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Summer league was basketball culture shock in a lot of ways. Though I play (well played, before my back surgery) regularly and watch tons of basketball, it was clear by half time of the first summer league game that this was an entirely different animal. Everyone was trying out for a job and wanted to stand out, so the games had little flow and were often quite ugly.
After the injury to Shane Larkin, I was mainly interested in seeing how Gal Mekel and Ricky Ledo played. But after game two, Jackie Carmichael, a late addition to the squad, stood out among the unsigned free agents. He had a limited, but effective, offensive game. He was a relentless rebounder. He displayed fantastic timing on his help defense, an underrated skill, considering how unfamiliar he was with his teammates. I left Vegas hoping he'd get to compete for one of the final roster spots and maybe end up with the Texas Legends.
Unfortunately, Jackie Carmichael has decided to play elsewhere. Dwain Price has more:
Carmichael wound up signing with Bilbao Basket in Spain on Sept. 10, leaving the Mavs to wonder about the big one that got away.
Mavs General Manager Gersson Rosas believes Carmichael could be similar to Chuck Hayes, who was a surprisingly effective defender in Houston. Though he would not have been more than an emergency big man in Dallas, he presented a different set of skills than DeJuan Blair or any of the other Dallas bigs.
His decision to move on from any opportunities in Dallas is not surprising. The Mavericks have 15 players under contract and each will see some role in the team this season. I'm a bit disappointed though; I liked his effort. We at MavsMoneyball wish him luck this year in Spain.