Final NBA Summer League stats

By A. Boggs

Summer League play wrapped up Sunday in Las Vegas, with 2007 SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars leading all former Vanderbilt players. Byars, who played with the Bulls, averaged 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in five games for the Bulls. A.J. Ogilvy also played for the Bulls this summer and averaged 1.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in three games.

Jermaine Beal averaged 17.8 minutes per game in four games with the Miami Heat, and averaged 5.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

2008 SEC Player of the Year Shan Foster played in five games with the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas, and averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per contest.

Beal goes for 11 points in Heat Summer League win

By A. Boggs

Jermaine Beal once again logged big-time minutes for the Miami Heat Wednesday night in NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas, but unlike the game on Tuesday, his team came away with a win - a 92-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

Beal played 21 minutes, scored 11 points, dished out three assists, and had two rebounds in the Heat win. Beal was 2-for-6 from the floor, but converted all seven of his free throws. On Tuesday, the former Commodore point guard scored four points in 26 minutes of action in a loss to Golden State.

Derrick Byars logged nine minutes for the Bulls in a 79-50 win over the Clippers, but did not score. A.J. Ogilvy did not play in the game.

Newly minted Vanderbilt Hall of Fame member Shan Foster returns to the floor tonight against the Washington Wizards in Summer League action. The game tips at 8 p.m. Pacific time.

Three Commodores in action Tuesday in Summer League

By A. Boggs

Three former Commodores saw playing time in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on Tuesday, as Derrick Byars and A.J. Ogilvy suited up for the Bulls, while Jermaine Beal saw his first action of the summer with the Miami Heat.

Byars started for the Bulls in a 99-71 loss to the Denver Nuggets, played nearly 20 minutes and scored six points and grabbed four rebounds. Ogilvy played eight minutes, was 1-of-2 from the floor, and scored two points.

Beal played significant minutes for the Heat Tuesday in a 72-69 loss to Golden State. The DeSoto, Texas, native, who did not play in Miami's first game of the summer, played 26 minutes and scored four points, dished out two assists, and had one steal against the Warriors. He also had a plus/minus of +7 - which means while he was on the floor, the Heat scored seven more points than the Warriors. It was the highest total for any Heat player on the day.

The Bulls are back in action tonight against the Clippers at 8 p.m. pacific, and the Heat take on the Pistons at 10:30 p.m.

NBA Summer League stats of interest

By A. Boggs

Two former Commodores, Shan Foster and Jermaine Beal, each suited up for their first NBA Summer League game over the weekend for their respective teams, the Mavs and the Heat.

Foster, a 2008 2nd round pick of Dallas, scored six points on 2-of-4 shooting in an 88-70 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday, and two points on 1-of-4 shooting in 14 minutes of action in the Mavs' 87-78 loss to the Rockets on Saturday. Foster and the Mavs play the Bucks Monday at 5 p.m. pacific time in their next game.

Beal's Heat team defeated the New Orleans Hornets, 77-72, but Beal did not play (Coach's Decision). The Heat take on Golden State on Tuesday night in their next matchup.

Former Commodores Derrick Byars and A.J. Ogilvy begin Summer League play with the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday against the Nuggets.

For a complete rundown of Summer League action, click here.

Four Commodores ready for NBA Summer League in Vegas

By A. Boggs

Four former Commodore players are preparing for NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas, with play beginning on Friday and lasting through Sunday, July 18th.

A.J. Ogilvy and Derrick Byars, who will both play with the Bulls this summer, will tip off their summer season at 1 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, July 13, when Chicago takes on the Denver Nuggets. The game can be seen live on NBA TV. Other games for the summer for Chicago include a game with the Clippers on 5 p.m. on July 14 (NBA TV), a matchup with the Clippers at 5:30 on July 16, and a game against Portland on July 18 at 3 p.m. (NBA TV).

Jermaine Beal, who just latched on with the Miami Heat's Vegas team, will play New Orleans at 7 p.m. on July 11 (NBA TV), against Golden State at 7:30 p.m. on July 13, versus Detroit at 7:30 p.m. on July 14, against Milwaukee on July 16 at 7:30 p.m., and against Cleveland at 3 p.m. on July 17 (NBA TV).

Shan Foster will once again suit up this summer for the Mavericks, who drafted the 2008 SEC Player of the Year in the second round of that year's draft. Foster and the Mavericks will play against Denver on July 9 at 1 p.m. (NBA TV), on July 10 against Houston at 7 p.m. (NBA TV), on July 12 against Milwaukee at 5 p.m. (NBA TV), on July 15 against the Wizards at 5 p.m. (NBA TV) and on July 18 against Sacramento at 5 p.m. (NBA TV).

Stay tuned to the blog for further updates on these former Commodores, and click here for the complete NBA Summer League schedule.

Ogilvy, Beal secure NBA Summer League roster spots

By A. Boggs

Former Commodores will get very familiar with each other this summer in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. A.J. Ogilvy, who went undrafted, will play with former VU great Derrick Byars for the Chicago Bulls this summer, while Jermaine Beal, who was also undrafted, will play with Shan Foster for the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas. Beal was invited as a mini-camp invitee.

Play begins in Vegas for Beal and Foster on July 9, while Byars and Ogilvy begin summer play on July 13.

Click here for more info on the NBA Summer Leagues.

