SB Nation - Jackie Manuel

Maine Red Claws 96, Erie BayHawks 75; Free Trey Gilder!...?

Jon L — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:01:45 -0000

At 7-1, now who's laughing at Crusher (hint: still us) (via nbamusings.com)

So now it's my turn to talk about these two teams. It would've been nice if the BayHawks had won so I could tout them a little bit but...

Hey guess what! I'm gonna try doing this recap Scott Schroeder bullets-stylee. Which means it might be even longer than my usual recaps. I know you're going to have fun.

Scott talked about this a little bit yesterday, but Trey Gilder probably should start somewhere. I understand that he's probably not starting in Maine while Bill Walker's around, but Gilder's good enough to make the NBA. It's a nice problem to have for the Red Claws. 23 points on 9-12 shooting and 10 boards for him, both team highs and both off the bench (if that makes sense).
Alexis Ajinca had his biggest offensive output of the (D-League) season with 14 points. Too bad it came on 15 shots. Too, too bad. No free throws either. At least Bill Walker had the good sense to get to the line while shooting 1-5 from the field.
Pro wrestling reference!
Cedric Jackson has had exactly one good game outside shooting-wise this season, so I have no idea why he's attempting four threes. Who does he think he is, Ron Howard? (jokes) The 11 assists are welcome, but let's cut down on this whole "doing-things-you're-not-good-at" thing, shall we?
Come to think of it, none of Erie's players have been that great at shooting so far this year. Ivan Harris was their big three-point specialist last year, but he has only 14 attempts over seven games this year. He's made two of them. Twice? Two times. Jackie Manuel has had some okay games, but then he'll usually follow them up with something like last night's 4-14 outing.
Donell Taylor is having a decent season so far, in that he's ' making 38.5 of his threes, averaging almost six rebounds a game and playing some decent defense, but I can't help feeling like a 27-year old former NBA player should be dominating, and Taylor isn't. Maybe he gets a pass against a stacked Maine team, but six turnovers against Fort Wayne? 9-23 shooting against Sioux Falls? Averaging more turnovers (four) than steals (3.6) on the season? 59 percent free throw shooting? I know he was originally miscast on this team as the starting point guard, but I guess I expected more.
Have you seen John Bryant? No seriously, have you seen him? If they still put pictures on milk cartons, I might suggest doing so with this guy. He got a DNP last night, okay fine, but after pretty much dominating the first four games of the year he shot 4-10 and 1-5. Dude is disappearing, which is kind of tough to do when you're as, uh, big as Bryant is.

Last Night in the D-League: Where NBA-Assignee's Happen

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:34:25 -0000

More photos » by Brian Babineau - NBAE/Getty Images

Bill Walker should probably stick to doing this, not shooting jump shots.

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[This was supposed to go up at 7 am this morning but somehow didn't. So here it is. - JL]

I'm writing this while catching up on three night's of DVR'd "The Sing-Off" so forgive me if this isn't as spot-on as my usual commentary (Whoa! How much did I sound like a young Jeff Potter on that one?). Anyway, back to basketball and not Bea Arthur Whoa(!) montages. Lester Hudson is good. So is Bill Walker. Since they don't need either of these players, I assume the Boston Celtics are good as well (at things other than flagrant fouling Brad Miller... h8u Rondo!)

Lester Hudson had a succesful debut. 25 points (14 in a pivotal fourth quarter), seven boards, six assists and a game-sealing block with three seconds left in a four point game. With former NBAer Donnell Taylor and Cedric Jackson taking turns watching him pop jump shots or fouling him on the way to the rack, I was happy to notice Hudson's athleticism show through in the ultra-athletic-but-usually-without-the-skills-to-match D-League. Unfortunately, I don't think he used enough of it, often settling for jumper's, but shooting 4-for-9 from deep helps ease this pain. He had a couple mental lapses (four turnovers), but that's to be expected when it's the first day on the job and the chemistry isn't quite there.
Bill Walker, please learn that your specialty is not the jumper. Last night, you scored 16 points, shooting 7-of-18 from the field, and by my count, your jumper accounted for four of those makes and 10 of your misses. In my opinion, Billy, this is a problem. No turnovers and six boards is a nice little takeaway though, so props on that.
Trey Gilder is probably a bit upset that he can't get a start in the D-League, even after starting this season with the Memphis Grizzlies (who, despite what you've heard, are not a D-League team). Gilder's long and efficient and getting the mention here because he was the only other Red Claw to score in double-digits, totalling 13 points in 31 minutes off the bench.

And now, since the Bayhawks lost to a team that shot 28 of EIGHTY from the field, they're after the jump. Sorry Bayhawk fans, if you read RU, comment. Maybe we can be friends.

First, a little love for Jackie Manuel from Blog Talk Bayhawk:

[...]Manuel is my early pick for BayHawks MVP. He's just a consistent all-around performer. Whenever Manuel makes a key play, the crowd at Tullio Arena is treated to a sound clip of Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "Jackie Blue." Point is, we heard it often tonight. Manuel dominated the third quarter offensively for the BayHawks, scoring the team's first 8 points. For the game, he scored 15 on 7-15 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots. Not surprisingly, he also led the team in minutes played with 46:25. Manuel has led the team in minutes played in all but one game so far this season.

And now a little (not) love for Big John Bryant from BTB:

[...]after hearing him touted as a potential all-star and watching him fill out the box score to start the season, I'm concerned. Coach Treloar took my advice (wink) and played Bryant just over 17 minutes tonight with Aminu and Gunter seeing increased roles. To Bryant's credit, he pulled down 10 rebounds while he was in there. But he also looked out of sync on offense (1-5 shooting, 4 turnovers) and overmatched on defense (5 personal fouls).

That about sums it up, it seems.

