SB Nation - Renaldo Major

Last Night in the D-League (and not at the concert that I attended)

Jon L — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:42:27 -0000

Taylor Griffin's receding hairline made its D-League debut last night. Look out, Anthony Tolliver! (via www.nba.com)

Au contraire, Scott! There is a review of last night's games, I just didn't write it last night.

Iowa Energy 94, Dakota Wizards 82

Taylor Griffin is probably a borderline NBA bench player, but that makes him a pretty good D-League player. 19 points on 8-10 shooting and 10 boards for Griffin in his first game on assignment, though he also turned the ball over six times and committed a dumb flagrant foul. Curtis Stinson handed out 11 assists (four of which went to Griffin), Mark Tyndale had 14 points on seven shots and Marvin Phillips grabbed seven rebounds in a little over 17 minutes off the bench for the Energy, but no one else played particularly well.

Dakota had problems right out of the game, when Curtis Withers missed a layup, got his own rebound, then missed another layup. The Wizards scored just 14 points in the first quarter, and no one other than Mo Baker (and a 1-2 Marcus Dove) shot more than 40 percent from the field. The rest of the team was "highlighted" by David Bell's 1-10, five turnover performance. The team did okay on the boards, led by Withers's 10 rebounds (six offensive) and Renaldo Major's seven with four blocks, but they just couldn't hit shots. Romel Beck led the team in assists with three (actually tied with Jason Straight), which might be the first time that's happened, ever. I don't think that was a ball distribution problem as much as it was potential assists failing to go through the hoop. Dakota has now dropped three straight, but they get a rematch against Iowa tonight.

Idaho Stampede 105, LA D-Fenders 95

The Stampede won despite poor outside shooting nights from Anthony Tolliver and Roberto Bergersen (1-6 each). They won despite shooting less than 70 percent from the three throw line. They won despite getting just 16 assists as a team. They won because, surprise surprise, LA has a lot of guys who miss a lot of shots. Idaho also got a terrific game from Sundiata Gaines (31 points, six rebounds, six assists), some solid rebounding (10 boards for Bryson McKenzie, nine for Tolliver, seven for Emmanuel Jones) and other than Tolliver and Bergerson, they made almost half of their threes.

Diamon Simpson had 10 rebounds and a team-high five assists (which should be embarrassing for the rest of the team) and James Jackson came off the bench to score 21 points on 13 shots and grab seven rebounds (though he made less than half of his free throws), but otherwise I'm really starting to hate how this team was put together. Running down the field goal column in the boxscore, we have 3-10, 2-10, 5-13, 5-15, 2-6 and 3-10. The fact that no one should be surprised by that makes me wonder what, in fact, the D-Fenders/Lakers braintrust was thinking when they assembled this roster. There's athleticism, sure, and Ryan Forehan-Kelly wasn't this flaky last year, but poor shot selection abounds.

Reno Bighorns 107, Utah Flash 103

Russell Robinson only handed out four assists, but he had his best shooting night of the season, going 8-14 (including 4-6 on threes) and scoring 26 points. Desmon Farmer didn't shoot particularly well, 8-20, but he did a great job of getting to the free throw line and made 13 of his 15 attempts there to finish with 33 points. Rod Benson had 17 points and eight boards, but Reno was outrebounded overall. They also didn't get a whole lot from their bench aside from Cezary Trybanski (nine points) and Doug Thomas (seven points, nine rebounds). They won this game by forcing turnovers and at the free throw line; Orien Greene, Jordan Brady and Bennet Davis all fouled out for the Flash, while Carlos Wheeler finished with five fouls.

Dontell Jefferson had a fantastic shooting night, 10-19 for 30 points, but he also turned it over eight times against just three assists. Who does he think he is, Desmon Farmer? Several of those turnovers were in the fourth quarter as Utah was trying to come back, and no one else on the team finished with more than three; this one's all on DJ. Of course, getting some odd foul calls doesn't help, and both Wheeler and coach Brad Davis got T'd up, I'm assuming for arguing the calls (Farmer also got a tech for Reno). Wheeler had a very good game, 18 points and 15 rebounds (though a few of his six offensive boards were off his own misses), and Andre Ingram hit three of his four three-pointers and eight of his 10 field goals overall on the way to 23 points.

Austin Toros 115 Bakersfield Jam 89

Hey, you know who's not a good team? Bakersfield. Coach Will Voigt has apparently been reduced to trying crazy/dumb ideas like starting Amara Sy at center. Sy rebounded okay, nine boards, but he needed 10 shots to get 10 points. Austin's starting center Dwayne Jones, on the other hand, was a perfect 6-6 from the field and 7-8 from the free throw line, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Lewis Clinch had a solid game with 23 points, and Alonzo Gee added 19 points and seven rebounds. All 10 Toros played, nine of them scored, and the one who didn't (Augustine Okuson) still contributed with two rebounds and two blocks in seven and a half minutes.

Back to the Jam, they actually shot the ball pretty well; 42 percent on threes, 50 percent from the field overall. Jeremy Wise came off the bench to score 19 points on eight shots, John Williams had 10 points on six shots, and the team had six players finish with double-digit scoring. The problem was the defense - they let Austin score 67 points in the first half, and the points were coming from all over. Threes, layups, jump shots, whatever. Note to Will Voigt: this doesn't mean that you should try starting Reece Gaines at center. It means you need to get a real center, and real defenders.

