SB Nation - Brandon Heath

D-League Elite Camp

Jon L — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:18:16 -0000

Walker Russell will be among those participating in the D-League's pre-NBA Draft mini-camp

Is that enough hyphens for you? The D-League has apparently put together a group of players to workout and scrimmage in front of NBA teams this weekend. These are players who weren't called up and/or currently don't have NBA contracts for next season. As I understand it, the D-Leaguers will be running through some drills as well as playing some games, though I'm not sure whether they'll be 5-on-5 or 3-on-3. Here's who was invited to the D-League "mini camp":

Point Guards

Walker Russell

Maureece Rice

Curtis Stinson

Russell Robinson

Brandon Heath

Shooting Guards

Lanny Smith

Ron Howard

Denham Brown

Mark Tyndale

Small Forwards

Brent Petway

Bobby Jones

Ivan Harris

Taj McCullough

Keith Brumbaugh

Trent Strickland

Power Forwards

Chris Ellis

Will Frisby

Mohammed Abukar

Marcus Hubbard

Antonio Meeking

CJ Giles

Centers

Rod Benson

Dwayne Jones

Coleman Collins

Joe Dabbert

Eric Dawson

Longar Longar

On the whole, I think this is a really smart idea on the D-League's part, giving some exposure to some of their top players. Some individual teams have already looked at groups of players, but hopefully doing it this way will get the players and the league some wider exposure and help get these guys invited to training camp. There are some players I'd expected to see but don't, though I assume that's because they've maybe already gotten Summer League/training camp invites and I haven't heard about it (it really feels like I was out of town for closer to a month than a week). I'm also assuming that any of these players who don't get subsequent NBA invites have a good shot at being on the D-League's Summer League team. I hope they games are 5-on-5, as that's what NBA teams seem to prefer, and it might give these players a leg up on some more marginal college draft prospects who are only playing 3-on-3. Some position-by-position thoughts are after the jump.

Point Guard

Russell and Rice have been talked about a fair amount on this site, with Rice providing some scoring punch and Russell being more of a distributor, with occasionally too many turnovers. Stinson is a solid all-around point guard, being a decent rebounder for his position and collecting double-digit assists in six of his last seven games this past season (and got 9 in the other game). Neither Robinson nor Heath will give you assists on a consistent basis, but both averaged over 33 percent on three-pointers this past season and Robinson is a solid defender. Teams will definitely see some different looks at this position.

Shooting Guard

Lanny Smith has been recovering from injuries the last few years, but he's definitely talented. Howard's a good defensive player, though he's kind of in between a guard and a forward. Denham Brown had an up-and-down season, though he showed flashes of being a solid contributor. Not much of a three-point shooter, though. Of all the players on this list, I probably know the least about Mark Tyndale. He was apparently a decent bench contributor for Dakota last year.

Small Forward

Petway's apparently signed on with Toronto, at least for the Summer League, so I'm not sure if he'll still be participating here. Ivan Harris can definitely shoot the three. I'm not really enthralled with McCullough, though you have to admire the fact that he's not giving up. Jones and Strickland are both solid players, though for different reasons. Bobby Jones is a good defender who was almost called up by the 76ers last year, while Strickland's more of a scorer, though not a very efficient one. And I'm not really sure why he's listed as a forward but Howard is a shooting guard, when Strickland shoots more threes. And okay, I lied. Of all the players on this list, I probably know the least about Keith Brumbaugh. He apparently averaged 35 points in (community) college, though.

Power Forward

Abukar can fill it up, though he missed some time last season due to injury. Ellis is a good rebounder and a decent all-around forward. Frisby is definitely talented enough to make the NBA, though he might be slightly undersized for some teams' liking and occasionally gets into foul trouble. I feel the same way about Meeking as I do about McCullough. Giles and Hubbard are both probably best described as projects. Hubbard in particular needs to work on his post defense.

Center

Boom Tho Rod Benson will get a chance to show off his increased commitment to weight training in addition to his usual rebounding and shot-blocking. Dwayne Jones is another good rebounder and shot-blocker, though his post offense needs a lot of work. You can think of him as the D-League Dwight Howard, if that helps you. I'm kind of surprised to see Dabbert listed, though when he's not getting into foul trouble he's a decent rebounder and has some post moves. Collins I had figured as more of a power forward, but whatever helps him make the NBA, I guess. His playing time was inconsistent last season, though he's an efficient scorer who put up decent numbers when he got minutes. I'm not a huge fan of Eric Dawson, though he spent a fair amount of time playing out of position and had some nice moments last season. Longar Longar has been making the rounds of recent team tryouts, though he's kind of slow with bad hands, and is already 26 despite being only a year out of college.

D-League Dudes Aplenty in Big D (and I do mean Dallas)

Scott Schroeder — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:53:07 -0000

Sorry to interrupt this weeks regular scheduled programming... regular scheduled programming.

Mr. Matthew Brennan has done the gentlemanly thing and started blogging about the D-League again now that I've quit blogging exclusively about the D-League (though I've heard via the e-mails that many people, inside and outside the D-League want me to continue, so I can't give it up quite yet - I give my peeps what they want).

Today he tipped the world off to something I alluded it to a couple of weeks ago, before I had all of the details - the Dallas Mavericks are holding a big ol' audition for the D-Leaguer's (and random other players that played in the league you've most likely forgotten by now).

