SB Nation - Robert Swift

Tonight's Games Previewed - I Hope You Like Rematches

Jon L — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:43:14 -0000

Mike Harris, left, has been playing very well for the Rockets' (not the Thunder's) affiliate Rio Grande Valley. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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Seven games tonight, featuring matchups that are repeats of games from the last several days. Will the outcomes change?

Maine Red Claws at Springfield Armor

The Red Claws won the last game in a walk, but Springfield actually played them close in the second and third quarters. Some warning signs for Maine from that game are the poor three-point shooting (just 1-12) and the huge disparity in foul shots - they likely won't get that advantage again. The Armor have to rebound a lot better to stay in this game, and they also need to get a larger contribution from their bench - Springfield reserved totaled just 11 points, six boards and two assists. That starts with Major Wingate, who fouled out much, much too quickly. Kentrell Gransberry isn't really a guy who can play 35 minutes and James Cripe hasn't contributed much this year, just 12 points and nine rebounds over three games. Wingate is talented, and if he can stay on the court he can help his team.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Tulsa 66ers

Antonio Anderson and Moses Ehambe got double technicals in the fourth quarter of last night's game, so both teams will have to make sure they keep cool in this one. RGV's three-point shooting has steadily increased over the first three games of the season, and even in the last one when they shot over 40 percent as a team, Garrett Temple missed seven of his 11 outside attempts. That could go either way, with Temple making a higher percentage or the rest of the team not picking up his slack. Wasn't that insightful? Joey Dorsey started the last game slowly, and Byron Mullens and DeVon Hardin were able to combine for 18 rebounds. Dorsey will have to pick his game up tonight. Latavious Williams has gotten DNPs in the last two games. Free Latavious Williams!

Erie BayHawks at Sioux Falls Skyforce

Greg Stiemsma rebounded and defended pretty well when these two teams played last night, but I'm still skeptical that he can keep it up. His 16 rebounds were more than three times his previous high this season, and he averaged just six a game last season. He's also been pretty terrible offensively so far, shooting just .273, so if the Erie big men can keep him off the boards (and they at least have the talent to do so) they could fare better in this one. The BayHawks actually started strong in the last game but faded over the course of the game. Cedric Jackson has been steadily improving as a point guard, increasing his assists with each game and cutting down on his turnovers. Jackie Manuel has been shooting over his career average in every area, and Ivan Harris is starting to get on track. This rematch could go the other way.

Austin Toros at Albuquerque Thunderbirds

Albuquerque won last night with a strong fourth quarter performance and solid games from two guys who have a history of inconsistent performances, namely Yaroslav Korolev and Keith McLeod. McLeod had the third-worst field goal percentage on the Thunderbirds last season among guys who played more than 10 games, and the second-worst eFG; Korolev has a history of poor shot selection in the NBA and in Summer League. Carlos Powell should be a call-up candidate, certainly (and I will have a list of those coming, I'm just waiting until teams have played more than a handful of games), but Austin has a lot of talent of their own. Malik Hairston is on assignment and is capable of dropping 40 on any given night. Alonzo Gee is a very solid offensive player, and while Curtis Jerrells has his off nights he runs the pick and roll fairly well. The addition of Hairston should be enough to keep Albuquerque from sweeping this mini-series.

Dakota Wizards at Idaho Stampede

The Wizards won this game in part by limiting the number of possessions - each team had 104, which is generally high but fairly low for a Bob MacKinnon-coached team like the Stampede. Dakota also either forced or were the recipients of poor outside shooting nights from Idaho's Anthony Tolliver, Mildon Ambres and Roberto Bergersen, while shooting almost 69 percent from behind the arc themselves. That high shooting percentage isn't all that sustainable, but the Wizards have perhaps the strongest group of defenders in the D-League, and Curtis Withers should play a lot better than his six-point, five-turnover outing. Idaho has gotten good performances so far from Mike Gansey and Sundiata Gaines, who could start for most, if not all of the rest of the league. Like Albuquerque last night, the Wizards used a terrific fourth quarter to take the last game, but they'll do well to not dig themselves into a hole once again.

Utah Flash at Bakersfield Jam

I really don't know what to write about the Jam. They had a fairly weak roster to begin with, and take out Robert Swift and suddenly they have problems in the middle as well. Bakersfield coach Will Voigt got a technical in the last game and was ejected in the game before that, but at some point you have to stop going to the "get mad enough to maybe wake your team up" well. The Flash have a very talented roster top-to-bottom, even without Luke Nevill and Gavin Grant; Orien Greene has played well after a shaky first game, Lee Cummard seems to have figured out how to contribute off the bench, and Jason Richards has been racking up the assists compared to his playing time. A lot of things will have to go wrong for them for the Jam to get their first win tonight.

Los Angeles D-Fenders at Reno Bighorns

The thing about having inconsistent scorers is that they do play well on occasion - such is it with LA's roster. Dar Tucker is shooting just .150 on three-pointers so far, and it's not like he hasn't been shooting them; who knows, maybe he's due. Reno seems to have found its footing a little bit now that they can help dictate the pace of the game rather than have to race to keep up. LA's Michael Fey was scoring pretty well until he met up against Rod Benson, who shut him down in the last game. Benson's been a rebounding monster so far and incredibly efficient offensively, so he'll again be a handful for Fey and Longar Longar. Reno's Russell Robinson hasn't been shooting particularly well (from inside the three-point line, anyway) but seems to have gotten his turnovers under control. Then again, it was tempting to say that Desmon Farmer's nine turnover game came because he was playing against Idaho, then he goes out and turns it over eight times against the D-Fenders. I also wouldn't expect another nine blocks from Cezary Trybanski, nor will Ryan Forehan-Kelly go 0-the game again. The D-Fenders can win this one if some of their questionable shots go down, but they're called questionable for a reason.