Q&A with Derrick Byars

By Barca Blog - Earlier in the week, media outlets reported that the Chicago Bulls signed Derrick Byars to a non-guaranteed contract to start the NBA season. While the Bulls organization could dismiss Byars at any time under the deal, it came as a surprise when they decided to waive him one day later.

I contacted Derrick via email (before he was cut) about doing a Q&A, and he agreed to the request. Within 24 hours, the Bulls let him go. When this news came out, I expected nothing back from him in return, but was surprised when he took the time to answer every question about his experience with the Bulls. He’s a class act for sure and a great representative of Vanderbilt University.

Here’s what DB had to say:

What were your emotions during the last few days?

“My emotions on ‘making the opening night roster’ were naturally pleased that I made the cut, but I was never overly excited or too ahead of myself because the goal has always been and continues to be an NBA player that is productive in regular season NBA games. And even though this is as far into the preseason I have been so far, playing in a regular season game has still yet to happen.

“(Making it this far) still isn’t gratifying because I am and always have been a very motivated and determined player who is never content or complacent with where I am. Yes, the road has been difficult in terms of my pro career after Vanderbilt, but I can never be content until my career is completely over. I'm always going to be striving for better.”

Explain the timeline from being on the roster to being waived.

“My agent contacted me last week to tell me my name would be on the opening night roster but stated that the Bulls had no definitive time frame as to how long they planned on keeping me around due to financial constraints. Even though my contract would have been worth the league minimum, they felt it was in their best interest to hold on to as much flexibility under the cap because they didn't have much wiggle room, as I understood it. Front office personnel informed me that this decision was purely financial and had nothing to do with my talent as a pro basketball player.”

During the preseason, you traveled with the Bulls to London for an exhibition game. How was that experience?

“London was great. As a team, we had a chance to come together and get closer as a team while also taking in a little history and culture. Seeing some of the sites like Westminster Abbey and the Big Ben clock was a unique experience and we all had a good time. The fans there gave us a very nice and warm reception.”

There were a couple of SEC players on the Bulls' roster. Any stories you could share with us?

“Yes, there are a bunch of SEC alumni on the team. There were a lot of stories, but the most frequent topic concerning Vandy dealt with Memorial Gym. Every guy on the team (Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Jannero Pargo, Chris Richard) talked about how much they hated playing at Vandy. ‘What's up with you guys' court, man?’ is what they would say. Obviously everybody hated the unique home court advantage we had and talked about the adversity they had being so far from their bench to hear their coach and the noise factor with the crowd. I told them, ‘Anytime you lose one game from the beginning of the 2007 conference season until the end of the 2008 season, it's certainly a program that has a tough environment to play.’"

While you were in Chicago, were you in touch with any of the former Commodores playing for the Bears?

“Earl Bennett and I have actually been in touch while I was in Chicago and I was getting around to attending a Chicago Bears game to support him. We were trying to work our schedules out. Chris Williams is a friend of mine as well and needless to say I'm happy to be seeing those two and Jay Cutler, Hunter Hillenmeyer, and DJ Moore representing VU in their Bears uniforms.”

Can you talk a little more about what your deal was with the Bulls?

“Obviously, my particular contract was very tentative and not guaranteed at all. I was a little confused as to what the entire situation meant, but I just tried to work as hard as I could daily in practice and in games. I wanted to continue to do all the little things and be a good teammate. Unfortunately, the nature of the NBA is very unpredictable, and I am forced to continue my journey by working hard and seeking what's next in store for me. As always, I appreciate all of the support and following from everybody in the Nashville area and VU.”

photo courtesy of ChicagoBulls.com

Byars makes Bulls roster

by Barca Blog - Congrats DB... According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, former Commodore Derrick Byars will be on the Chicago Bulls' opening day roster. Byars has a non-guaranteed contract that can be trimmed before January.

The Bulls will begin the 2009-10 season by hosting San Antonio Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT on TNT.

Byars continues quest to make NBA

by Barca Blog - Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald wrote a good article on Derrick Byars' quest to make the Chicago Bulls' opening day roster.

Through five preseason games, Byars is averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 21.2 minutes of action. He's used the opportunity to showcase his outside shooting range, hitting 6-for-13 (46.2%) from behind the arc.

"I've been very pleased with his effort and production," head coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He's a really nice kid, and you want to see good things happen to kids that work as hard as he has."

No official word yet on if Byars will make the team. Chicago currently has 15 players on its roster -- the maximum allowed by the league on opening day -- but could cut down to 13 to avoid paying league luxury taxes. The Bulls have three games left in the preseason before their regular season matchup with San Antonio on October 29.

Byars in camp with Bulls

by Barca Blog - Derrick Byars had a solid start in his 2009 NBA preseason debut with Chicago Friday night.

The former Commodore contributed 12 points and five rebounds to help the Bulls top Indiana 104-95. He went 4-for-11 from the field including 2-for-5 from three-point range in just under 24 minutes of action.

Byars, who is wearing Ben Gordon's vacated No. 7, was invited to the Bulls' camp with Chris Richard (Florida), Curtis Stinson (Iowa State) and Steven Hill (Arkansas). Hill and Stinson were waived in the last two days to reduce the Bulls' roster to 15.

Chicago will have to finalize their roster (minimum of 13, maximum of 15) before the regular season opener on October 29. Anything can happen between now and then with seven preseason games left on the schedule, but for now, it's good to know that Byars was able to survive the first round of cuts as he tries to make it into the NBA.