Last seasons D-Leaguer's in Dallas are as follows: Blake Ahearn, Andre Brown, Mickael Gelabale, Brandon Heath, Herbert Hill, Trey Johnson, Trent Strickland and Anthony Tolliver. Not a bad group, not an outstanding group.

Here's the rest of the players at the tryout: Hassan Adams, Shan Foster, Sundiate Gaine, Mike Green, Quinton Hosley (is this really a basketball player?), Mike Jones (who?), Jeff McInnis, Austin Nichols, Richard Roby (Iike him), JaJuan Smith, Chris Taft and Yuta Tabuse.

My question: Which teams wins?

D-League vs. non-NBA

G: Brandon Heath vs. Jeff McInnis

G: Blake Ahearn vs. Hassan Adams

Wing: Trey Johnson vs. Shan Foster

Post: Anthony Tolliver vs. Richard Roby

Post: Andre Brown vs. Chris Taft

6th man: Herbert Hill vs. Yuta Tabuse

Poll

Which team wins?

D-League - Hooah!

37 votes

Not D-League - Boo-Yah!

45 votes

82 votes | Poll has closed

Blake Ahearn is Better than You - Last Night In The D-League

Scott Schroeder — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 14:30:08 -0000

Big news in Wizards world last night, as Blake Ahearn broke the career record for 3-pointer's made with 202 in just 75 games so far with Dakota. Considering next year is the 15th season of basketball, this is pretty cool. Congrats Blake!

Kinda like Marat Kogut and his magic, Ahearn can twist his body while shooting!

Continue on for highlights, lowlights and anything else I noticed in last nights D-League games! With five games, there was a lot!

Dakota 123 @ Erie 117

Dakota's best player, as we've already touched on, was Blake Ahearn. Not much I can say about Ahearn that everyone hasn't heard, so we'll just get to his line. In 40 minutees, he scored 35 points on 16 shots, hitting seven of his 10 3-point attempts. Blake Ahearn is a man. He's got the chest hair to prove it.

Other notables for Dakota include Mo Baker, who finished with 20 points, 10 boards and six assists from the point guard spot. This was Baker's seventh game this season with double-digit rebounds, and he's a 6'1" guard. Romel Beck, while starting to look like a black hole on offense, did have a clutch 3-pointer, so I've got to give him props on that. He finished with 15 points. Usually a Wizard big man would be in this space at all, but unfortunately, this game was officiated by Ben Taylor and Nick Buchert, who are fast becoming the worst refs in the D-League Congrats Marat. Still the D-League has them work together every game I see them. Dear D-League, please put a stop to this. For the good of D-League basketball.

Erie was led by Maureece Rice, who has been a man on a mission lately. His mission, apparently, has been making Erie win games, as they came in winning nine of their last ten. This game, Rice had 24 at the half, and somehow was open for every shot attempt. While I predicted a shootout between Ahearn and Quincy Douby, Rice really stole the show for Erie. Rice finished this game with 36 points, nine assists, and just one turnover. Great game from the rookie.

Other notables for Erie included Douby, who made his Erie debut. In 16 minutes off the bench, he had 16 points, jawed with Ahearn to the point where I figured they'd get double-technicals, and thoroughly impressed me with his defense. Possibly this years version of Dahntay Jones? According to Matt Brennan (I know - I'm popular), probably. Erik Daniels was a bit of a non-factor, scoring 17 points and grabbing just five boards. Not used to that. Nor am I used to the fact that he started the game guarding Ahearn. Awkward!

Austin 111 @ Tulsa 108 - Overtime

WTLC liveblogged this one, so I'm going to direct you over there. I've got nothing to include that they didn't, save for the fact that this was mentioned in the comments: "A 66er girl had a wardrobe malfunction…a la Janet Jackson." Plenty of pictures over there, but none of this. Sorry fellas.

Los Angeles 100 @ Idaho 111

This game wasn't futurecasted. Second night in a row that a game wasn't. First night was when Carmelo Anthony was going to do play-by-play at a 14ers game. Tonight, when Sun Yue was playing, the most marketable D-Leaguer worldwide. This is, as they say, not really good at all.

Idaho outrebounded LA by 24. That's a lot.

Stud for Idaho was Lance Allred. Wow. I don't have any analysis on this since I couldn't watch any of it, so here's his line: 29 points, 5 boards, 30 minutes.

Other notables for Idaho were Kevin Burleson with 14 points and 10 assists and Jason Ellis off the bench with 11 points and 15 boards. Nate Jawai had 15 points and nine boards before fouling out in 27 minutes. Needless to say, he has to calm that down a bit. Regardless, Idaho is 4-1 with Jawai in the lineup, Toronto is 0-6 with Jawai in the D-League. Coincidence? They doubt it.

Los Angeles was led by Dwayne Mitchell with 34 points. I have a feeling this team has chemistry issues. As per no futurecast, I have no other outlook on his stats.

Other notables for LA were Brandon Heath with 20 points, six boards, and five assists. Sun Yue is terrible. Case closed. I will not listen to any arguments. We've given him three games. He is not the guy I thought was coming over. This game, he had seven points, shooting 3-for-10 from the field.

