SB Nation - Rob Kurz

Recap: Iowa Energy 99, Ft. Wayne Mad Ants 84

Jon L — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:00:21 -0000

Curtis Stinson and the Iowa Energy are undefeated. (via www.nba.com)

Iowa remained the only unbeated team in the league by beating the Mad Ants, and they did it by forcing turnovers while not giving it up much themselves. Fort Wayne actually got through the entire first quarter without a turnover, but then had 15 the rest of the way. That doesn't sound like a lot, but when your opponent has just 10, that can be the difference. The Mad Ants also are without a real point guard, and had just 12 assists as a team.

Point guard isn't a problem for the Energy, as they have Curtis Stinson, who finished with 16 points on six shots (6-8 from the free-throw line), 11 assists and eight rebounds. Earl Barron has been one of those big men playing well that I alluded to in yesterday's game recaps, but he needed 19 shots to score 13 points. Come to think of it, outside of Stinson, Pat Carroll (9-16, 21 points) and Shy Ely (4-6, eight points), no one really shot the ball well for Iowa. There was solid rebounding up and down the roster, and as I mentioned earlier they limited their turnovers. Nick Nurse's team was in control for the entire game.

It's kind of hard to find good performances for Fort Wayne. Rob Kurz (another one of those notable big men) grabbed 13 rebounds, but he also shot just 3-13. Ron Howard was about as bad, 5-19, and he shot 2-7 on threes. It would be one thing if he were taking 13 shots at or near the rim, but Howard is taking a lot of jumpers that just aren't a reliable part of his arsenal; no way should he be attempting seven threes in a game. Sean Sonderleiter had an okay game, 11 points and seven rebounds, but he was limited by foul trouble, having picked up four in about 24 and a half minutes. This team couldn't move the ball around and couldn't hit shots, which is the pretty much the worst-case scenario for an offense.

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

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

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

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

Iowa Energy 102, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 95

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

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

Utah Flash 112, Bakersfield Jam 92

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

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

Previewing Tonight's Games

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

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

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

Fort Wayne Mad Ants at Iowa Energy

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

Utah Flash at Bakersfield Jam

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

Last Night in the D-League, Where They're Bringing Back Midnight Basketball

Jon L — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:02:20 -0000

Los Angeles D-Fenders 89, Bakersfield Jam 82

Sports Illustrated writer Arash Markazi was at this game. And by that I mean he was the only one at the game. Given that this game started at 9:30 pm local time on a Sunday night the lack of a crowd shouldn't be too shocking, but that is a sad, sad picture. Bakersfield managed to score just 30 points by halftime, and there were all kinds of blown layups and bad passes and missed three-pointers. Coach Will Voigt got himself ejected less than a minute into the third quarter, and I can only assume that's what got the Jam going as they outscored LA in the second half. I'm always skeptical that such actions work, but who knows. Justin Hawkins scored 22 and grabbed seven rebounds, but he needed 21 shots. Rodney Webb finished with 16 boards and four blocks, but needed 12 shots to score 10 points. Their best offensive player was probably Reece Gaines, who shot 6-9 and had 14 points, but he also turned the ball over six times, which is even worse than Curtis Jerrells's six turnovers the other night given that the Jam only put up 89 possessions.

The D-Fenders won this game mainly by watching the Jam miss a lot of threes and then just hanging on in the second half. Diamon Simpson put up 11 shots, which is both curious and ill-advised given that the NBA player comparison I've seen most often for him is Dominic McGuire (i.e., pretty good rebounder for his size, absolutely no shot to speak of). Michael Fey wasn't quite as good as he was the other night (of course he didn't have Kevin Pittsnogle "guarding" him again) but was still solid with 14 points and seven rebounds. James Jackson played well off the bench, with 14 points and six rebounds. Dar Tucker reverted to his inefficient shooting ways, but put up a game-high five assists.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants 92, Erie BayHawks 82

Well. Rob Kurz certainly announced his presence in the D-League with 16 points and 19 rebounds. Ron Howard played well also with 25 points, though it looks like his volume shooting is here to stay. He's doing a good job of getting to the free throw line, though (10-13 last night), so if he can keep that up he could develop into a genuine two-way threat. Kyle McAlarney was relegated to the bench but responded well, scoring 22 points on 7-10 shooting (including 4-7 on three-pointers), although he's still not picking up many assists (just two last night). Sean Sonderleiter struggled, shooting 2-13, and although he grabbed seven rebounds, all five of his offensive boards came off his own misses.

Erie did a better job of distributing the ball, led by Cedric Jackson and Donell Taylor who had seven assists apiece (actually, they were pretty much the only guys who did). They shot the ball terribly, though, going 4-14 on threes, and three of those were made by Taylor. John Bryant had another excellent game with 14 points and 14 rebounds, but too many other BayHawks were too inefficient. Shooting 40 percent on free throws is a bad look.