Last Night in the D-League; Big Men Run This League

Jon L — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:00:22 -0000

Rod Benson is just one of the many big men playing well so far this season.

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Watching and/or reading the boxscores from last night's games solidified a theory I've been developing - centers and power forward are owning this league so far this season. That's not to say that there haven't been guards and swingmen also performing well, it's just that around the league, there are a lot of big guys doing solid-to-excellent work. A lot of shooters and slashers are playing overseas rather than the D-League this year, and the guys in the middle are taking advantage.

Update - the play by play data isn't available, but you can now find a PDF of the LA/Reno boxscore here. I go through it at the bottom of this post.

Erie BayHawks 109, Sioux Falls Skyforce 107 (OT)

Here's a good example of what I was talking about up top - John Bryant. The guy is killing it for Erie. He has double-doubles in all four games he's played so far, and in those four games he's shooting 60.8 percent from the field. Last night was probably his best performance yet - 26 points on 12-17 shooting, 16 rebounds (eight of which came on the offensive end) and a team-high four assists. If there's one thing he could improve on, it's getting to and converting from the free throw line. This was his first game with more than four foul shots and he went just 5-9 (he's shooting 53 percent on the season). If he ever figures that part out, he'll be a monster.

It wasn't just Bryant for the BayHawks. Donell Taylor made 14 of his 22 field goals on the way to 28 points (and had eight rebounds), Cedric Jackson finished with 19 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Jackie Manuel grabbed seven boards of his own. Still, Bryant has been this team's driving force so far. Sioux Falls got a solid performance from their own big man, Greg Stiemsma, who had 15 points on nine shots, 11 rebounds and seven blocks. Stiemsma hasn't shot the ball all that well, but his rebounding has been solid so far and he's now averaging a little over five blocks a game. Reggie Williams with 33 points, David Bailey with 10 assists and only one turnover, Joe Krabbenhoft with 10 boards - this team fought back from an 18-point halftime deficit to tie it at the end of regulation, but Leemire Goldwire missed the potential game-winning three at the end of overtime. Fun game.

The rest of last night's action is recapped for your convenience after the jump.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers 94, Tulsa 66ers 89

Garrett Temple had his best all-around game of the season thus far with 24 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. He shot only 1-4 on threes, but given the rest of it, I'm willing to say whatever (which is different than the will to whatevs). The guys up front also played well, with Joey Dorsey collecting 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks and Mike Harris scoring 22 points. Ernest Scott was key off the bench for the Vipers with 13 points on 5-8 shooting, including making three of six three-point attempts.

This is hyperbole, but DeVon Hardin is killing this Tulsa team. The overall rebounding numbers are there, true, and he had seven last night, but he gets lost on defense and overeager to block shots and allows his man to score too easily (did you see Dorsey's and Harris's numbers in the preceding paragraph?). He also doesn't have the burgeoning offensive repertoire that Byron Mullens does; all Hardin can make at this point are dunks and layups, and even then he blew several layups in this game. I haven't really seen anything from him to justify his starting spot or the 28 minutes-per-game that he's averaging. I've said before that he's talented, but the 66ers have two other talented power forwards, Keith Clark and Latavious Williams, who deserve playing time as well. Williams played just under eight minutes last night, all in the first half, and finished with six points, two rebounds and a steal. He also made both of his free throws, whereas Hardin went 1-4. Even giving Hardin somewhere around 20 minutes a night, upping Williams to 10-12 minutes (consistently, no more of this DNP stuff) and keeping Clark at his 15-17 average (rather than the six minutes he played last night) would help improve all of those players' games in the long run and maybe even send a message to Hardin that he needs to focus.

But enough of my DeVon Hardin rant. Mullens played fairly well, with 21 points and nine rebounds, and Larry Owens had nine rebounds, five assists and four stealas. Mustafa Shakur struggled in this one, though, with 15 points on 12 shots and eight turnovers, and overall the 66ers shot just 2-12 from behind the arc and got just 14 points from their bench (six of which came from Williams, remember). They've played six games in the last 10 days, so maybe they just need some rest.

Austin Toros 104, Albuquerque Thunderbirds 103

This one was close all the way through. Malik Hairston had 20 points at halftime for the Toros, but scored only seven more in the second half and fouled out in 35 minutes of playing time. Alonzo Gee also had a better first half than a second, but he finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Dwayne Jones had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but he was also limited by some foul trouble. Justin Bowen played well, 14 points on 6-9 shooting, and Curtis Jerrells picked up seven assists, but this team still has a three-point shooting problem, and they finished just 1-7 as a team (the one make being Hairston's) from behind the arc.

Kevin Pittsnogle got sent to the bench for this game (he still played, he just didn't start), which was a good move not just because he missed all of his field goals (again, which is kind of remarkable to write), but because his replacement in the starting lineup Cory Underwood played relatively well and finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Yaroslav Korolev chipped in on the boards, grabbing 13 (five offensive) to go along with 11 points. The Thunderbirds were really led by Carlos Powell, though, who had 28 points, including 8-11 shooting from the free throw line, four rebounds and a pair of assists.

Utah Flash 104, Bakersfield Jam 99

This game was a little closer than I expected, but then Bakersfield getting 34 points and eight rebounds from Jared Newson will make that happen. Of course, Newson fouled out after 37 minutes of playing time, so it wasn't all positive for him. The Jam also got nice contributions from John Williams (16 points on nine shots, five assists) and Reece Gaines (18 points), but the talent gap was just too great, especially on the boards. Backup center Terrance Gamble had six rebounds, but otherwise no one other than the aforementioned Newson finished with more than three. Utah didn't have that many more rebounds as a team (31-28), but they got solid contributions in that area up and down the roster.

