes. Jerebko struggled with his shot, going 1 for 6, but again displayed his instincts and ability to get to the rim. He played 13 minutes and scored only two points.

Summers hit 9 of 15 shots, making his only 3-point attempt, in a team-high 33 minutes.

“Summers is a player,” said Pistons assistant coach Darrell Walker, who ran the team. “I don’t know how he goes 35 in the draft. Things happen in the draft, I understand that, but he’s a legitimate player. I told Q (new Pistons coach John Kuester), this kid is going to get some minutes, some legitimate minutes.

“It’s a luxury having a guy who can play both (small and power forward). He’s going to play the four and he’s definitely a three, there’s no doubt about that. What he brings is another shooting big. By losing (Antonio) McDyess – I’m not saying he’s going to come in and play those minutes, but he’s another big that can shoot the ball. Never seen him play in college, never saw his workout because my mother-in-law passed away, but he’s NBA-ready.”

Two other Pistons scored in double figures, neither one with a realistic chance at making the roster. Mike Bramos, a Grosse Pointe North High School product who played four years at Miami of Ohio, had 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting. Clay Tucker, a UW-Milwaukee grad with several seasons of European play behind him, drained 5 of 7 and finished with 11 points. Their productivity was partly responsible for Daye being limited to 19 minutes, though Walker said he’ll play more over the final four games of Summer League.

Deron Washington, the other Summer League participant likely to stick with the Pistons this season, had a spotty five-point game and struggled at times to stay in front of Memphis No. 1 pick Tyreke Evans, who played point guard. Evans and last year’s top pick, Jason Thompson, led the Kings with 15 each and Greene had 11 and seven boards.

Reports in Denver have the Pistons and Nuggets talking about a trade that would send Arron Afflalo to Denver. The Nuggets have a trade exception that would allow them to take a player without sending anything back in return. The deal would give the Pistons roughly $3.5 million under the cap. It’s possible Joe Dumars would attempt to sign Boston’s Glen Davis to an offer sheet, but it’s questionable whether that would be enough to dissuade the Celtics from matching the offer for Davis, a restricted free agent. One other Pistons target, Brandon Bass, got away Friday by agreeing to a four-year deal with Orlando for a reported $18 million.

With Will Bynum taking care of a family matter, the Pistons added undrafted Gonzaga point guard Jeremy Pargo to the roster. Pargo, the brother of Chicago Bulls guard Jannero Pargo, was in street clothes Friday.

The Pistons play Toronto at 1 p.m. Saturday.