Utah 108, Bakersfield 96

I didn't watch the majority of this game either, due to my frustration with the above. I'm really glad it's tournament time! Locally and nationally!

For Utah, as I assumed, Mo Almond beasted. This line shouldn't surprise you - 29 minutes, 29 points, 10-of-14 from the field. Unless he has a bad attitude, I can't understand why Utah wouldn't want to bring him back next year.

It seems Utah was pretty much a one man show, so I'll just mention Utah coach Brad Jones' rotation in this spot: Jones suited up eleven guys and ten played more than a quarter of action. Kevin Kruger had the most minutes, but still under 36.

Bakersfield was led by Trey Johnson. Johnson went off as usual, scoring 28 points on 16 shots. NBA teams, call him up. K? Thanks! Bye!

Nothing else too notable for Bakersfield, so we'll go with a former March Madness star: Mateen Cleaves had six points, six assists, and four turnovers. Not quite his Michigan State numbers.

Reno 118, Sioux Falls 116

The Boom Tho Movement is once again, well, a movement. After becoming stagnant overseas and then in Dakota, it appears Rod Benson, AKA Boom Tho, has found his mojo in Reno. Coming off the bench in 32 minutes, Benson scored 30 points (possibly a career high? Rod, let me know), grabbed seven boards, and swatted three shots. Since getting to Reno fives games ago, Benson is averaging 14.2 points, 6.2 boards, and THREE POINT SIX blocks per game, all off the bench. I like this.

Benson got the opportunity to go off due to a knee injury to Patrick Ewing Jr (Sorry Chris). The announcers speculated everything from a torn ACL to a knee sprain. I'll get the official report this morning. Ewing finished with 19 points in 22 minutes. Russell Robinson played well, even though his Kansas Jayhawks aren't, much to the chagrin of some D-League GM's. Robinson had 20 points, shooting 8-for-15 from the field. David Noel also had a solid game with 19 points, eight boards and eight assists.

Sioux Falls was led by Frank Williams, so R-Rob probably wasn't that great on the defensive end. Williams finished 31 points, two assists and five turnovers. Ouch. This just in: don't leave him open.

Other notables include David Bailey, who was injured mid-game, got blocked by Benson on Sioux Falls second to last possession, and then dribbled the ball off his foot as time expired. He finished with 11 points and six boards in 24 minutes. The Charlotte Bobcats assignees played well, although in limited minutes. Sean Singletary finished with 12 points and seven assists in 23 minutes and Alexis Ajinca had 12 points and six boards in 22 minutes. Bobby Jones was relegated to starting the game in the bench. I'd move Michael Joiner or one of the point guards to the bench instead.

In the League: March 4, 2009

ben.renz — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:05:35 -0000

Los Angeles 123, Fort Wayne 116 - If Fort Wayne wants to get out of the bottom of the barrel, losing to teams with a worse record isn't a good start. Granted though, the D-Fenders are the best awful team in the D-League. Joe Crawford is a star and Dwayne Mitchell had a monster game last night with 27 points and 9 rebounds. Brandon Heath is continuing his tear with 25 of his own and 9 dimes to boot. Fort Wayne lost this one by allowing LA to net 43 in the 2nd quarter alone. The lack of Coleman Collins sure didn't help the Ants, and Chris Hunter being held to 21 minutes is a shame. Walker Russell continues impressing however, with 24 points, 14 assists and 7 boards. LA shot 59% in the win and I've come to like this team, and come to dislike the Ants more.
Iowa 100, Sioux Falls 95 - Here we had my game of the night, and I was actually right in guessing the outcome! So I celebrated this morning with some fruit snacks. JamesOn Curry got 26 minutes off the bench in his first game back with the Energy, and boy oh boy was he a non-factor. 8 points, 3 fouls, 2 steals. JamesOff. Courtney Sims sent a message with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Cheikh Samb to the Knicks? No fellas. Courtney Sims is the better big man. Othyus Jeffers was a beast with 28 points and the little guy grabbed 12 boards while he was at it. Sioux Falls' Kasib Powell had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 dimes in the loss and Chris Ellis pulled down 10 boards, but shot an unfortunate 2 for 9 from the field. The Skyforce played good team ball in this one, but were outscored by 10 in the 3rd and never really recovered.
Rio Grande Valley 133, Albuquerque 119 - The Vipes never trailed in this one and Kurt Looby is getting my NOD OF THE NIGHT with his 11 points, 17 rebounds 5 blocks. Loob's got talent. I've been impressed with his play for a long time. Great game from him. Trent Strickland also had a brilliant game for Rio with 27 and 9 boards to add. The Thunderbirds' just couldn't execute in this one despite Keith McLeod's 34 points, but Mark Walters did have a solid individual game with 15 points, 10 boards and 6 robberies. Too bad it wasn't enough. Albuquerque drops a winnable one to the underachieving Vipers. I feel like this has happened before...

In the League: March 2, 2009

ben.renz — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:33:18 -0000

So last night we had three tight games in the D-League, all worth watching. Patrick Ewing Jr. got my Nod of the Night with his 19 points, 14 boards, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in Reno's win over the Defenders last night in a game that saw 16 lead changes. Patrick's been looking great lately, and he's putting up numbers like this nightly OFF THE BENCH. He may not be his daddy, but we love him the way he is.

