Written by Demetri Inembolidis

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Summer League basketball is what it is.  Fans spend a lot of time thinking about different prospects leading up to the draft.  We think about which player(s) fit the team's biggest before, during and after the draft.  There is a seemingly infinite amount of time between the draft and the beginning of the NBA season.  Because of this, fans tend to put a little too much credence in Summer League games.  These games are the first chance fans have to see the new pieces to their favorite team.  Almost everybody is aware that these games should be taken with a grain of salt, but these games should not be completely ignored.

Basically, these games are the only thing we have to talk about so they are probably over-scrutinized.  Many fans were ready to declare that Dion Waiters is a bust after he shot 28% in his first two games.  The fact of the matter is that he has been disappointing thus far, but that does not mean he will not live up to his potential.  Some people are being overly dismissive of his bad showing and other people are taking the other extreme.  What we can do right now is discuss how he looks at this current juncture. 

We're all very impressed with Tyler Zeller.  Most of us aren't that thrilled with Dion Waiters.  Conclusions should not be drawn on either of the Cavalier rookies after three games.  Nothing really changes If Zeller has a poor showing or Waiters scores a lot of points on high efficiency on Thursday.

Now that I got that out of my system, the Cavs played their third game in three nights against the Phoenix Suns.  Most Summer League games do not matter, but this one is even less important.  Many of the participants have played their third game in three nights and are not in playing shape due to the four month layoff since the NCAA tournament or three months since the end of the NBA regular season.  Tristan Thompson (50%), Michael Eric (60%) and T.J. Campbell were the only members of the Cavaliers that shot over 40% from the field.  The team shot 37.5% overall compared to the Suns' 38.8%.  The fact that Cleveland had 80 possessions compared to the 67 for Phoenix is the biggest statistical factor that could explain the 15 point margin of victory for the Cavs. 

Tyler Zeller continues to impress.  He started off fairly slowly but managed to chip in a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. The new-and-improved Samardo Samuels was the high-point man for the Cavs with 17 points on 10 shots. 

Dion Waiters once again shot a poor percentage from the floor, but there were promising flashes.  He did his best Syracuse Orangemen imitation by forgetting his uniform.  As a result, Waiters was forced to come off the bench while his uniform was retrieved.  Waiters scored 16 points on 15 shots.  There were a few occasions where he was able to split the double- team and drive into the crowded lane and get off a good shot.  This is a skill that will translate into the NBA and I look forward to watching it.  On the contrary, his shot is broken.  Waiters has a weird hitch to his shot and tends to lean backwards instead of squaring up and following through on his jump shots. 

Tristan Thompson should be dominating these games.  The second year power forward played in 60 NBA games and should be above the competition.  Thompson had an unimpressive 4 points and 4 rebounds in 8 minutes.  It is not known why he played such few minutes, but he did not have much of a positive impact in his limited burn. 

The Cavs had a difficult time slowing down Markieff Morris from the Suns.  The second year power forward had an incredible 24 points and 17 rebounds.  The only criticism that can be made of Morris from Tuesday night is that he shot 7/21.  The Suns got their first look at their replacement point guard Kendall Marshall.  He finished without scoring and 5 assists in almost 29 minutes. 

The Cavs finally have a day off on Thursday and face the Minnesota Timberwolves at 8:00 PM EST.  The game will be broadcast on NBA TV.  Derrick Williams, the 2nd overall pick in 2011, is on the Timberwolves roster.  In addition, former OSU Buckeye William Buford and former Cleveland Cavalier Coby Karl are playing for the Timberwolves.