Dakota 117, Idaho 114; Well, I Got This One Wrong

Jon L — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:00:21 -0000

Curtis Withers and the Wizards won the battle of the foreheads. This time.

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So there it is, right up top, my mea culpa. I didn't expect this outcome at all. I thought that either Dakota would get run out of the gym or that they'd be able to slow things down a little bit. Neither of which seems to have happened. I missed the game and without a Futurecast archive I can't watch it now, but making almost 70 percent of your threes as Dakota did certainly helps. I haven't been overly impressed with Jimmy Binnie so far this year, but coming off the bench to hit four out of five three-pointers will always get a mention. Darren Cooper made all three of his outside attempts and David Bell went 3-5, and there you have it. Especially when the other team throws up 31 threes and only makes 11 of them. Romel Beck can be a scoring machine and certainly was last night, with 30 points on 16 shots. They didn't score a whole lot, but getting eight rebounds and five blocks from Renaldo Major and nine rebounds from Curtis Withers (despite the five turnovers) were nice contributions.

Anthony Tolliver is one of the best players in the league right now, and he finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds (seven on the offensive end), though he also shot 2-7 on three-pointers and turned it over six times. Bryson McKenzie had a pretty good game in the middle with 12 points and 11 rebounds, Mike Gansey played well off the bench with 16 points on seven shots and five rebounds, and the six rebounds and five blocks from Mildon Ambres look nice. Idaho continues to get strong point guard play, with Sundiata Gaines getting 29 points on 16 shots, eight assists and five rebounds and Lanny Smith adding 12 points and seven assists. All those missed threes hurt, I'm guessing, since Idaho outrebounded the Wizards 54-38 and didn't turn the ball over a significant amount more.

Hey good lookin', I'll be back with the other (longer) recap later.

Dakota Wizards Looking Good For This Year

Jon L — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:06:17 -0000

The return of Renaldo Major and others should help the Dakota Wizards get off to a good start this season.

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(I shouldn't have to do this, but just to be on the safe side I'll say that while former RU writer Ridiculous Scott has moved on and now has a job with the Wizards, he had nothing to do with the writing of this piece. I saw a news article and needed something to post today other than a fanshot about some college player I'm unfamiliar with.)

It's early, of course, but the Dakota Wizards look like they'll have a pretty good squad early on this season. That's because they're returning at least five players from last year's playoff team. Maurice Baker, Romel Beck, Renaldo Major, David Bell and Carlos English are all coming back to the Wizards, and David Monds may or may not be joining them (if coach Rory White is to be believed, anyway). It's possible but doubtful that all of those guys will finish the season with the team - Beck and Monds are both call-up candidates, plus there are trades, injuries, what have you - but that experience and talent should help the team get off to a good start.

Baker returns as the starting point guard, though those duties were split somewhat with Blake Ahearn. Baker doesn't rack up a ton of assists, averaging a little over five per 36 minutes last season, but he's a very good rebounder for his position (over six per 36), especially when you consider that he's 6'1". Bottom, he's a solid veteran.

Beck can be a scoring machine, as long as he doesn't try to go 1-on-5, which unfortunately he does quite a bit. He was a late cut by the Rockets this preseason, and he's been pegged for an eventual NBA call-up for a while, but injuries and that isolationist tendency have kept it from happening thus far. He's 27 years old, so this should be the year when he finally "gets it" - should be.

David Bell could slide into the starting lineup with Blake Ahearn playing overseas this year. He's a catch-and-shoot player, and a pretty good one. Baker shot 40.7 percent on three-pointers, so he should be able to replace Ahearn in that area. He also handed out three and a half assists per 36 minutes last season, so he can chip in there as well.

Renaldo Major is a small forward who can defend well, rebound a little bit, handle the ball a little bit, and give the team some energy when needed. The article I linked to focused on Baker, but Major may be the key to the Wizards getting off to a good start, as he can help compensate for some of the other guys' weaknesses. Major made the all-D-League third team last season.

Carlos English didn't play a lot last season, averaging seven minutes game, but he's quick, which he uses to his advantage on both sides of the ball. He doesn't shoot particularly well (.265 last year), but if he can maintain his per-minute assist numbers while (maybe) playing a larger role he'll be a solid bench contributor.

If David Monds goes back to the Wizards, then their frontcourt won't quite be as decimated as it otherwise would be. Monds played very well for the Lakers' Summer League team this year, averaging over 13 rebounds per 36 minues, leading the team in per-minute scoring and shooting over 60 percent from the field. That comes after averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes last year. Richard Hendrix is playing overseas now, so Monds will be the team's key post player to start the season

Playoff Recap: Utah 103, Dakota 93

Jon L — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:43:40 -0000

No need to get animated, JR. You won.

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We have a short recap today, as I had some problems with Futurecast and Scott's currently off in the wilds of North Dakota somewhere.