Albuquerque 99, Bakersfield 94 - Bakersfield lost this one with their 20 turnovers. It took Derrick Byars 21 shots to get his 20 points and his 5 turnovers contributed (just in the wrong sort of way). Justin Reed had a good game for the Jam though with 16 points 10 boards. Jasper Johnson was the real story for the night however. The kid's been putting up great numbers this season and his 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals last night continued that beautiful trend. Keep an eye on Jasper [to go overseas, as his body just isn't suited for the NBA -- Scott]. David Noel played all but 30 seconds for the Birds and put up 21 points, 16 boards, and dished 5 dimes. Wonderful. Nice win for Albuquerque. Bakersfield is slipping ladies and gents.
Fort Wayne 119, Rio Grande Valley 114 - In this one we saw nearly half the Viper team receive techs, and each team managed to turn the ball over 19 times a piece. But the Ants home fans sure got a show, as the team shot 60% from the field even though the Vipers outrebounded the angrier than usual Ants 47-31. It doesn't help, however, when over half (24) of a teams total rebounds are offensive. Walker Russell looked great last night with 26 points (7 for 10 shooting), 11 assists, and 4 robberies. He needs to watch those 5 TO's however. Chris Hunter looked as good as ever with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 swats. Rio Grande had their bright spots however. Trent Strickland put in 31 and 9 (28 in the first half) and Jawad Williams had 22 and 7 (and 2 blocks to go along with it). Let's just keep down the turnovers fellas.
Reno 125, LA 115 - So yes, Ewing won this one for Reno. Reno's Russell Robinson showed just what he can do last night. He's averaging 10.5 points on the season, and put up 25 last night. I'm betting he has a smile on his face today. Though it wasn't all smiles for Reno. They had to stop Joe Crawford and they did what they could, Crawford still erupting for 32 points and teammate Brandon Heath adding 26. In the end, LA was outrebounded 50 to 34 and that just doesn't do the trick

The Bighorns also re-acquired Garry-Hill Thomas, who played for Utah last season. Thomas had 4 points and 4 boards in 25 minutes last night (was he selling popcorn or playing basketball in these 25 minutes?). In other news, Austin's Marcus Williams is our NBADL Player of the Week as he's been a big part of their 4 game win streak. Congrats to Marcus.

Tonight's only game is Colorado going up against Dakota. This should be an easy win for the Wizards. And let's all take a moment to pray for Rod Benson and his quest to find a Boom Tho girl.

Blake Ahearn - (Not Quite The) Best Point Guard in the D-League

Scott Schroeder — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:55:50 -0000

The Heat could use some depth at point guard, and the only two options out there are Blake Ahearn (Been there; did that, according to Winderman) and Keith McLeod. Wait. What?

According to Ira Winderman, the NBA beat writer I most rarely agree with, the best point guard in the D-League is Blake Ahearn. He is, of course, basing this on the D-League all-star game. And why wouldn't he? It's not like if he wanted to write an informed article there is anything like Futurecast that shows every D-League game for free (Just don't count on watching Dream Factory Friday there!).

While I'm not at liberty to disagree with him (Blake is good), there are quite a few good D-League point guards. Here are the best. Feel free to discuss.

1. Dontell Jefferson -- Averaging 18.3 points, 5.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds for the Utah Flash while being the best defensive point guard in the D-League.

2. Will Conroy -- The HORSE winner is averaging 26.4 points, 8.0 assists for an underwhelming Albuquerque team.

3. Blake Ahearn -- D-League All-Star Game MVP averaging 22.9 points and six assists, shooting 47% beyond the arc for the Dakota Wizards.

4. Walker Russell -- Averaging 16 points and 11 assists for Fort Wayne, but is shooting just 36% over his past five games and seems to be a little banged up.

5. Mateen Cleaves -- Been injured much of the year, but is a veteran point guard averaging 12.3 points and 7.6 assists.

6. Maurice Baker -- The vet is averaging 15.9 points, seven rebounds, and 5.4 assists for the Dakota Wizards.

7. Cedric Bozeman -- I always forget about him, but he can play. 6'6, from UCLA, averaging 17 points, six assists on the season for the Anaheim Arsenal.

8. Curtis Stinson -- Hate to include him, but.. numbers don't lie. The Iowa Energy point is averaging 13 points, 7.8 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game.

9. Brandon Heath -- Up and down player, but is averaging 16 points, for assists, four boards, and was with the Lakers this preseason.

10. Keith McLeod -- The vet is averaging 14 points, 4.8 assists, while shooting 40% from the field and 27% from beyond the arc.

Things Like This Happen All the Time

ben.renz — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:00:13 -0000

Los Angeles beat Idaho, huh? I really didn't see that one coming. Iowa cruised to an easy win against Tulsa to win their fourth straight, and Erie have lost straight with their defeat at the hands of Colorado last night. The D-League is alive, and we have a new five inches of snow on the ground here in Fort Wayne. Boomshakalaka.

Recaps of each game; just click right down there. Ya know you wanna.