Andre Ingram shot the ball pretty well for the Flash, with 24 points on 8-12 shooting (including 4-7 on threes), and he added five rebounds and three assists. Dontell Jefferson missed all three of his three-point attempts but otherwise played well, finishing with 18 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. Orien Greene also had 18 points, but he turned the ball over seven times. Jason Richards was again nice off the bench, with four assists in a little over 20 minutes, and Carlos Wheeler had 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Idaho Stampede 131, Dakota Wizards 99

What makes the Stampede's total even crazier is that it came on 98 possessions. Anthony Tolliver didn't have a great outside shooting night but got to the line and was able to finish with 19 points on 10 shots and 10 rebounds. Idaho owned the boards, in fact, outrebounding Dakota 49-32, and the disparity matches up with the Stampede's 17 offensive rebounds. Mildon Ambres had nine boards, Cedric Simmons and Emmanuel Jones each had seven and Sundiata Gaines added six to go with his 27 points and seven assists. Tolliver aside the team shot the ball well, with Lanny Smith making all three of his outside attempts, Gaines going 3-6, Ambres 4-9, Roberto Bergersen 2-4 and Mike Gansey making three of his four three-point shots. That's hard for any team to beat.

Romel Beck missed all of this threes but still managed to score 14 points on 22 shots, and David Bell had 24 points despite missing five of his eight three-point attempts. Jason Straight played well off the bench with 20 points on 6-10 shooting, though he also had three turnovers and didn't contribute much else. Connor Atchley played in his first game for the Wizards, getting 12 minutes off the bench, shooting 1-3 and picking up three fouls. You know what? Latavious Williams should get some of his minutes, too.

Maine Red Claws 115, Springfield Armor 89

Hey, so uh...these NBA guys are pretty good. They should, like, play in the NBA, or something. Trey Gilder has been coming off the bench for Maine, something he's not unfamiliar with, but he scored 20 points in 17 and a half minutes last night. 12 of those points came in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, and a lot of them came from the free throw line. Maurice Maxwell just couldn't guard him, and picked up a lot of fouls (he eventually fouled out later in the game). Noel Felix was almost as good, scoring 13 points in 16 and a half minutes. Bill Walker had 17 points and five rebounds, Darnell Lazare also had 17 points, Billy Thomas had 12 points on five shots, and the last time the Armor had the lead was when the score was 5-4.

JamesOn Curry had another nice scoring night, with 20 points on 7-15 shooting, and he added eight rebounds. Of course, he had just three assists (and four turnovers), which helped contribute to a team-wide ball distribution problem; Springfield finished with just eight assists on the night. Major Wingate helped out on his end with 17 points and nine rebounds, although I'm not sure it can be called "help" when no one else was really doing anything. Kentrell Gransberry was limited to playing a little over 17 minutes because of foul trouble, and the other backup center James Cripe had more turnovers (four) than rebounds (three). The Armor fell to 0-4, and I really don't know what the answer is for them, other than maybe "acquire a real point guard." But hey, professional basketball is back in Springfield, MA, am I right?

LA D-Fenders 117, Reno Bighorns 111 (2OT)

This looks like a tough loss for Reno, because several things went right for them. Foremost among them was Desmon Farmer's game. Not just the 37 points and six assists, but also the three turnovers, which is a drastic reduction from what he's done so far this season. The team got double-doubles from Rod Benson (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Marcus Hubbard (11 and 10), Cezary Trybanski had four blocks in 20 minutes, and Doug Thomas gave some solid contributions with 6-7 shooting and six rebounds off the bench.

LA got some nice contributions of their own, obviously. Diamon Simpson played well again with 17 points and 14 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass. Michael Fey had 20 points and eight boards while coming off the bench, and Dar Tucker had a good shooting night (for him), 15 points on 10 shots, including going 3-5 from outside.

A lot of guys were in foul trouble, though, and while I didn't see this game and don't know whether that was a function of all the minutes or because the refs were calling it close, I'm inclined to believe the latter. Benson fouled out in less than 38 minutes, Thomas fouled out in less than 25 and Deron Washington fouled out in 32. Trybanski, Hubbard, Russell Robinson and Horace Wormely all finished with at least four fouls, and they played 20, 33 and a half, 34 and 33 minutes, respectively. Plus, James Jackson, Mo Charlo, Farmer and Reno coach Jay Humphries all got T'd up (and the three players got them at the same time), so there were either some jumpy whistles last night or this game was real chippy.

Tonight's Games Previewed - I Hope You Like Rematches

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

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

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

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

Maine Red Claws at Springfield Armor

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

Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Tulsa 66ers

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

Erie BayHawks at Sioux Falls Skyforce

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

Austin Toros at Albuquerque Thunderbirds

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

Dakota Wizards at Idaho Stampede

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

Utah Flash at Bakersfield Jam

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

Los Angeles D-Fenders at Reno Bighorns

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

Last Night in the D-League; Free Throw Disparities Abound!

Jon L — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:00:17 -0000

One thing we've learned so far: Reggie Williams can score. (via www.nba.com)

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Albuquerque Thunderbirds 119, Austin Toros 110

This is a tough loss for the Toros, because they didn't play particularly poorly. They made half of their threes, more than half of their field goals overall and outrebounded the T-birds. Free throws were the difference, as Albuquerque shot 34 to Austin's 21. Dwayne Jones was a beast, 23 points and 16 rebounds (eight offensive), which shouldn't be too surprising given that he had Kevin Pittsnogle guarding him for most of the game. Alonzo Gee finished with 16 points, but also turned the ball over five times. Curtis Jerrells put together a solid line, 20 points, seven assists and only one turnover (which didn't come until there was less than a minute left in the game), but he also took (and missed) several shots, with 12, 14, 16 seconds left on the shot clock. And hey, Malik Hairston was in the house! He played well, as you'd imagine, with 23 points on 18 shots; he went 8-9 from the line and added five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Make sure you pick Hairston in your Virtual Scout game, I have a feeling he'll make an NBA roster one of these days.

