LAS VEGAS — For the sake of argument, let’s say former USC coach Tim Floyd never put himself in position to get in trouble with the NCAA and his former school. Nobody has proven that he gave $1,000 in cash to O.J. Mayo’s handler, but the bottom line is Floyd is no longer in Los Angeles.

Know this: The NCAA, which put the USC football program on probation for two years and reduced its scholarships significantly, took no further action against the school’s basketball team. The Trojans’ basketball program had already banned itself from postseason play last spring and vacated its wins from Mayo’s only season with the Trojans. Floyd, now the UTEP head coach, continues to deny he gave money to anybody.

Let’s say Floyd was genuinely interested in Jim Livengood’s sales pitch on April Fool’s Day 2009 and not just used the impromptu meeting with the former Arizona athletic director as a way to boost his contract status at USC.

Let’s say Floyd accepted the Arizona head coaching job and was wearing a UA polo shirt — not Sean Miller — during all these evaluation tournaments throughout the country this month.

If a coach is to be measured by the amount of NBA talent he produces, Floyd would have been a welcome sight in Tucson (again, only without the baggage). USC, much more of an NFL factory than NBA, is in the same conversation as Kentucky and North Carolina in terms of talent at the NBA Summer League here in Las Vegas.

The list: Mayo with Memphis; Dwight Lewis, Houston; Marcus Johnson, Phoenix; DeMar DeRozan, Toronto; and Davon Jefferson, Miami. Moreover, former USC center Taj Gibson of Chicago was on the NBA’s All-Rookie team.

If Floyd never got himself in trouble, he would have continued to produce NBA talent at a fast rate, similar to his first four years at USC. But Floyd put himself in a position to be judged at USC, fair or not. Arizona followers are grateful he only used the meeting with Livengood last year as a way to sweeten his contract at USC.

Miller does not have a long list of alumni in the NBA, but he does not have baggage, either. Most importantly, he does has Solomon Hill, Lamont “MoMo” Jones and Derrick Williams — all Floyd recruits who fled to Arizona after the fiasco that led to Floyd’s resignation.

Budinger improving. In the Rockets 100-91 loss to Toronto on Tuesday, former UA wing player Chase Budinger finished with 13 points, making only 4 of 13 shots, including 0 for 5 from three-point range. He was scoreless in the first half. DeRozan had 23 points in 20 minutes, many when Budinger was matched against him.

Budinger scored 24 points in an 82-75 victory over Denver. He scored Houston’s first 12 points, including a thunderous dunk following a steal three minutes into the game.Jordan Hill added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets.

Budinger finished Houston’s five-game schedule in the NBA Summer League averaging 15 points and four rebounds a game. He made 42.2 percent of his field goals and 33.3 percent of his three-pointers, which pales in comparison to his percentages last year (68 from the field and 72.7 percent from beyond the arc). Shooting that well again would be asking too much.

A testament to his turnaround: After head coach Rick Adelman told him to be more aggressive Saturday, Budinger went to the free-throw line often. He was 13-of-17 from the line in the three games after Adelman offered his advice. He was 1-of-2 from the line in the first two games.

Hill’s averages in Houston’s five games: 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 54.5 percent field-goal shooting. He finally had two blocked shots in the last game against Denver on Wednesday after going through the first four games without a block. His foul total in three of the games was equal of more than his rebound total.

Bret Brielmaier is learning from one of the NBA's best coaches in Gregg Popovich after playing for Lute Olson and Josh Pastner, and coaching alongside Mike Dunlap

LAS VEGAS — Bret Brielmaier sat at the end of San Antonio’s bench Monday afternoon at Thomas & Mack carrying a clipboard, watching intently to the development on the court between his Spurs and Minnesota in an NBA Summer League game.

San Antonio’s coach here, Mike Budenholzer, sat at the head of the bench on the other end, flanked by assistants other than Brielmaier, including the recognizable Jacque Vaughn from Kansas.

Brielmaier, the former UA walk-on, who occasionally played significant minutes for the Wildcats in his career from 2004-08, looked very much like a recent coach at Arizona who has influenced him a great deal. This coach is not Lute Olson or his good friend Josh Pastner, although Brielmaier credits each for helping him develop as a coach.

You remember Mike Dunlap? His one year in Tucson in 2008-09 was valuable because he worked around the clock with Russ Pennell to prevent the program from unraveling in the wake of Olson’s abrupt retirement. Dunlap sat at the end of the bench (a spot usually allocated for a team manager) holding a clipboard and binder, away from Pennell, assistant Matt Brase, and Brielmaier (who served as a graduate assistant that season).

Dunlap was accustomed to sitting in that spot as a Denver Nuggets assistant coach, and he believes he can teach more by being closer to the players.

“Coach Dunlap kind of ran the program a little bit when he was helping as an assistant, a little bit like a pro organization, so that helped,” Brielmaier said when asked how he is transitioning from college coaching to the pros.

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Chase Budinger's adjustment from Arizona to the NBA was helped by the sage advice of Rockets teammate Shane Battier (US Presswire photo/Chris Morrison)

LAS VEGAS — The most important line in the box score Sunday was not Chase Budinger’s game-high 21 points in Houston’s 84-67 loss to Portland in the NBA Summer League.

It was not Budinger’s awakening at the three-point line with a 4-of-7 performance, finally connecting after missing four attempts in Houston’s first two games at Cox Pavilion adjacent to Thomas & Mack.

It definitely was his 5-of-6 performance from the free-throw line. That alone shows he played more aggressively, heeding the request of Houston coach Rick Adelman. After Houston’s game against Dallas on Saturday, in which Budinger only posted four points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field, including 0-of-1 from three-point range, Adelman told Budinger that he wants more inspired play from the former Arizona wing player.

Budinger only attempted two free throws (making one) in the first two games here, which exemplifies some of his perceived passive play.

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