SB Nation - Paul Davis

Ridiculous Transactions: 11/9 - 11/15, Plus Trade Analysis

Jon L — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:00:36 -0000

by Darron Cummings - AP

The Houston Rockets said goodbye to Pops Mensah-Bonsu this week. Frowny face.

A few relatively big moves happened (in our world, at least), but before I get to those, I realized that I never discussed the D-League trades from a few weekends ago at any length, so here we go:

Fort Wayne Mad Ants traded 10 pick (Alade Aminu) to the Erie BayHawks; Erie BayHawks traded Rob Kurz to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants

At least as it stands now, before any games have been played, this looks like a pretty good trade for both sides. Fort Wayne returns Chris Hunter and Sean Sonderleiter in the middle, so as talented as Aminu is the team was already set at center. Sure, Aminu most likely would've been an upgrade over Sonderleiter, Hunter gets the bulk of the minutes there anyway, and since he's a very good D-League center the Mad Ants were able to flip their pick to address other issues. The team also has several other forwards back from last year, but they're mostly defense or rebounding specialists. Rob Kurz should allow the team to stretch the defense a little more, to use that cliche, and because I assume he's going to start, it will be interesting to see if his presence at power forward pushes Anthony Kent to the bench, or whether Kent moves over to the 3 and Ron Howard, last year's starting small forward but 6'5", heads to the backcourt. If the latter is the case, then Kurz's shooting skill will be even more of a necessity as Howard's not much of a shooter (or scorer generally, come to think of it). Fort Wayne also had been angling to get Kurz as a local allocation player because of his time at Notre Dame, so the team is hoping that bringing him in (along with other Notre Dame players) will help them at the gate as well as on the court.

For the Bayhawks, Alade Aminu seemed to be one of the most sought-after players in the draft, at least among teams looking for raw talent. Aminu didn't play a whole lot for Washington's Summer League team, though his defense was alright when he did, and the Miami Heat gave him a look during the preseason. Aminu was a bit turnover-prone in college and needs to develop some post moves (along with some strength), but he's very athletic and handles the ball fairly well for a 6'10" guy. Erie needed a center to replace the departed Erik Daniels, and as I wrote around the draft, bringing in actual centers like Aminu, John Bryant and Jeff Skemp is a step in the right direction. Erie already had some guys sort of like Kurz (Ivan Harris is a three-point shooting forward, Jarvis Gunter is an okay rebounder but doesn't do much else), so they didn't need to duplicate efforts there.

Los Angeles D-Fenders traded Earl Barron to the Iowa Energy; Iowa Energy traded Anthony Tolliver to the Idaho Stampede; Idaho Stampede traded Dar Tucker to the Los Angeles D-Fenders

I've given some brief comments on this one, but to recap, I like this trade for both Idaho and Iowa, but I'm a little baffled by what LA is doing. To elaborate, let's start with Idaho. Last year Bob MacKinnon's Colorado team liked to run, and they led the league in pace. Sure they had Joe Dabbert and Kentrell Gransberry in the middle, but each of those players' proclivity for fouling meant that Josh Davis saw a fair amount of time at center. Anthony Tolliver isn't the same player Davis is, specifically in the area of three-point shooting (Tolliver is okay but not great there), but he's a good passer, a pretty good rebounder and post defender, and he can score a little bit (in the D-League, anyway). Tolliver should be a solid anchor for the Stampede, at least for as long as he's around (he has a history of leaving the D-League either to play in Europe or the NBA).

Iowa-wise, Earl Barron is a solid center with some shot-blocking talent and NBA experience (specifically with Miami). Barron upped his per-36 minute scoring averages and lowered his foul rates every year that he played for the Heat, so he's been improving. He's 28 years old now, though, so this may be his last go-round in the D-League. The Energy drafted a lot of scorers and wing players, and while Tolliver is a good player (see above) he likely would've taken up a lot of possessions that can now be distributed a little more equally.

As for the D-Fenders, it's not that Dar Tucker isn't talented, it's just that his shot selection is shaky. He made less than 30 percent of his three-pointers last year at DePaul, which wouldn't be great even if he hadn't averaged more than six three-point attempts per game. He shot just 39 percent overall, so it's not like he was great inside the arc either. He also averaged more turnovers than assists and can't really go left. Tucker is athletic, does a decent job of getting to the rim and is a decent rebounder, but his offensive game has a lot of negatives. Plus there's the fact that he's a shooting guard, and that LA already has Joe Crawford and Charlie Parker, who are nominally point guards but are more scorers than distributor, Ryan Forehan-Kelly, who's a swingman who can do a lot of things but who also probably got accustomed to having the ball last year, Deron Washington, who's another (more efficient) slasher, and Jeremy Wise, a shooting guard. As for big men, let's see...how does Longar Longar strike you? It's entirely possible that Barron asked for this trade, but as it stands now the D-Fenders have a glut of shooting guards and/or backcourt scoring without a ton of guys who can rebound or defend the post. This team could be really fun to watch, or it could be a horrible mess.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers traded Marcus Hubbard to the Reno Bighorns; Reno Bighorns traded Haminn Quaintance to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Here's the thing about Marcus Hubbard - I make snide comments about his game, but he's a decent player. At least he could be. He certainly has his moments. He's athletic, he can rebound a little bit, he stays out of foul trouble. But, somewhere in his career (it may have been at the beginning, who knows) he started viewing himself as a mid-range/perimeter player, and he's not very good at it. He likes shooting threes, and he's about as good at it as Dar Tucker is. Now that the Rockets are running the show, he really didn't fit what they look for in a big man, so it wasn't a surprise to see him go.

Quaintance, on the other hand, does seem like a Houston-type guy. I don't know much about him, and called him a "three-point shooter" around the draft based on last year's EuroChallenge, but he's actually a power forward who was an excellent defender in college (he was MAC defensive player of the year as a senior) and gets steals blocks as well as blocks, plus he can score a little bit and passes pretty well for his position. Oh, and he's athletic. He profiles very well, so I'm curious as to why Reno gave him up. He likely wouldn't have gotten a ton of minutes behind Boom Tho Rod Benson and non-boom tho Cezary Trybanski, but he could've slid into the lineup in the event of a Benson call-up just as well as Hubbard can.

Moving on to this week's, uh, moves, after the jump...

November 10: James White - signed with Spartak SPB (Russia); Ronald Dupree - signed with Telekom Baskets Bonn (Germany)

Well, White said he wasn't coming back to the D-League, so this is just a guy keeping his promise. Spartak just signed Goran Suton last week, so they have a pretty solid (American) inside-outside combo now. The question becomes whether White will come back next year for Summer League and/or the preseason, or whether he's fed up with the entire enterprise. He may cool off after a year, but if the NBA isn't going to seriously invest in him he may not see the point. Dupree goes to Telekom Baskets, also the current team of former RGV point guard Jared Jordan. He's in a similar position to White (but without the relatively-modest NBA success) in that he's ready to move on with his career. As he said in that interview I linked to yesterday, there comes a point in every player's career (the D-League/marginal NBA players anyway) where he has to seriously consider playing in Europe, essentially for the money. This was a tougher year than most for a lot of these players, but if someone has plans, or has plans to have plans, to settle into some kind of routine, live comfortably, start a family, whatever, as it stands right now the D-League/Summer League/training camp circuit just doesn't provide that.