Last Night in the D-League; The First Quarter Counts, Too

Jon L — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:00:24 -0000

Curtis Stinson and the Energy were able to take advantage of numerous Fort Wayne turnovers.

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Two games last night, featuring two teams that started out just terribly. One recovered somewhat before falling again, and the other was the Bakersfield Jam.

Iowa Energy 102, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 95

Iowa got an early jump on this one thanks to a bevy of Mad Ants turnovers. Seven in the first seven minutes, 13 in the first half, 22 overall. Curtis Stinson had 10 of his 14 assists and Earl Barron had eight of his 14 rebounds in the first half. Nine of those 14 total rebounds for Barron came on the offensive end as well, so it wasn't like he was just grabbing Fort Wayne's misses. Rob Kurz played (or at least shot the ball) very well for the Mad Ants, shooting 9-10 in the first half before cooling off in the second and eventually fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Other than Kurz, let's see...Sean Sonderleiter rebounded pretty well (he had seven), but he didn't have a good offensive night and turned the ball over six times. Anthony Kent also rebounded well (also seven) but needed five shots to get five points. Oliver Lafayette had six assists off the bench, but otherwise had a pretty gross game. Fort Wayne fought hard, they played decently after the first quarter ended and they even tied the game up at 89 with four minutes left in the game, but then Kurz fouled out and there went their best offensive weapon. It didn't help either that two of Kyle McAlarney's four turnovers came with less than two minutes to go.

Believe it or not, I've already mentioned most of their positives. Jeff Trepagnier was virtually unstoppable early before cooling off to score 20 points on 15 shots with four steals. Barron added 20 points to all those rebounds, and Pat Carroll hit some timely threes. Other than that, though, Stinson shot 9-20, Mark Tyndale was 3-8 and went only 3-7 from the free-throw line, Rashad Anderson also shot 3-8 and went 1-5 on threes, and Marvin Phillips had 12 rebounds but also four turnovers and needed eight shots to get seven points. Fort Wayne really could've had this one if not for that blundering first quarter.

Utah Flash 112, Bakersfield Jam 92

Unlike the Mad Ants, Bakersfield never really came close in this one. Utah was one of the most efficient offensive teams in the league last year, and it looks like they're doing it again this season, shooting 50.6 percent on all field goals, 47.4 percent on threes and 78 percent from the line. They also mostly kept their turnovers in check; Dontell Jefferson had three in the first seven minutes, then settled down and had only one more the rest of the game. He also finished with 16 points (helped by 8-10 free-throw shooting), 12 assists and five rebounds. Orien Greene had another nice game with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists, though he also had four turnovers. Bennet Davis was very good, 14 points on 5-9 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and Andre Ingram hit five of his eight threes on the way to 23 points.

Reece Gaines actually played pretty well for the Jam, with 18 points on nine shots and six assists. New acquisition John Williams took a little while to get warmed up but hit three of his six threes and finished with 13 points. Other than that, though, Terrance Gamble was overmatched starting in placed of Robert Swift and had just three points and three rebounds in 18 minutes, while backup Tyrelle Blair had eight rebounds and two blocks but just four points. If there is a way for this game to be any worse, it's with Swift leaving the team earlier in the day to go back to Seattle on a "family issue." No idea what it's about, and the Jam gave no indication that they knew when/if he would be back, only that he would be gone "possibly for some time." Happy Home Opener, Bakersfield.

Loud Links: 12/03/2009

manifestus — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:47:32 -0000

More photos » by Layne Murdoch - NBAE/Getty Images

8 days ago: OKLAHOMA CITY - DECEMBER 2: Kevin Durant #35 of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives on Rodney Carney #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers on December 2, 2009 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

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So a pretty large round-up of articles tonight, starting off with a great piece on Durant and more on whether teams doing poorly should start playing for the draft. Lets get started ....

Kevin Durant is NEXT | espn.com
[Battier presents the point well -- it's a progression of establishing yourself as a player year by year. In our case, it's also about establishing where we are as a team, and KD is the focal point of that development process.] "No matter how talented a young player is, his first year is sink or swim," Battier says. "Can he survive in a man's league? Obviously Kevin did, and he did pretty well." (Durant was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year after his first season, 2007-08, his team's last in Seattle.) "Year 2, the hurdle is, Can I bring it every night?" Battier says. "Can I average double figures? Can I be consistent?" (Durant improved in nearly every statistical category last season, his first in Oklahoma City. His three-point shooting percentage jumped from .288 to .422, and he averaged five more points per game, 25.3, and two more rebounds, 6.5.) Battier continues. "The next level is, Can I be dominant? That's Kevin's final step. He's shown flashes of dominance, but can he be dominant every single night? The great ones -- Kobe, LeBron, Garnett -- had to pass through that fire. Kevin still has to run through his flames."

Should the Detroit Pistons play for the playoffs or the draft? | mlive.com
[The rest of this article is interesting to read as well, as it pretty much sums up the impact of the draft on the fortunes of teams over the last few years. Falling into the lottery hasn't panned out all that well for the vast majority of teams, as it's been somewhat of a hole that takes a lot to climb back out of. Draft poorly and you're set back even further. I like how they sit around and point out that Portland could have Deron Williams running the point had they drafted him rather than trade down for Pick No. 6 ... alas such is life.] Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle Sonics: Eight picks for them. They have drafted immensely better of late. The last three have yielded Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden (not to mention Jeff Green in the Ray Allen trade), all of whom will be key players for them. Pre-OKC? Not so great ... unless you dig Robert Swift.

