The Warriors face the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first time this season tonight, so I thought I'd share my notes and observations from Vegas Summer "Glimpse" 2009, especially with the GoldenStateOfMind.com community, where I've been posting for three years (GSoM permalink), and since the Warriors often play defense like a Summer League team!

Note: Vegas Summer League is a complete misnomer. It's not a league. In a league, you have round-robin games that make sense and where you care who wins, you have playoffs, and you have a championship. Therefore, I call it Summer Glimpse.

Each year, new guys you didn't have time to watch in their college stints, or you never heard of from overseas, will turn heads in the Glimpse. In 2007, it was Marco Belinelli ('07 NBA Draft pick #18), which he followed up with two totally forgettable regular seasons including a drop-off-a-cliff Summer Glimpse '08 in between, although playing for the Warriors and a coach who plays mind games can probably do that to a young prospect.

In 2008, it was Jerryd Bayless ('08 #11), who will eventually break out in an NBA regular season, as soon as someone gives him playing time.

In Glimpse '09, only three months ago, it was...well, Blake Griffin ('09 #1), but you already knew that. The surprise glimpse had to be Jonny Flynn ('09 #6). Very similar to Bayless, during Glimpse '09 Flynn surgically dismantled whomever was guarding him. I was also satisfied by the play of Flynn's fellow Minnesota Timberwolves rookie, shooting guard Wayne Ellington ('09 #28).

Incidentally, I was impressed by Tyreke Evans ('09 #4) as well, albeit not as much as Flynn, but yesterday I was running 54 games in Dream League, so I didn't have time to blog about it. And I certainly don't have as much to rave about 'Reke as I do Flynn. Still, I'll save that and a glimpse of Spencer Hawes ('07 #10, yikes) from 2007, plus a quickie glimpse of Omri Casspi ('09 #23), for a separate "post-mortem post" (considering that the Warriors got blown out by the Kings last night), later today or tomorrow.