Los Angeles Defenders (6-18) 106 Idaho Stampede (17-8) 103

I, like everyone else, declined to watch this game. Usually when the best team recordwise, plays the worst one, you can pretty much guarantee the outcome. Well not in this league, folks. The D-Fenders clawed their way back from a 17 point deficit for the in overtime. LA's Longar Longar (yeah, I never heard of him either) came off the bench and had quite a night. 21 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks. Keep an eye on him; plus, he has a name you aren't going to forget anytime soon. Idaho's Lance Allred was ejected late in the fourth. Classy. Idaho shot 38% as a team on the night. You really gotta expect better from these guys, even without Coby Karl in the lineup (however they did assist on 26 of their 35 buckets). Idaho's Brent Petway had 17 points and 6 rejections in his 28 minutes before he fouled out and Luke Jackson went 5 for 8 from behind the arc for 31 points. Dwayne Jones is worth noting as well. Dude had 18 points and 14 boards. Everyone loves a good double-double. Los Angeles fought hard for this one and Dwayne Mitchell had 23 points in the win. Brandon Heath, though? Seven turnovers. Seven.

Iowa Energy (15-6) 91 Tulsa 66ers (6-17) 78

This is another game you could pretty much count on; and this one happened to actually turn out the way we thought. Iowa led by as many as 29 and outrebounded the 66ers 52-39. Without Courtney Sims. Tulsa's 18 turnovers didn't help either. What a mess. Not to mention both teams were mediocre offensively; Tulsa was 39% and Iowa was 41% from the field. Ew. The Energy's Curtis Stinson didn't help matters with his 3 for 15 shooting and Brian Evans made things harder than they should have been with his seven turnovers (come on Brian, I vouched for you last week; why show me up like this?). Iowa had their bright spots though (plus, ya know, they won the damn game) with Cartier Martin erupting for 31 points and 11 boards, which were lovely packaged up with Othyus Jeffers' 19 points and 9 rebounds. Though, it needs to be noted that Tulsa's Moses Ehambe came off the bench last night to score 21 in 25 minutes. Ridiculous.

Colorado 14ers (14-7) 114 Erie Bayhawks (11-15) 110

Erie's just not getting it done lately. 7 straight losses? That would get anyone down. The Bayhawks shot the ball better but lost the battle of the glass 46-34. Erie's Clifford Clinkscales (another guy with an awesome name; we may have less talent but the D-League has much better names than the NBA) had 11 dimes and Erik Daniels had 33 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals in the loss. But that can be ruined when you miss two important treys at the end of the game and turn the ball over five times. But still. The kid is good. Colorado won this one with two starters out (Billy Thomas and Josh Davis - the latter of which isn't helping my "better names than the NBA" argument. I mean, I just did some research and there are 29 guys named Josh Davis who work in the local mall. Billy Thomas isn't much better. Essentially what I'm saying here: You have very, very common names) and while shooting an ugly 7 for 30 from Treytah. Colorado rookie Trey Gilder had a career night with 33 points, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. You can thank him for the win. Eddie Gill also had 9 dimes as a side to his 24 points and Jamar Brown had 14 monster boards with his 17 points. And yes, guard Dominique Coleman also had a double-double for the 14ers with his 22 and 11. Colorado's looking good. Vernon Hamilton saw his first action in a 14ers uniform, playing 6 minutes, grabbing two boards, and turning the ball over once. He'll be okay though.

My girlfriend's cats are really good at opening doors. They've managed to scare me half to death twice just this morning. So, if I've been scared half to death TWICE...what does that mean? The Stampede take on the Bayhawks tonight for our only game of the night, and both teams are hungry for a win. Idaho dropped one they should have had, and Erie needs to stop their losing ways. This should be a good one. Ah, now her dog just walked in here. That scared me too. It's like the zoo.

A Brick House

ben.renz — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:52:59 -0000

New power rankings were put up yesterday. The Jam are back at the #1 spot, edging out Idaho. I still don't think the Jam are as good as they are being touted as (is tout the right word? It's a terrible word in the first place. "Tout" Come on. Who came up with that one?). Iowa is at number three, but to me they'll be number one as long as Courtney Sims is on the team. And even without Sims, that team is solid. The Mad Ants have been sitting pretty at 12 (0-5 on the road; this fact keeps jumping out at me everywhere especially in nightmares that may or may not include my mother turning into Ragedy Anne). LA rounds off the list at 16 and there's no arguing there. Brandon Heath has been looking especially wonderful however. Keep an eye on him.

Erie (11-9) dropped what should have been an easy win to Anaheim (6-13) last night in a ridiculously low scoring game: 79 - 75 (Anaheim had 13 in the third quarter and STILL managed to pull off a W). Ronald Allen managed to miss 8 shots in just 14 minutes. Both teams shot around the 39% mark. That shouldn't happen. I would have asked for my money back after this game. Yes, Kedrick Brown grabbing 16 rebounds looks good on paper, but when there are 99 opportunites, any 6-7 forward could do this (this sounds unnecessarily mean towards Brown; he did outrebound everyone on the court). Erie got only eleven free-throw opportunities in the game, and since they made just five of those, maybe that was a good thing. Erie's Ivan Harris and Anaheim's beastly James White were really the only bright spots in this stinker. Harris dropped 17 points and White put in a game high 25 points and grabbed seven boards and sent back two Erie shots in the win (however, his 7-17 shooting is a downer). Erik Daniels managed a double-double but this kid cannot be shooting that terribly (5-17). Erie put up 16 more shots than the Arsenal, made six less turnovers, and made a nice comeback in the second-half, but couldn't make the shots down the stretch and lost a very winnable game. Anaheim snaps a five game skid and the Bayhawks are in a bad stretch. Erie Times News has a good recap of the game that isn't nearly as negative as I.