November 12: Washington Wizards - waived Paul Davis and signed Earl Boykins

My interest in this move (other than as a Wizards fan) is to see what Davis will do. He could make a pretty good salary in Europe, and do pretty well on the court leading to future pretty good salaries, but one doesn't go on the "Millionaire Matchmaker" show and talk about how you're looking for someone to settle down with your millions of dollars if you're then planning on leaving the country. Of course, that was a while ago, and he probably wasn't planning on barely making a roster on a nonguaranteed deal, and playing in the D-League definitely isn't what people on "Millionaire Matchmaker" have in mind (I'm guessing), but I could see Davis sticking around here for a few months and using his Clippers years as a way to get another shot.

November 13: Eddie Gill - signed with Base Oostende (Belgium); Toronto Raptors - waived Quincy Douby

I don't have much to say about Douby being waived, as from my read on the situation his position on the team was already somewhat tenuous even before the team drafted DeMar DeRozan (and, hopefully, traded for Sonny Weems). He could do extremely well in Europe, obviously, but he has enough of a name that another NBA team is likely to take a shot on him at some point (hi Memphis!).

Gill, though, is sort of a big deal because he represents yet another talented, high-profile player (D-League-wise) who the Springfield Armor took in the expansion draft and who won't actually be suiting up for that team. Gill may or may not have been looking to head overseas for awhile, but his leaving right before training camp would seem to put the team in a tight spot. They may not have been counting on him being there, but they didn't really bring in any strong point guards through allocation or the draft, so one would assume that they were. Oh well. This leaves JamesOn Curry as the team's starting point guard, I'm guessing, even though Curry's not much of a distributor.

November 14: Houston Rockets - waived Pops Mensah-Bonsu and assigned Joey Dorsey to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Goodbye, Pops. You were enjoyed. I have no idea if Mensah-Bonsu will return to the D-League, as he's in a similar position to Paul Davis (but without the whole "appearing on TV" thing), and also Earl Barron. Mensah-Bonsu is younger than I thought, but 26 years old is starting to approach the "maybe I should just go to Europe" age. His national team coach Chris Finch is in the D-League now, and with the Rockets' affiliate no less, so he could wait around until they're at the top of the list and join the D-League player pool, at which point he'll do so well (he was a monster for the Toros last year) that the NBA can't keep ignoring him (again).

I also thought Dorsey was older than he is, or at least had been in the NBA long enough not to be eligible for the D-League, but that probably speaks to the fact that I need to brush up on this stuff. Even without Mensah-Bonsu in the picture, frontcourt minutes are scarce in Houston at the moment. Dorsey posted some decent numbers in RGV last year, around 10 points and nine rebounds per game (11 and 11 per-36), but his free-throw shooting was so awful it actually dragged his True Shooting percentage down a fair amount. Dorsey played well in Summer League this year, and I expect him to do very well for the Vipers. Assuming, that is, that he and Kurt Looby find a way to both play in the middle. They'll probably both start, but Vipers fans should probably get used to seeing those guys fighting each other for rebounds.

Briefing: The Wizards are Stumbling out of the Gates, What's New?

JakeTheSnake — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:29:04 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

We have our classic dejected-players-sitting-on-the-bench shot, now we know its time to get worried.

Browse more photos »

I saw this tweet before the game and I had to chuckle a bit:

Washington Wizards are off to best start in 3 years, let's see if they can continue tonight against the Pacers

Keep in mind that the team was 2-3 going into last night's game. A below .500 record constitutes the best start we've had in three years. Even with the loss last night, this team has a better record after six games than the last two squads, who both started 1-5. Even though the team from three years ago started 3-3, you may recall that they didn't pick up their first win on the road until December 6th. The last time that you can say the Wizards really came blazing out of the gates, was 2005-06 when the team won five of their first six, and even then the Wizards followed up that start by losing their next five. Slow starts have just been a part of Wizards basketball over the last few years.

In the past, you could blame it on learning the nuances of the Princeton offense. Not only did it take longer for players to get acclimated to the offense, but it also took away focus from learning on the defensive end. So essentially the team was playing catch up with the other teams in the NBA on both sides of the ball to start the year. Instead of learning the Princeton this year, the team is starting from scratch with an entirely new system from a new coach, which takes time to implement.

Returns from the first game of the season were very promising, as we saw last night, there's still a lot that the team has to learn. Some of it involves developing offensive cohesion, some of it involves coming out of the gates with better execution and focus, where they've struggled in their last two losses. A lot of us said before the season that Flip Saunders would have some bumps in the road early in the season as he gets acclimated to his roster and vice-versa. Well, these are what bumps in the road look like. Let's hope that both can adjust accordingly as the season goes on.

Washington Wizards lose third straight, 102-86 at Indiana - Michael Lee, Washington Post

"I was trying to get someone to play hard," Saunders said. "I told those guys, I can't coach effort. You got to come out and be prepared and play hard. "I thought our effort was poor. I was extremely disappointed. I told them I take responsibility because evidently right now we've got to keep pounding away because we're not getting through in doing the things we need to do in order to be successful."

Listless Wizards fall on the road - Mike Jones, Washington Times

He tried the traditional lineup (although it was his third different one of the season thanks to injuries). He tried a small lineup. He played Gilbert Arenas on the ball. He played him off the ball. He used all 12 players at his disposal. But none of that did the trick. The Wizards put on a listless performance and fell 102-86, their third straight loss. Although the score indicated otherwise, the Pacers' play couldn't exactly be described as dominant.

Wizards lose to Pacers, Jamison chews out team - William Yoder, Agent Dagger

It's only the sixth game of the season and it looks like Flip Saunders may be running out of ideas. The Wizards head coach addressed the criticisms of the past games. Critics said Caron Butler had to get more aggressive offensively, and the former all-star put up 24-12. The Wizards bigmen got into foul trouble early in the teams last two losses, but tonight Haywood played 35 minutes and grabbed 19 rebounds.

Pacers 102, Wizards 86 - Michael Lee, Wizards Insider

Nick Young and Paul Davis were the only two players who didn't commit a turnover on Friday. It was the third consecutive game in which the Wizards had more turnovers than assists. It's easy to lose three in a row that way. "If we keep playing like this," Arenas said, "we're going to keep getting our [butts] whipped."

Pacers 102, Wizards 86: Washington minus two starters equals yuck - Craig Stouffer, Washington Examiner

Mike James turned the ball over and missed his first shot almost immediately after entering the game in his first appearance of the season. Pretty much summed up the night. James still played 22 minutes, finishing with 6 points and 3 assists.

After loss to Pacers, Jamison blasts effort - Mike Jones, Washington Times

"We've got to get better as a team," Haywood said. "Everybody from the starting unit to the bench, you have to be ready to play at a certain level. And if you're not, then don't play. That team played very hard tonight, and I'm not sure that we, as a unit, as a team, matched their energy. Everybody has to come out as a team and match their energy night in and night out. "You're not always going to make shots, but you can control your effort."

