Cedric Jackson battling for NBA attention

Image: Zimbio

CEDRIC Jackson has landed himself a spot on the Miami Heat Summer League roster. At 27, it might be his last chance to crack the NBA having dabbled in short experiences in the past.

The ANBL MVP faces tough competition from teammates and opponents, but the positive could be the fact Miami only carried two active PG's (Chalmers and Cole) into last year playoffs and do have a roster space.

During Summer League he could see minutes against: Utah's Trey Burke, Brooklyn's Tyshawn Taylor, Detroit's Peyton Siva or Orlando's A.J Slaughter (who spent last year playing Cholet Basket in the French league)

Orlando's Victor Oladipo and Detroit's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will also appear in their first NBA action against Jackson's Heat.

Jackson's Miami schedule in Summer League, Orlando (NZ times)

vs Utah - Monday 8th, 5am
vs Brooklyn - Tuesday 9th, 9am
vs Orlando - Wednesday 10th, 9am
vs Detroit - Friday, 7am
Games can be watched live or On Demand via NBA.com (an account costs NZD $19.30)

Jackson's biggest fight could be making a statement on his own team, though. Highly-rated Texas PG Myck Kabongo went undrafted in a twist that had some draft experts confused.

I'm still surprised that Myck Kabongo went undrafted. He has so much talent. In a few years, we might look back on that and laugh.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 28, 2013

Considered a potential first round pick after the 2012 season, Kabongo was suspended for 23 games last season for accepting impermissible benefits and then providing false statements about the situation.

Kabongo is a quick guard with a great first step that can leave defenders reeling. He can penetrate the lane and does well to find open teammates. He's a pass-first PG, but that might be because he lacks a jump shot. He can dictate the speed of a game, but sometimes can be guilty of trying to do to much himself.

Kabongo is friends with LeBron James (from sharing agent Rich Paul) and many believe that's the reason Miami picked him up for SL.

UNLV undrafted senior Anthony Marshall has also signed onto the Miami Heat's Summer League team (although for the later Las Vegas tournament it appears). Marshall likes to attack the basket and is athletic enough to compete in the NBA, but the left-hander has received criticism for his slow jump shot.

We'll continue to post updates on Jackson's Summer League as progress happens.

Steven Adams: Summer League Schedule

Image: NBA.com

AS the New Zealand public is settling on the news of Steven Adams getting draft, we at LivingByTheBalls can't wait for the next chapter of his basketball journey.

We don't have to wait long, really, just under a week in fact. Adams will fly out with other Oklahoma City hopefuls to Orlando, Florida for the 2013 Pro Summer League which runs from July 7th-12.

The 10 team tournament has a condensed fixture list, and Adams' Oklahoma play four games in four days.

Schedule (Adjusted to NZ time, ET time can be found here)
vs Indiana - Monday 8th, 7am.
vs Orlando - Tuesday 9th, 3am.
vs Detroit - Wednesday 10th, 5am.
vs Philadelphia - Thursday 11th, 5am.
Games are four 10-minute quarters, with 3-minute OT if needed.

Points are then calculated -
* 3 points for a win
* 1 point for every quarter won (0.5 for a tied quarter)
Therefore a team can score a maximum of 7 points in one game.

Championship Day (Saturday, 13th) is where things get tricky.
5th vs 6th - 12 midnight
3rd vs 4th - 2am
1st vs 2nd -  4am.
7th vs 8th - 6am
9th vs 10th - 8am

All games will be shown on NBA Summer Pass, which costs $15 (NZD $19.30) and the HIGHLIGHT FEATURE for NZ viewers is the option to watch all games On Demand.

Although Adams won't face the big pressures of trying to impress scouts and earn a contract (like a majority of walk-on trial players) he will get his first chance to prove himself against NBA caliber prospects.

As of July 1st Philadelphia is the only side to have named their Summer League roster. Nerlens Noel will be out with injury, so Adams will get the chance to match up against Zeke Marshall. An undrafted senior out of Akron, Marshall is a two time Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year out to prove a point.

Previews and reports will follow (time depending)