The Colorado 14ers (11-6) and Rio Grande Valley Vipers (7-14) must have felt bad for D-League fans, as the scoring was plentiful in the 14ers 129 - 110 win. It's easy to see what happened here. 62.5% shooting for Colorado. That is ridiculous. Sean Williams shot 12-14 (wow) and finished with 27 points, 16 boards, and 2 blocked shots. His five fouls and five turnovers didn't help I'm sure, but it's nice to see Sean dominating here in the D-League. Now, I don't like Sean's attitude (we all know that story), but I see him as a player who can turn it around. Now if he can do that, stop turning the damn ball over, and watch the fouls, he won't be in Colorado (come on, the 14ers have gotten enough NBAers this season - really not fair at all) all too long (however probably not with the Nets all too long). Joe Dabbert had a very similar game (but with 6 turnovers) and the 14ers big men put this one away. And oh yeah, Eddie Gill dished out 14 dimes. We'll ignore his six turnovers though. Did I mention Josh Davis' 31 points? Colorado owned Wednesday. Alpha Bangura had 26 points for the Vipers, but his name still manages to outshine all of his accomplishments on the court (he has a cool name - along with Kurt Looby). Eh, I could mention some other Viper player's solid games, but it hardly seems worth the effort. I'll just say this. STICK A HAND IN THEIR FACE. It works. It' called defense. It's chanted at games sometimes. Sometimes people come up with clever uses of the word to be obnoxious and wildly original at sporting events. It's awesome. My seventh grade Catholic school basketball coach couldn't get enough of it. I thought I'd share it with you guys. I can keep going with this. But I won't.

There were two games yesterday, but really only one winner. We've got five games tonight, and the Ants are taking on Sioux Falls for the first time since the Carl Elliott - David Bailey swap. Should be interesting... Bailey had a solid night in Tuesday's loss to Utah with 10 points, 7 boards (how!?), and 5 assists off the bench.

The D-League Draft in Review

DakotaWiz — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:21:04 -0000

So, we're about 18 days, 22 hours, 34 minutes, and 47 seconds until the D-League season starts (Thanks, D-League.com!) Anyway, let's look at each teams roster post-draft to better evaluate how each team drafted. I should really wait to do this tomorrow in case some trades went down that we didn't catch, but I'll update this to reflect that if they happen. Also, quick note, every center able to be drafted, was drafted. Dear Mr. Alpert, I think we need to sign more 5's for next year!

This might be something you print out and read when you have about two hours to kill... Went a little longer than planned, but all good stuff, I guarantee it. If you don't think so, E-Mail me (Check my profile) and I will promptly get you a refund.

Tulsa, with the number one overall pick, picked Chris Richard. Like many teams, it looks like they aren't too concerned with having a center, preferring to go with two big forwards in Richard and Ryan Humphrey, a first round pick of the Jazz in 2002. From there, it looks like returning guard Russell Carter will play at the point, Jeremy Kelly at the 2, and Terrell Everett at the 3. I expect Chris Ellis (returning) and Mikheil Berishvili to also be guaranteed spots, with the rest up in the air. With whoever comes back in the trade of Keith Closs, that player could leave just one spot open for the rest of the players, depending on what the 66ers are getting in return.

Colorado, where is Elton Brown? Where is Eddie Gill? I assume at least Eddie will join them soon. If not, it looks like they'll be led by the tandem of James Mays (Great pick considering he was one of the last cuts of neighboring Denver!) and Josh Davis at the 3 and 4, with random fillers in between. If both Elton and Eddie come back, WATCH OUT! The 14ers drafted two of the better point guards in the draft in Marlon Parmer and John Gilchrist, along with rookie Trey Gilder, a skinny 6'9 post, these are my picks to most likely make the team. It looks like Joe Dabbert, who I'm fairly sure his middle name is Barry, as it rings so well, will play the center for them. I'm not sure why he was allocated to them, as he didn't go to school in Colorado, nor has he ever played for them, but being allocated a decent 5 is always good! I'm also fairly certain Eric Osmundson makes the team, as he's my favorite player ever out of UPenn and has played with them the past two seasons. Jamar Brown, a local guy out of Colorado State also will more than likely make it, being a big in this league not so full of bigs.

Idaho looks strong, as they have been since entering the D-League. Coach Gates always seems to put together a good team, and this year shouldn't be any different. They brought Randy Livingston off the court and onto the coaching staff, though his replacement is the very capable, and more than likely redshirt-rookie, Jamaal Tatum, their first round pick last year. They also return Air Georgia Brent Petway and were allocated former BSU Broncos Coby Karl and Reggie Larry. With first round pick and former Bobcat Jermareo Davidson, this team has a chance of repeating. Add in Ernest Scott, who played 40 games with the Stampede last season, big-man Anthony Coleman, and rookie guard Lanny Smith, and this is one of the top teams in the D-League.