Pacers 102, Wizards 84: Inspired Pacers Roll Past Wizards - Tom Lewis, Indy Cornrows

Second-year center, Roy Hibbert set the tone early with a couple of hook shots and blocks along with a few rebounds all delivered with a genuine enthusiasm that lifted teammates and fans alike. No doubt, playing against his home town's Wizards gave Hibbert extra motivation. He was so pumped at times it seemed like he was high fiving family and friends back in D.C. right through the television screen. Roy finished the first half with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Not a bad start for Hansbrough - Mike Wells, Pacers Insider

Hansbrough looked like a fullback when bullied his way to the basket for 13 points and five rebounds in 14 minutes. Coach Jim O'Brien said before the game that Hansbrough wouldn't play more than 16 minutes. The stat that stood out was the 10 free throw attempts. Hansbrough's either going to get called for an offensive foul or he's going to get fouled when he goes up for a shot in the paint.

Postgame Report: Pacers vs. Wizards 091106 - Conrad Brunner, Pacers.com

[The Pacers] two victories are most encouraging because of how they were accomplished. They didn't ride hot shooting or explosive offensive runs. Granger scored 22 points but shot 7-of-21 (3-of-11 from the arc). As a team, the Pacers shot just 40 percent but they had strong balance. Dahntay Jones scored 18 with five rebounds, five assists and two steals; T.J. Ford had an odd double-double for a 5-10 point guard with 10 rebounds to go along with 18 points; Roy Hibbert had his third straight double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, adding five blocked shots. "Winning solves a lot of problems in this league," said Ford. "We’re still getting familiar with each other and the system. Everybody’s role is evolving."

Best of Twitterville

Twitter / Michael Lee
Pacers are shooting 39.4 percent and leading by 13?!? Are the Wizards even into this game? No energy right now.

Twitter / Jared Wade
I'm a big fan of these TJ Ford 1-0 breakaways. Pacers up 18. HandsBro and AJ Price not looking like rooks.

Twitter / Agent Dagger
it'd be good to see "the takeover" right about now...#wizards

Twitter / danny rouhier
Watching Hansborough get buckets on your team is like watching your own rectal exam. #Wizards

Twitter / Mike Jones
Davis gets a standing ovation from a pair of dudes who have been calling for him to enter the game since halftime. Davis knocks down a J.

Twitter / George V. Panagakos
Awesome game for fantasy owners tonight, not such an awesome night for Wizards fans. Wizards blown out 102-86 by the Pacers on the road.

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Against the Nets, Paul Davis was the human victory cigar. Against the Pacers, he's the human toilet brush.

Twitter / wizznutzz
Twan HATES honeydew!!!! @MikeJonesTWT "A fruit platter lay shattered on the floor with slices of honeydew" http://is.gd/4Pybf

Thursday Practice Report: Andray Blatche’s late-night workout, Randy Foye says playing with Gilbert Arenas off the ball is "easy," and Javaris Crittenton’s injury isn't getting better

Mike Prada — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:34:58 -0000

Andray Blatche works with Assistant Coach for Player Development Gene Banks, as Paul Davis looks on. Via my IPhone.

Coming off a big win over Dallas on Tuesday, the Wizards were in pretty good spirits after practice today. Flip Saunders said the club went through a very good practice and emphasized the importance of maintaining those winning habits throughout the "process."

Once again, Gilbert Arenas did not talk to the media, telling NBC's Lindsay Czarniak that he only talks when they make him. So, once again, nothing new on that front. However, there's a lot of interesting nuggets to chew on from today. Make the jump to read about Andray Blatche's late-night workout, an update on Javaris Crittenton's injury, some thoughts about the Randy Foye/Gilbert Arenas backcourt and more.

Andray Blatche isn't resting on his laurels

Andray Blatche had an outstanding first game of the 2009/10 season last Tuesday, notching 20 points, 7 rebounds and only 3 fouls in 35 minutes. But as we all know, Blatche has had plenty of good games in his career. Sustaining that success has proven to be an elusive quest for the 23-year old.

After practice today, Blatche made it clear that he knows his big opening game means nothing if he can't sustain it.

"Tuesday's in the past," Blatche said. "Right after the game, Flip came up to me and said, ‘Last game don't mean s***,' excuse my French."

So how did Blatche try to build on last Tuesday's performance? He called Sam Cassell late last night and asked him to come in to do a workout with him. Blatche said they came to the Verizon Center at around 11:15 and went until about 12:30 in the morning.

"[We worked on] all the situations that would be in the game," Blatche said. "Post-ups, pick and pops, stuff like that. All game-type situations."

It's yet another example of the new "Seven-Day Dray." When asked whether he would have ever come in for a workout that late in the past, Blatche said no. He also joked that the empty arena spooked him a bit.

"Man, it was a little scary, I ain't gonna lie," Blatche said. "I called my best friend. I had to go to the locker room by myself, I was a little scared. It's so quiet, and dark a little bit. I'm telling you all, it's different at nighttime, but I was alright."

Eventually, though, the conversation veered back into Tuesday night. Blatche said Fabricio Oberto did a great job guarding Dirk Nowitzki, and also praised the team's pick-and-roll coverage. He also once again sung the praises of Flip Saunders' offense.

"It just seems like you're always moving, you're always setting picks, you're always rolling, always popping," Blatche said. "You're always doing something. Last year, you set one screen and you stand still and you waiting for something. This year, we're always moving and sharing the ball a lot more."

Even Antawn Jamison admits he thinks Blatche's new approach is paying dividends.

"I think he's getting it," Jamison said. "I think he understands that it's not about what [he] does on gameday, or the day before, or the night before. Little things like that will help you stay consistent and be able to do that night in and night out."

Video below, courtesy Truth About It:

Javaris Crittenton's injury gets worse

Those of you looking forward to seeing Javaris Crittenton return to the court will need to wait a lot longer. Crittenton was limping around on crutches today, with yet another boot on his injured ankle.

Team spokesman Scott Hall told me that Crittenton went to get "an exploratory scope" last Friday that revealed nothing new. Hall didn't mention anything about how long Crittenton was expected to be out, nor did he say that the injury got any worse.

However, Mike Jones talked to Crittenton, and Crittenton told a slightly different story. Crittenton told Jones that he had surgery last Friday to clear up some torn cartilage that had been found in previous X-Rays. But Crittenton also admitted that he was hoping to get this procedure done sooner.

"I wish the procedure would have been happened, so I could have recovered by now," Crittenton told Jones. "They actually saw it on the X-ray a long time ago, but they had to continue looking at different cat scans and X-rays to get it done."

Would having the surgery earlier have changed things? Did they really see these problems a long time ago and unnecessarily looked several more times before having the surgery? I don't know. I think there's a lot of information missing here. But it certainly seems odd, doesn't it?

Crittenton said he has two more weeks of recovery, followed by four weeks of rehab, which means he'll be out at least another six more weeks.

