GAIN VALUABLE EXPERIENCE FROM BULLS
(7/15/06)
Cedrick Banks and Justin Bowen spent last week in Orlando and displayed their wares in front of Bulls coaches and did a solid job.
Banks played in all five games (with two starts) and averaged 10.6 points per game in 19 minutes per contest. He shot 51 percent from the field, 33 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the foul line. He also averaged 2.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
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| Whoosh! photo
Cedrick Banks scored a Bulls’ summer-high 26 points in the team’s final summer league game against the Nets. Time will tell if Banks or Justin Bowen receive invitations to training camp. |
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Banks had a team summer-high of 26 points, plus four rebounds and five assists in the Bulls’ final game against the New Jersey on Friday. For most of the week, Banks defended the opposing point guard, while running the point on offense about half the time. Some of Banks’ hard work did not show up in the scorebook as he took charges on defense and made some good passes on offense that weren’t converted.
After not leaving the bench in the Bulls’ first game, Bowen received increased time throughout the week. He ended the summer with a seven-point, four-rebound performance against the Nets. For the week, Bowen averaged 4.0 points in 14 minutes per outing. He shot 39 percent from the field, while grabbing 2.3 rebounds per contest. Bowen had two of the Bulls’ seven blocked shots against Orlando on Thursday.
From the looks of things, Banks, at least, has a shot of making an NBA training camp somewhere even if it’s not the Bulls. He showed the ability to get to the basket, as well as, score from the perimeter. Banks has an opportunity to return to France and play for Pro-A club Nancy in the fall, if he doesn’t get an NBA call.
Bowen, meanwhile, was solid, but he may need some seasoning overseas before realizing his NBA dreams. He has all the athletic tools, but he needs to develop more two-guard skills to succeed at the highest level of basketball.
Summer league recaps and game-by-game stats
Monday, June 10: The Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers 93-88 in the opening game of the Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando. Cedrick Banks started at guard and played just over 19 minutes, scoring 17 points – second-highest on the team behind Aaron Miles’ 19. Banks’ highlight came in the third quarter when he faked a defender off his feet on the left wing beyond the arc and drove into paint, scoring on a layup and getting fouled hard. He converted the three-point play to help the Bulls to a 10-point lead at the end of the third. Justin Bowen did not play.
Tuesday, June 11: The Charlotte Bobcats nipped the Bulls 88-87 on D’or Fischer’s tip-in of a missed Adam Morrison floater at the buzzer in the Bulls’ second game of the Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando on Tuesday. Cedrick Banks got his second straight start, but only played 11 minutes, going 0-for-4 from the field and being held off the scoreboard. He only played the first half in each of the first and third quarters. Justin Bowen received the first minutes of his summer, playing 2:29 and not registering a point or a shot attempt.
Wednesday, June 12: The Bulls dropped to 1-2 on the summer as Earl Barron barreled his way to 26 points in the Heat’s 92-88 win in the Bulls’ third game of the Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando on Wednesday. Cedrick Banks did not start, but played 22 minutes off the bench. He entered the game at the start of the second quarter and played in the crunch in the fourth quarter. Banks had seven points on 3-for-7 shooting and five assists. Justin Bowen received his most extended time of the summer, playing 13 minutes and scoring his first three points of the summer on a three-point basket, which came off an assist from Banks in the third quarter. For the three games, Banks is averaging 8.0 points per contest.
Thursday, June 13: It seemed like no one could stop former Marquette guard Travis Diener, who scored 34 points and hit seven three-pointers as the host Orlando Magic edged the Bulls 93-87 in the Bulls’ third game of the Pepsi Pro Summer League on Thursday. Justin Bowen played more minutes than Cedrick Banks in this game and showed some of his trademark athleticism as he soared for runout dunk on a pass from Aaron Miles. Bowen scored six points on 3-for-4 shooting in just under 16 minutes of play. He also had four rebounds, a steal and two blocked shots. Banks, meanwhile, scored just two points on 1-for-3 shooting in 13 minutes of action. With the Bulls down 91-87 in the final 10 seconds, Banks had a wide-open look on a three-pointer but it just rimmed out and the Magic’s James Augustine slammed the door with two free throws.
Friday, June 14: Cedrick Banks finally got to show off some his moves and play-making skills that made him a star at UIC and in France as the Bulls defeated the New Jersey Nets 92-77 in the fifth and final game of the Pepsi Pro Summer League on Thursday. Banks scored a team-high 26 points on 12-for-18 shooting, including 2-for-6 from three-point range, and dished out five assists in 29 minutes of action. Justin Bowen, in his most extended minutes of the week, scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in 24 minutes of play.