After two years, Thunder have solid footing in Oklahoma | nba.com
[Look -- it's yet another article talking about how we're defending better this year. Amazing!] It's hard to say which is the bigger surprise: that the Thunder, after winning only 23 games all last season, are winning on the road. Or that defense, always a challenge for young teams, isn't an issue. The players have bought into coach Scott Brooks' philosophy about team defense, and considering the Thunder lack a proven shot-blocker or designated stopper, their improvement is clearly due to a collective effort. Oklahoma City is allowing nine points fewer than last season and taking a large measure of pride in that. It's a defense that would make Barry Switzer proud. "That's why we've improved as a team," Brooks said. "Everybody is on the same page. The effort has to be there. We've improved because we're thinking like a defensive team."

More after the jump, including Westbrook's 15 assist day, D-League stuff, and our long-lost friend Robert Swift.

Russell Westbrook notches 15 assists as Thunder beats 76ers | NewsOK.com
[Well he'd better get those assists going if he's going to sit around and shoot so poorly. If nothing else, that means somebody else is taking some shots. Yes to that.] Westbrook notched a career-high 15 assists to lead the Thunder to a 117-106 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night at the Ford Center. Westbrook's distributing resulted in a balanced attack that ended with five Thunder players in double digit scoring.

NBA D-League Daily Developments | oursportscentral.com
[Mullens of course is far from ready. But nifty looking stat lines are always great fun to spread around.] The 66ers were led by Mustafa Shakur with 26 points and Cecil Brown with 19. Byron Mullens, on assignment from the Oklahoma City Thunder, had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds on the night.

Long, strange saga of Robert Swift continues | seattlepi.com
So is this the end for Swift? It's hard to say. After returning from catastrophic knee injuries, then swallowing his pride to play in the NBDL, maybe there's a third act for the 24-year-old. Former Seattle P-I Sonics beat writer Gary Washburn talked with Swift when he was returning from surgery in February 2008. He sounds like an eternal optimist.

Thunder strike down the 76ers | philly.com
"It obviously feels like a snowball effect; it keeps rolling and getting bigger and bigger," said Sixers forward Jason Kapono, who finished with nine points. "We're always close, we're hanging in the game, and then there's a breaking point and we always tend to go backwards instead of pushing through." Durant, the sinewy forward around whom the Thunder are built, scored a game-high 33 points. Green finished with 19.

OKC Thunder uses team effort to take down Philadelphia | ocolly.com
Kevin Durant scored 33 points yet he failed to be mentioned in the press conference with Thunder coach Scott Brooks. Durant is in his second year in the NBA, and his accomplishments are equivalent with some of the games’ most distinguished players. Durant recently joined LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordon in becoming just the fourth player in league history to be under the age of 21 and compile 400 points in the first 15 games of a season. The end of Thunders’ 117-106 victory on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers (5-14) at the Ford Center left Durant seven points shy of being the second youngest player to reach 4,000 points. James holds the record.

Thunder's Krstic sprains ankle - nba | SI.com
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -Center Nenad Krstic has left the Oklahoma City Thunder's game against the Philadelphia 76ers because of a sprained left ankle. Krstic was hurt after tipping in a missed shot by Russell Westbrook in the final minute of the third quarter Wednesday night and then limped to the locker room when the period was over. He was not expected to return.

Former 76ers All-Star Iverson excited for improbable return to Philadelphia | taragana.com
The 34-year-old Iverson was teary almost from the start of his news conference. He said he retired after his ill-fated stint with the Memphis Grizzlies because he felt like "the basketball part of my life was over." Iverson will play his first game for the 76ers against Denver on Monday. "Coming back home, all I could think about was the people who made me who I am," said Iverson, the NBA MVP in 2001, when he led the Sixers to the finals.

When looking for daily matchup plays in fantasy basketball, consider those facing the Toronto Raptors - ESPN.com
Russell Westbrook made up for his terrible 1-for-11 shooting performance by picking up two steals and dishing out 15 assists in the Thunder's win against the Sixers. It's pretty amazing that a guy who couldn't throw it in the ocean had the highest plus/minus on his team for the night. Clearly his shot still needs some work, but he's establishing himself as one of the league's best point guards already.

Previewing Tonight's Games

Jon L — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:00:22 -0000

Oh don't be so dramatic, Robert Swift. Your team isn't that bad.

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Another day, two more games. I'd obviously prefer that there be more, but I suppose it is still the middle of the week, and D-League games are D-League games.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Iowa Energy

If the internet is to be believed, Iowa may or may not be with the services of Courtney Sims and/or Cartier Martin for this game. Whether they're there or not probably changes how this game goes. How's that for analysis? Chris Hunter is apparently still playing for the Warriors on their hardship roster exemption (though if you ask me, it's the Golden State players who should be claiming a hardship, am I right?), and Earl Barron should be able to handle Sean Sonderleiter defensively. Sims being around, though would mean that Iowa has a frontcourt guy that Fort Wayne won't be able to handle themselves. No, Alade Aminu is not ready yet. Sims isn't a monster defensively, but he still should be able to cover Rob Kurz pretty well. Fort Wayne has some additions of their own, and while Rod Wilmont will probably be decent, I'm not a huge Oliver Lafayette fan, and I'm worried now that he'll take shots away from guys like Kurz and Kyle McAlarney (and even Ron Howard) who should be getting the bulk of the attempts. Assuming that neither Sims nor Martin will be on the floor, the Mad Ants should be able to stay in it if they can clamp down on the Energy's many shooters and make Curtis Stinson take on most of the scoring load himself.