Randy Foye and the "small" backcourt

As I mentioned yesterday, when Gilbert Arenas and Randy Foye played together last Tuesday, the Wizards outscored the Mavericks by 14 points. When I asked Saunders about why he turned to that pairing despite not using it much in the preseason, Saunders joked that "there are a lot of things I do during the regular season that I don't do in preseason." I then asked when we might see it in the future.

"You'll see it a lot," Saunders said. "A lot of it depends on the defensive end. If we're playing Kobe Bryant at the 2, you might not be able to put Randy on Kobe because of Kobe's size. A lot of that is going to depend on defensive matchups. There was a situation in Dallas where they played a couple smaller guards."

Foye said he was wondering when he was going to get a chance to play more with Arenas, but added that "[Saunders] probably didn't want people to see it."

"When you put us in together, Dallas didn't have an answer to that," Foye said. "With two scorers in there together, because if you pay too much attention to [Arenas], you gotta help, then we kick it out to me for an open shot. It's the same [vice versa]."

I was particularly struck with what Foye said later, when he talked about how his mentality and comfort level change when he plays with Arenas.

"When you play with someone of that caliber, it's easy," Foye said. "Everything else comes easy. Like, when they were pressing at the end, they couldn't get the ball, because we could both break the press. When they press and denied him, I got the ball, and when they doubled me with his man, I passed him the ball. It just makes it so much easier playing with another ball-handler."

Foye also praised Saunders' strategic instincts, saying, "it's like he's playing chess up in his head." Regardless, with so many teams nowadays playing small backcourts, the Foye/Arenas backcourt should be a regular staple.

Other stuff:

Flip Saunders was asked again about Nick Young not playing at all on Tuesday. "We haven't really talked," Saunders said. "I think he knows what he's got to do." When asked what he has to do, Saunders said, "Be more consistent, as far as what you're doing. You can't rely on making shots as a criteria for whether you are going to play." Saunders added that Young did some extra work yesterday and that "he'll get an opportunity." Young himself slipped out the door before anyone could talk to him.
Antawn Jamison was there shagging rebounds for JaVale McGee, and showed no major limitations on his shoulder. It's obviously not in game shape, but it wasn't in a sling or anything. That's pretty encouraging.
DeShawn Stevenson was asked about his thoughts on Antonio Daniels potentially signing with Cleveland. In typical DeShawn fashion, he responded in a way where you wonder whether he was joking or being serious. "Traitor," Stevenson said. "I don't talk to nobody that plays to Cleveland." Chris Miller then said to Stevenson, "I'm sure you have a reaction to them starting 0-2." Stevenson's response. "Yeah, yeah I do," and then he walked away.
Saunders said that while his top eight players will remain pretty consistent, his rotation is not 100% set in stone right now, saying that JaVale McGee in particular had a great practice and may play more tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks. "Now, we're playing a team with a lot more athletic ability, where a guy like JaVale could have an impact."

More pictures:

BWood working on his free throw stroke.

Caron Butler works on his shot while Randy Wittman looks on

Dominic McGuire works on his shot while Nick Young looks on

Waive Goodbye, Part 1

Jon L — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:35 -0000

by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

Paul Davis poses for trading card photo. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

View full size photo »

Here it is; the long-awaited (okay maybe not), oft-promised look at who got waived and who made an NBA roster. I'm breaking this up into three parts, and here's what they'll look like: for each team, there will be a list of who got cut and who got kept (and yes I know the grammar isn't great, but that's what I've decided to go with). To make it interesting, I'll look at one Eastern Conference team and one Western Conference team each day. I probably won't discuss every player, since at this point in his career Juan Dixon can do whatever as far as I'm concerned, but I'll try to hit most of the players who either previously spent time in the D-League or might be considering it as an option this season. I'm also operating under the assumption that the vast majority of guys that I talk about will be playing in Europe. The season's already started over there in a lot of places, but there's usually room for one more skilled American player. Nonetheless, I'll try to keep the D-League optimism up. Okay? Okay. So here we go. First up: the Southeast and Pacific Divisions, below the jump.

Atlanta Hawks

Who got cut: Juan Dixon, Mike Wilks, Courtney Sims, Garrett Siler, Mario West

Who got kept: No one.

Sims and Siler are the main guys to know here, as Dixon, Wilks and West are all veterans at this point who will jump into the pool of emergency guards for less thoughtful teams to sign in case, I dunno, Eric Gordon gets hurt or something. Sims has admirers around the team, and he's showed off his scoring in the preseason, but the rebounding that was so good in the D-League last year has been largely absent thus far. That kind of game (among other reasons) makes me think he's bound for overseas despite the fact that he intrigues front offices. If they really cared, he'd have a contract by now. Siler, on the other hand, is just coming onto the scene and has nice touch and solid rebounding ability. He's just, let's call it "large." If I had to guess I'd say he's a more likely candidate for the D-League, where getting "large" guys into shape seems to be the stock in trade. He's already pretty effective as it is, and he doesn't seem have the foul problems that plague other "large" gentlemen like Mike Sweetney or Kentrell Gransberry, so if he can shed the weight then he might start garnering more serious interest.

Charlotte Bobcats

Who got cut: Dontell Jefferson, Antonio Anderson

Who got kept: Stephen Graham

I was actually kind of shocked at this one. Jefferson is a great man defender (and an all-aaround good guy) who the Bobcats seemed to like (they called him up last year), plus one of their better (if not their best) perimeter defenders with a guaranteed contract just got hurt. So why wouldn't they keep him? Stephen Graham is fine as a player, and he's a D-League success story of sorts so I shouldn't knock him too hard, but while he's a better rebounder than Jefferson, he's not as good of a defender. Hopefully Jefferson comes to the D-League and gets called up quickly, but either of those happening is unlikely, let alone both of them.

Golden State Warriors

Who got cut: Diamon Simpson, Shaun Pruitt

Who got kept: No one

Simpson is raw. Really, really, really raw. But intriguing (at least to me). I thought so when he was on Washington's Summer League team, but he got cut before they played any games and I don't think he played any in the preseason for Golden State, either. It would behoove him to go to the D-League, but who knows if that will happen. He's a Dominic McGuire-type, if McGuire is good enough to have his own type, but it boils down to this: a lot of hustle, the tools to be a very good defender, a very good rebounder, undersized as a PF but no offensive game to make up for it. Who doesn't like that kind of player? Anyway, he'll need to learn some offense somewhere, so why not the D-League? ASSUMING he enters the draft, I could see Rio Grande Valley drafting him and developing him for the Rockets, who are enamored with 6'7" power forwards who rebound really, really well. But what I think should happen and what does happen are usually two different things. Example: Fernwood 2Nite is still not on DVD.

