SB Nation - Taj McCullough

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.

Is Summer League Worth It?

Jon L — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:30:11 -0000

I know that Summer League is still a few months away, but rather than putting up another post of bullets I thought I'd discuss the Summer Leagues, and specifically whether they have any value for D-League players. Summer League is mainly used by NBA teams to see what their newly-drafted rookies can do and how they stack up to players with a season or two of experience. And then, because rosters need to be filled out, free agents get signed to short contracts. A lot of the players are D-Leaguers or other minor league ballers who are trying to catch a break and make it onto an NBA roster.

But how often does that happen? As I've been writing player profiles, and reading those that Scott has written, a pattern seems to emerge. A player will join a Summer League team, not get much playing time, and either get cut or, in some cases, get a preseason contract where he'll also not get a lot of playing time, then get cut. So why bother playing? What do D-Leaguers get out of going to Summer League?

The problem, as I see it, is that Summer League games aren't real. I don't mean that in the metaphysical/philosophical, "how can we be sure if anything is real" sense, I mean that they just don't matter. Summer League teams are usually coached by assistants (except in some cases, as with first-time head man Vinny Del Negro last year), and the head coach typically watches from the stands or isn't there at all.

Teams run basic plays, as again, Summer League tends more towards being a diagnostic tool to gauge how much work that lottery pick will need. There has been some research done into whether the outcomes or individual statistics put up in the NBA preseason have any bearing on the regular season, and if I recall the results have been somewhat mixed, but lean towards "no, they don't." Well Summer League games matter even less.

This is not to say there haven't been success stories. Denver's Dahntay Jones is probably the most obvious example of this. As D-League President Dan Reed pointed out in his interview with Scott:

He played in our league last year with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and didn't even get a 10-day, much less a contract for the rest of the season. Yet he caught a lot of NBA team's attention through his play for the Mad Ants, which led the Denver Nuggets to target him for their summer league team, which he parlayed into a starting role on the Nuggets, who are currently leading their division. Think he's upset he didn't have a 10-day or get signed for the remainder of the season? Probably not.

There are other examples, too. Anthony Tolliver is another guy who made an impression at Summer League and ended up playing in 19 games for the San Antonio Spurs.

More often than not, though, even if a "D-League guy" makes it past Summer League and plays his way into a preseason contract, NBA teams by that point have already mostly, if not completely, filled their roster with retreads, leaving anyone really working their ass off to get a shot with little chance of seeing a payoff.

I've mentioned it a few times here, but I follow the Washington Wizards. I don't even remember who was on their Summer League team last year, but for preseason they brought in DerMarr Johnson, Linton Johnson, and Taj McCullough. Now I'm not saying that any of those guys would have made a huge impact on the team this past season, but the real problem was that all three were competing with Juan Dixon for the 15th roster spot. Juan Dixon, who in addition to being local and a former Wizard himself, had signed a partially guaranteed contract. Over at Bullets Forever, everyone pretty much assumed that no matter how well either of the Johnsons played (McCullough was a relatively early cut), Dixon was likely to get the roster spot because of his contract.

I can't imagine that's an unusual situation. Other teams may have better salary cap situations, but they're just as likely to keep a guy who they have to pay anyway rather than a guy who's only there on a preseason contract. And even then, if a guy does make it past the preseason onto an NBA roster, he's likely the first one dropped in case of injury.

Witness the Cleveland Cavaliers last year (I really didn't mean to put that reference in there). Jawad Williams impressed them enough in the Summer League and preseason to work his way onto the team, but they had to waive Ronald Dupree, then later dropped Williams to make room for Trey Johnson.

I've strayed a little bit, but while there have been a few successes, I question the value of attending Summer League for most D-League players. The main advantage seems to be getting exposure, but it's not really a situation that always allows players to really show what they can do. If a guy plays solid defense, for example, more often than not teams will approach it as "here is how my new draftee needs to improve," rather than having found a guy who can contribute for them later on.

NBA teams seem to place a higher value on how a player performs during the D-League season and in "real game" situations. A Summer League invite rarely guarantees a spot on an NBA roster, certainly more rarely than just performing well in the D-League. To that end, is the Summer League really worth it?

D-League Draft In Review, 2008 Edition

Scott Schroeder — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:30:10 -0000

Yesterday, Jon L had a great comment when I posted the first pick of my re-draft:

That's actually a tricky variable to the draft that speaks to the sort of limbo many D-League teams find themselves in - it's true they already have seven players before the draft, but should they roll the dice and grab an NBA guy who isn't likely to be on the team for very long, or go with a still-talented-but-safer pick and ensure the team will have solid players for the entire season?

Personally, I think it's better to pick the most talented player that fills a role that needs filling, regardless of call-up probabilities. For one, if a team can get off to a hot start before 10-day's start in mid-January, nearly a third of the season is already in the books.