Utah Flash at Bakersfield Jam

The Jam have to win a game at some point, right? They'll be joined by John Williams, who played for coach Will Voigt with the PBL Vermont Frost Heaves last year. Williams was a good three-point shooter there and in college, and outside shooting is something this team needs (among other things), because they guys they have now aren't consistent with it. Williams won't solve all of Bakersfield's problems, but he should help, and if Luke Nevill is out again and Utah struggles with their shots again tonight, the Jam could be in this thing. And if you think I'm kidding about the Nevill thing, I'll remind you that Bennet Davis and others had a hard time guarding Joe Dabbert in the Finals last year, so if those guys are forced to play some center again then Robert Swift might do alright. Utah has a lot of talent on their roster, though, and so far they've been able to compensate for rough nights from various players, so they probably will be fine.

It's Rivalry Week in the D-League, Too

Jon L — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:00:14 -0000

Come on Bakersfield, give these ladies something to cheer about.

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Not only were college football teams playing their in-state or otherwise hated rivals this weekend (USC/UCLA, Grambling St./Southern, Oklahoma/OK State...uh, Syracuse/Connecticut) but we have some regional rivalries in the D-League on tap for tonight. Let's preview 'em.

Bakersfield Jam at Los Angeles D-Fenders

Los Angeles has to fly back to, well, Los Angeles for this one after playing in New Mexico last night, so don't be surprised if they get off to a rough start. They have enough talent to compensate, though, especially matched up against the Jam, who played pretty poorly. Reece Gaines had a decent offensive game the other night but he's never been consistent with that. Jared Newson should do alright, but he's one guy. Robert Swift, as we've seen, is still a work in progress on offense. Bakersfield's hope should be that the D-Fenders are so tired they get off to a terrible start, and that the Jam's three-point shooters repeat their opening night performance.

Sioux Falls Skyforce at Dakota Wizards

Dakota is coming off of a disappointing loss last night, whereas the Skyforce are not only rested but are playing well. The Wizards have some nice interior defenders, but I'm not sure they have anyone who can keep up with Reggie Williams. Joe Krabbenhoft looks like a nice all-around player for Sioux Falls as well. Then again, the Skyforce don't have a ton of people who can match up with Curtis Withers. Keith Brumbaugh isn't much for defense, and while Raymond Sykes might be able to give it a shot, Withers looked very impressive last night. Dakota will certainly be motivated to win this game and keep from starting 0-2, and if they can keep the fatigue to a minimum this could be a very good game.

Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants

That's right, it's the third game in nine days for these two teams (including the preseason). Fort Wayne shot the ball pretty poorly in the regular season opener, and I expect that to improve for a few reasons. First, I can't imagine that Ron Howard's going to have the green light again after shooting 5-16, assuming he did in the first place. Second, Rob Kurz can't possibly go another whole game without a field goal attempt, and Kurz is a good shooter. Erie still has Donell Taylor, who plays some pretty good perimeter defense, but things should go a little more Fort Wayne's way. Add to that the fact that I'm skeptical that Jackie Manuel can replicate his first game performance and the Mad Ants could pull this one off. The John Bryant-Sean Sonderleiter matchup will be one to watch again, as they each recorded double-doubles last time out.

Last Night in the D-League, Where Potential Meets Blowouts

Jon L — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:00:26 -0000

John Bryant had a nice D-League debut for the BayHawks (via www.slamonline.com)

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I never did get Futurecast up and running last night, but I was able to follow along reasonably well for most of the games. There were definitely some flat teams, as five of the six opening night contests were decided by double digits. Yikes. Regardless, I'm definitely excited that the D-League season is back on and that we have stuff to watch and talk about now. So let's get to it.

Erie BayHawks 85, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 77

I called made this game the main course in my Thanksgiving semi-related preview (I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, by the way), and I guess the fact that this was the closest score justifies that. The game wasn't even really that close, though, as Erie had a 49-34 lead at halftime. John Bryant had a fantastic game for Erie, with 16 points on 7-12 shooting, 14 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals. He had five fouls, which is something to work on, but that's a pretty great debut. Jackie Manuel played pretty much out of his mind, with 18 points on nine shots, nine rebounds and four steals. He had six turnovers and five fouls, and most of his production came in the first half, but otherwise it's something to build on.

For the Mad Ants, I'm really, really confused. Ron Howard, Brandon Cotton and Sean Sonderleiter led the team in field goal attempts, which is mind-boggling with guys like Rob Kurz and Ryan Ayers on the roster. Kurz didn't attempt a single field goal! And this is a guy who started in the NBA! Howard is a good defender, but he should never take 16 shots in a game, and he showed why by making just five of them. He got to the free throw line and made eight of his nine shots there, but otherwise I can't imagine this is the offense Joey Meyer envisioned. I should say that Sonderleiter played pretty well, improving his rebounding in the second half and finishing with 21 points (on 11 shots) and 10 boards, and was able to draw some fouls himself. Jeff Potter has been writing that Sonderleiter has been putting in work this offseason and looking pretty good in camp, and the results are there. I still think this team missed Chris Hunter, though, not just in taking some rebounds away from Bryant but in taking shots away from Howard as well.

Hit the jump for the rest of the night's games.

Sioux Falls Skyforce 112, Maine Red Claws 95

Reggie Williams is going to be a fantastic scorer in the D-League. I know I've said it before, but he made me say it again by scoring 29 points on 13 shots to go with four rebounds and four assists. He's not particularly athletic but he's crazily efficient and does a good job of getting to the free-throw line. Keith Brumbaugh and Joe Krabbenhoft each had pretty good games, Brumbaugh scoring 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds and Krabbenhoft picking up nine points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals. Those rebounds were key for each of them as starting center Greg Stiemsma had a pretty terrible game.