Los Angeles Clippers

Who got cut: Anthony Roberson, Taj Gray, Jerel McNeal

Who got kept: Kareem Rush

Sorry Mike Wilks, Juan Dixon and Mario West, your fellow Brotherhood of Mediocre Shooting Guards member Kareem Rush got this. Roberson is likely headed back to Europe, with all the rest of the good three-point shooters. So is Gray. Jerel McNeal could stick around this neck of the woods, because he's a.) younger and b.) still could use some work on his offensive game. His DraftExpress "best case" is supposedly Shannon Brown, so there's some D-League-to-NBA precedent for a guy like McNeal, and he's solid enough all-around that if he continues to cut down on his turnovers he could draw some real interest.

Los Angeles Lakers

Who got cut: Mickael Gelabale, David Monds, Tony Gaffney, Michael Fey, Thomas Kelati

Who got kept: No one

Somewhat off-topic, but at this point I'm wondering what the point of the Lakers having their own D-League affiliate is. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but...who was the last player they developed in-house? Jordan Farmar, I guess? Does Josh Powell count since he never plays? I know that they're in "win-now" mode as long as Kobe Bryant is on the team, but heck, trading for Adam Morrison? They could've found someone else, put him on the D-Fenders for two years, and still eventually have gotten more out of him than Morrison will end up giving them. And no, this isn't about cutting Sun Yue. Okay, maybe it's partially about cutting Sun Yue. But that was the plan with Mickael Gelabale, I assume, who has a lot of talent and a knack for scoring. But he couldn't earn a deal and DJ Mbenga could? Mbenga is good for something, right? I mean, he is, right? I could've sworn he did something well at some point. David Monds played very well for the Lakers' Summer League team, so that likely got him some attention even if his preseason didn't. I'm willing to bet that he comes back to the D-League, just not heavily.

Miami Heat

Who got cut: John Lucas, Alade Aminu, Andre Brown, Anthony Tolliver

Who got kept: Carlos Arroyo, Shavlik Randolph

Sigh. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Not that Arroyo is still around, I guess, since he's not the worst option out there and can run the pick and roll adequately, but Lucas really can play, size notwithstanding. I'm pretty sure Lucas has had some problems with not being paid by his European employers in the past, so it could be that he's soured on the enterprise, and if he comes back to the D-League he'll join the Maine Red Claws, but my best guess is that he'll try going overseas again and hope to get his check on time. Aminu may try his hand at the D-League, since his younger (and more talented) brother is still in college. Aminu played some decent defense for Washington's Summer League team, and he's pretty athletic along with being a decent ball-handler for a 6'10" guy. He needs to work on not turning the ball over and acquiring some post moves, and the D-League is as good a place as any to do that.

Orlando Magic

Who got cut: Morris Almond

Who got kept: Linton Johnson

I'm a little surprised that Johnson is still around, although Adonal Foyle got hurt so there's room for another frontcourt player. Sort of. I mean with Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Vince Carter and Matt Barnes around I'm not really sure how much playing time Johnson will get, even in practice. Some of those guys can play guard, true, but this team is apparently committed to the Jason Williams Reclamation Project and not, you know, keeping a guard who can actually help the team out. It's a good question where Almond goes from here, as he's "done with the D-League." Maybe he joins Dixon, et al. or maybe he just cuts his losses and heads yonder, but either way I can't shake the feeling that he never really got a fair look this offseason.

Phoenix Suns

Who got cut: Carlos Powell, Dan Dickau, Raymond Sykes

Who got kept: No one.

Well, at least our long national Dan Dickau nightmare is over. Powell played very well in the preseason, and the team spoke well of him which should help combat some old on-court character issues. He's a strong call-up candidate this season should he go to the D-League, and he's been working hard to get to the NBA so he may go that route. I've already linked to it once, but for more on Powell's play I recommend this Bright Side of the Sun post.

Sacramento Kings

Who got cut: Lanny Smith, Melvin Ely

Who got kept: No one.

I would bet that Smith returns to the D-League. He's not that far removed from breaking his foot in college, and he was a backup in Idaho last year, so he still has a lot to show. He can play, though, and it shouldn't be too surprising if he becomes a top point guard in the D-League this year. That's assuming he goes there, however, and not overseas. He played for the "NBA Generations" team that played in Korea and the Philippines, so he's gotten some international exposure, and non-US teams could come calling.

Washington Wizards

Who got cut: Vincent Grier

Who got kept: Paul Davis

Grier never really played, so this isn't a shock. He's a pretty good combo guard and scorer, but the Wizards have a ton of shooting guards on the team so this was always going to be a longshot. Paul Davis is sticking around because Antawn Jamison will be out for at least a month, and the team was already thin up front. As in, Fabricio Oberto who was signed to be the end-of-bench veteran presence, is now the starting power forward. Davis is now the fifth big, and he's defied my expectations by playing pretty well this preseason, averaging about 18 points and nine rebounds per 36 minutes while staying out of foul trouble. He shot 5-10 from the floor, and I have no idea where those shots came from exactly, but one reason I was skeptical is that last season his eFG percentages were .333 on "close" shots and .344 on jump shots (as determined by 82games.com), which are pretty bad. As long as the Wizards don't expect much from Davis on the offensive end other than dunks and tip-ins, they should be fine.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:53 -0000

More photos » by Noah Graham - NBAE/Getty Images

8 months ago: LOS ANGELES - APRIL 15: D.J. White #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder goes up for a dunk against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on April 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The preseason is beginning to wind down, as there were just three games last night. And pretty uninteresting ones too for our purposes. A lot of guys playing two or three minutes. Let's get to it, I guess.

Atlanta Hawks 113, Washington Wizards 95

Paul Davis has played better in the preseason than I expected, and last night he shot 3-4 from the field and 2-2 from the line, and finished with eight points, three rebounds and a steal in a little under seven minutes. Courtney Sims played about eight and a half minutes and a finished with six points (on 2-2 shooting both from the field and the line), but had no rebounds and a pair of fouls. He's been scoring pretty well and pretty efficiently for Atlanta, but hasn't offered much else.

Houston Rockets 105, Oklahoma City 85

D.J. White had a pretty good game, shooting 4-6 and finishing with eight points, four rebounds and a block in 16 minutes. Efficient Pops was back in this one, as Mensah-Bonsu made five of his six field goals (though only three of his six free throws). He also grabbed four rebounds in a little over 16 minutes, though he also had a pair of turnovers.

Last Night in the Preseason

Jon L — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:01:11 -0000

More photos » by Hannah Foslien - AP

2 months ago: Chicago Bulls' Chris Richard (32) shoots against Minnesota Timberwolves' Oleksiy Pecherov (4) as Kevin Love (42) watches on during the second quarter of a NBA basketball game at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. Bulls defeated the Timberwolves 99-94. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)

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Fair warning, the format of this thing may change a few times as I figure out how I want to write it. But for now, let's take a look at some former or future D-Leaguers/European players who played well (and in some cases not so well) last night on a game-by-game basis.

Phoenix Suns 110, Portland 104

The only "our guy" who played in this game was Carlos Powell, and he did very well. Starting and playing just over 22 minutes, Powell finished with 12 points on six shots, including 2-3 from long range, and three rebounds, along with zero turnovers and only one foul. The main thing holding him back so far has been his attitude rather than his talent, so if he keeps this up (including the improved outside shooting) either the Suns or some other team will take notice.