After that, if the player gets signed for the season in the NBA, the team will move to the top of the waiver priority list, giving them a pretty good opportunity to pick up a player that can fill the role rather capably (example: If Idaho would have waited three days at the top of the order, Pops Mensah-Bonsu would have been a pretty good replacement player.)

Anyway, his comment got me to thinking quite a bit, leading to me doing the entire re-draft last night. Continue on for the results of that along with my steals and duds of each round. Scandalous!

First, here is the format: Picks are in order of selection. Original pick in parentheses. Next line - guys that seemed they could contribute to the team that were either allocated or returning. Last, my reasoning for new pick.

Tulsa 66ers - Jermareo Davidson (Chris Richard)

Russell Carter SG, Keith Closs C, Chris Ellis PF, Jeremy Kelly SG, Terrell Everett PG, Ryan Humphrey PF, Keith Clark PF

Tulsa needed a big, and Davidson was the best big in the draft. It doesn't seem like Closs ever planned to play in the league, leaving them with three 6'8" bigs. I felt with Jermareo, that'd be a dangerous front line. I think there were enough wings that that could have probably waited until the 2nd round, whereas a center was much more rare.

Colorado 14ers - Othyus Jeffers (James Mays)

Josh Davis PF, Joe Dabbert C

Colorado knew Gill was on his way so biggest need was a swingman. Jeffers brings defense and is a gritty "Coloradoish" player. Plus, and possibly more importantly, it would have combined my man crushes.

Idaho Stampede - James Mays (Jermareo Davidson)

Jamaal Tatum PG, Coby Karl SG, Brent Petway F

Lance Allred came right after draft, so Idaho needed a 3/4. James Mays, before his injury, was probably the best player in the league.

Sioux Falls Skyforce - Chris Richard (Gary Forbes)

Frank Williams PG, Carl Elliott SG, Bobby Jones SF, Michael Joiner PF, Chris Alexander C

With that returning lineup, Sioux Falls was only really lacking at the power forward spot. With Richard just getting cut from Twolves and the Skyforce being a Minnesota affiliate, this was just a logic pick.

Bakersfield Jam - David Noel (Derrick Byars)

Mateen Cleaves PG, Trey Johnson SG, Nick Lewis C

This one will be quick - they needed a 3 or a 4, and Noel was Best available.

Fort Wayne Mad Ants - Derrick Byars (Coleman Collins)

Walker Russell PG, Ron Howard 2/3, Chris Hunter 4/5

Fort Wayne really need a big to compliment Hunter, and Collins was probably most talented left, but I think that Byars really would have given them a much more dangerous team.

Erie Bayhawks - Erik Daniels (Erik Daniels)

Maureece Rice PG, Jackie Manuel 2/3, Ivan Harris 3/4

Needed a big, but there aren't any left that I like. As much as I wasn't a fan of Daniels, he showed to be solid in their lineup as a "center."

Anaheim Arsenal - James White (James White)

Cedric Bozeman PG, TJ Cummings 4, Noel Felix 4/5

For reasons unknown, this team blew up in a hurry. Had those four, Kedrick Brown and Marcus Campbell played together (Brown and Campbell returned early in the season), Anaheim would have been scary. Unfortunately, they were scary, but for the wrong reasons.

Utah Flash - Smush Parker (Denham Brown in trade for Dontell Jefferson)

Brian Jackson 4/5

They had NBA help coming at all other positions - Parker might not have fit in all that well, but this would have been a fun team to watch!

Reno Bighorns - Gary Forbes (Antonio Meeking)

Damone Brown 3/4, Jesse Smith 5

Forbes is a stud. Antonio Meeking isn't. Russell Robinson would have been a nice pick here, but Reno was able to get him in the second round anyway, so we're keeping him there.

Dakota Wizards - Coleman Collins (Marcus Hubbard)

Mo Baker PG, David Bell PG, Dontell Jefferson G, Blake Ahearn G, Renaldo Major SF, Quemont Greer 3/4, Will Frisby PF

Only need was height. Looking at injury troubles, Taj MacCullough would have been a good pick as well seeing as he was with the NBA's Wizards in the preseason, but I think personalities would have clashed.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers - Cartier Martin (Smush Parker)

Trent Strickland 2/3, Stanley Asumnu SF, Alton Ford PF, Kendall Dartez 4/5

RGV needed a point guard, but Tierre Brown was terrible and Russell Robinson is a much better distributor than scorer. Unfortunately, they didn't have anyone great that could score. Cartier Martin would have shored that up.

Los Angeles Defenders - Taj MacCullough (Jasper Johnson)

Brandon Heath G, Joe Crawford SG, Ryan Forehan-Kelly SF, Patrick Sanders PF, Rashid Byrd C

Could have used a point guard, but I like Taj. