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Dion Waiters does weird tongue stuff, gets really creepy at Summer League

Eric Freeman

The NBA's various Summer Leagues are pretty commonly accepted as facsimiles of the league itself, glorified scrimmages that hold our interest for the presence of exciting rookies and other young players among guys who are playing for professional opportunities in the D-League or overseas. Yet these factors are not a problem for Summer League — rather, they're sort of its whole draw. After a drama-filled season, draft, and early free-agent period, it can be a relief to watch essentially meaningless basketball games featuring potential stars in a stress-free environment. We all need time to sit back and take things less seriously than usual.

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That goes for NBA veterans in attendance, as well. When the Oklahoma City Thunder took on the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in Orlando, shooting guard Dion Waiters joined new head coach Billy Donovan on the sidelines. Waiters saw that he was on camera and proceeded to make everything really weird:

Waiters is being really creepy here even if he's just having a little fun at the television audience's expense. But that creepiness takes on a slightly jolly air during Summer League. There is perhaps no better argument for the joys of the event. In Orlando in July, Dion Waiters licking all around his lips on purpose makes him a lovable scamp and not a deviant. Just imagine what the media would say if this happened in the thick of a playoff race.

I admit that some of our readers may not share this stance. However, I think we can agree that this short clip of Waiters is less embarrassing and damning than this:

Or this:

Maybe we had this all wrong. Is Dion's lip-licking just a new way of calling for the ball?

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!