Ron Kantowski has questions about the Vegas Summer League

Thursday, July 5, 2007 | 7:31 a.m.

What: Vegas Summer League

Who: 21 NBA teams and the Chinese National Team

When: Today through July 15; games begin at 1 p.m. each day

Where: Cox Pavilion

Tickets: $15-75; unlvtickets.com

On the Web: vegassummerleague.nba.com.

Fifty-five games.

Twenty-one NBA teams.

One city.

OK, so it's not exactly "What happens here, stays here." But as far as slogans go, "Fifty-five games, twenty-one teams, one city" is a lot better way to describe the Vegas Summer League than "Next Stop: Turkey."

Actually, some of the rookies and aspiring young pros who will be shooting the "J" at Cox Pavilion during the next 10 days will go on to warm the bench in the NBA. And a select few, such as Amare Stoudemire, who pounded the boards here last year, and Dwight Howard, who did the same in 2004 and 2005, may even go on to become NBA All-Stars.

For the rest, there's the D-League or the CBA or one of the various semi-pro circuits that keep cropping up like Ben Wallace's Afro.

Or like questions in our Vegas Summer League quiz:

1. Which will be in short supply at this year's Vegas Summer League?

A: Tickets.

B: Souvenir T-shirts.

C: Defense.

2. If you hear somebody at courtside talk about "making it rain" it probably means:

A: It's getting cloudy outside.

B: Some rookie is sinking jumpers from 3-point range.

C: Pacman Jones made bail.

3. The top players from the Vegas Summer League can look forward to long careers in:

A: Portland.

B: Boston.

C: Istanbul.

4. That you can watch all 55 games of the Vegas Summer League live on TV or the Internet is proof that:

A: The NBA is more popular than ever.

B: Basketball fans are eager to catch a glimpse of tomorrow's stars today.

C: "Hawaii Five-O" reruns aren't always available.

5. The strength of the Chinese National Team is:

A: Its size.

B: Its work ethic.

C: Its ancient proverbs.

6. The one thing that most fans don't want to see at the Vegas Summer League is:

A: Poor sportsmanship.

B: Showboating.

C: Overtime.

7. One of the biggest questions heading into the Vegas Summer League is:

A: Which of the Celtics will make the team?

B: Which of the Timberwolves will surprise their coach?

C: Which of the Trail Blazers will get arrested?

8. The guys toughest to guard in this year's Vegas Summer league will be:

A: The ones with the best shots.

B: The ones with the best moves.

C: The ones with no vowels in their names.

9. The biggest disappointment most fans will encounter on entering Cox Pavilion is that:

A: Greg Oden isn't rebounding.

B: Kevin Durant isn't scoring.

C: Eva Longoria isn't watching.

10. A squeaking sound from the south side of Cox Pavilion can only mean:

A: Guys are moving their feet on defense.

B: The rim is being tightened.

C: NBA commissioner David Stern has called a news conference to discuss Las Vegas' NBA future.

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