LARRY SANDERS: COAST-TO-COAST

Look, I don’t care if the Bucks are down 3-0 or 30-0 in their series with the Heat. This play says the future is bright in Milwaukee. Guys who are 6-foot-11 shouldn’t be able to do this. Larry Sanders is averaging 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 67 percent from the field against the Heat in this first round playoff series.

SO, ALEC BURKS MET LARRY SANDERS LAST NIGHT…

…and Larry Sanders told Alec Burks to take his ball and go home. In case you didn’t know, Larry currently leads the NBA in blocks per game, and this one didn’t even count.

RAMS IN THE PROS: SANDERS SURGES

Former Ram Larry Sanders (center) is averaging 8.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game this season.

It looks like Larry Sanders is starting to figure out this NBA thing.

The 24-year-old former VCU star and current Milwaukee Buck is enjoying a breakout season. Selected 15^th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft, Sanders is beginning to deliver on the promise Milwaukee saw on film and in workouts.

Through a quarter of the season, the 6-foot-11, 235-pound center was averaging career-highs of 8.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Sanders is shooting 54 percent from the floor, and as of this writing, his 3.0 blocks per game average was tied for the league lead.

Last season, Sanders averaged just 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. But a strong preseason and training camp earned him increased playing time from Bucks’ Coach Scott Skiles. Sanders responded with 10 points and seven rebounds in an opening-night victory over the Boston Celtics.

On Nov. 30, Sanders recorded his first career triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocked shots in a loss at Minnesota. His 10 blocks tied the franchise record, set by Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar later took to Twitter to congratulate Sanders.

Congratulations @larrysanders of the Milwaukee Bucks for tying my single-game franchise record 10 blocked shots. Great job!

— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) December 5, 2012

Sanders followed with 18 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks against the Celtics the next night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARRY SANDERS

Happy 24th birthday to former Ram Larry Sanders, now in his third NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks. We still miss your rim-rattling dunks, your game-changing blocks and your white-knuckle 3-pointer attempts. His 17-point, 21-rebound, 7-block game against George Mason in the 2009 CAA Championship Game is still one of the greatest individual performances I’ve ever seen. Larry is enjoying a career-year in Milwaukee, averaging 9.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

HAS LARRY SANDERS TURNED THE CORNER?

Maybe I’m jumping the gun, but it sure looks to me like former Ram Larry Sanders is turning a corner in his NBA career. Yes, it’s been only two games, which means there’s real potential here for me to eat my words, but I’m seeing things out of Larry I didn’t even know he was capable of. In two games, Larry is averaging 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. He has, for the first time in his three seasons, appeared to establish a role in Milwaukee’s eight-man rotation.

Here are highlights from Larry’s career-high 17 point, seven rebound, four block performance against Cleveland. Watch the three plays in succession beginning at the 1:10 mark. The spin, lefty hook, the dribble drive to the rim, the smooth jumper from 20 feet. He just looks different. That second play, when he takes a couple of dribbles and gets to the rack, that’s a guard play, folks. Find me another 6-foot-11 power forward who can do that.

Larry has clearly benefited from a more normal training camp this summer. When I talked to him a couple of weeks ago, he said the lockout really hurt his season last year. Larry’s a guy that is still  very much learning how to play the game. He needs reps. He’s getting them now, and he’s starting to really tap into that vast reservoir of talent.

MAYNOR, SANDERS PRESEASON REVIEW

This is an important season for the careers of both Eric Maynor and Larry Sanders moving forward. Maynor is in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract and coming off a season-ending ACL tear. Sanders has been a bit of an enigma in Milwaukee his first two seasons, but is showing signs of breaking through. That makes both of their preseasons all the more worthy of inspection.

LARRY SANDERS

This was an interesting preseason for Sanders. On one hand, he seemed to really help his prospects by playing pretty darn good on the floor. He was better offensively than he’ll get credit for, and he was great rebounding the ball and blocking shots. His per 36 minute averages of 12.8 rebounds and 4.1 blocks are eye-catching. But there’s a flip side. Sanders was suspended for one game for “conduct” issues during the preseason. In addition, he continued to foul at a head-spinning rate of 7.1 per 36 minutes.