Dakota Wizards 91, Sioux Falls Skyforce 74

Well, the Wizards certainly didn't come out tired in this one. Romel Beck looked particularly spry, scoring Dakota's first seven points. Greg Stiemsma being terrible on offense helped (he missed two layups in the first three minutes). Beck finished with 24 points on 11 shots though he didn't do a whole lot else, but he never really does anyway. Mo Baker had a terrible shooting night but picked up eight assists, six rebounds and six steals. Curtis Withers had another good game with 22 points and 17 rebounds, and he may turn out to be a force for them all season long.

It was the Skyforce who looked a step behind, whether Stiemsma (who had six blocks but that was the only positive for him), Keith Brumbaugh blowing two consecutive layups and a three-pointer in the second quarter or the whole team starting off the second half with two missed shots and three turnovers. Even Reggie Williams struggled. The only real bright spots were bench players Raymond Sykes, who had 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks and Leemire Goldwire who scored 16, but even those bright spots turned the ball over four times (Sykes) and missed five three-pointers (Goldwire). Given that it came after three consecutive Skyforce possessions ended in turnovers, I can only imagine that Tony Fritz's technical was a ploy to wake his team up. They outscored the Wizards in the fourth quarter, but they managed to get only 16 points doing it so he probably should try something else next time.

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

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

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

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

Bakersfield Jam at Los Angeles D-Fenders

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

Sioux Falls Skyforce at Dakota Wizards

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

Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants

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

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

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

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

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

Erie BayHawks 85, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 77

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

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

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

Sioux Falls Skyforce 112, Maine Red Claws 95

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

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

Austin Toros 93, Rio Grande Valley Vipers 82

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

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

Utah Flash 100, Tulsa 66ers 85

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

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

Albuquerque Thunderbirds 102, Bakersfield Jam 81

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

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

Iowa Energy 106, Springfield Armor 73

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

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

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

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

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

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

Soup: Iowa Energy at Springfield Armor

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

The main course, sides and dessert after the jump.

Turkey: Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants

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

Stuffing: Utah Flash at Tulsa 66ers

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

Roasted Chestnuts: Maine Red Claws at Sioux Falls Skyforce

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

Sweet Potatoes: Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Austin Toros

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

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

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

How'd They Do? Last Night's Preseason Boxscores

Jon L — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:26:24 -0000

Expect to hear Reggie Williams's name a lot this year.

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Apologies that I can't talk about this game from the perspective of having seen the games, but without them being on Futurecast, here we are. I have seen many of these guys play before, so I'll try to bring that to the recaps of these preseason games.

Dakota Wizards 97, Sioux Falls Skyforce 91

You should expect to win a game when you shoot twice as many free throws as the other team and turn the ball over eight fewer times, and that's exactly what Dakota did. Curtis Withers, the man Coach Rory White called "like Ben Wallace but with better offense" certainly rebounded like Wallace, with seven boards (four on the offensive end) coming in a little under 19 minutes. Darren Cooper came off the bench to make all four of his three-pointers, which was needed because the rest of the team shot only 4-14 from behind the arc. Romel Beck had 13 points and almost nothing else, because he's Romel Beck. Marcus Dove got the start at center and picked up 10 points (though they came on eight shots), eight rebounds and five steals. For the Skyforce, Reggie Williams picked up where he left off in college, leading all scorers with 27 points on 17 shots. I have a feeling he'll be doing that all season. Oh, and he also had six rebounds, four offensive. Greg Stiemsma had 14 points, nine rebounds (four offensive) and two blocks getting the start at center. I wasn't crazy about him last year, but that's very solid. Oh, except for the five turnovers in 25 minutes. Leemire Goldwire also had problems in that department, turning the ball over four times in a little under 19 minutes. Joe Krabbenhoft made both of his threes, Pete Campbell made all three of his, Michael Joiner shot 2-3 from behind the arc...this team will be able to score, no question.