Blake Ahearn seems to have fixed whatever was wrong in the 4th quarter against Iowa, but apparently passed it on to everyone else on his team. Actually, that's not entirely fair as Richard Hendrix had six rebounds by the end of the first. Given that, it would've been nice to see him finish with more than 11, and even without Kosta Koufos, Utah finished with a 48-34 rebounding advantage. The rest of the team, though, couldn't buy a shot for large stretches of the game. David Monds and Renaldo Major finally got it going in the second half, but it was too late at that point and Ahearn cooled down. Actually, Ahearn shot 1-4 in the fourth quarter with two of his six turnovers. Maybe we should wonder about fatigue with him the same way we do with Marcus Williams.

A passel of turnovers allowed Utah to take an early 14-point lead, and from there the Wizards were just playing catchup. They had the lead briefly, but Utah got it back and didn't look back. Mo Almond was solid early on, but JR Giddens had 12 points in the 3rd quarter, 10 of them coming from either layups, dunks or tip-ins. The Flash also went to the free throw line eight times in that quarter.

Utah showed off its depth a little bit (seriously this time) during the rest of the game, as different guys got hot at different times. Andre Ingram for a stretch spanning the first and second quarters, Ronald Dupree at the end of the second and beginning of the third, and Kevin Kruger and Carlos Wheeler every now and then. (Kruger Wheeler Dupree & Ingram would be an awesome law firm).

Other things:

Rough night for the Utah announcer. I heard everything from "Blank Ahearn" to "Jake Ahearn" to "Blake Hahearn," as well as "Kyle Kruger." He also likes saying "it's jam time" when a Flash player dunks, which must've been confusing during the Bakersfield game. Or as the announcer called them, Bakerville.

I don't know when James Lang decided to grow a Freeway beard, but I love it.

A small-ish announcement after the jump.

Scott's going to take a well-deserved break for a little while, so for now, I'm in charge here. I'm going to try and keep to RU's publishing schedule, but I'm also not as tapped into the league as Scott is, so bear with me. So for now expect a few less mid-90s wrestling reference, a few more early-90s wrestling references, and hopefully some fun.

To be honest, I feel a bit like Andy French when he started work at the ad agency. "I hope you know how."

D-League Playoff Recap: Dakota 114, Iowa 109

Scott Schroeder — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:59:40 -0000

David Bell came hot off the bench, hitting 10 3-pointer's for the Dakota Wizards on his way to a career-high 34 points. (Photo courtesy NBA Entertainment / Getty Images)

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Remember what I said yesterday about the Dakota Wizards lacking heart? Well, apparently they have it, it just doesn't show up until it seems they're about to endure the ugliest game in the D-League this season.

The game started out with Iowa hot, taking it from 6-4 to 23-6 in about five minutes, riding a wave of momentum-creating plays out of Othyus Jeffers and Denham Brown. On the other side of the ball, Renaldo Major showed up, but none of his teammates seemed, as the broadcast crew pointed out, like they even wanted to be in Iowa (and why wouldn't they!?). After slowly climbing back for the rest of the first quarter, Dakota got hot in the second quarter.

How hot, you ask? Wow. Hotter than Quin Snyder in his best glamour shot! (As Paris Hilton would say, "That's hot!") Dakota outscored Iowa 40-22 in the second quarter. David Bell came off of the bench to hit 5 of 7 from beyond the arc (Hot!), Blake Ahearn had 11 (most from the charity stripe) and the rest of the Wizards played great defense, especially little Carlos English. English played the earliest I've seen him play for the Wizards this season (apart one random start) and he bugged Curtis Stinson like no other. Stinson, Iowa's offensive spark plug, lost his groove the rest of he quarter, ultimately finishing the quarter shooting 1-for-6 with a pair of turnovers.

As always, continue on for my individual player breakdowns.

Dakota Standouts:

David Bell obviously should get a mention. He's Dakota's best guard defender and he's my sixth man of the year (why doesn't this replace the Impact Player of the Year"?). Those are both worth this mention alone, simply because he isn't appreciated like he should be. Last night, though, he went above and beyond the call of duty. Bell, getting the call early off the bench when starting point Mo Baker was struggling (along with the rest of the team) to knock down some shots. Knock down some shots he did, finishing with a career high 34 points, including 10 3-pointers, and even hitting two of them after dribbling first!

Richard Hendrix had a quiet game, as per usual. He played passive-over aggresive defense, which just isn't a good combination - it's like chocolate-covered shrimp, I'd imagine. Luckily John Edwards didn't play out of his mind and Courtney Sims decided not to return to Iowa, or there would have been trouble. Hendrix threw up some slop, hit some slop, and never really showed too much of anything offensively, yet he still put in 16 points. His glass cleaning is where he's important though, as he finished with 14, six offensive. I really he wish he had a motor - he'd be in the NBA.

Blake Ahearn played all but 22 seconds in the game, shooting 4-for-18 from the field. He missed seven shot's in the fourth quarter, which was a terrible quarter for him, and one which skews these numbers severely. However, he did finish with 20 points and 11 assists, which is good for Blake. His biggest contribution was getting the call on a 3-point attempt right before the end of the third quarter that led to three attempts from the charity stripe and a stop of the switching momentum.

Renaldo Major came out with heart and really seemed to be the only player that really wanted to win in the first quarter. Eventually, his 'heart' became contagious, as the rest of the Wizards decided to follow his lead. Renaldo didn't have a great game after the first quarter, but he had 10 of the first 14 Wizard points, which got them to where they needed to be. In the end, he finished with 20 points and eight boards, though didn't impress on defense like he usually does.

