Mayo impresses Grizzlies; Warriors find Belinelli

LAS VEGAS – O.J. Mayo dribbled between his legs once, twice, and that’s all Dwayne Mitchell needed to see. Suddenly Mitchell was ripping the ball from Mayo’s hands, racing downcourt and punching in a thunderous dunk that brought the crowd at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion to its feet.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ much-celebrated rookie had just been embarrassed by a D-Leaguer. Admire your dribble too long, even in the NBA Summer League, and you likely won’t keep it. The turnover was one of six Mayo committed Sunday evening against the Los Angeles Lakers. Mayo also had a shot thrown back by Coby Karl, rarely an indicator of greatness, even if the building’s public-address announcer mistakenly hailed the Lakers’ guard as “Kobe Bryant.”

Mayo doesn’t figure to be inviting similar comparisons just yet. He’s been sloppy with the ball at times, evidenced by the 18 turnovers he’s totaled, and he had to grind through his third game in as many nights. The Grizzlies, however, aren’t complaining. Mayo also contributed 15 points and five assists against the Lakers, and he’s distinguished himself as one of the best players in the Summer League, however hollow that might sound considering the absence of Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley. He’s shot well, making eight of his 13 three-point attempts, and shown the ability to make plays for himself and his teammates. More than anything, Mayo has shown he belongs.

“We’re happy with the way he’s handling the pressure and the expectations,” Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni said. “He’s interested in working every day and improving. You see no side of, ‘Well, I’m going to be good.’ He’s here to learn and work hard, and we’re pleased with that.

“The focus matches the hype.”

The bigger question is whether the results will match the hype. The Grizzlies acquired Mayo in an eight-player trade on draft night that sent the rights to the No. 5 pick, Kevin Love, and Mike Miller to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Miller’s inclusion in the deal made at least a few league executives question whether Memphis paid too much for Mayo. Mayo’s performance here hasn’t quieted every skeptic.

“I know it’s only a few games, but I just don’t see that much explosiveness from him,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “Don’t get me wrong, I think he’ll be a good player. But I do wonder if he’ll ever be great.”

Trumpeted as a basketball prodigy in the seventh grade, Mayo is going to have a hard time meeting everyone’s expectations. In his debut, he was explosive enough to throw down a vicious dunk over New Orleans’ Hilton Armstrong on Friday. And no other rookie from this year’s class is more prepared for the spotlight, which might be why Mayo has looked at ease on the floor.

“The first game I had a lot of jitters,” he said. “The second game I felt better and the third game I felt much more comfortable.”

Mayo, like all rookies, will need time to adjust to NBA officiating. His chest should thicken some more as he gets stronger, but he already doesn’t shy from physical play, which should help his transition considering he also already has a target on his back.

At the least, Mayo will remain in the sights of Timberwolves fans as they measure his progress versus that of Love.

“I didn’t realize there was such interest in a guy playing for the Memphis Grizzlies,” Iavaroni said, “but we’ll take it as a compliment.”

Three days into the NBA Summer League, and there’s already been a Marco Belinelli sighting, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering one of the last publicly recorded appearances of the Golden State Warriors guard also came at Cox Pavilion a year ago.

Belinelli scored 37 and 23 points in his first two summer-league games here last year, after which Warriors coach Don Nelson described his Italian rookie as “sensational.” So sensational, in fact, that Nellie apparently locked Belinelli in the trunk of his car for the rest of the season.

Belinelli played in only 33 games and was almost exclusively given mop-up duty on those rare instances when he was given permission to step onto the court. He still doesn’t seem to understand what went wrong.

“It was a lot of tough,” Belinelli said of his first year in the NBA. “I start very well, but after I don’t know why I don’t play good basketball. I have some problem with my shot, defense. That’s it.”

Belinelli at least rediscovered his summer magic on Sunday, scoring 25 points against Dallas. He missed six of his eight three-point attempts, but showed off his quick release and made a couple of nifty passes, including a crosscourt strike to Brandan Wright for a dunk.

“That's one thing I have to improve,” Belinelli said. “Pass the ball, to try to go inside and take some fouls. If one player doesn't want to pass the ball or wants to shoot every time, we can't win this game.

“I know. This is my second year. I know better than other guys.”

Belinelli could be in line for additional playing time this season. Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette will start on the wings, but Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes won’t be back and Kelenna Azubuike isn’t signed yet, possibly leaving a regular role off the bench for Belinelli. Unless, of course, Golden State’s newest rookie takes all the minutes.

Anthony Randolph, a 6-foot-10, splinter-thin forward from LSU who was drafted 14th, has already received Lamar Odom comparisons after just two games. He scored 30 points in his debut and again showed off his impressive ball-handling skills Sunday while contributing 11 points and five rebounds, most of which came after he sprained his left ankle. On one possession, Randolph took two hard dribbles left into the lane and arched a running shot that banked through the rim.

Randolph was hurt while trying to catch an errant pass while trailing the break. His ankle was heavily wrapped after the game and Warriors officials are calling him day-to-day. Golden State doesn’t play again until Tuesday then has two more days off before resuming its schedule on Friday.

If Randolph’s smart, he’ll take some advice from Belinelli and not cling too long to his coach’s praise. Randolph might stretch nearly 7 feet tall, but Nellie has already proven he can make a rookie disappear.

Eric Gordon has already played his last game here after straining his left hamstring Saturday. The Los Angeles Clippers, who took Gordon with the seventh pick, have scratched him for the remainder of their schedule. Gordon won’t get the opportunity to face Mayo on Wednesday, but he already made an impression after scoring 23 and 15 points in two games, despite shooting poorly. “That guy’s going to be a player,” said one scout. …Greg Oden isn’t on the Portland Trail Blazers’ summer-league roster and won’t play here. Oden missed all of last season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his right knee. …Nick Van Exel is working with the Denver Nuggets’ summer-league team as an assistant coach.