Erie BayHawks 106, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 100

Looking at this game, I think we can call each team's point guard search a work in progress. Kyle McAlarney got the start for the Mad Ants, and he shot the ball okay, 3-5, but he had just three assists in 25 and a half minutes. Former NBA player (and I should add, former NBA shooting guard) Donell Taylor was even worse running things, with two assists and needing 10 shots to get nine points. Taylor had six rebounds, though, and the two players had just one turnover between them (it was Taylor's), and McAlarney's competition Andres Sandoval was slightly better (four assists in a little under 16 minutes), but that problem facilitating spread throughout their teams. Erie had just 15 assists on 34 made field goals and Fort Wayne had 20 on 36. Given how coveted Alade Aminu seemed to be around the draft, I was a little surprised to see Jarvis Gunter got the start ahead of him, but last year's backup to Erik Daniels played very well, making all four of his field goals and grabbing 11 rebounds in a little over 19 minutes. Not having Chris Hunter hurt there, I'd imagine, and Erie's backup John Bryant added nine boards in 21 and a half minutes. Fort Wayne's DeWitt Scott and Erie's Ivan Harris were both three-point shooters last year, but in this game they combined to take only one outside shot, a Scott miss. Odd. Rob Kurz shot the ball terribly, going 1-10 and missing all five of his three-pointers, but he made up in other areas by grabbing 13 rebounds and picking up five assists, three steals, and three blocks. Oh, except that he also turned the ball over five times and fouled out in less than half an hour of playing time. Methinks someone was trying to do too much, perhaps to prove he should be back in the NBA.

Hey, there are D-League games tonight!

Jon L — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:15:10 -0000

More photos » by Laura Rauch - AP

Highly-touted forward Alade Aminu makes his D-League debut tonight for the Erie BayHawks.

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Tonight marks the beginning of the preseason! Which means games! D-League games! Okay, let's not go overboard, these are D-League preseason games. But still! Tonight the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Dakota Wizards face off, as do the Erie BayHawks and Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Both games are at 7 pm eastern/6 pm central. I probably won't do this for all preseason games, since they're, you know, preseason games, and because the regular season is only a week away anyway, but let's break them down!

Erie vs. Fort Wayne

Both of these teams bring back a lot of key players from last year's rosters, but I think the Mad Ants' guys are slightly better. I mostly say that because Erie's two best players last season were Erik Daniels and (arguably) Maureece Rice, and neither of those players are around. ~~Fort Wayne, on the other hand, brings back Chris Hunter, who was on the all-D-league second team.~~ Chris Hunter is not with the team in Erie. Interrobang. The BayHawks do have some nice three-point shooting in Ivan Harris, but Fort Wayne can counter that with Ron Howard's excellent perimeter defense.

As for who's joined each team this year, again, I think Fort Wayne again has a bit of an edge. Donell Taylor's defense will likely show itself against a team that may be more perimeter-focused in Hunter's absence, but Rob Kurz is a very good three point shooter, Fort Wayne's other former Notre Dame guys (Ryan Ayers and Kyle McAlarney)) should do well in the D-League, and they've added enough solid pieces that I think they'll be a lot deeper than they were last year. Alade Aminu is probably better than I think he will be, and he's talented enough to some problems for ~~Hunter~~ defensively, but I just don't love the rest of their additions enough to say they'll outperform their counterparts.

One final thing to note is that each team is looking for a point guard to hitch their respective offenses to, with Rice gone for Erie and last year's Mad Ant PG Walker Russell taking his game overseas. McAlarney and Andres Sandoval will be the rotation for Fort Wayne and I expect ~~Derrick Mercer~~ Donell Taylor to get some or all of Erie's minutes at the point (even though he's more of a shooting guard), but the fact that all of them are new to their teams and getting used to running the offenses could be something to watch.

Dakota vs. Sioux Falls

Whereas the last game saw two teams with new point guards, this one has two teams with new coaches. Rory White for the Wizards and Tony Fritz for the Skyforce have solid resumes, but this will be the first time we'll see them run things in the D-League.

As for the returning players, you have to give this one to Dakota, which returns five or six key guys from last year's playoff team, while Sioux Falls no longer has former D-League MVP Kasib Powell. With Blake Ahearn gone, Romel Beck and David Bell will carry more of the scoring load, and they should be able to do it. Bell should, anyway. Beck isn't always consistent offensively, a function of his preference for the isolation game. When he's on, though, he's excellent. Keith Brumbaugh is talented, and David Bailey is a decent option at point guard, but missing Powell hurts.

I think Sioux Falls might have the edge in new additions. While Curtis Withers should be solid for the Wizards and Marcus Dove is a good defender, I'm not entirely sold on D'Lancy Carter, and you can only play so many frontcourt defenders at once. I thought the Skyforce did a good job drafting for scoring with Reggie Williams and Leemire Goldwire, and Raymond Sykes is an athletic dunker, which counts for something at this level. They also have allocation player Joe Krabbenhoft, who (if local news reports are to be believed) is on a few NBA radar screens

~~So join me tonight, as I OSLB some D-League preseason games while watching Futurecast! Be there!~~ Okay, it looks like none of the preseason games will be on Futurecast. Instead I'll spend the evening thinking about how to tighten up my blogging. Sheesh.

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

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

by Darron Cummings - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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