Sioux Falls is VERY VERY VERY strong. Wow. Veteran leadership? Check. Point guard Frank Williams played parts of 3 seasons in the NBA and averaged 16 points with the Skyforce two seasons ago. NBA talent? Check! Bobby Jones has played for approximately 47 teams over the last two seasons. Size? You betcha! 7-1 Frankenstein-like Chris Alexander was the last cut of the Thunder in October and averaged 12 and 12 last season for the Skyforce. Good wings? Two of them! First round pick Gary Forbes and returning Carl Elliott are both all around players that will fill in and do everything that the aforementioned players don't. Add in draft picks Michael Adams (who isn't good, but is big!), Keith Brumbaugh (averaged 35 points, 8 boards, 6 assists last season in college), Ty Morrison, a 6'8 rookie combo forward, and either rookie Gary Ervin (Arkansas) or the vet Brock Gillespie, and this will be a team to reckon with.

Bakersfield, do I think even you guys have a strong team? Yes, I sure do! Wait, even when your top 3 players are returning from a season where you finished 11-39?!? Scary, but yes, and not just because Gates Roth and Deane Martin are running the show. Mateen "I'm Not Cryin" Cleaves at the point, Jeff Trepagnier at the 2, Derrick Byars at the 3, Richard Hendrix at the 4, and Nick Lewis at the 5, and this team is scary. Factor in Justin Reed returning in about a month and Trey Lewis coming off the bench, and this team will be 7-deep solid! Terrance Thomas, who played with Fort Worth a couple seasons ago, and David Berghoefer, a soft big man who averaged 11 and 11 over in Germany last year should also make the rotation.

Fort Wayne, I really hope you do well. Bringing back Ron Howard, fresh off a preseason campaign with the Bucks, along with Walker Russell, a strong backcourt is imminent. The front court, however, is suspect. If first round pick Coleman Collins is as careless on the court as he is when driving, you're in trouble (Just kidding Mad Ants! Hopefully we're still friends!). If I learned I was going to be a Mad Ant, I'd be excited too. I like Torree Morris too, mostly because he's 6-10 in a division that includes Courtney Sims, Chris Alexander, and hopefully, for Erie's sake, a big man from the Cavs. Anthony Kyle is fun to watch and should make the team as the backup point guard he's destined to be. Shawn Hawkins should also be a good player for the Ants. Eric Smith, who I believe was referred to exclusively as "Spider" on all of your radio broadcasts last season (New radio guy for the Mad Ants this year for anyone that wasn't a fan of them last year!), should also be consistent off the bench.

Erie, I'm sorry, but I'm just not a fan of your drafts. First, you inexplicably drafted Idaho assistant coach Randy Livingston in the expansion draft, among about 7 other guys that had no plans to play in the D-League this season and Jeff Hagen. Then, in this draft, you take the enigmatic Erik Daniels a combo forward, when it was fairly clear that a big man was in your NEEDS column after the only guy you picked up in the expansion draft, Jackie Manuel, plays the same position. In the second round, you took Taj McCullough, a Winthrop grad and combo forward. You also bring in Manuel. By my count, that's three guys who are best suited to play the 3, and are also your three top players. You never did draft anyone taller than 6'8. Hopefully Cleveland really likes your pick up of Vernon Hamilton, who was in Cavs camp this preseason, and sends JJ Hickson or Darnell Jackson down to help. Jawad Williams is also a possibility, but I'd assume they'd rather cut him then assign him to the D-League, as he's nothing special to develop. They did draft two of the greater names in the draft though in Cliff Clinkscales and Xavier Whipple, so hats off to you, Erie Bayhawks.

Anaheim, I like your team. Good first three picks in NBA vet Tierre Brown, Flight White, and rookie Roy Bright (Another Delaware State guy, just former D-League stud Jeremy Richardson). Good returnees in Mario Boggan and Mike Efevberha. Good allocated guys in Cedric Bozeman, Noel Felix, and T.J. Cummings, son of Terry (Be careful googling him.. NSFW!). Also, good job drafting four bigs! I hope that was due in part to the genius of new assistant Paul Mokeski, as pictured here in his younger days (Courtesy of The Sports Hernia Blog):

Utah had a decent draft. Bringing in Dontell Jefferson, bring back Brian Jackson, and drafting a couple legit rookies in Gavin Grant and Bennet Davis will help. If Kevin Kruger decides to come back to the D-League, this team is solid. If not, hopefully Utah and Boston help out, as your bench looks weak. Marcus Malone, how did you drop to the tenth round? Please prove me wrong in camp, as I thought you looked good down in Vegas.

Reno, big ups. Like what you did in the expansion draft. Damone Brown, Tony Gipson, Andre Patterson, Jesse Smith, and Jamaal Smith are all solid players that can contribute. In the regular draft, not so much. Antonio Meeking, who, as Matt pointed out, apparently added an inch and dropped 30 pounds, though I highly doubt this. Russell Robinson will be able to run your offense, but don't expect points out of him, as I would assume another Kansas alum, Dakota Wizards GM Tom Wagganer, could beat him at a game of PIG. Sung-Yoon BANG! should be solid, but unspectacular, as seasoning in Korea couldn't have helped him much since averaging 12 points with the Roanoke DAZZLE a few years ago.

