Chapter 29: Professional Alignment.
The Cavaliers' first opponent in the Summer League was the Lakers. The Lakers were one of the few teams in the tournament that had an even weaker lineup than the Cavaliers.
As the defending champions, the Lakers had a stable roster and no room to develop new rookies, having traded their first-round pick to the Knicks this year.
The only somewhat notable player on the Lakers' Summer League roster was Adam Morrison, the third overall pick in the 2006 draft. Morrison was the first player Michael Jordan picked after becoming a part-owner of the Bobcats, and his playstyle was modeled after Larry Bird.
In his rookie year, Morrison averaged 11.8 points on 37.6% shooting. In his second season, his numbers dropped to 4.5 points on 36% shooting. After being traded to the Lakers last season, his stats plummeted further, averaging just 1.3 points per game.
Having played three seasons in the NBA and still participating in the Summer League, Morrison's long hair was likely more memorable than his basketball skills.
Despite the matchup between two weak teams, the 3,000-seat arena was packed to capacity. A large number of media reporters were also in attendance. Anyone unfamiliar with the situation might have thought they'd mistaken the Lakers for the Clippers, whose number-one draft pick, Blake Griffin, was a highlight reel of powerful dunks and was extremely popular.
During warm-ups, the camera stayed focused on Han Sen, drawing waves of boos from the crowd. Han Sen's "popularity" in this Summer League rivaled that of a number-one draft pick.
Michael Malone, standing on the sidelines, could only shake his head. He had heard about Han Sen's bold words at the press conference. But now, seeing him laughing and chatting with his teammates on the court, completely unaffected, Malone found him even more puzzling, especially after their conversation on the plane.
The Summer League doesn't have any opening ceremonies. After the warm-up, the starters immediately took the court.
The Cavaliers started with possession. Cunningham, catching the ball at the high post, made a quick move, stopped on a dime, and swished a jump shot. The power forward from Villanova was technically sound. If not for his barefoot height being just about 2 meters, he wouldn't have fallen to the 30th pick in the first round.
After five minutes of play, the Cavaliers led 12–8, with Cunningham scoring 8 points, although he had already committed two fouls. Luckily, the Summer League allows for 10 fouls before fouling out.