Washington Wizards 109, Cleveland Cavaliers 104

Jawad Williams hasn't had the best preseason so far, but he had a solid game last night for Cleveland. Getting the start in LeBron James's absence, Williams put up in 21 points on 12 shots, shot 4-6 on three-pointers and 5-7 on free throws, and grabbed five rebounds and passed out a pair of assists as well. Hey Cleveland, if you're really serious about making sure you have bench scoring, keep this guy around. The other standout of sorts for the Cavs was Andre Barrett, who outplayed his competition (Russell Robinson) by collecting eight assists in a little over 26 minutes and grabbing three rebounds, though he did need nine shots to score eight points. Paul Davis played just under nine minutes in this game, and while Mike Prada from BulletsForever may have a soft spot for the guy, I just don't see it. 0-2 shooting, one rebound, one assist, one block and one turnover...what am I missing? Luke Nevill, on the other hand, actually scored with four points in just under nine minutes, and he at least picked up three rebounds. 12-per-36 is a lot better than 4-per-36.

Boston Celtics 106, Toronto Raptors 90

Sonny Weems came back to earth a little bit, with 12 points on 10 shots and three turnovers, but he is banged up a little bit, and he's still getting a fair amount of playing time, which is encouraging. Holly MacKenzie thinks the team will find a place for him, and quotes Chris Bosh as saying

"if we continue to work with him and get him polished, I think he'll really help us out."

The J.R. Giddens Rebounding Machine is still working, with four in 13 and a half minutes, though he's still having a hard time scoring the ball. Lester Hudson wasn't, though, with 12 points on seven shots in the same amount of playing time as Giddens, and he picked up a pair of steals and a pair of rebounds as well. If Boston could just put those two together they might have something.

Oklahoma City 96, Miami Heat 91

I'm only mentioning Carlos Arroyo because Erik Spoelstra decided to sit both John Lucas and Chris Quinn to see what the team's newest point guard candidate can do, and he responded with, well, zero points, three rebounds, two assists, a turnover and four fouls in 16 minutes. Just stick with Lucas. Both Shaun Livingston and Kyle Weaver struggled a little bit for the Thunder, combining for five points, all of which came at the free-throw line. Weaver's calling card is his defense anyway, but he certainly hasn't been helping matters with his shooting so far.

LA Clippers 93, San Antonio Spurs 90

DeJuan Blair has been making Ian Mahinmi's job tougher by grabbing most of the rebounds in sight, but Mahinmi still managed to pull five down in 19 minutes, along with seven points on four shots and only one turnover. Speaking of turnovers (you see what I did there), Marcus Williams has struggled with them so far this preseason (and to a certain extent in Austin last season), and he had three last night in 18 minutes, which spoiled an otherwise solid night, 11 points on 4-8 shooting, two rebounds and two assists. Much better was Malik Hairston, who got the start and played 23 minutes, and finished with nine points on five shots, five assists and two steals. The assists are a nice bonus from him, as he's a decent passer but not a prolific one.

Chicago Bulls 99, Minnesota Timberwolves 94

The story of this game is Chris Richard, who led all scorers with 17 points on nine shots, made seven of his nine free throws and added 13 rebounds and two blocks, both of which also were game highs. Minnesota was the team that initially cut him, so there was probably some extra motivation (he's played pretty poorly so far), but maybe he can at least trick the Bulls into keeping him on, then show them that while he's not usually that spectacular, he's at least pretty solid. Mark from Sham Sports and Chicago Bulls Confidential is still skeptical that'll happen, though. Derrick Byars had a nice little game, with five points on three shots, three rebounds and a block in a little over 15 minutes.

Atlanta Hawks 111, Memphis Grizzlies 96

Like Jawad Williams and Chris Richard, Courtney Sims broke out last night after a rough preseason, scoring 12 points on 4-6 shooting in 13 minutes and blocking two shots. He only had three rebounds and added two turnovers, but he was one of the more talented players in the D-League last season and several NBA teams are known admirers, so anything he can do to help his case at this point would, well, help. Hamed Haddadi had three rebounds in six minutes, because that's what he does. And not really anything else.

Morning Briefing: Raptors Claw Out Win Against the Wizards 100-93

JakeTheSnake — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:28:03 -0000

More photos » by CHRIS YOUNG - AP

I'm not sure what kind of dance this is, but I don't want any part of it.

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If I was really cruel, I could talk about how it could've been worse yesterday because at least the Wizards didn't blow a 15 point lead to a team that averages less than 15 points per game. But I'm not going to do that, because I'm not cruel like that. Anyways, on to the yesterday...

Game Hub | Boxscore

Raptors 100, Wizards 93 - Michael Lee. Wizards Insider

Arenas, again, was slow to get involved at the opening tip. He missed his first five shots in the first period and didn't look like he wanted to take any of them. But when he returned in the second half, Arenas hit an 18-foot jumper, a corner three-pointer (yes, Arenas shot two three-pointers on Sunday, making one), a driving reverse layup and another 16-foot jumper. He also found Jamison cutting to the basket for two layups and hit Andray Blatche for a nifty lob.

Brief Thoughts on Wizards vs. Raptors - Kyle Weidie, Truth About It

But what did I learn about the Wizards? Well, I can’t wait until Gilbert Arenas gets 100% comfortable with his offensive balance and ability to distribute … and is able to display it for a full game. He looked great in the third quarter. Made my day. The turnovers, however, are a slight concern. So far this preseason, Arenas is averaging 6.3 turnovers per 36 minutes, which shatters his 3.2 TO/36 in 05-06 when he led the NBA in total turnovers with 297.

Arenas silent, but he's heard - Michael Grange, The Globe and Mail

His teammates couldn't be happier, as they interpret his vow of silence as a renewed commitment to his on-court career, one interrupted by three surgeries on his left knee, limiting him to 15 games during the past two seasons. "It's good. He's a leader, he's the franchise player. When he's serious it's good for everyone," Wizards teammate DeShawn Stevenson said. "I'm just glad to see him out there." Added Caron Butler: "Whatever works for him. Whatever works for him. As long as we get wins."

Game Notes: Washington vs. Toronto - Ryan McNeil, Hoops Addict

I was impressed when I arrived at the arena nearly three hours before the opening tip and saw Gilbert Arenas and Mike Miller working with the Wizards assistant coaches. It’s rare to see vets putting in that kind of work but it’s the kind of example the Wizards younger players need to see.

That’s How You Close Out A Game – Raps Fan, Raptors Republic

After losing the most important quarter (3rd) of the game, the Raptors held it together and won the 4th 30-11 locking up the game. Sure it was the 2nd/3rd unit, but they done-did-right. Amir Johnson and Patrick O’Bryant used their length and athleticism to change the game on the boards. Thing of beauty. If the toe jam is no big deal, Weems looks more and more like a regular contributor then the 3rd forward off the bench.

Roll Call…Oct 11 vs Wizards – Raptors Republic, AltRaps

Jamison absolutely torched [Bosh] to start the game….that tattoo on Bosh’s body might just be a Wizard’s logo with a #4 attached. He had as brutal a game as can be expected from a guy in his second game back, but the way he was neutralized and knocked around was concerning.