Iowa Standout:

Othyus Jeffers was the Energy. Literally and figuratively. There's not a lot that you shouldn't like about this dude. Dakota was rather lax on his drives to the basket, but I'm going to assume that's because they were simply scared of him. He's so smart, so deliberate, and plays like he's mad at the world every second he's on the court. Tonight, he had reason to be mad, as something broke down between him and the Golden State Warriors earlier this week (I have no clue what happened, but I've heard he flew out there). Anyway, he made 13 of his 18 shots (just one jumper, by my count though) and finished with 14 boards. He probably deserved that call-up!

Other Iowan's: Denham Brown is essentially Jeffers Lite... Curtis Stinson can't shoot a lick, but tries hard and fills up the box... remember when I said Demetris Nichols can shoot? He couldn't tonight... remember when I said John Edwards is a stiff? He is...

Miscellaneous thoughts:

Courtney Sims didn't want to come back to Iowa - not a bad move on his part (what'd he have to prove?), but hurt Iowa severely
Jon L needs a computer at home that lets him participate is OSLB's
I miss Quin
TorosGirl ditched us - mad at IceMan, I presume
Marat Kogut, Scott Twardoski and Tre Maddox called the worst evenly called game I've watched this season - lots of bad calls, but lots of makeup bad calls. It was weird.
Futurecast overcame early freezing issues
First Kyle Korver commercial came 20 minutes before the game started
Marty Tirrell should be fired, exciting as he is
The High Voltage dancers didn't use much voltage, turning out the lights and doing the Twist in the dark
Aristide Sawadogo picked up a technical for trying to check into the game with his jersey untucked. Marat called it. I enjoyed it.
I vote for new D-League commercials
The clock operators for Iowa are TERRIBLE.

Ridiculous Upside's All D-League Team Announced!

Scott Schroeder — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:13:00 -0000

Two First Team Selections, Blake Ahearn (L) and Courtney Sims pose with the All-Star Game MVP.

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Yesterday, we weren't so sure about the D-League's official announcement, so we decided to put our own together. I might be biased, but I think we put comparable (slightly better) teams together. Let us know what you think!


2008-09 ALL-NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Position	Player	Team
Guard	Dontell Jefferson*	Utah Flash
Guard	Blake Ahearn	Dakota Wizards
Forward	Marcus Williams	Austin Toros
Forward	Josh Davis	Colorado 14ers
Center	Courtney Sims*	Iowa Energy

2008-09 ALL-NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE SECOND TEAM
Position	Player	Team
Guard	Walker Russell	Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Guard	Trey Johnson	Bakersfield Jam
Forward	James White*	Anaheim Arsenal
Forward	Richard Hendrix	Dakota Wizards
Center	Chris Hunter	Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2008-09 ALL-NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE THIRD TEAM
Position	Player	Team
Guard	Eddie Gill	Colorado 14ers
Guard	Dominique Coleman	Colorado 14ers
Forward	Ron Howard	Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Forward	Renaldo Major	Dakota Wizards
Center	Lance Allred	Idaho Stampede

* = Currently on NBA roster

For the most part, we set these up the way a D-League team would - with one point guard, 2-guard, small forward, power forward and center - the only real position change we made was moving Major to the power forward on the third team, which has been done this season. I can't say any of us really disagreed too much, but Othyus Jeffers was very difficult for me to not include. No one had Will Conroy or Erik Daniels any higher than Honorable Mention - numbers deserving? Yes, but some definite flaws we outlined yesterday.

Continue on for our reasoning, just so there's no doubt!

First Team

Dontell Jefferson, PG, Utah- Jefferson is an amazing defender and slasher. Not only that, but he held Utah together as their point guard, even when the Celtics and Jazz were rotating players in and out like crazy. He was recently signed for the season by the Bobcats, showing that his ranking is definitely justified.

Blake Ahearn, SG, Dakota - At this point you know what you're getting from Ahearn - excellent three-point shooting, a league-leading free-throw percentage for a player that gets to the line quite a bit, decent turnover numbers, but fewer assists than you'd like to see. He's also been with the Spurs this season and ended with the Heat last season.

Marcus Williams, SF, Austin - It astounds me he hasn't had a look this season. I don't know what else to say about him. I'll defer to Jon's post about the last Austin game he watched and this post by Tim Varner over at 48 Minutes. He ended last season with the Clippers.

Josh Davis, PF, Colorado - We've been over it, time and time and time again. Just go to his page on SBNation and start reading if you're new here. If not, just know that I love his defense, his toughness and his versatility, among other things.

Courtney Sims, C, Iowa - Sims was named the D-League MVP yesterday, which shows his worth. Here's a link to the MVP post I put up yesterday, which justifies this pick, and then some. He's currently with the Knicks and spent time with the Phoenix Suns earlier in the season.

Second Team

Walker Russell, Jr., PG, Fort Wayne - As the Nightmare Ant's Boss himself said so eloquently in the comments yesterday: Walker leads the league in assists, set an all time single season assists mark (with two more games to go, no less), and shares the league lead in both double-doubles and triple doubles. Boom. Roasted.