For the Thunderbirds, who actually won the game, Yaroslav Korolev played well, which even with it being the D-League still is weird to read and type. He had 22 points on 13 shots, got to the free throw line (8-11), grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots. See? Isn't that weird to read? Carlos Powell also played well, with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Keith McLeod made seven of his 13 field goals, including three of his five threes, and handed out 10 assists with only two turnovers. Anthony Agudio shot 5-8 for 13 points. 16 of those free throw attempts came in the fourth quarter and there were some other weird calls on both sides, but this is still a solid win.

The rest of the games await you, after the jump.

Rio Grande Vipers 104, Tulsa 66ers 100

This wasn't the blowout I expected (though it was briefly in the third quarter), but Joey Dorsey did grab 12 board. Unfortunately, he also had eight turnovers and shot 3-9. Mike Harris played well, though, with 30 points on 19 shots and seven rebounds. The Vipers also finally got their three-point shooting on track, making almost 41 percent of their attempts, and they also did an excellent job of sharing the ball; 26 assists on 36 made field goals, which is insane. Nine assists for Antonio Anderson, seven from Jonathan Wallace, the latter of whom also had eight boards and did a good job of getting to the free throw line. Kurt Looby even got some run and grabbed eight rebounds in 19 minutes.

Mustafa Shakur's really good, y'all. 24 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, four steals, and he makes it look pretty easy. Moses Ehambe had his shot going early but then struggled a bit, and overall the 66ers made a better percentage of their threes than RGV did. They also made a better percentage of their free throws (roughly 74-66) and had about as many assists as a team (23 on 35 made field goals). That third quarter is what did them in, and there was a parade of blown layups and turnovers. Really, I count nine missed layups. The big men in particular had a hard time hitting shots, with Byron Mullens going 9-21 and DeVon Hardin shooting 2-8. Keith Clark finished 3-5, but both of his missed came on blown layups towards the end of the third. All three of those guys help put the "development" in the D-League, but this could be a frustrating year for Tulsa fans.

Sioux Falls Skyforce 110, Erie BayHawks 101

Erie managed to make 52.5 percent of its field goals and still lost. Part of that was the foul shot disparity (Sioux Falls shot 42 to Erie's 23), and part of it was rebounding. The Skyforce were able to grab 18 offensive boards, including six from Greg Stiemsma. I still don't think Stiemsma is any great shakes offensively (he shot just 3-10), but the 16 rebounds and six blocks were nice work. Reggie Williams was back to his brilliant scoring self,with 35 points on 21 shots along with five rebounds and three steals, and he really was the biggest recipient of those free throws with 14 attempts. Leemire Goldwire finished with decent numbers, 21 points on 7-13 shooting, even though he was 0-5 on threes. Again, free throw shooting helps.

Erie had some guys play pretty well, like Cedric Jackson who had 15 points, nine assists and seven rebounds off the bench, and Jackie Manuel who finished with 20 points on 8-13 shooting. They had some guys play okay, like Alade Aminu who had 16 points but only four rebounds in over 33 minutes, and John Bryant who needed 12 shots to score 12 points but who grabbed 14 rebounds. Then there was Donell Taylor, who was awful. 9-23 shooting, he missed all of his free throws, more turnovers (four) than assists (three), poor defense, and four of Stiemsma's blocks came out of his hands. Dreadful game.

Maine Red Claws 102, Springfield Armor 79

Those 102 points came in just over 94 possessions, excellent work. Of course, having a 41-15 free throw advantage will do that. I didn't catch this game, so I don't know if this was NBA veteran "savvy" or referee-derived, but Maine had better have won with those kinds of numbers, especially on a night they went 1-8 from the outside. Or heck, on any night, no especially about it. I mean, Anthony Terrell played less than three minutes and got four free throw attempts. Mario West played well off the bench with 19 points and 7-7 free throw shooting, and while Alexis Ajinca didn't have the best night offensively (1-7), he grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked five shots.

Fouls aside, Springfield's problem in this one comes down to rebounding. Only 30 total rebounds when all 10 guys played, and no one had more than five (congrats, Kentrell Gransberry); Maine had five players with five or more boards. JamesOn Curry actually shot the ball pretty well, 10-19 from the field on the way to 26 points, but he had just three assists (again, congrats to KG for leading the team with five). No one else really got going, and no one for the Armor could collect the misses. Their total rebounding number was eclipsed by Maine's 36 defensive boards. NBA-quality opponents or no, that's never going to earn a win. Oh, and backup center Major Wingate fouled out in just under 18 and a half minutes. Whee.

Reno Bighorns 101, LA D-Fenders 79

Reno had a weird first quarter. After jumping out to an 11-2 lead behind Marcus Hubbard and Russell Robinson they missed a bunch of shots and faced a nine point deficit at the end of the first quarter. At one point they had missed nine field goals in a row, a stretch that also saw multiple turnovers and Cezary Trybanski miss a pair of free throws. They got back on track once the second quarter started, and they never trailed after four minutes were left in the half. Rod Benson led the way again with 17 points on 8-11 shooting, 10 rebounds and four steals, plus some very good defense on Michael Fey. Backup center Trybanski also played well (aside from those free throws) with 10 points on four shots, six rebounds and an astounding nine blocks. He looked a lot more comfortable on the court when he didn't have to keep up with Idaho's big men. Dave Noel was another steadying presence off the bench with 10 points on 4-6 shooting. Russell Robinson had finished with 10 assists and 10 points, but needed 12 shots to get there. Desmon Farmer had 18 points and nine assists, but he turned the ball over way too much once again with eight. Marcus Hubbard had 16 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, but he started falling back into his old habits of hanging around the perimeter and taking some bad shots. I won't say that Reno got lucky for this win, but Farmer's turnovers and Hubbard's shot selection could be what keeps this team from winning on a lot of nights.

