Soft Pretzel Logic

Lofton's team just finished a 10-minute scrimmage, and here's what I saw...

9:31 -- Right off the bat, he drives to the basket for a layup and is fouled going up. The shot doesn't go, but I like the initiative.

7:17 -- From an inbounds pass, Lofton brings the ball up the floor, pulls up at the right center of the arc and misses a 3.

6:37 -- On a fastbreak, Lofton dishes to Eric Maynor on the left baseline for a two-point jumper that Maynor misses.

5:00 -- Lofton finally hits a three. This is noticed by quite a few people in the gym.

Something noteworthy on the defensive end. Lofton's team is clearly playing a 2-3 zone, with Lofton on the right side of the two at the top of the arc from my perspective behind the endline. Guys keep shaking him off, though, and sliding over the arc for relatively open shots. I suspect the coaches will notice that, and I suspect Lofton is better suited to a man-to-man defense where he can just concentrate on pressuring the other team's point guard.

The ensuing offensive possession (I forgot to write down the time) -- Lofton shakes loose for a shot from the right side of the perimeter and hits it. At this point, he's splitting the point guard duties with Maynor.

Maynor and Derrick Low, the other side's only point guard, have both done well in this game and throughout the trials. It would not surprise me if one of them makes it at Lofton's expense.

2:15 -- Lofton misses a three from left of center.

0:05 -- Maynor with a sweet dish inside to Richard Hendrix for a layup that draws some audible oohs from the gallery of reporters... and NBA scouts. There are not as many scouts as there were yesterday and the day before, but there are still a few.

At the buzzer -- Low hits a three to win it for his team, 27-26.

Overall, I think the coaches are well aware of what Lofton can do. Alabama's Mark Gottfried is one of the assistants, and the other coaches have at least seen Lofton on TV.

Mark Hollingsworth writes in again to say that it's "kind of like Tiger having a bad round on the greens." That's certainly a fair analogy, but if he has a bad round at the U.S. Open or the Masters, we notice it a bit more than if he has it at a lesser event...

Ooh. Wayne Ellington just went down hard a few minutes ago, and Roy Hibbert and Wesley Mathews both just hit the deck at the same time. But they're all fine; Ellington got back up and walked it off to the bench, while Hibbert and Matthews got right back up and kept playing.

If you have someone you want me to watch, let me know...