Trey Johnson, SG, Bakersfield - This is the first player that wasn't unanimously voted in, but I think he did what was needed to earn this spot. Johnson's had two call-up's with Cleveland this season, but didn't get any burn. The versatile Johnson has gotten quite a few looks throughout his short career, and I expect he'll get at least one more this season. The 6'6" dude that play's the 2/1/3 is averaging 20.4 points and 4.5 assists, shooting 46% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc.

James White, SF, Anaheim - He really improved his game this year, shooting about 55% on field goals, including and improved 36.8% percent from long-range, making just under 86% of his free throws and improving his defensive play. Now with Houston for the season, he really surprised a lot of people this season. His dunk contest showing didn't hurt.

Richard Hendrix, PF, Dakota - Hendrix is a beast. He's barely 22, he's built like a linebacker, he's smart (graduated in three years at 'Bama), and he was Golden State's second round pick this season. For some reason, however, he just can't get a look! This season, averaging just 31 minutes per game, he's dropping 14.2 points and grabbing 11.5 boards, shooting 56% from the field. He's also been improving on his range, which is random, but a bonus - he's made 7-of-14 from beyond the arc!

Chris Hunter, C, Fort Wayne - He's decent defensively, but he's a handful on the offensive end. He can connect from all over the court, coming in just a hair behind guys like Josh Davis and Blake Ahearn in per-minute scoring and shooting 55.1% while doing it. He also holds onto the ball well, which is key for a big man.

Third Team

Eddie Gill, PG, Colorado - He's an NBA-caliber player. He's already been through a couple of 10-day's with Milwaukee this season - Gill is the savvy veteran that will be able to be a stop-gap back-up point for a contending team. Gill is averaging 15.1 points and 8.7 assists in 35 D-League games this season. He's also the point guard of one of the D-League's best offense and best team, record wise.

Dominique Coleman, SG, Colorado - Jon L: I know he's one of my guys, but Coleman leads the league in steals per 48 minutes, his 3Pt% is 6th among guards he ranks 12th among guards in assists per 48 minutes as a shooting guard. He also gets a decent amount of blocks. I had a hard time finding a lot of players who do as much as he does as well. The main area he could improve on is his FT% at just .702, but even that figure is still better than Will Conroy's.

Ron Howard, SG, Fort Wayne - Ron is scoring 18.8 points per game (13th best in the league and better than many on the D-League's list), shooting 50% from the field (better than many on that list, as well), and also playing some of the best defense in the D-League. I think an outstanding year for a two guard, and it deserved recognition (he wasn't even Honorable Mention).

Renaldo Major, SF, Dakota - 'Naldo just does a lot of things right. Really, he's an amazing story, coming off of open heart surgery last season. He's the Wizards defensive stopper and is undoubtedly the heart of the team. He comes up clutch when the Wizards need him and has been playing solid defense on the opponent's best player all season long.

Lance Allred, C, Idaho - Allred should be in the NBA this season. He was screwed out of a spot in Cleveland, which made him come back to the D-League. He was then moved to third option on his D-League team after Jermareo Davidson and Coby Karl were assigned to Idaho. Still, he's persevered. He's showing range. He's stepping up as a leader. He's a feel-good story (Still waiting for my copy to review, Lance) I like him.

Honorable Mentions

These are the top 5 guys that just missed the list: Derrick Byars, Bakersfield; Othyus Jeffers, Iowa; Jawad Williams, RGV; Mo Baker, Dakota; Dwayne Jones, Austin.

Happy Monday From Ridiculous Upside!

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:00:15 -0000

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I'm going to start out this morning by wishing everyone a happy Monday. Of course, it probably won't be too happy of a Monday for the Sioux Falls Skyforce (basically eliminated from playoffs), Iowa Energy (struggling without some Courtney Sims dude) and the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (who lost to Reno along with a lot of their hope to make the playoffs). Everyone else, though, be happy! You're presumably at work, but at least you've got a work place to go to!

Anyway, last night I was at the Sioux Falls-Dakota game, so that's what I'll focus on this morning (More on the rest of the games later). President Reed was also at the game (said hi to me, but looked too busy with real media to talk *sad face*). You weren't there, though, which is disappointing, because it felt like a playoff game. D-League Head of Officials George Toliver wasn't there either, which is even more disappointing, because James Williams and Tre Maddox took over the top spots in worst officials in the D-League (previously: unseen, unranked). Brenda wasn't quite as terrible. Know the officiating is subpar when Coach Tibbetts yelled to Coach Ticknor for three possessions to tell him that they were just trying to even out the fouls for each team (ended 39-31 Sioux Falls, but they fouled a few times toward the end of overtime).

Anyway, back to the game. Attendance was about 3,500, atmosphere decidedly playoffish, and the game had everyone except President Reed standing for the last 15 minutes (I was trying to find a camera but to no avail). Probably one of the more exciting games I've been to in awhile. Continue on for highlights of this game and bits on the others.

Sioux Falls 123 @ DAKOTA 134 (OVERTIME)

Dakota needs to win either Thursday in Iowa (thinking about heading out there as this is essentially for the Central Division championship - Iowan's, who has tickets for me?) or Friday against Anaheim to clinch a playoff spot.