The D-Fenders are an inefficient offensive team, plain and simple. They have multiple guys who need too many shots to rack up the points, guys like Dar Tucker and Deron Washington and Horace Wormely. As a team, LA missed all seven of its three-point attempts, and six of those came from Tucker. Ryan Forehan-Kelly went 0-7 from the field, which is unusual for him. Diamon Simpson had his second straight solid offensive outing with 24 points (along with 13 rebounds); I'm still not sold on his offensive ability, but if he keeps this up I'll have to reconsider. LA will need that offense, too, as long as they have guys taking and missing terrible shots.

Previewing Tonight's Games; Featuring the NBA Players of Both Tomorrow and Yesterday

Jon L — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:00:18 -0000

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

Bobcats assignee Alexis Ajinca joins a loaded Red Claws team in time for tonight's home opener. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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Now this is more like it; five games, some nice matchups.

Reno Bighorns at Los Angeles D-Fenders

Reno is still looking for their first win, and it may just come tonight. Reno's first pair of games came against Idaho, who force teams to run with them, but the Bighorns should be able to play closer to their preferred style here. Michael Fey has had a nice start for the D-Fenders, but Rod Benson should be able to defend him pretty well. They've also acquired Doug Thomas, who I like a little better than Brian Laing (who was waived) coming off the bench. If Desmon Farmer can keep the turnovers down, I like Reno's chances. After the last game, though, that's a big if. The D-Fenders have point guard Gabe Pruitt back, and they also have several guys tall enough and athletic enough to guard Marcus Hubbard wherever he goes on the floor. They have talent, but the fact that Pruitt is still getting acclimated means their offense could struggle.

Erie BayHawks at Sioux Falls Skyforce

There should be some good individual matchups in this one, with Greg Stiemsma having to guard Erie's talented new center John Bryant, and the BayHawks' Donell Taylor likely spending some time checking Reggie Williams (at least he should be). Keith Brumbaugh and Pete Campbell have each shot the ball pretty poorly so far this year for Sioux Falls, but if they can contribute in other areas the team should be okay. Outside of Jackie Manuel's first game, the BayHawks haven't gotten much help for Taylor and Bryant. They'll need someone to pick up the slack (ideally Ivan Harris, who hasn't hit a three yet) to stay in this game, given how many guys can score for the Skyforce.

Springfield Armor at Maine Red Claws

This is already being called a rivalry game, which I guess it is for regional purposes, but let's see how they play against each other first. Maine has a stacked roster now, with ~~five~~ ~~six~~ seven players with some NBA experience (assignees Bill Walker and Alexis Ajinca plus Billy Thomas, Mario West, Will Blalock, Noel Felix and Trey Gilder). It's true that said experience only amounted to about a dozen games for a few of those players, and that Mario West was awful as a pro, and that Blalock has been less than impressive so far this season, but that's still a lot of talent. As for the Armor, well, they've reportedly signed Major Wingate, a talented center who never showed up to Maine's training camp. Plus they have an NBA guy of their own in JamesOn Curry, never mind the fact that he's shooting 31.8 percent from the field and 21.4 percent on threes so far. Actually, you probably should mind that. Even more importantly, Curry has just one more assist (nine) than turnovers (eight) this season. Perrin Johnson and Maurice Maxwell have switched off having good and bad games for Springfield, but who are we kidding; this one could get ugly.

Tulsa 66ers at Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Tulsa won a few days ago, but if you didn't read my write-up of the game (and it's understandable if you didn't; it's really long), there weren't a whole lot of players I was all that impressed with. Mustafa Shakur is good, certainly, but the Vipers have some defenders (like Antonio Anderson) who could keep him in check. Joey Dorsey and Mike Harris also should kill Byron Mullens and DeVon Hardin. Moiderize them. Either Dorsey or Harris could end up with 30 rebounds and 10 blocks. Heck, both of them could. The Vipers have had some players with turnover problems and they haven't been hitting their threes, and the 66ers have some shooters who could get hot, but the skill gap in the middle is just too large.

Austin Toros at Albuquerque Thunderbirds

I was made a fool of the last time I said this, but I'm going ahead with it anyway - Kevin Pittsnogle could be a key player in this game. The Toros just don't really have anyone who can guard him on the perimeter (caveat coming) if he's shooting the ball well. Dwayne Jones is rooted to the paint, Justin Bowen is really more of a small forward (though he can get up to block Pittsnogle's shots) and David McClure is too spazzy. The Toros also don't really have anyone who can adequately guard Carlos Powell. For Austin, they need to get Alonzo Gee involved early and keep looking for him even if he's not hitting shots immediately. More specifically they need to keep running him off of screens, where he does his best shooting. He's the best player on the team, and there were multiple possession stretches against Tulsa the other night when he was flat out ignored on offense. This could be a fun game.

