IF YOU GO
What: NBA Summer League
When: Through Sunday
Where: Cox Pavilion and Thomas & Mack Center
Tickets: $25, $15 for children and seniors; unlvtickets.com
TodayÕs games
At Cox Pavilion
1 p.m. D-League Select vs. Minnesota
7 p.m., Detroit vs. Golden State
At Thomas & Mack Center
5:30 p.m., Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
7:30 p.m., Milwaukee vs. Sacramento
Former BYU center Trent Plaisted has simplified his basketball expectations. He doesnÕt look beyond today, and today looks pretty good in the NBA Summer League.
ÒI get a chance to go out and start every game,Ó he said. ÒThere arenÕt a lot of guys who can do that, no matter what happens. Look at the guys from the Mountain West Conference last season. I donÕt know how many guys will be starting on their summer teams.Ó
Not one. Wink Adams (UNLV/New York), Lee Cummard (BYU/Phoenix) and Luke Nevill (Utah/New Orleans) arenÕt starting. Lorrenzo Wade (San Diego State) didnÕt even get off the Milwaukee BucksÕ bench Friday.
Plaisted, 22, is happy just to be back at the summer league with a healthy back.
He left BYU after his junior season, was drafted by Seattle in the second round last year and was then dealt to Detroit.
He ended up playing for Angelica Biella at the foot of the Italian Alps. He endured a grueling preseason of 17 games in a month, which included elite foes such as Olympiakos of Greece, but he was shelved two games into the regular season.
An MRI revealed a herniated disc, and he ended up having surgery in Utah in December.
ÒWhen they did the surgery, they found out that I had had the herniation for a while,Ó Plaisted said. ÒIt flared up in Italy. For all I know, I could have had the same problem my senior year of college, if I had stayed. It could have been even worse.Ó
Friday, he had a dunk and another bucket on a power move. He had a few power rebounds and ran without a hitch. Saturday, the lefty converted a right-handed hook.
Fans have three more chances to see Plaisted play when the Pistons play Golden State tonight, New York on Wednesday and Cleveland on Friday.
Detroit holds his rights. But teams in France, Germany and Italy have been hounding his agent about next season. There is always interest in young, 6-foot-11, 245-pound centers.
ÒI wish I could tell you about what my future is,Ó he said. ÒI think about it every day. I just try to control what I can, and thatÕs very little. I can only control what I do on the floor.
ÒOther than that, IÕve got to come with it every day. There will be struggles and stuff, but youÕd be surprised how much better you get through adversity, as opposed to having a smooth sail all the time. ThatÕs probably the most IÕve learned.Ó
Rob Miech can be reached at 948-7847 or at miech@lasvegassun.com.
Copyright 2009 Las Vegas Sun