Romel Beck is a stud. Initially I wasn't sold on him, as he's an iso-guy, which doesn't appeal to what I like to watch. Lately though, it's Beck that has kept the Wizards in the games that they're winning. He's so very close to being an NBA talent it's scary. If he was a better decision maker, I think he'd be there. Often times, when he's on the break, he's going to finish it, whether it's 2-on-1 or 4-on-1. Beck had 29 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, along with hitting all nine of his free-throw attempts off the bench. With Iowa starting Demetris Nichols at center last night, it might not be a bad idea for Dakota to go small and start Beck on Thursday.

Kasib Powell probably played better than Beck, but since Dakota got the win, had to feature Beck. I said a few different times that Dakota was defending him well (double teamming him when he put the ball on the floor), yet he still managed 34 points, nine boards and three steals with just one turnover. Hadn't watched him healthy this season, but wow NBA, he's healthy now. He probably would've went for 50 if he wasn't double-teamed so consistently.

Renaldo Major is the glue guy for Dakota, playing solid defense and being an energy guy this season while battling injury. Could still tell he was hurt a bit, but he came up with multiple big plays when needed - four points in the last seven seconds (though missed a big free-throw that could have won it in regulation) and an and-one right after Sioux Falls tied it up for the first time in awhile in the third. Major finished the game with 24 points, 12 boards and five assists.

Frank Williams had the worst game I've ever seen in which a player scored 27 points and had eight assists. Yuck. Missed lots of open looks. Lots. He also had seven turnovers and didn't play a lick of defense. Just disappointing. On the night, he went 7-for-25 from the field (2-for-9 from 3). That hurts. Ugh.

Venard "Richard" Hendrix had a subpar night from the field (just 3-for-9), but made up for it with big boards, big blocks and big free-throws (11-for-15, 60% with Dakota). He's never really been one to take over on the court, and he wasn't all that noticeable this night either, but some of that has to do with having to miss about 10 minutes of gametime after an inadvertent offensive foul from Bobby Jones (dirtiest player in the D-League - that I see). Hendrix finished with 17 points, 16 boards and four blocked shots.

Alexis Ajinca, the 7' monster from France and the Charlotte Bobcats, played a decent game, but made the worst decision of the game. After a Major layup, Ajinca took the ball out (but wasn't supposed to) and threw a Brett Favre bomb down the court. Fortunately for the Wizards, Mo Baker did his best Charles Woodson impression, picking off the pass and calling an immediate timeout, which led to the eventual game-tying basket. Ajinca is a shot altering machine, but finished with just one block to go with 10 points and 11 boards.

Maurice Baker didn't play a big role for the Wizards - until overtime. Baker, who is averaging an astounding 16.2 points, 6.9 boards and 5.4 assists per game, hasn't had so much as a sniff from the NBA this season, but is playing well for the Wizards, doing what a veteran point guard should do (think a younger, slightly smaller Randy Livingston, minus the yearly call-up and awkward shaped head). Baker had seven of his 15 points in overtime along with adding eight assists and four boards in the big victory.

Dakota Shows Heart, Picks Up Big Win Over Idaho

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:50:29 -0000

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Dakota jumped out to a hot start and never let up until after half time, leading by 17 going into the intermission. After halftime, though, Idaho put together a 20-4 run to start the third, but surprisingly, Dakota showed some heart and pulled out a 119-111 victory. As usual, check the Bismarck Tribune if you're looking for a play-by-play recap.

Before we get to my in-depth look at the players, though, I'd like to send a big Ridiculous Upside Happy Birthday to Mr. 10-Day Contract himself, Randy Anthony Livingston. Livingston will be heading to Sioux Falls today, so if you're reading this and plan to be in the area tonight (this means you, Fritz) head on out and buy him a drink. Buy one for Joel Abelson as well, just for seeming to be a good dude.

The 40 year-old looking 34-year old Livingston, assistant coach of the Idaho Stampede, takes credit for the Ridiculous Upside Movement in Idaho. Apparently, he started reading when I wrote this story and was disappointed he didn't get the starting nod. The only way I can defend myself is to set up a one-on-one battle with RGV assistant Robert Pack, as I think I better keep Jay Humphries in the starting lineup. Second option? If Coach Pack doesn't get at me by tomorrow and tell me he reads RidiculousUpside, Coach Liv is starting - I gotta support the guys that support the movement. Actually, we'll open this up to all of the coaches/office staff that reads RU but can't comment - Click on my name up top and shoot me an email (no profanity please - am currently accepting job offers, however).

Continue on for my player breakdowns and other random musings from this game.

Richard Hendrix, Dakota - In yesterday's call-up rankings, we omitted Richard Hendrix. To explain my reasoning, Hendrix's points, rebounds, blocks and shooting percentage all went down in March, and he just wasn't showing me he wanted it enough in the past few games . Last night was a different story. Hendrix decided to take over the game from the get go last night, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the first half, including showing some range - on the night, the big fella hit 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Contributing 12 boards, two blocks, and an interception of a big pass to essentially seal the game, I was impressed.

Lance Allred, Idaho - Allred has dominated the Wizards since he came into the D-League in the 2006-07 season. Behind the man, the myth, the Peter John Ramos, he started as one of the last guys off the bench that season, but by March 8th, he broke out against the Wizards. Since then he's dominated Dakota, and this game was no different. Allred showed a mid-range game that would have made Hakeem Olajuwon proud. Scoring 25 points and grabbing seven assists just about made me regret snubbing him from my call-up rankings, but I think I'm going to have to see him do it outside of Dakota to move him back up.