DeMar Derozan Meets the Washington Wizards - Jarrett Carter, Stet Sports Blog
Nick Young has some competition to get into the dunk contest this year.

Non Game Related Links

Saunders Gets Ready to Face Pistons - Michael Lee, Washington Post

Saunders was fired in the summer of 2008 after his team lost in the Eastern Conference finals for the third consecutive year and was forced to take his first hiatus from coaching in the past 32 years. Saunders said recently that he was surprised when Joe Dumars, the Pistons' president of basketball operations, told him that the team was moving in another direction. "I guess a little bit, because when I talked to Joe when the season ended, he actually said it was the best coaching job that I had done since I had been there. So I thought I was fine," he said. Dumars "said at that time [late Pistons owner Bill] Davidson made a decision and wanted to make a change, so in this business, it doesn't matter what we think.

Blatche finds focus in his latest coach - Mike Jones, Washington Times

"This is my first time having a relationship with a coach like this," said Blatche, who had 17 points and nine rebounds Friday in the Wizards' second preseason game. "I must admit, I like it. It makes me want to work harder and be a better player. He tells me so many things that, if I told them all, we'd be standing here all day. But the main thing is, 'Just stay focused; continue to work hard.' He lets me know hard work pays off. He continues to just give me confidence and boost me up."

Tip Off Timer: 16 in OT for Gilbert Arenas Caps Great Performance -- Tim Povtak, NBA FanHouse

Although the Wizards were forced into overtime against the Lakers when Arenas missed the final shot in regulation, he made sure that a really special night had a really special ending. He scored a franchise record 60 points, eclipsing former Washington greats like Earl Monroe (56 points), Phil Chenier (53 points), Bernard King (52 points) and Michael Jordan (51). A handful of NBA players have scored 60 or more. Only one has scored 16 in overtime. He broke the record of 15 set by the unheralded Earl Boykins two seasons before.

Top Tweets

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Blatche was just described as a "solid player" by the Raptors announcers. Guess they really don't do their homework up there in Canada.

Twitter / Michael Lee
Blatche and McGee just hooked up for back2back alley-oops. Nice passes by AB, effortless jams from McGee. Raps lead 39-36

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Fabricio Oberto = good ball movement .. nice pass to Gil for a baseline jumper . Wiz up 67-62. Oberto also good at fouling.

Twitter / The BF gang
McGee is such a highlight film on offense. Too bad he might be the most clueless defensive player in the last 10 years of the NBA

Twitter / Michael Lee
Gil might be staging a media boycott, but he's talking to refs. Picked up first tech of the preseason, arguing a call. He just hit a 3, too

Twitter / The BF gang
Gil's completely controlling this game. This is the Gil we need to see all season.

Twitter / Jack Kogod
Jesus, I really hope Mike Miller didn't totally forget how to shoot the ball.

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Paul Davis has scored 5 straight points for the Wizards ... yep, exactly. Wiz to Toronto 100-93. Amir Johnson scorched the Wiz for 12 rebs.

Twitter / The BF gang
I guess the "new and improved" Mike James is gone already.

Twitter / Craig Stouffer
Radio says they're not impressed with #wizards lineup Blatche, Young, McGuire, McGee, James. Hello, that group had 63 losses last year.

Twitter / DeMar DeRozan
A tough game but we pulled it thru.

Morning Briefing: Washington Wins Preseason Opener 101-92

JakeTheSnake — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:38:45 -0000

More photos » by Steve Helber - AP

2 months ago: Washington Wizards center Brendan Haywood (33) passes the ball in front of Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol during an NBA preseason basketball game in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

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[Editor's Note: After each game we'll round up the best links and reactions to each game. Throughout the preseason we'll try to tinker with the format to make this as informative as possible for you, the reader. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments. -Jake]

Grizzlies vs Wizards coverage | Boxscore

Arenas shows his unselfish side - Washington Times

Arenas showed no hitches as he showed great acceleration and leaping ability and drove past defenders at will. And his court vision was as keen as it ever was as he wove through defenders and still managed to find his teammates. But Arenas hardly looked for his own shot, taking just five attempts. He made only one of them and struggled from the foul line as well, going 3-for-9.

Wizards Control Fourth In Preseason Opener - WashingtonWizards.com

"I thought [Gilbert] was good," said Head Coach Flip Saunders. "He did the things he needed to do in this situation. He had a 20 and 10 game right on his fingertips. He’s not going to miss that many free throws. Nobody should question how his knee is after he jumped over the table in the first quarter (to save a ball). He has given me no indication in the things that he has done that he’s not back. He needs games like this to play and to get used to the flow of the game. He almost got to the point where he was too unselfish."

Wizards Defeat Grizzlies in Preseason Opener - Washington Post

Saunders said that he planned on using Arenas for just "eight to 10 minutes," but Arenas played 11 minutes in the first quarter. When he grabbed a seat next to assistant coach Sam Cassell, the Wizards held a 29-24 lead. Arenas got the Wizards going quickly as he caught the ball in the low post and kicked the ball out to Antawn Jamison for a three-pointer. He then found Nick Young in the corner for a 19-foot jumper, Butler up high for a 17-footer and Jamison for another three-pointer. His best assist came when he zipped a no-look pass to a cutting Jamison for a one-handed dunk. Jamison said having Arenas back provides him much easier looks. "It was unbelievable, having a guy like him," Jamison said after scoring a game-high 20 points with eight rebounds. "On one, I was so wide open I didn't know what to do."

Wizards 101, Grizzlies 92 - Wizards Insider

Mike Miller didn't shoot the ball particularly well (1 of 7), but he had six rebounds. Brendan Haywood, who missed the preseason and the first 75 games of last season with a wrist injury, had six points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots in 28 minutes. Mike James had played well throughout the first week of training camp, but he joined the injured Javaris Crittenton and training camp invitees Paul Davis and Vincent Grier on the bench all night, drawing a DNP-CD.

Wizards-Grizzlies postgame - Outlet

The Wizards have to be happy with what they got out of Jamison (20 points, eight rebounds), Butler (15 points, six rebounds), Young (11 points, two rebounds and a steal), Foye (14 points, three assists, three steals), Blatche (13 points, eight rebounds) and even JaVale McGee's eight points, three rebounds in spot duty. Saunders said he was happy with Haywood's play (six points, seven rebounds, three blocks), but that he felt like defensively the team didn't give him enough help, and that offensively he would have liked to see him get more touches. But all in all, the Wizards come from this game without any glaring concern areas.

Wizards host Grizzlies at VCU preseason opener - Wizards Examiner

Tonight fans of the Washington Wizards got to see Arenas as a "true point guard," Brendan Haywood as a shot-changer, and a first look at the offensive powerhouse that is the Washington Wizards. Stevenson and Foye showed their range while Miller showcased his passing talents. Frontcourt reserve duo JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche complimented each other inside and out of the paint respectively in the fourth and ushered in the first win of the preseason.