NBA assignee Bill Walker played, well, like an NBA assignee should with25 points on 18 shots and 11 rebounds. He also led his team with five turnovers, though, and that likely made the difference in the game. The Red Claws weren't out-rebounded by a large margin, they did a decent job of distributing the ball (15 assists on 34 field goals, which isn't spectacular but is okay) and they shot just two fewer free throws than their opponents, but they turned the ball over 19 times to the Skyforce's 12. Billy Thomas had his three-pointer going, making three of four shots from behind the arc and finishing with 18 points overall. Stanley Thomas and Abdulai Jalloh each had 17 points, on 11 and 10 shots respectively. And before you ask, I know almost nothing about Jalloh. It looks like he played at St. Joseph's where he did pretty well (even being the team's second-best rebounder at 6'1"), then he transferred to James Madison and was terrible.

Austin Toros 93, Rio Grande Valley Vipers 82

This was sort of the opposite of the Erie-Fort Wayne game in that it was closer than a double-digit win would indicate. The Vipers actually outscored the Toros in the second quarter and were down by just one at the half, but Alonzo Gee finished with 24 points on 15 shots and Dwayne Jones had 11 points and 12 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive end. Curtis Jerrells was a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line, but he shot just 3-11 from the field and finished with just three assists in 40 minutes to go along with six turnovers. Wherefore art thou, Marcus Williams? Jerrells, and by extension the Toros, are going to have to figure this out, because even though they won the signs weren't entirely positive, and that starts with the ball distribution. Seven assists on 32 made field goals is pretty terrible. The team also made just one three-pointer out of nine attempts and was out-rebounded 39-48.

Rio Grande Valley really could've had this one. Why didn't they? For starters, Joey Dorsey struggled on the offensive end, shooting 3-9, and he also had a hard time handling Jones on the glass early on. Kurt Looby came in during the first half and fared better, and ended up with six rebounds in 18 and a half minutes. Dorsey's board work improved, and he ultimately grabbed 15 rebounds (eight offensive), but that was one early struggle for the Vipers. Another was three-point shooting. I will probably mention this a little too often early on this season, but new coach Chris Finch has said that he prefers an up-tempo, three-point-heavy offense, but the Vipers shot just 3-14 from behind the arc last night. Antonio Anderson led all scorers with 28 points on 19 shots, which is nice, particularly from a guy known more for his defense, but he was 1-5 on threes and turned the ball over six times. This team might need to trade for some outside shooting, because from what I've seen in this game and in the preseason, it's just not there in-house.

Utah Flash 100, Tulsa 66ers 85

Dontell Jefferson shook off some early struggles (he started the game with a missed three and a pair of turnovers) to finish with 18 points on 11 shots and five rebounds, though he also had just two assists. Backups Orien Greene and Jason Richards helped out in that department, with Greene picking up five assists to go with 17 points on nine shots, eight rebounds and three steals. If he can bring that kind of production off the bench on a consistent basis then the Flash should be set in the backcourt, for as long as Jefferson is around anyway. Richards added three assists in 13 and a half minutes. Luke Nevill and Carlos Wheeler weren't particularly efficient offensively, with Wheeler needing eight shots to get 10 points and Nevill scoring 11 points on 12 shots, but they did pretty well with the other stuff. Wheeler grabbed 10 boards and had two blocks while Nevill added nine and four, respectively. Bennet Davis added nine rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. Garrett Siler got a DNP for some reason.

Tulsa has a decent starting point guard, Mustafa Shakur, they just need a backup. Eight of the team's ten assists came from Shakur, and Larry Owens was the only other player with any (two, if my math is correct). NBA assignee Byron Mullens struggled with his shot early one, and he finished with 14 points on 17 shots, five fouls and four turnovers (though he added 10 rebounds). Keith Clark played pretty well, with 14 points on eight shots, seven rebounds and four steals. Latavious Williams played a little under 11 minutes off the bench, and while he didn't put up a single shot attempt he still had three rebounds and a block, which is decent production, particularly since he also didn't turn the ball over or commit a single foul. It's always good to temper expectations, anyway.

Albuquerque Thunderbirds 102, Bakersfield Jam 81

So this game was as ugly as I feared it would be, although it didn't really get that way until the second half. The good news for the Thunderbirds is that Carlos Powell is good and on their team, as he finished with 20 points on 13 shots, nine rebounds, five assists and only one foul in 37 minutes. The other good news is that their centers are pretty good rebounders, as Kevin Pittsnogle, Erek Hansen and Chad Toppert combined for 18 boards. The bad news is that their centers aren't what you'd call "good" offensively. Pittsnogle was particularly bad, shooting 0-10, and five of those shots were three-pointers. He's played well in the past, but at this point he's been away from the game for so long that it will take some time for him to get his game back. Hansen shot 2-8 and Toppert was 2-7, so the alternatives weren't much better. (Okay, Toppert is actually a guard and not a center. This is why I shouldn't write these things at 2 am.) Yaroslav Korolev proved me wrong for at least one game, finishing with 15 points on seven shots, five rebounds, two steals and only one turnover. Good game outta him.

For the Jam, yikes. Where to start. First of all, it's never a good thing to have a better three-point percentage (.435) than overall shooting percentage (.319). Robert Swift had a decent rebounding outing, with 11 boards, but he was pretty much a non-entity offensively with four points on 1-5 shooting. He also picked up five fouls and turned the ball over four times in 30 minutes. This is another team without a point guard, and they mustered just eight assists on 22 made field goals. Justin Hawkins shot just 3-14, though he made up for it somewhat with eight rebounds and 9-10 shooting from the free-throw line. And all isn't entirely bleak, as Reece Gaines and Jared Newson did fairly well offensively, with 19 points on nine shots for the former and 18 points on nine shots and four rebounds for the latter. Still, these are your starting guards and they best they can give you is a pair of assists from Gaines? And the backup PG Lance Hurdle gives you a zero in that department? Yikes.

Iowa Energy 106, Springfield Armor 73

Ahhh, it's good to have pro basketball back in Springfield, Massachusetts. The boxscore/play-by-play for this game was acting up all night, and as of my writing this the stats are still stuck in the second quarter. I'll update it whenever the D-League fixes their site.