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

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

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

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

Bakersfield Jam at Los Angeles D-Fenders

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

Sioux Falls Skyforce at Dakota Wizards

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

Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants

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

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

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

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

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

Erie BayHawks 85, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 77

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

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

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

Sioux Falls Skyforce 112, Maine Red Claws 95

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

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

Austin Toros 93, Rio Grande Valley Vipers 82

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

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

Utah Flash 100, Tulsa 66ers 85

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

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

Albuquerque Thunderbirds 102, Bakersfield Jam 81

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

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

Iowa Energy 106, Springfield Armor 73

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

...And the Rest (of the returning or allocated players)

Jon L — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:21:54 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Welcome back, Dontell Jefferson. I hope we don't see you for very long. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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I tried finding a picture of the Professor and Mary Ann from the Gilligan's Island credits to go with the headline, but Google Images has failed me. With apologies to all of these teams for not giving them individual treatment either through a story or fanshot, I just don't think I can finish covering all of the teams plus write about other stuff by tomorrow's draft. There's too many of them. So consider this a roundup of the notable (but not all) returning and allocated players that D-League teams will be enjoying, at least in the beginning of the season. Except for Maine, Dakota, Bakersfield and Fort Wayne. Oh, and I'm also not including Springfield, since their most notable players at this point are Marcus Taylor and Kentrell Gransberry, and we covered those guys around the expansion draft. All of the players listed fall into the "returning" category unless otherwise noted.

Even without those four teams this is pretty long (surprise! I wrote something that's too long), so you can read it all after the jump.

Albuquerque Thunderbirds - Antoine Agudio, Keith McLeod, Kevin Pittsnogle (allocation)

McLeod and Pittsnogle both are familiar names, though for different reasons. McLeod is a classic 'tweener, not in terms of position but in terms of NBA vs. the D-League. He's spent the first few years of his career in the NBA, including starting 79 games for the Utah Jazz over two seasons, but he spent last year in Albuquerque and also has played in Europe and the CBA. He also has a B.S. in computer science, so he's a smart guy, and given that he's 30 years old (or will be tomorrow - happy birthday Keith!) I wonder if he's not going to hang around for a few more years as an entry into coaching. Pittsnogle is more known for his college exploits though that was what, four years ago now? Since then he's played in the D-League (for Austin and Albuquerque), the CBA and in France. Last I heard he was coaching high school basketball and out of shape (due in part to a thyroid condition), so it will be interesting to see how he looks when the season starts. Agudio isn't that familiar of a name, but he's an excellent shooter (he made around 43 percent of his threes last year), and not much else.

Austin Toros - Dwayne Jones, Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson, Curtis Jerrells (allocation)

So that's where Dwayne Jones went. I've talked about him on this site probably more than his talent warrants, because although he's a very good post defender and rebounder, there's not much else to his game at this point. Not that he hasn't been working hard on it, and his free-throw shooting improved steadily over the course of last season, but he's still pretty limited offensively. So's Johnson, for that matter, who can occasionally get hot shooting threes, but more often than not has 1-6 nights. Also, he may be one of the few people who has a great nickname but an even better real name. He almost never turns the ball over, though, which is typically what you want in a point guard (although he also doesn't pick up many assists, which is the other thing you want in a point guard). Jerrells will, I assume, take the backup PG spot now that Stanley Burrell is playing in Europe, but the distribution of minutes between him and Johnson will be something to watch as the season goes along. He was one of San Antonio's last preseason cuts, and in the limited action I saw he was decent, and the Spurs may want to get in enough work to improve his game. Of course, there's one guy missing from the list (I didn't exclude him, he's just not on the list), and that's Marcus Williams. My hope and assumption is that either the team didn't think he would be cut before it submitted its list, or they have to wait until they're at the top of the player pool before he joins the D-League. I suppose it's also possible that he's still exploring the overseas option, as he'd do great over there, but I hope not.

Erie BayHawks - Ivan Harris, Jarvis Gunter, Jackie Manuel, Oliver Lafayette, Rob Kurz (allocation)

I've talked about Kurz a lot recently between Summer League and the preseason, but to review he's a 6'9" three-point shooter who doesn't offer much else. That also sounds a bit like Harris, doesn't it? Harris was second in three-point percentage among forwards last season and sixth overall in the league. Gunter was a backup to Erik Daniels last season, but with Daniels currently in the Ukraine, Gunter should take on a larger role. He's an athletic rebounder, but doesn't have great hands and hasn't shown much scoring ability thus far. Jackie Manuel, on the other hand, may have his role reduced a little bit with Kurz around. Manuel's a decent rebounder for a small forward, but doesn't have much of an outside shot. I'm not a huge fan of Lafayette, as he's not a very efficient scorer, but he put up a triple-double last year so there's that. This team made the playoffs last year, but they'll need to replace the production of Maureece Rice and Erik Daniels, who while inefficient still offered the team something as a point-center.

Idaho Stampede - Lanny Smith, Roberto Bergerson

Both of these guys should do well in Bob MacKinnon's offense, though Smith probably needs to up his three-point shooting percentages a bit. He's not really a shooter, more of a distributor/defender, but Colorado's point guards spent a decent amount of time playing off the ball last year. Bergerson could be a bench version of Billy Thomas, in that he's a streak-shooting veteran. He made around 70 percent of his threes last April, though that was far above his season average.

Iowa Energy - Anthony Tolliver, Curtis Stinson

I don't expect Tolliver to be in Iowa for very long, as he's had some NBA looks recently, and it talented enough to make all of his shots in a Summer League game. Expect him to be an early scoring leader, though. Stinson is a solid all-around point guard and a good rebounder for his position, though turnovers were a big problem for him during Summer League. He was invited to the Bulls' training camp but only spent a few days there before being waived, so he didn't really get a chance to show NBA teams that he's not as turnover-prone as he seemed in Vegas (he's not). Jeff Trepagnier and Mark Tyndale are also here, but I didn't really feel like talking about them, which should be understandable.