Renaldo Major, Dakota - Major hasn't been getting the credit he deserves this season, as injury woes have limited his production a bit. When he's in his groove though, he brings a lot of heart to Dakota, acts as their defensive stopper, and can score in bunches when needed. Last night, in the last two minutes with a tie ballgame, his scoring was needed, and he put in eight of his 16 to clinch the victory. Major also finished with six boards, six assists, and six fouls - scary.

Jamaal Tatum/Lanny Smith, Idaho - Idaho's back-up point guards are gritty. Both do a lot of things well, showing poise, involving their teammates, and scoring when needed - it's really surprising that Idaho doesn't insert one of the two into the starting lineup, as there was a huge difference when one of these two were running the point rather than starting point (undersized 2) Kevin Burleson. Tatum 18 points, nine assists and a high pitched yelp when called for a call on Blake Ahearn; Smith played huge in the fourth quarter, with seven of his 11 points including a big time 3 in the fourth.

Blake Ahearn, Dakota - I talked to Blake for a bit before the game, letting him know I ranked him at the 3-spot because he just wasn't scoring like I wanted him to score. So, naturally, Ahearn decided to score. The guard that's never been handed anything was handed the ball 10 times at the free-throw line, making all 10 of his freebie attempts to make sure Idaho never took the lead. Ahearn also hit 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, which is once again becoming the norm for the sharp-shooting guard.

Brent Petway, Idaho - I'm including him not because of his stats from the game, but how important he could have been down the stretch for Idaho. However, Petway was in the locker room down the stretch after picking up two quick technical fouls from Kristina Denson for arguing a foul call. (Side note: If I was Denson, I would have called more technicals this game - like five) Petway's defense really could have helped the Stampede out, as there wasn't anybody on the Stampede roster able to defend Renaldo Major down the stretch. Petway, who is widely regarded as the best perimeter defender in the D-League, picked up two quick fouls early in the game defending Blake Ahearn, which limited his playing time to just 17 minutes. Side note: I'd give my D-League defensive player of the year to Othyus Jeffers, but Petway's big enough to defend all of the perimter players in the NBA as well.

Austin Toros @ Dakota Wizards Preview - I love North Dakota

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:22:20 -0000

Tonight, Austin will play Dakota at the Bismarck Civic Center, but more people will probably be watching free online. Since the majority of D-League fans I know are either Austin, Dakota or just great basketball fans, this game will get a lot of love on Futurecast tonight, as it's the only game on and there's oodles of NBA talent. (Naturally, the D-League is promoting other things like Erie going to overtime with an LA team already eliminated from the playoffs.)

Also, with two days left in March, 14 inches of snow have fallen in the past 17 or so hours, and according to this AP report, it's not going to quit anytime soon. Just had the weather report below forward to me. For reference, Bismarck is just on the west edge of dark blue mid-state.

According to Wizards GM Tom Wagganer (If you know him, make sure you wish him a happy late birthday - it was last night), they're aware that it's going to be hard to get to the game, so all tickets for tonight's game can be re-used for any other home game this season. With Dakota's rabid fan base (John Coffino was scared for his life last night leaving the game after some controversial end game decisions), I'm assuming this Futurecast could have epic Sun Yue level viewership.

This game also has at least six guys that will play in the NBA by the end of next season. Austin has three players that have been in the NBA this season (DeMarcus Nelson, Malik Hairston, Dwayne Jones) along with Marcus Williams, who should be in the NBA. Dakota has Blake Ahearn (Who didn't play as much as usual last night), Richard Hendrix, and the swingman combo of Romel Beck And Renaldo Major, who would be a top NBA player if they were combined into one player.

Let's break the matchup's down, since off the top of my head, I don't have a clear winner picked. Dakota's struggling mightily, but Austin just lost to Sioux Falls and looked bad doing so. Since each team starts a big that isn't exciting/great (Eric Dawson for Austin, Jesse Smith for Dakota), we're going to look at the most exciting starting lineups I could put together.

DeMarcus Nelson over Maurice Baker - Baker left the game upset last night, and I'm assuming he won't be happy this game either. Baker's coming off a great game where Jasper Johnson was his primary defender. Tonight, he's matched up with a former ACC Defensive POY, which probably won't bode well for Baker.

Blake Ahearn over Squeaky Johnson - I seem to remember that Squeaky came off the bench and shut Blake down in a big game last season. Squeaky's got the best dreads and nickname in the D-League, Blake has a nice 3-point shot and looks the most unlike Squeaky in the D-League. I'm giving Blake the advantage, as he's going to want to improve on his 11 point outing last night.

Malik Hairston over Romel Beck - Beck's got length on Hairston, but I think this would be a great matchup to watch. Both are offensive guru's, but Hairston's a bit better.

Renaldo Major push with Marcus Williams - I don't know who to pick in this matchup. Major looked great last night, and Williams is one of the most talented players in the D-League. This will be a tough test for Major, but it'll really show the NBA if he's back to the player he was before his surgery. I think he is.

Dwayne Jones over Richard Hendrix - This would be a matchup I'd enjoy watching. Hendrix has disappeared against bigger competition, and big Jones is definitely competition. Both started the season on NBA rosters, both are tremendous rebounders, and both aren't great on offense. I'm hoping to watch this matchup at least a bit tonight.