It's (Almost) D-League Opening Night, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Jon L — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:01:35 -0000

I couldn't get a picture of Byron Mullens with a pilgrim hat on, so this will have to do.

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It's here! It's here! Remember to join us at 7 pm eastern/6 central/5 mountain/4 pacific/3 Alaska/2 Hawaii/8 atlantic as I Open Source Live Blog the opening night games. Tonight's the night, this is the thread.

Yes, yes, I know that the season starts two days from now, and that there's a preseason game tonight (LA vs. Albuquerque), but because tomorrow is Thanksgiving (perhaps you were aware?), and because few people will be reading the internet tomorrow or possibly Friday (when everyone will be wearing black all day, from what I understand) I thought I'd get this opening night preview up this afternoon for your perusal. Don't worry, we will have an OSLB on Friday as I try to watch parts of all six games on Futurecast, and I'll try to catch any breaking news that might come up between now and then. Because of the holiday I thought I'd give this preview a Thanksgiving theme, but I never got farther than naming the games after various food items. Oh, and there might be some terrible puns thrown in as well. Enjoy!

Soup: Iowa Energy at Springfield Armor

For the first game we'll go with a starter. Something with butternut squash perhaps. The Armor didn't exactly impress in their preseason game the other day, and although Craig Austrie was a decent defender in college, the Energy simply have too many shooters to be able to shut down their perimeter game entirely. I'd say they also have the advantage down low, as Earl Barron should be able to shut down whatever the Springfield big men try to get going. Things aren't entirely bleak for the Armor, I suppose, as JamesOn Curry could get his shot going early and score a bunch, but overall the Armor's roster seems a bit rickety. But hey, pro basketball is back in Springfield, am I right?

The main course, sides and dessert after the jump.

Turkey: Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants

These two teams are something of regional rivals but also recent trading partners, having swapped Alade Aminu and Rob Kurz during the draft. Point guard is probably the weakest position for each team, as Erie plays Donell Taylor out of position and Fort Wayne alternates Kyle MacAlarney and Andres Sandoval. The Mad Ants may still be without Chris Hunter, since although CJ Watson is expected to be back for the Warriors tonight I don't know what the timetable will be for waiving Hunter and him getting back to Indiana. Sean Sonderleiter and Anthony Kent each played decently when these two teams met in the preseason, but they picked up nine fouls between them and given their track records I'd expect similar troubles on Friday. These two teams have a lot of talent, though, with some guys who have played in the NBA (Taylor, Rob Kurz), some with pretty good college careers (Ryan Ayers, John Bryant), some with a track record of D-League success (Ivan Harris, Ron Howard) and some with a lot of raw talent (Aminu). Overall this should be a good main course for the evening.

Stuffing: Utah Flash at Tulsa 66ers

Even when it's not actually stuffed, I still call it stuffing instead of dressing. And no, calling this game the stuffing isn't a Garrett Siler weight joke. Although I suppose it could be. Anyway, I like Utah's roster a lot, and they have a stacked (or should I say stuffed? Again, not a Garrett Siler weight joke) frontcourt. Tulsa has a lot of forwards too, they just have a little less upside. Although, I suppose this is the official start to the Latavious Williams era, and it it's anything like the unofficial start we could be in for a treat. The Flash have some decent defenders up front, so perhaps they'll keep him in check, but it's exciting that we're having this conversation about a guy right out of high school, isn't it? There's also the chance that this game will get ugly, as both teams had problems distributing the ball in the preseason. I expect Dontell Jefferson to rebound from yesterday's performance, though, and without Kyle Weaver now, Tulsa's backcourt is a bit thin. Mustafa Shakur has played well in Europe, but he'll likely be guarded by Jefferson who can lock him down. I'm also intrigued to see how Byron Mullens looks. There's a lot to like about this game.

Roasted Chestnuts: Maine Red Claws at Sioux Falls Skyforce

I don't know about you, but I think the Skyforce have found a chestnut in Reggie Williams. Get it? Because he's good. If the preseason game against Dakota is any indication, in fact he'll be very good. He's a scorer, but even more than that he's an efficient scorer. I don't expect Will Blalock or Bill Walker to play as poorly for the Red Claws as they did in the preseason, but overall I just don't like that roster, and if Paul Harris and Noel Felix remain out with injuries, both Williams and Raymond Sykes could go nuts (unintentional) for Sioux Falls.

Sweet Potatoes: Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Austin Toros

These sweet potatoes don't have marshmallows on them, because that's gross. I'm actually not having sweet potatoes this year, just like I'm not going to the Toros game (so that I can watch the rest of them on Futurecast). That works as a parallel, right? Anyway, this is another pairing that's a repeat of the preseason, and to be honest I expect a similar result. I expect Curtis Jerrells and Dwyane Jones both to be a little better than they was in the last game, but other than that Alonzo Gee should play well again, as should Joey Dorsey. I'm still not what to make of Kurt Looby's bad game last weekend; it could be either a fluke or a sign that his game just doesn't fit Chris Finch's system. The other thing to watch will be the point guard play, with Jerrells and RGV's ~~Mike Harris~~ Garrett Temple both being borderline-to-probable NBA players (though "sources" in the comments section tell me Jonathan Wallace will get the start at PG) and Vipers backup Kenny Dawkins having a good college career. Also keep your eye on Austin's Russell Carter, who was named all-Big East as a senior and who shot 7-9 in these teams' preseason matchup.