Los Angeles D-Fenders - Ryan Forehan-Kelly, Joe Crawford, Earl Barron, Longar Longar, Gabe Pruitt (allocation)

Until given a reason to do otherwise, this season I'm going to stop pretending that this team is directly affiliated with the Lakers, because other than the uniforms you really wouldn't know it based on how the Lakers participate in the relationship. Crawford's a case in point, in that he could've been the Laker's future backup PG, except they sent him down to the D-Fenders and then forgot about him. It's true that the Shannon Brown (which is how everyone needs to start referring to the Adam Morrison deal) has worked out reasonably well, but they didn't even consider the in-house option. Crawford spent a few games with the Knicks last year, where he didn't shoot the ball particularly well before being released. Forehan-Kelly is a pretty good all-around player who's not great at any one particular thing but good at many things (actually, he's very good at shooting threes). "I can't be out of Earl, I'm the" Earl Barron has spent some time in the NBA, and is an okay rebounder and shotblocker, but he was injured for part of last season and will need to show this year that he's recovered. Longar Longar has had his moments, though I'm generally not a huge fan of slow guys with bad hands. Pruitt is an okay shooter, making 36 percent of his threes last year in the D-League, and he doesn't pick up that many turnovers. Don't be surprised to see him and Crawford playing a lot of minutes alongside each other. No Sun Yue either. WHERE IS MY SUN YUE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Rio Grande Valley Vipers - Cliff Clinkscales, Stanley Asumnu, Marcus Hubbard, Kurl Looby, Julian Sensley, Garrett Temple (allocation)

I need to Basically this team is returning a lot of players from what was an abysmal squad last year. The individual talent is there, as Clinkscales is a solid point guard and Looby started growing into a dominating force in the paint, so perhaps new coach Chris Finch can pull it all together. He's said that he prefers an up-tempo, three-point shooting style of play. Marcus Hubbard is probably salivating at that prospect, as he fancies himself a three-point shooter, even though he's not very good at it. Neither are any of the other guys I listed, come to think of it, except maybe Sensley. They all can handle the up-tempo bit, though. This should be an interesting personnel-coach match to watch. I'd also expect to see at least one player assigned from Houston this year, although Chase Budinger has looked better than I expected coming off their bench.

Reno Bighorns - Rod Benson, Russell Robinson, David Noel, Daryl "Majic" Dorsey

Both Benson and Robinson should - repeat, should - get NBA looks at some point this season. The return of boom tho can only mean good things, both on the court and off. He's a very good rebounder and shotblocker, very athletic, and has been working on his shot. If NBA teams lighten up a little bit, he's one of the best big men in the league. Robinson performed well running Orlando's offense during Summer League but was a little shakier playing for Cleveland this preseason. He's a pretty good scorer and distributor, and could see some continued NBA attention. Noel's a solid all-around wing player who can defend, score, shoot threes and distribute the ball a little. Dorsey is a pretty decent PG who's very quick and is does a good job of getting to the basket. This is a pretty good core.

Sioux Falls Skyforce - Keith Brumbaugh, David Bailey, Greg Stiemsma, Joe Krabbenhoft (allocation)

Krabbenhoft's already been covered, so moving on. Bailey's a relatively efficient scorer and good three-point shooter, and he does a decent job of distributing the ball. He also gets a fair amount of rebounds for his position/size. Brumbaugh is also a pretty efficient scorer (moreso than Bailey) and shoots well from the outside. He's 6'10 but doesn't play inside much, and he also can run into foul problems. Stiemsma was actually drafted by a Korean team, but that appears not to have worked out. His per-minute numbers were decent last year, but he averaged only 14 minutes a game. So the real production wasn't what it probably could have been. This team might struggle early on to replace some of Kasib Powell's points and rebounds.

Tulsa 66ers - Keith Clark, Moses Ehambe, Steven Hill, Larry Owens (allocation)

Clark was draft-eligible after last season, except he didn't really play well enough for anyone to draft him. He's talented, certainly, but at some point he got it into his head that he could make three-pointers, when he really can't. He's a decent rebounder and can score a little bit, but he's not very efficient, and watching him last year one got the impression that he was still relying on his athleticism rather than using any kind of technique or putting up smart shots. Ehambe, on the other hand, can make three-pointers, 41.5 percent of them last season, in fact. That's really the extent of his game, as he shot worse on two-pointers than he did threes, and he didn't provide a ton in the way of rebounds, assists or steals. Hill averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes last season before running into some injury problems. He's from Branson, Mo., so expect a lot of Branson, Mo., jokes this season. Larry Owens has spent the bulk of his career thus far in Europe, but got some looks from New Orleans in Summer League and the preseason, He's a power forward who shoots a lot of threes but doesn't rebound much. Sometimes his threes go in, and sometimes they don't, as in last year's EuroChallenge when he shot 18-110 from behind the arc. I know I've referenced that stat before, but it's pretty amazing to look it. Although if you spend too much time staring at it you'll probably turn into stone.

Utah Flash - Dontell Jefferson, Bennet Davis, Andre Ingram, Gavin Grant, James Lang, Carlos Wheeler, Luke Nevill (allocation), Lee Cummard (allocation)

Last team, I promise. This team returns a lot players, and given that they made the D-League Finals we should probably expect them to do well early on. Especially since Jefferson is back. I really have no idea why the Bobcats cut him, since he's a lockdown defender, has proven he can score in the D-League, and Charlotte is pretty terrible. But whatever, I'm sure GM (or whatever his title is) Michael Jordan knows what he's doing. If you're interested in learning more about Dontell Jefferson, why not read this interview? Picking up Luke Nevill was a decent move, as he can probably challenge Lang for whatever spot in the rotation Lang has. Ingram's a pretty good three-point shooter, as is former BYU guard Lee Cummard. Cummard's also a decent rebounder for a shooting guard. Bennet Davis can block shots and be athletic but not much else, but it'll be interesting to see if he brought anything back with him from the Nets' training camp.

