Break-out game shows Anderson may be bargain in trade

MAITLAND, Fla. -- If there was a hesitation for Magic fans about the draft-day trade that brought veteran All-Star guard Vince Carter to Orlando, it was that the deal sent the Nets a talented rookie in guard Courtney Lee.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says fans didn't notice that along with Carter, Orlando picked up a talented player in 6-foot-10 power forward Ryan Anderson, who was drafted one pick ahead of Lee in last year's first round.

Anderson showed signs of promise Tuesday as he exploded for 33 points and 14 rebounds -- both totals one shy of the records in eight years of summer-league ball in Orlando -- in an NBA Summer League win against the Celtics.

"Our fans here know nothing about [Anderson]," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said after watching Tuesday's win. "When a guy like Courtney goes out, they talk about losing a great young player, but we think we got a very good young player, too. I think he can help us."

Anderson said he understands he wasn't what fans got excited about in the Nets-Magic trade as much as a proven commodity like Carter, but said he's happy to contribute what he can with his new team and earn fans' respect.

"I wouldn't say overlooked at all," Anderson said of his place in the deal. "Of course, this is the Vince Carter trade. Vince is a veteran in the league, an All-Star, a great, talented player that I look up to a lot."

Anderson, who turned 21 in May, played well as a rookie with the Nets, starting 30 games and averaging 7.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19 minutes a game. Over New Jersey's final eight games in April, he averaged 11.4 points, with a pair of double-doubles.

"I think what he'll do for us is he's a four-man who can stretch the floor out and shoot the ball," Van Gundy said. "He can put it on the floor, and one of the things our scouts liked is that he's a very good offensive rebounder."

Anderson had a slow start in Monday's opening game, missing all six shots in the first half. He finished with a team-high 21 points, however, hitting 6 of 8 shots after halftime against a tough Oklahoma City team.

On Tuesday, he dominated, hitting 11 of 15 shots, going 9-for-9 on free throws and grabbing seven of Orlando's 11 offensive rebounds. He said his offensive outburst Tuesday should be taken in its proper context, as a Summer League game against a Boston team that was giving up size inside.

"During the regular season, I don't expect to score 30, even 20 a game," Anderson said. "I expect that's not what my role's supposed to be, especially with Vince and Dwight [Howard]. I'm not coming in thinking like I'm a go-to guy."

Orlando has a solid starting power forward in Rashard Lewis, but Anderson has a solid combination of size and range -- he hit 41 percent of his 3-pointers as a sophomore at California, while averaging 9.9 rebounds a game. That should make him a steady contributor off the bench on an Orlando team that reached the NBA Finals, but is retooling after seeing forward Hedo Turkoglu leave via free agency.

"Next season, I'm really just going to fill my role, do what the coaches want me to do, knock down open shots," Anderson said. "We have great players that are going to draw a lot of attention, so guys like me who come in can get easy open shots. They're not going to be looking at me so much."

Perhaps not for long, if Tuesday is any indication.

Balanced scoring helped Utah to its first win, while the split-squad Nets/Sixers became the league's only 0-2 team.

No Jazz player scored more than 12 points -- forward Josh Duncan, who played in France last season, had 12 on 5-for-6 shooting for his second solid game, and first-rounder Eric Maynor had 12 despite 2-of-9 shooting from the field.

Second-year guard Chris Douglas-Roberts had 27 points to lead the Nets/Sixers, but forward Marreese Speights, after 28 points on Monday, scored just eight to go with five blocks. First-round picks Terrence Williams had Jrue Holiday had eight and seven points, respectively, for the Nets/Sixers.

Rookie Tyler Hansbrough had 23 points, including a pair of free throws to break a tie with 2.3 seconds remaining.

Center Roy Hibbert had 24 for Indiana, which is the only unbeaten team in the league. Guard Russell Westbrook had 22 points and eight assists to lead Oklahoma City.

The Thunder had a chance to win on the final shot, but D.J. White was called for an illegal screen with 2.3 seconds left, and because it was his eighth foul, summer league rules call for two free throws to be taken and allow Indiana to pick any shooter from the five on the court. The Pacers chose Hansbrough, who went 9-for-10 from the line and even hit a pair of 3-pointers.