Despite his shortcomings, Sanders appears to be making headway in Milwaukee and could even start at center, especially if Samuel Dalembert continues his slow and steady decline.

Jeremy Schmidt of “Bucksketball”:

The real battle here appears to be between Dalembert, Sanders and Udoh. And if we’re using preseason numbers, it’s hard to look away from Sanders. He’s been a better shot-blocker, rebounder and scorer than Dalembert in his five games. Plus he has a mobility that Dalembert lacks – even if he doesn’t have the same awareness defensively. And defense is where this battle will be won. The Bucks didn’t go crazy for shot-blocking this offseason to ignore it come November. They want a center that provides support defensively first and foremost.

ERIC MAYNOR

This is an important preseason for Maynor as well, but for different reasons. Maynor’s coming off the first serious injury of his career and needs to establish two things. No. 1, he needs to prove to the Thunder, and himself, that he’s healthy. No. 2, he needs to remind Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks that he remains a better option than Reggie Jackson, the second-year man who filled for Maynor last season. He appears to have succeeded on both counts. Maynor’s performance this preseason should set him up for solid minutes again behind Russell Westbrook.

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman last week:

Take away that bulky black contraption tucked beneath the black sleeve covering his right leg and you wouldn’t be able to tell Maynor had even torn up his knee. There are moments like Tuesday night, when Maynor shows the same wizardry that he’s always possessed running an offense.

It’s important that Maynor’s healthy and ready to contribute, because this is a contract year, and there are plenty of teams out there in search of playmaker. If he plays well, there could be a starting role waiting for him somewhere. On Monday, The Oklahoman reported that the Thunder and Maynor had put contract negotiations on hold, which makes it all the more likely that he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. 

ACTING NO LAUGHING MATTER FOR SANDERS

Larry Sanders (far right) appears as a well-coiffed basketball player in the sketch comedy “Movie 43″.

At 6-foot-11, Larry Sanders may already seem larger than life, but just imagine him on a two-story movie screen.

If Sanders has his way, you’ll eventually see more of him in the giant, silver screen variety. The former VCU Basketball fan favorite and current Milwaukee Bucks forward will make his big screen debut in January with the release of “Movie 43”, an ensemble comedy that features Emma Stone, Halle Berry, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman and a number of other stars. Sanders appears as, wait for it, a basketball player. He also wears a Jheri curl in the scene as a member of a team from the 1970s.

“It was a wig,” Sanders assures. “It was either that or they were going to do something with my mohawk at the time.”

Sanders actually shot the scenes for the movie over three days in Los Angeles prior to his rookie season two years ago. He says he really enjoyed the experience, including meeting Terrence Howard, who plays the coach of Sanders’ team.

“Terrence Howard was just amazingly funny. He was telling stories and stuff. I had never really seen how funny he was before,” Sanders said.

NBA SUMMER LEAGUE CHEAT SHEET

Bradford Burgess is one of three former Rams who will be trying to impress at NBA Summer Leagues in July

By now you should know that three former VCU players will participate in NBA Summer Leagues (as of this writing). Bradford Burgess will play for the Orlando Magic in the Orlando Summer League July 9-13, while both Jamie Skeen (Chicago) and Larry Sanders (Milwaukee) are set to play in the Las Vegas Summer League July 16-22.

The word is that Burgess may also play in Vegas, but that hasn’t been decided. Orlando isn’t sending a team to the Las Vegas Summer League, so he’d have to play for another franchise, which isn’t uncommon. Old Dominion’s Kent Bazemore, for instance, will play for the Oklahoma City Thunder in Orlando and the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas.

Here’s a quick look at the schedules for the three VCU guys, as well as the TV listings. The good news for Ram fans is that NBA TV will essentially broadcast every game, most of them live.

One game to keep an eye on will be the July 22 game in Las Vegas between Skeen’s Bulls team and Sanders’ Bucks squad. The NBA TV schedule wasn’t available that far out, but I’m assuming it will also be carried by the network.