Playoff Game Thread: #1 Colorado vs. #7 Erie

Jon L — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:00:13 -0000

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Colorado is, without a doubt, the deepest team in the D-League. They're an up-tempo team with multiple scoring options off the bench and can rebound with anyone. Erie, on the other hand, has NBA-vet Erik Daniels and rookie Maureece Rice. That's not entirely fair, but in picking the 7 seed BayHawks (score one for the new playoff format), it's not exactly like Colorado sought out a tougher matchup. I'm sorry if this sounds dismissive, I'm just a huge fan of what the 14ers do.

Colorado

Possible starters:

Scott would probably throw something if I didn't start with Josh Davis. The guy does a little bit of everything - rebound, shoot threes, defend. He's tied for third in the league in per-minute scoring averages, second if you take out James White. He's second among forwards in steals and FT percentage, and is a guy every D-League (and NBA) team should want.

Surprise surprise, I'm mentioning Dominique Coleman next. Coleman's another do-a-lot type of player. He can hit threes, distributes the ball well for a shooting guard, is an excellent rebounding guard, and made RU's all-defensive team. Coleman had a triple-double back in February, but my favorite line of his might be from March 21, when he scored 30 points on 19 shots, including making four of his six threes, with nine rebounds, four assists, eight steals and only one turnover. The main area he could improve on is free throws, as he shot just .698 from the charity stripe.

Point guard Eddie Gill has had a few stints in the NBA, and he's a solid stop-gap there. Here, he runs the offense extremely well, keeping the tempo up and coming in third in the league in assists per 48 minutes. He's not a great shooter, but with all the other weapons this team has they don't really need him to be one.

Joe Dabbert is a decent rebounder, ninth among forwards per 48 minutes (though Austin's Serge Angounou doesn't play much, so you could say Dabbert's eighth). He starts at center, and the 14ers usually try to feed him the ball early, but he's the most fouling-est player in the league so he plays less than most D-League starters.

I'm listing Billy Thomas as a starter here, though there's a slight chance Sonny Weems may get the call instead. Thomas technically plays the small forward position for Colorado even though he's more of a guard-type. If it seems like he's been around forever it's because he has, but he's a steady player who occasionally has a good game but most of the time gets lost in the shuffle of the 14ers offense.

The bench:

Sonny Weems is on assignment from the Nuggets (you may remember him from no one knowing who he was during the dunk contest), and he really should get a shot to make their roster next season. He's a scoring machine (though not always efficient with it), and tends to play a lot of minutes even when he's not starting. He doesn't get to the line as consistently as I'd (or probably the Nuggets would) like, but he also a decent ballhandler. Trey Gilder should get drafted later this month, and if he does he's going to make an NBA team very happy with his instant offense off the bench. John Lucas III is a talented point guard who can run the offense (and sometimes plays the off-guard position alongside Gill), though the NBA apparently sees him as too undersized. On the other side of that coin you have Kentrell Gransberry, who although he's a 6'9" center will never be called "undersized" (he's listed at 270). He's a very good rebounder, tied with Kurt Looby for sixth in the league in rebounds per 48 minutes, though he's never played more than 25 minutes in a game this year due to a propensity for fouling. In fact, Gransberry is second in the league to Dabbert in fouls per 48 minutes, and fellow Colorado reserve Jamar Brown is third. What is it with the 14ers big men?

Erie

The starters:

Erik Daniels is a reigning all-NBDL first-teamer, but we don't talk about him a lot here at RU, mostly because we're hoping he gets better. He puts up numbers, sure; he led the league in double-doubles, and his per-game averages are all solid. It's when you break his game down on a per-minute basis that he starts to slide. When you make the conversion he falls from fourth in the league in rebounding to 33rd, and from seventh in the league in scoring to 22nd. The good news for him is that the same thing happens when you look at his fouls, going from seventh in the league to 58th.

I'm starting to like Maureece Rice a lot. He's a pretty efficient scorer and rebounds well for his size (how he got eight rebounds against Reno at 6'1" is somewhat of a mystery). His assists and turnovers are still a little uneven, and his overall assist numbers aren't great, but for the most part he seems to have straightened those out recently.

Ivan Harris is a pretty good three-point shooter, at least I think he is. He's played in all 50 games this year, and his stat page says he shot 42.9% from downtown this year, but when I tried looking up the league three-point stats he's not listed at all. Assuming his individual page is correct, he should rank second among forwards in three-point percentage, and tied for sixth overall.

Jackie Manuel also isn't listed in the league stats for some reason. His biggest asset is his rebounding, though even then he'll sometimes follow up a nine-rebound game with a two-rebound game. Manuel's an okay shot blocker, with four four-block games this year and a five-block game. He's also a small forward without much of an outside shot - he's only taken 22 three pointers all year, and still managed to make less than 28 percent of them.

Oliver Lafayette is another mostly-inefficient scorer. He's not afraid to pull the trigger on his three-point shot, but his average there is only .328. He had a triple-double against Utah in February, but even then it was an 11-10-11 in 42 minutes. If it's okay with you I'm going to stop talking about Oliver Lafayette.

The bench:

Tony Bethel may get the start ahead of Lafayette, but he's another up-and-down scorere. Here are his point totals for the month of March: 13-32-5-13-0-10-4-0-15-9. He's also an even worse three-point shooter than Lafayette. As much as some commenters might try to convince us that he plays center so Daniels doesn't have to, Jarvis Gunter doesn't really play a whole lot. He'll have the occasional solid eight-points-and-seven-rebounds-in-19 minutes game, but just as often will only throw in two and three. The other backup center is Darian Townes (which sounds like the name of a mixed-use development), and while he ranks fourth in the league in rebounds per 48 minutes, he also averages less than 14 minutes per game (and has only reached double figures in minutes in six of his last 14 games), so I have some sample-size doubts.

Poll

Who do you think will win this game?

Colorado 14ers

22 votes

Erie BayHawks

13 votes

Chocolate microscopes?

2 votes

37 votes | Poll has closed