July 7 -- Action at the Reebok Vegas Summer League tipped off Wednesday. With 16 NBA teams sending squads to Sin City, there are plenty of stories to look out for. Will the rookies perform? Will the second-year players develop? Will the CBA journeymen surprise?

NBA.com brings to you 10 players to follow closely at this year's competition:

Coppenrath established rock star-like fame in the state of Vermont during his career at the UVM. He led the school to three straight America East titles and its first NCAA Tournament win ever with a victory over Syracuse in the first round this year.

Nevertheless, those accomplishments coupled with three American East Player of the Year awards were not enough to get him selected in the 2005 NBA Draft. A gifted shooter with an unorthodox release, Coppenrath's lack of athleticism is what had scouts concerned. Larry Bird experienced the same knock early in his career, making it entirely appropriate the Celtics are the franchise giving Coppenrath his opportunity.

The last two years of Austin's career have been nothing short of a nightmare. A projected first-rounder, Austin entered the NBA Draft in 2003 as a junior honorable mention All-America. He slipped to the Draft's second round and signed a two-year, $1.15 million contract to play for the Russian club CSKA Moscow.

Shortly after he joined Moscow, Austin suffered a collapsed lung. A lawsuit he later filed against the club claimed that a tube was left in his chest for three weeks. Austin also said team officials prevented him from returning to the United States and that his agent never made it clear to him that he had the option of reporting to training camp with the Chicago Bulls instead of going overseas.

CSKA sued Austin for breach of contract after he finally did return to the States and would not give him a letter of clearance to join another pro team. As a result, Austin finished the campaign playing in a fledgling minor league, the WBA, when he could have been playing at Mississippi State had he never left school. Austin received his letter the following summer and spent last season playing in Italy. This summer is an important one for Austin, as it could play a role in determining if he ever does play in the NBA.

Some scouts thought Gilchrist was first round material in this year's NBA Draft. An early entrant to the draft as a junior, the point guard can beat his man off the dribble and plays the game fearlessly. He was spectacular at times during the NBA's Chicago Pre-Draft Camp in early June.

Gilchrist went undrafted, however, largely because of his highly publicized poor relationship with University of Maryland coach Gary Williams.

"There is nothing they can really ask about my game," Gilchrist said in the Washington Post about his pre-draft auditions. "They know I can play. All they can really ask me about is Gary."

Should the change of scenery help Gilchrist evolve into the leader teams expect a point guard to be, the Cavaliers may have landed themselves a steal.

Milicic has played sparingly -- just 5.8 minutes per game -- in his two seasons in the NBA since being made the No. 2 overall selection in the 2003 NBA Draft. At 20 years old, the Pistons have to be concerned about his level of confidence and how that will affect the future development of his game.

After all, expectations were great when he joined the franchise in 2003, and some observers have already labeled him a bust. Which is why the Reebok Vegas Summer League is so crucial for Milicic. He has an opportunity to dispel those notions as well as make use of the extended minutes he'll finally receive.

For the Detroit organization, this year's summer league team will be devoted to developing both Milicic's game and his confidence.

Paul comes to New Orleans as the fourth overall pick and successor to Baron Davis, whom the Hornets traded to Golden State last season. The organization is hoping Paul can make fans forget about Davis, an All-Star point guard who at one time was considered a franchise player.

Paul has all the qualities a rebuilding team can hope to construct a roster around. In Las Vegas he has a chance to show the Hornets they can do just that. Paul's a winner with the type of intangibles that have drawn him comparisons to Isiah Thomas. He's small in stature but big in heart.

Exhibit A: Just days after his grandfather was tragically murdered at the age of 61, Paul went out and scored 61 points in a high school game, intentionally missing his last free throw even though the state scoring record was well within reach.

Robinson looked like a future NFL cornerback when he originally enrolled at University of Washington on a football scholarship. His freshman year, he played in all 13 games, starting the last six while intercepting two passes and made 34 tackles.

Shortly after the football season ended, he joined UW's basketball squad as a walk-on, and, barely familiar with any of the team's plays, he would start the final 10 games of the season at point guard. The rest, as they say, is history. Robinson quit football in favor of basketball and would go on to two more dynamic seasons at Washington. After his junior campaign, the Suns selected him in the first round of the 2005 Draft and traded him to New York.

There are only a handful of players in the NBA, if that, with the speed to keep up with the super-athletic Robinson. He'll inject excitement into an already energetic Garden Crowd with his fast break dunks, which at only 5-9, make him look like basketball's version of Mighty Mouse.

Outlaw was drafted directly out of high school by the Trail Blazers in 2003. He didn't play much as a rookie, but when Portland made a head coaching change last season, Outlaw was the recipient of added minutes. Following the All-Star Break, the 6-9 high-riser averaged 9.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game.

The summer league figures to be an extension of that opportunity. He picked up where he left off Wednesday evening as he scored 34 points (12-17 FG) and grabbed five rebounds, leading the Blazers past the New York Knicks, 93-89, in the team's opening contest.

Remember this name? Cota was a four-year point guard at North Carolina, playing with such future NBA All-Stars as Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison. He's spent most of his professional career playing in Europe and has yet to play a game in the NBA despite getting a number of look-sees over the years from various teams.

Will this be the year Cota latches on with an NBA squad?

The rap mogul, also known by the name "Master P," has tried his hand at basketball before. He's played in the ABA, CBA as well as attending training camp with the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors.

Miller's a long shot to make it past summer league with the Kings. Still, one can dream. That's what allowed him to make it from struggling lyricist to one of the best-selling rappers of all-time.

N'Dong's a 27-year-old native of Senegal who has spent the last three seasons playing in France, where his game has really developed after spending most of his life playing soccer.

N'Dong truly arrived on the global basketball stage with JDA Dijon last season. He had a 37-point, 20-rebound and three-blocked shot effort vs. Lons En Champagne in which he converted 17-of-22 field goals in the overtime contest and a 35-point, 11-rebound and four-blocked shot outing vs. Nancy.

N'Dong spent last summer with the Mavericks summer league team, earning sparse minutes, and played with the German Select team at the Boston Shaw NBA Summer League in 1999. After seeing N'Dong's thin frame, which hasn't bulked up much since that time, Boston Globe columnist Michael Holley wrote that "N'Dong could pass for a reed stalk anytime he wants."

The Denver Nuggets are hoping he can pass for an NBA center.