Wish me luck. I'm on my way outside to see if my car's going to the game with me.

Albuquerque @ Dakota Recap

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:00:09 -0000

"I guess this team kind of personifies the phrase 'don't judge a book by it's cover" -- One of my friends describing Albuquerque, as you'd assume they're more suited for a football team simply by looking at them.

Everything surrounding this game was pretty crazy - including the flooding in Eastern North Dakota, the snow being up to my knees when I got home (I'm about 6'4"), the game starting 40 minutes late due to the officials not being on time, Dakota's unheralded man in the middle, Will Frisby, going home to Miami with his pregnant wife, my boy Travis McArthur missing a layup during a timeout promotion, and both teams were fighting for their playoff lives. Crazy I tell ya.

Since we can't fix the first two (unfortunately), we'll look closer at the offiicials' situation. Marat Kogut, of course, was on time, because he loves beautiful North Dakota and all that it provides, clearly demonstrated in his officiating. The other two officials (one isn't in the D-League system, as the last three game's he's officiated (Friday & Saturday in Sioux Falls, last night in Dakota (3 games, 3 nights? Who'd he piss off?)) didn't arrive at the arena until about 7:15 because they had to drive instead of fly from Siox Falls to BIsmarck, a 6.5 hour trip. Apparently their flight got cancelled so they had to drive. What interests me is that Austin who played in Sioux Falls the night before got in a few hours before the officials that reffed the night before.

Alright, so then the game started. Dakota jumped out to a good lead, 29-18, behind 11 points from Mo Baker, who got to the rim with ease the majority of the night. I would love to blame this on Will Conroy, but it wasn't his fault. The Thunderbirds were running a 3-2 zone with 6'7", 290 pound Jasper Johnson at the top of the key. Even after talking to Coach Coffino for a couple of hours, I have no idea why.

Albuquerque then scored just a few more points through the next three quarters and, badda-bing badda-boom, they won. Dakota had chances in the fourth, but things just didn't go their way, culminating in an ill-advised Mo Baker 3-pointer to win that fell a foot short as time expired.

Biggest difference in the game - Albuquerque shot 32 free-throw's Dakota shot 13. Can't help but wonder if the official that just reffed three games in three nights in the Dakota's wasn't looking for a bit of revenge?

Continue on for my detailed individual analysis, as this is the first home game I've watched in full in quite awhile.

In random order -

Jasper Johnson - I've dogged him quite a bit on this blog, but he did impress me in this game. He's definitely not an NBA prospect, he's a step and a half slow on defense and his conditioning looks to be equal to mine (read: bad), but he's a good D-League player. Like Sun Yue, he's left handed. He's got a good stroke though, is a great free-throw shooter, and showed a little step back a couple times. Jasper just barely missed a triple double, with 20 points, 10 boards, and nine assists.

Romel Beck - I haven't talked much about him since he arrived in Dakota, mostly because I don't know what to think about him. He doesn't seem to fit in with the offense, as his game is pretty well relegated to isolating, not too much movement without the ball. His 3-point shot was supposed to be good, but it doesn't look pretty when I've watched - weird form and takes a bit to get off.

Will Conroy - Conroy had a relatively quiet 25 points and seven assists. Sorry Will, still not impressed. As the D-League website says, "he's an elite D-League scorer." I guess I'm more concerned with him off the court, as he is a bit too vocal for my liking. Everytime he'd drive, he'd yell for the and-one, something that's always turned me off about players. If you're in the D-League for the fourth year, you're not in the NBA for a reason. I'm going to strongly suggest he takes the next contract that comes up, or do something to quell the attitude issue that's well-known around the league.

Maurice Baker - I've been a fan of Mo for a long time, and tonight I saw what I needed to see to keep my fandom present. He had 22 points, eight boards and four assists, routinely getting to the basket without much resistance. True, it usually started with taking Jasper Johnson off the dribble, but he slashed very well. The other intracacy of his game I like is his rebounding ability. He's an intelligent player.

Mouhamed Saer Sene - Didn't he come into the league as "Saer Sene"? I seem to remember that. Anyway, Sene showed why he was a lottery pick a couple seasons ago as well as why he is currently in the D-League. His footwork in the low post needs seasoning, but he uses his length very well when bringing in rebounds. He blocked three shots, but probably goaltended another three as well. Regardless, he scored 15 points and had 15 boards and has not-quite-ridiculous upside.

Renaldo Major - When Renaldo's healthy, he's a cut above the rest of the D-League. He plays very good defense and is rounding into an offensive force as well. While he won't get a call-up this season, he's recovered very well from the open heart surgery that caused him to miss all of last season. Last night, he scored 22 points, grabbed eight boards, and dished five assists. Don't sleep on Mr. Major.

Antonio Meeking - see my Jasper Johnson post, but tone it down a bit. He's good at this level - another guy that should take his next contract offered out of the D-League.

Richard Hendrix - I like Rich, but he needs to start dominating games. He got himself into foul trouble in this game, which is an ocassional issue. Still, he's gotta show a motor. Seems too easy to get him to pick up a couple early fouls and let him self-destruct. He finished with 12 points and eight boards, missing all five of his jumpers in 28 minutes.