Written by Demetri Inembolidis

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The good news is that the Las Vegas Summer League does not matter in the grand scheme of things.  The bad news is that Dion Waiters does not currently look like an NBA level athlete.  NBA careers are not defined by how a player does in his first two Summer League matches, but players with star potential should be able to score at will against other rookies getting their first taste of professional basketball and various undrafted free agents. 

Waiters struggled once again.  He finished with 11 points, 3 assists and 1 rebound.  Waiters took 14 shots and only made 4 of them against what should be considered inferior competition.  The optimist in me explains Waiter's struggles by pointing to the nature of the Summer League.  Coaching is minimal, chemistry with teammates doesn't exist and it closer resembles a glorified pickup basketball game than a real NBA game.  But at the same time, Waiters should be playing much better than he is.  Every single player in the Summer League has to face these challenges and many deliver better.  The rookie guard is shooting only 28% from the field in his first two games as a professional.

All is not bleak in Cleveland.  Tyler Zeller had another solid offensive showing.  He scored 19 points on only 8 shots, pulled down 7 rebounds and made 9 free throws in 10 attempts.  The young center could use some work on the defensive end of the court, but he looks very polished.  The competition will be much tougher in the NBA, but Zeller strikes me as someone that you can plug into the lineup and have a good idea of what kind of output he will have for your team.  The fact that he is 7 feet tall and is fundamentally sound should be a welcome change from centers of Cleveland Cavalier past. 

Besides Tyler Zeller, Donald Sloan was the other star player for the Wine and Gold.  Taking only 8 shots, he also scored 19 points.  Sloan played with a confidence and comfort level that can probably be attributed to his 25 games with the Cavs in 2011-2012.  Dion Waiters has a higher ceiling than Donald Sloan, but he has looked like the better basketball player thus far into the "season." 

Tristan Thompson was benched in favor of Luke Harangody.  I did not hear of any injuries to the second year power forward.  The logical conclusion would be that the Cavs wanted to get a look at Luke Harangody.  There are only so many minutes in basketball games and Harangody was benched in favor of Tristan Thompson on Sunday night.  The recently re-signed Harangody scored 12 points.

Jerry Smith of the D-League Select team had a game-high 21 points.  The other notable player for the opposing team was Mardy Collins, who NBA fans may remember from stints with stints with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers.  For reasons unknown, Leo Lyons played the game in a jersey that did not have a name or number.  The last time I ever saw something like that was when I attended a game in 2006 and Luke Schenscher wore a jersey without a name.

Overall the game was pretty ugly.  The players took advantage of the 10 fouls allowed to each player before they are disqualified.  There were 65 fouls between both teams and 81 free throws in the 40 minute game.  For this reason, one must take scoring outputs by individual players with a grain of salt.  The Cavs bounced back and shot a respectable percentage from the field (46.4%) after their abysmal 37.5% shooting against the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday night. 

The Cavs take on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday at 8:30 EST.  The Suns Summer League team features Markieff Morris.  Former Ohio State Buckeye David Lighty is also on their roster.