Of note
After interviewing a half-dozen candidates, the Nuggets want Kiki Vandeweghe to fill their GM job. Vandeweghe is thinking about it, but as a Mavs assistant, of course, he's getting paid bigger bucks than just about anyone. Word is, Denver assistant GM Kim Hughes is on his way to a similar post in Cleveland. ... Scouts say Tyson Chandler got off to a slow start in the L.A. Summer League. Fellow Bulls teen teammate Eddy Curry was more consistent, especially close to the basket. Eddie Griffin played pretty well for the Rockets and Shane Battier looked pretty good for the Grizzlies, according to observers. ... The Jazz are intensifying efforts to dump Greg Ostertag now that John Amaechi is in the fold, but they can't find any takers.

Summertime hoops
Recapping the action at the Shaw's Pro League in Boston this week, team by team:

Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks are still figuring out what DerMarr Johnson's best position is. "It's nice to see him step out and play aggressively and show what he will be able to do on a more consistent basis," coach Lon Kruger said. "Right now, he's not consistent. But that doesn't mean he can't do it at some point in the future. We just want to work that process along as quickly as possible without rushing him to the point where he's frustrated or loses confidence."

The high point of camp may have been when Hawks assistant Gar Heard, coaching the squad here, got to coach against his son Gyasi Cline-Heard, a training camp hopeful on the Sixers' summer league team.

Boston Celtics: No question, first-round pick Kedrick Brown has sick ups. But fellow rookie Joe Johnson looks like a special one. Not only does he shoot it from 3-point range with ease, he's a deadly passer in transition. Imagine Paul Pierce on one side, Antoine Walker at the top of the key, Johnson on the other side and Brown in the low post to clean up, and you see what the C's think they'll be next season: the Mavericks of the Eastern Conference.

And, by the way, Boston is serious about playing Walker at point guard next season. "That's not a gimmick," coach Jim O'Brien said. "From the first time I saw Antoine as a rising junior at Mt. Carmel (Il.) High, he was playing in the summer camp, and he was playing point. And I was just astounded by his ballhandling capabilities. The difficulty is if we're going to go with him at the point, then we want to go with the big team ... but somebody's got to play the other team's point guards."

Indiana Pacers: The Pacers sent Jonathan Bender home early after he sprained an ankle in the opening game. Ex-Celtic Adrian Griffin and ex-Bull Lari Ketner had decent moments, and the Pacers got some very good minutes from Norm Richardson, the free agent guard from Hofstra that was honorable mention all-America last season. Jamison Brewer, who left Auburn after two seasons, did some strong things at the point. But Indiana already has Travis Best and rookie Jamaal Tinsley there, and the Pacers will add Rod Strickland to the mix before too much longer.

Milwaukee Bucks: Once again, Michael Redd put up numbers, leading the league in scoring. He does know his way around the basket, and he looks stronger than he did last year. You wonder what Redd would do if he really got some minutes. But that's a moot point with Ray Allen in his way. Jason Hart played well at the point.

New Jersey Nets: As one wag sitting courtside noted, Kerry Kittles may be the richest guy ever to play in a summer league. But the Nets needed to see where Kittles was as he tries to recover from the major knee surgery that kept him out all of last season. Results were encouraging after a slow start. He started shooting better and his footwork improved. Biggest plus for Kittles: He played without a brace and with minimal swelling afterward. Still, the Nets gave him some time off after three games in three days.

"I think I'll be fine," Kittles said. "I think had I not put myself in the summer league, and come into training camp for four or five days, I may have had some hesistation. But overall, I'm gonna go full speed. I'm not really worried about anything. I feel real good about my health right now."

"I think he was a little gunshy when all of a sudden, he had to go into competition against different teams," coach Byron Scott said. "But he's gotten better and better. I think it was important for his psyche that he knew he would be coming into training camp knowing that he was OK, knowing that he could play."

New York Knicks: Second-round pick Michael Wright does work hard and he got busy on the glass. One wonders if he'll be able to do it against better competition, though. Eric Chenowith, New York's other second-round selection, needs work.

Philadelphia 76ers: Second-year guard Speedy Claxton looks fully recovered from last fall's ACL injury. He's explosive to the basket and is finding open men with ease. Had a little soreness late in the week and Sixers took it easy on him as a precaution. The team is also very happy with the play of Raja Bell, who has drawn the attention of several teams. Bell is gaining confidence with every game. He needs some encouragement after his inadvertent elbow fractured rookie Samuel Dalembert's Adam's apple during the Sixers' minicamp last week, requiring surgery that will keep Dalembert out for weeks.

San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs are reeling from the loss of Derek Anderson to the Blazers. They can't figure out how DA would take less money to go to a team where he'll get fewer shots. But their refusal to give Anderson an out after five years did them in. Plus, like just about everyone else, Anderson figures that in two years, Tim Duncan's taking a powder (keep in mind, however, this is what everyone figured last summer, too, before Duncan re-upped with the Spurs).

I think the Spurs might have a possible replacement for Anderson already on their roster in Derrick Dial. He's been languishing on San Antonio's bench for three years, getting spot duty. When he's played for the Spurs it's normally been at the point. But he can flat-out shoot the ball. He's been outstanding from the perimeter this summer.

Seattle Sonics: First-round pick Vladmir Radmonovic is not your typical Euro import. First of all, he's got guns. He's not one of those sickly looking forwards that would break in half in the paint. "We scouted him over in Europe," a rival team's scout gushed, "and he was killing people in the post." And he does a lot more than shoot. He can put the ball on the floor and rise to the rim, where he finishes with a flourish. Plus, he's got a wicked little step-back move. Sonics could have a nice little thing going at small forward with Rashard Lewis and Radmonovic.

Washington Wizards: People have been saying that one of the four high schoolers taken among the first eight picks of the draft is going to flop. Maybe. But it isn't going to be Kwame Brown.

The Wizards finally hit the jackpot. This kid Brown is the real deal. Buttery jumper out to 18 feet and a lethal first step going to the basket. Plus, he's not allergic to the boards. Doug Collins wants to see one more power dribble before Brown goes to the rack, and the 19-year-old has to get a lot stronger if he's going to earn a living in the post. But he's going to spend the next few weeks with Michael Jordan in Chicago, working out with Tim Grover before training camp.

"We have him for almost four months before we play our first game," Collins said. "That's a lot of time. He can learn a whole lot. We did not draft him to sit him. He's gonna learn battle by fire. He has to play at both ends the way you want him to play. It's not gonna be like playing time is just gonna be thrown at him. I expect him to improve tremendously, and then probably hit sort of a little plateau, and then he's gonna have to fight through the next step." Besides the skills, what I like more about Brown is his demeanor. No flossin', no entourage. Polite to strangers but with a just-below-the-surface wit. He knows he has a long way to go and needs mentoring, from the likes of Popeye Jones and Christian Laettner as well as Jordan.

"It's more business now," Brown said. "I'm mature, but still, the level they're at, I need to get there. The stuff that they've gone through, I need them to tell me about stuff they've gone through in the NBA. Maturity is one thing, but having wisdom is another ... it's gonna be all work and no play for me."