Dakota Wizards, you're good, but guard heavy. With Mo Baker and Blake Ahearn, they've got to have one of the best backcourts in the league, if not the best. Renaldo Major will be returning from heart surgery and if he can return to his Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All D-League, he'll more than likely earn another call-up. The trade for Denham Brown will be excellent insurance if Renaldo isn't completely ready, and if he is ready, Brown will be one of the top guys coming off the bench in the league. That's four guys with NBA experience. Add Will Frisby, who was a beast last year when he got the minutes, and if he can stay out of foul trouble, he'll get the minutes, and Quemont Greer, who was with the Wizards two years ago when he averaged 17 points and 6 boards during the championship season, and the returnees are good. Then we get to Marcus Hubbard, the last cut of the Hawks this season (Peachtree Hoops wasn't big on him), will more than likely be one of the top athletes in the league and hopefully improves his basketball IQ. The Wizards are lacking on a center, but between Aaron Spears or Brad Stricker and possible NBA assignee Hamed Haddadi, they'll have the size to compete. Don't rule out a return of Too Much Rod Benson, either, who is averaging just 10 minutes and 2 points per game overseas while I assume he is getting paid a bit more than his production warrants.

RGV, not so sure about you guys. First, I really wish you would have dropped the E in Grande, or decided to pronounce it GronDay. Your best returner is Trent Strickland, and though he averaged 13 points last season, they weren't memorable. Allocated guys Kendall Dartez, who has averaged 6 points and 4 boards in 40 D-League games, and Alton Ford, a guy with forgettable NBA experiences who is a lot like Antonio Meeking, are nothing special. Your draftees are better, and include Smush Parker, who fell to the twelfth pick, and Delonte Holland, who I think should be a good D-League player. I'm also looking forward to seeing what Alpha Bangura (Two guys were drafted with bang in their last name) can do in the D-League, as he's been stateside in the minors for awhile.

LA, you surprised me with your first round pick of Jasper Johnson. I can't give a review of him, because I know NOTHING about him, though hear he was a good pick. Keith Butler is really big, which goes a long way in this draft, and therefore a solid 2nd round pick. The rest of your draft, not too much stands out. Your returning player, Darren Cooper, not exciting. Your allocated guys, however, are quite good. Joe Crawford, Lakers last cut, stud. Brandon Heath, another Lakers cut, should be good. Patrick Sanders, the rookie, should play well. Your local tryout guys are all D-League caliber, which is amazing, as I would have thought they would be in the player pool, rather than needing to go the way of the local tryout, especially since two have been drafted before -- Rashid Byrd, AKA Rashid Hartwick, AKA Seven and Sum Change and Ryan Forehan-Kelly.

Albuquerque, led by Coach Coffino, got the steal of the draft when David Noel dropped to the 12 spot. They're also in contention for best backcourt in the draft, returning Will Conroy and Cheyne Gadson, as they both have NBA talent. Cory Underwood, a former street baller, also returns after joining the Sixers preseason roster for a bit. They drafted quite solid as well, bringing in David Monds, Waki Williams (Never seen him play, but with a name like Waki...), another long 4, and Kris Clack, who played with Austin a couple seasons ago. They also brought in Eddie Robinson, who made 10 million dollars for NOT playing with the Bulls, as they bought out his contract, presumably because he was more focused on his acting career, being the lead in Juwanna Mann.

Iowa should be solid. They return Dwayne Mitchell, who left to go overseas mid-season last year and was with the Lakers this preseason, and Courtney Sims, one of the top big men in the league. Aristide "The Ostrich Riding Dawg" Sawadago was also apparently a big returner for them, as one team (I'll leave them anonymous) tried to draft him. Curtis Stinson, a journeyman D-Leaguer who has played 50 games for five teams over the past two years, also returns. In the first round, they drafted Cartier Martin, who sounds more like an alcoholic beverage than a D-League player, and followed that up with Larry AKA "Elias" or "Old Man" Ayuso, and then Othyus Jeffers, who will turn heads in the D-League. They also drafted Oregon State rookie Marcel Jones, who is also apparently pretty good, as another team tried drafting him later.

Austin, I'm glad you got the last pick, otherwise, you'd be a lot scarier than you already are. Returning Marcus Williams (Legitimate NBA player, not computer-steling-already-NBA-player-with-Golde-State-Marcus-Williams), and bringing in Charles Gaines and Malik Hairston, this teams 2,3,4 spots are probably the best in the D-League. Add Squeaky Johnson and first round pick and this team is solid everywhere but the 5 spot, which is probably why they grabbed 6'10 Mohammed Abukar in the 2nd round. They also got "Better Than" Ezra Williams and Michael Sturns, who were both good pickups in the 3rd and 5th rounds. Add in the possible allocation of Ian Mahinmi, and wow.

I'll let Matt rebuttal, as I'm sure we differ, but I'm ranking the great 8 heading into camp:

1. Dakota -- Six returners, 4 guys with NBA experience, going to be great.

2. Austin -- If they get Mahinmi again, pencil them in for the championship.

3. Albuquerque -- Great backcourt, great front court, great team.

4. Idaho -- Won't fall off much from championship season.

5. Sioux Falls -- Scary back court, scary (and scary looking) front court.

6. Anaheim -- LOTS of NBA talent here.

7. Bakersfield -- Legit starting 5.

8. LA/Reno -- LA built from nothing getting lucky with allocations, Reno built from nothing using the expansion draft.