Keith Langford barely won bragging rights from former Kansas University basketball teammate Wayne Simien on Thursday afternoon in Long Beach, Calif.
Langford, a free-agent shooting guard, scored 20 points off 10-of-16 shooting, helping his Dallas Mavericks earn a 109-96 NBA summer-league victory over Simien’s Miami Heat.
Simien, the Heat’s No. 1 draft pick, also totaled 20 points but shot 8-of-14. Simien had 10 rebounds in 31 minutes, while Langford didn’t pick up an assist or a turnover in 25 minutes.
Ex-Jayhawk center Eric Chenowith hit seven of nine free throws and one of five floor shots, good for nine points and four rebounds in 16 minutes for the Mavericks.
Simien scored 20 points off 9-of-14 shooting with nine rebounds in Wednesday’s 90-89 loss to the Lakers.
“I really like the fact that he’s absorbed the offense right away and understands where to get the ball,” Sonics’ summer-league coach Jack Sikma told the Seattle Times.
“He and Mateen (Cleaves, ex-Michigan State guard) are both good in that area. He’s not afraid to take the big shot down the stretch, so he’s got a confidence to him.”
The Times speculates that KU’s all-time assist leader “is not a strong candidate” to fill the backup point-guard role behind Luke Ridnour, but still could make the roster. The team carried three point guards last year.
“With that last spot, it’s tough to say what we’ll need,” Sikma said. “If we feel he’s a guy we can groom for the future, then he’ll have a shot.”
The Sonics today open play at the Rocky Mountain Review in Salt Lake City.
Gooden averaged 14.4 points and 9.2 boards for the Cavaliers in 2004-05. The man who has played for three teams in three seasons is said to be on the trading block.
“There’s truth to any trade rumor in the NBA nowadays,” Gooden told the Oakland Tribune. “If you’re not locked in or a free agent that they’re signing, you’re expendable. You can be gone at any given moment. You always have to be prepared for the worst.”
Akron Beacon Journal columnist Terry Pluto has called for the trading of Gooden, saying, “it would be a huge mistake for the Cavaliers to come back with Gooden as their starting power forward.”
Why? “It’s not that Gooden refuses to play defense. He just seems to struggle grasping the concepts and often is a step or two late,” Pluto wrote.
“Gooden will be a free agent in the summer of 2006, so the $4 million left on his contract should make him attractive to a team wanting to create some salary-cap room a year from now. He also is a scorer, and some teams need that from their power forward.”
“There is a lot of pressure for me to go to Washington,” said Hawes. “It has been there for a while.”
“Quite frankly, they could beat you, and that could hurt you. If you beat them, it doesn’t help you. We considered it a negative for us,” Calhoun said.
Michigan State now draws the Division Two school in round one.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t care who we play,” Izzo told ESPN.com. “You’ve got a better chance to get out of the first game (against Chaminade). But if we win the first (and) lose the second, then you’ve got a tough third game.”
The tourney doesn’t confirm seedings, but by the pairings it looks as if KU was seeded sixth of the eight teams. MSU is No. 1, UConn No. 2, Arizona 3, Gonzaga 4, Maryland 5, KU 6, Arkansas 7 and Chaminade 8.
Bio: Keith Langford