Who Cares What Kind of Pie: Bakersfield Jam at Albuquerque Thunderbirds

I gave this team the dessert not only because it's the last one of the night but also because I don't like pie and I have a feeling I won't like watching this game. Bakersfield's roster looks rough, particularly with Amara Sy out with an injury. Robert Swift could have an easier time since he's not going up against a player of Rod Benson's caliber (though I thought Erek Hansen was a good pick for the T-Birds), but other than that I'm not sure who's going to guard Carlos Powell, and while I don't expect the Jam to shoot quite as poorly as they did yesterday I'm not entirely sold on Reece Gaines or Lance Hurdle. ~~Things would obviously better if Sy came back to play, as he's been an efficient scorer in Europe, but he's not a great shooter either.~~ (Sy was just released by the team due to injury, and they expect him back in about two weeks. Maybe their arena will even be completed by then.) But hey, Kevin Pittsnogle! That's something to get excited about, right? Right? Sigh. This one could get tough to watch.

Bride of Preseason Boxscores

Jon L — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:10:45 -0000

Rod Benson is back and TCB.

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Only one game last night, Reno vs. Bakersfield. There was an interesting matchup going in between former NBA center Robert Swift and should-be NBA center Rod Benson. How'd they do?

Reno Bighorns 109, Bakersfield Jam 82

Ouch. Let's get right to that matchup, shall we? Benson was very good, 17 points on 8-13 shooting, 14 rebounds, three assists, and only one foul and one turnover in 22 minutes. Robert Swift was...well, let's just call it "less good." 3-13 shooting, five rebounds. It's true that he's still working his way back, not necessarily in terms of healing but in terms of getting some game action under his belt, but Benson also is a good post defender, so this result wasn't entirely unexpected. Hopefully this fosters motivation in Swift rather than discouragement, if for no other reason than the Jam need him.

Swift's Bakersfield teammates were as bad as he was. Justin Hawkins had seven assists but also shot 2-6. Jared Newson needed to go 7-7 from the free throw line to cover up his 5-15 shooting night. Reece Gaines played a little under 18 minutes and shot 1-3, and while he collected four assists he also turned the ball over three times. As a whole the team shot under 30 percent on three pointers, and while Bakersfield put up seven more shots than the Bighorns, they had 11 fewer makes. This was a simple case of the ball not going in the basket for them.

As for Reno, Marcus Hubbard got the start at power forward and played pretty well. 11 points on 4-7 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, plus didn't attempt a single three-pointer, so round of applause there. Russell Robinson played a little over 22 minutes but picked up five assists, and Cezary Trybanski had seven points on three shots, five rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes with only one turnover. But all of those guys were around last year (well, Hubbard was with a different team, but in the D-League anyway). Desmon Farmer could be a nice player in this league if he keeps performing as he did last night, scoring 17 points on nine shots (and going 8-8 from the free throw line) while adding four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. He just needs to cut down the turnovers a bit.

Your Sunday D-League Bullets

Jon L — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:00:28 -0000

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I've skipped linking to all of the various "local player gets drafted by a D-League team" stories, mostly because they're all pretty similar and also because some of those players may get cut over the next week and a half. There are still some interesting links to hit you with, as you'll see.

SLAM Online has a nice profile of Latavious Williams and the process he and his agent Tony Dutt went through to decide on joining the D-League. There is no relation between my linking this article and the fact that it and Dutt make a lot of the same points (he'll get to play against better competition, with better coaching) that I always make.
Quincy Douby just got cut by the Raptors, and the Erie BayHawks have first dibs if he comes back to the D-League. I'd bet he goes to Europe instead, but maybe he wants to be on hand for another 10-day.
Okay, so one exception to the kind of story I mentioned above: Robert Swift, who's trying to come back with Bakersfield. I'm a little skeptical that he can stay injury-free, but as the article notes, Swift has bulked up a little bit so perhaps his body will be a little more stable.
Ronald Dupree is playing in Germany this year, and Bonn's General-Anzeiger Online has an interview with him about being cut by the Jazz and his decision to play overseas. It's in German, of course, so you may need to use your translation website of choice, but here's a choice quote, roughly translated: "For me it was no longer meaningful to return there. It's okay if you're young and coming out of college, but I had come to a point in my career where I had to take the step to play in Europe.
I don't put much stock in "power rankings" as a general rule, for any sport or other thing that you can rank power-ly, but in the interest of full bulleting, D-League.com has released their preseason power rankings. I think Maine might be a little high and Idaho a bit low, but otherwise it mostly tracks with my own thoughts.
Jeff Potter has been posting his thoughts on how Fort Wayne's Mad Ants practices have been going, but the most interesting one to me is the idea that Sean Sonderleiter has slimmed down a bit over the summer. I doubt it's made him a whole lot quicker, but he was always active and a solid rebounder, so if he's a little leaner (he was never as bad as a Nate Jawai or a Kentrell Gransberry, but his conditioning could've been better) then he should be a very good backup for the Mad Ants this season.

Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies

Mr Pappagiorgio — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:00:42 -0000

Finally, finally, finally! The Oklahoma City Thunder get their 2009-10 season underway tonight, in Memphis, against the Grizzlies! Who cares if its only the pre-season? Thunder Basketball is back, so get ready to Thunder Up! Sadly enough, at the time of this writing (Last night), we don't have any update as to whether or not this game will be televised anywhere that Oklahomans will be able to see, but at the very least we should all be able to listen on the WWLS, The Sports Animal, which should be carrying the game (although I haven't confirmed that yet either). I'm sure you are quite tired of hearing me complain about the game not being televised, but let's face it, if you are reading this blog on a regular basis, chances are you are a pretty big Thunderhead yourself and just as pissed off. So hey, I'm being your voice, and you just never know who is reading. I griped and moaned all season about games that weren't broadcast in HD and a quick look at the TV schedule for the upcoming season will show that perhaps someone was listening as every single game is listed as being in HD this season.