ORLANDO MAGIC LEAGUE: Bradford Burgess (Orlando)

Monday, July 9
Brooklyn vs. Orlando, 11 a.m. (NBATV)

Tuesday, July 10
Detroit vs. Orlando, 3 p.m. (NBATV)

Wednesday, July 11
Utah vs. Orlando, 5 p.m. (NBATV)

Thursday, July 12
Philadelphia vs. Orlando, 5 p.m. (NBATV)

Friday, July 13
Boston vs. Orlando, 10 a.m. (NBATV)

Orlando Magic Summer League roster

Notes: Teams will play four 10-minute quarters. Overtime periods will be three minute in length.

LAS VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE : Larry Sanders (Milwaukee) and Jamie Skeen (Chicago)

Monday, July 16
Milwaukee vs. New Orleans, 10:30 p.m.  (NBATV)

Tuesday, July 17
Chicago vs. Boston, 10 p.m. (Tape delay NBATV, July 18, 12 p.m.)

Wednesday, July 18
Milwaukee vs. Washington, 4 p.m. (NBATV; plus a replay July 19, 12 p.m.)
Chicago vs. Houston, 6 p.m. (Tape delay NBATV, July 19, 2 p.m.)

Thursday, July 19
Milwaukee vs. NBA D-League, 10 p.m.

Friday, July 20
Chicago vs. Golden State, 8:30 p.m. (NBATV)

Saturday, July 21
Chicago vs. L.A. Clippers, 8:30 p.m. (NBATV)
Milwaukee vs. Boston, 10:30 p.m. (NBATV)

Sunday, July 22
Chicago vs. Milwaukee, 4 p.m. (TV schedule not yet available)

Milwaukee Bucks Summer League roster
Chicago Bulls Summer League roster (not yet available)

SANDERS STILL HAVING A BALL

Larry Sanders is averaging 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game this season.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Larry Sanders looks like hell.

Not normally, of course. It’s just that tonight he’s fighting the flu, and currently, the flu is winning.

“Are you going to throw up?” I say sarcastically, as the lanky, amply tattooed Milwaukee Bucks center rises from his locker stool and aims to summon a Willis Reed-esque performance for our interview.

“I don’t know, maybe,” Sanders replies. He’s absolutely not kidding.

Later, the box score would show Sanders as a “DNP-Coaches Decision”, but the only decision Bucks’ Coach Scott Skiles needed to make was whether or not he wanted his center bolting from the court mid-play to track down the nearest trash can. It was an easy call, I imagine.

But even Sanders’ balky stomach couldn’t dampen his outlook on this night. A former star for the VCU men’s basketball team from 2007-09, Sanders is in his second season with Milwaukee, which entered Wednesday’s contest with the Washington Wizards trailing the Philadelphia 76ers by a game and a half for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Larry Sanders could be coming to a classroom near you.

If you’re 6-foot-11 and 235 lbs, you don’t sneak into anything, not the movies, the water park or night club. People can see you coming down the street on Tuesday for a Wednesday lunch date.

But Larry Sanders insists that he can stealthily squeeze his gangly frame into a crowded class and then back out without detection. At least that’s what the former VCU Basketball star would have you believe.

“I just kind of snuck in and sat in the back, man,” Sanders said. “I don’t really try to cause too much commotion. The door is in the back of the class and everybody is looking the other way, so I just sneak in and sneak out before anybody sees me.”

Uh, okay.

Whether his classmates have spotted him or not, Sanders is back on campus at VCU this semester. This summer, NBA owners locked out the players as they seek a new collective bargaining agreement. The fight is expected to be a lengthy one. Just last night, NBA commissioner David Stern dangled the possible cancellation of the season. That means Sanders has some free time on his hands, time he plans to put to good use. Sanders said he has not seriously considered playing overseas during the lockout, not yet, anyway.

The Milwaukee Bucks power forward is taking two classes through VCU this semester – one online, one in the flesh – as he aims to finish his sociology degree. Sanders, who declared for the NBA Draft after his junior season at VCU in 2010, estimates he’ll need about a year and a half to complete his degree.