Griz notes: Iverson sits with hamstring injury - Memphis Commercial Appeal

The Griz saw their first action with the NBA's replacement refs, and it wasn't a smooth experience. On one possession, the Griz had just four players on the court because rookie DeMarre Carroll sat at the scorer's table when he was supposed to replace Zach Randolph. Action continued and Rudy Gay intentionally fouled to stop play. There were 55 fouls called in the game.

Preseason: Wizards Wrap-Up - Straight Outta Vancouver

Michael Conley was perhaps the lone shining example. Sounds like he controlled Gilbert Arenas and forced him to pass more frequently then Agent Zero normally likes him to. His stats suggest an efficient and effective offensive game.

After you check out the latest news from The Onion about Juwan Howard, you can check out the top tweets from last night's game.

Top Tweets

Twitter / Michael Lee
Flip Saunders on making his debut with the Wizards: "I hope they aren’t going to judge me on the preseason games."

Twitter / Washington Wizards
http://twitpic.com/kj3rc - Washington Wizards brand new warmups. Tell me what you think...

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Evidently Richmond is "The Most Powerful City In The World" too ... thought only D.C. held that title.

Twitter / The BF gang
Miller with a hook over Haddadi. I think he's been more impressive running p&r than Randy Foye has.

Twitter / Truth_About_It
Blatche tries baseline spin move on Thabeet, weakly loses position and gets his stuff THROWN.

Twitter / The BF gang
Blatche is having a much better fourth quarter than a second quarter. Some great boardwork in the fourth.

Twitter / Mike Jones
So much for the end of "I can't feel my face." Stevenson 3 followed by the hand-wave.

Twitter / The BF gang
JaVale just tried the Hakeem Olajuwon flick at the rebunder move. Needless to say, it didn't work.

Twitter / Trey Ervine
At the wizards grizzlies game! Allen iverson sat on the bench by himself the first half then didnt come out for the second. Smart buy? ...no

Twitter / GoDanica7
@dwadeofficial man, I just got back from the Wizards/Grizzlies game...why Mike Miller look like Linsday Lohan?!?!

Twitter / ChellyBelle
http://twitpic.com/kjqb6 - Wizards v grizzlies mike miller #6. cute white boy! back to the game

Training Camp Invites - Washington Wizards

Jon L — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:01:08 -0000

Vincent Grier is one of two players invited to the Wizards' training camp.

View full size photo »

It's another team that only invited two players, the Wizards. I already covered these guys in a past Ridiculous Transactions, but I wanted to give them a bit more shine here, because I can tell you right now that neither of these players will make the team.

Vincent Grier - Grier is likely here because he, like new Wizards coach Flip Saunders, is a University of Minnesota alumnus. He spent 2006-2007 with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, where he made 40 percent of his threes and averaged five and a half rebounds and three and a half assists per 36 minutes, both of which are decent numbers for a swingman. Since then he's been playing in Europe, and he's an athletic scorer who gets into the lane well. He was a bit streaky in college, though, with a reputation for sometimes-questionable decision-making, and he doesn't have the best footwork on defense. I think he can play in the NBA, it just won't be with Washington.

Paul Davis - At this point Davis is probably becoming better-known for being on the TV show "Millionaire Matchmaker" than for anything he's done in the NBA. He spent the last three seasons with the Clippers, where his per-minute shooting and rebounding numbers were below what you'd like to see from a center. His offensive skills mainly consist of dunks and tip-ins. He's also had some foul problems. I'm not really sure what his next move will be, since as I mentioned he's not going to be with Washington at the start of the regular season. He might get one or two brief NBA looks based on name recognition and his high school and college resume (he was Michigan's "Mr. Basketball" in 2002), but there are multiple D-Leaguers with better games.

Ridiculous Transactions: 9/21-9/27

Jon L — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:00:31 -0000

After playing for their Summer League team, Ron Howard is getting another look with the Knicks.

View full size photo »

There have been many more training camp invitation/signings over the last few days, but I'm going to save most of those for tomorrow. I'll also warn you in advance that I may not cover all of them, just the notable ones. But that's not what this post is about.

September 23: Houston Rockets traded James White to the Denver Nuggets for the rights to Axel Hervelle

I wrote about this (at some length) at the time, but I wanted to add that ensuing events have increased White's odds to make Denver's roster somewhat. First is the fact that Flip Murray signed with Charlotte, then the Nuggets signed Joey Graham. The combination of those moves means that Denver will definitely need bench scoring, which is something that White can provide. His contract is still unguaranteed, as far as I know, but here's hoping it works out.

September 24: San Antonio Spurs waived Jack McClinton

San Antonio's signing of Keith Bogans made McClinton expendable, if he wasn't already with Malik Hairston around. I don't know if this is officially official yet, but McClinton is reportedly about to sign with the Timberwolves, which is a good move for that team. The joke is that they've been stockpiling guards this offseason the way they used to with power forwards, but the team just waived Antonio Daniels (sorry, "came to a mutual agreement that he wouldn't play for them anymore") and Chucky Atkins, and Ricky Rubio isn't going to be in Minnesota for at least a few more years, so they're more shorthanded in the backcourt than you'd think. With the team's guards consisting of Ramon Sessions, Sasha Pavlovic, Wayne Ellington, Jonny Flynn and now McClinton, this has to be one of the youngest groups ever, right?

I'd say McClinton has a decent shot at making the roster from a pure numbers standpoint. I believe he's either the 13th or 14th guy they have (excluding Daniels and Mark Blount). He also was a very efficient scorer in college, which is always nice, and while he's not great at finishing around the rim he has a nice jumper, something that might complement Al Jefferson's game nicely. A lot of observers hailed San Antonio's pick of McClinton because he's ready to play in the NBA now, and I don't see any reason that changes because he moved to Minnesota.

September 26: New York Knicks - signed Ron Howard and Marcus Landry; Washington Wizards - signed Paul Davis and Vincent Grier.

Landy was on Sacramento's Summer League team, where he made almost 42 percent of his three-pointers and provided some occasional rebounding, and he didn't turn the ball over much, either. Howard was a very good defender in the D-League last season, though he didn't provide much consistency in the way of scoring or rebounding. He was on New York's Summer League team though he didn't always play much, so this is a nice little surprise of a signing.

September 27: Ime Udoka - signed with Portland Trail Blazers

A homecoming of sorts, as Portland was the site of Udoka's first real NBA success three years ago after he'd been hanging around the D-League and Europe since 2002. His scoring output in pretty much every category has steadily declined since then, which makes some sense since he's now 32 years old. He miiiiiiight be able to make the roster since the Blazers' other recent signing of Juwan Howard shows that they're looking to veteran it up and make a title run, but the team also already has anywhere from three to six guys who play Udoka's position.

As for the Wizards signings, Davis is eh. They could've brought better players in, but at this point the Wizards' commitment to finding young, cheap talent may be worse than Philadelphia's, and Davis is unlikely to make the team anyway. Grier has played in Europe the past few seasons, and there as in college he's been an efficient - and prolific - scorer. I'd say he'd be an intriguing bench option for them, but he also has almost no chance of making the roster.