It is still just a pre-season game, so why should you even care? Well, I'm gonna take a few minutes and hopefully give you enough reasons to be interested. First and foremost is your Thunder Roster is very different than it was just a few short months ago as the team closed out its inaugural season. When you make the jump, you'll see the entire pre-season roster which will be cut down substantially before the season begins. Gone are the likes of Robert Swift, Malik Rose, and Earl Watson, and inserted in their place are a host of new players that you should be just as anxious to see such as Etan Thomas and Kevin Ollie. As young as this team was last season, it may have gotten even younger this year as James Harden joins the mix along with some other terrific young players including Serge Ibaka, and Byron Mullens, amongst others. So go ahead and make the jump to see the full roster, along with our continued preview which will have a few more reasons to be interested in tonight's game, because there are a few more, I assure you.

If you can remember back a few short months, there was some extremely heated debate regarding who the Thunder should take, Hasheem Thabeet, or James Harden. Regardless of who we wanted or who we would have picked (although it does seem pretty clear that Harden had emerged as our guy shortly before the draft), the Grizzlies went ahead and made things a bit easier for us by picking Hasheem Thabeet with the #2 overall pick. So tonight will be our first chance at seeing these two guys match up head to head, even though they'll rarely be close to one another on the court since Harden plays guard and Thabeet is six million feet tall.

Another reason you are going to want to tune in is to check out Allen Iverson in his new home. We all know him, we all um, okay, so we all don't love him, but you still have to respect the guy on the court, no matter his flaws. For now he doesn't even seem to be a clear cut starter on the team, but it'll be interesting to see if that's a motivating factor for him in the pre-season. It'll also be fun to see how he works and interacts with guys like O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. Oh wait, that's what you could have looked forward to if he didn't get himself injured on Sunday, so I guess we'll have to look forward to seeing that later on in the year. The Grizzlies are quite possibly the most exciting young team in the league outside of our own beloved Thunder, so this game will definitely be intriguing as two of the leagues better, up and coming, young teams, square off head to head. I tend to think we're a bit further ahead in our cycle than they are and should come away with a win, even if it is just a pre-season game, but the fun part will be watching, err, listening tonight.

Also, we will have a Live Game OPEN THREAD for commenting tonight as I'm sure one way or another a lot of us will be either listening to or watching the game. Hell, if we are listening, there is no reason to not be on the site commenting, so you better get your ass into the thread by tipoff so we can get some nice live game commenting going. Also, we'll update this post and the live game thread with anymore information on TV and Radio Coverage as the information becomes available.

2009-10 Oklahoma City Thunder Pre-Season Roster
NUM	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	DOB	FROM	YRS
40	Ryan Bowen	F	6-9	218	11/20/1975	Iowa	9
4	Nick Collison	F-C	6-10	255	10/26/1980	Kansas	5
35	Kevin Durant	F-G	6-9	230	09/29/1988	Texas	2
22	Jeff Green	F	6-9	235	08/28/1986	Georgetown	2
13	James Harden	G	6-5	220	08/26/1989	Arizona State	R
	Mike Harris	F	6-6	240	06/15/1983	Rice	1
9	Serge Ibaka	F	6-10	235	09/18/1989	Congo	R
6	Tre Kelley	G	6-0	188	01/23/1985	South Carolina	R
12	Nenad Krstic	C	7-0	240	07/25/1983	Serbia & Montenegro	5
14	Shaun Livingston	G	6-7	185	09/11/1985	Peoria Central HS (IL)	4
23	Byron Mullens	C	7-0	275	02/14/1989	Ohio State	R
7	Kevin Ollie	G	6-2	195	12/27/1972	Connecticut	12
51	Michael Ruffin	F-C	6-8	248	01/21/1977	Tulsa	9
2	Thabo Sefolosha	F-G	6-7	215	05/02/1984	Switzerland	3
36	Etan Thomas	C	6-10	260	04/01/1978	Syracuse	7
5	Kyle Weaver	G	6-6	201	02/18/1986	Washington State	1
0	Russell Westbrook	G	6-3	187	11/12/1988	UCLA	1
3	D.J. White	F	6-9	251	08/31/1986	Indiana	1

2009-10 Memphis Grizzlies Pre-Season Roster
NUM	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	DOB	FROM	YRS
00	Darrell Arthur	F	6-9	235	03/25/1988	Kansas	1
1	DeMarre Carroll	F	6-8	212	07/27/1986	Missouri	R
11	Mike Conley	G	6-1	185	10/11/1987	Ohio State	2
31	Thomas Gardner	G	6-5	225	02/08/1985	Missouri	2
33	Marc Gasol	C	7-1	280	01/29/1985	Spain	1
22	Rudy Gay	F	6-8	222	08/17/1986	Connecticut	3
2	Trey Gilder	F	6-9	185	01/24/1985	Northwestern State-Louisiana	R
15	Hamed Haddadi	C	7-2	265	05/19/1985	I.R. of Iran	1
45	Steven Hunter	C	7-0	240	10/31/1981	DePaul	7
3	Allen Iverson	G	6-0	165	06/07/1975	Georgetown	13
55	Marko Jaric	G	6-7	224	10/12/1978	Serbia	7
32	O.J. Mayo	G	6-4	210	11/05/1987	USC	1
50	Zach Randolph	F	6-9	260	07/16/1981	Michigan State	8
21	Leon Rodgers	F	6-6	217	06/19/1980	Northern Illinois	R
24	Mike Taylor	G	6-2	165	01/21/1986	Iowa State	1
34	Hasheem Thabeet	C	7-3	267	02/16/1987	Connecticut	R
5	Marcus Williams	G	6-3	205	12/03/1985	Connecticut	3
4	Sam Young	F-G	6-6	220	06/01/1985	Pittsburgh	R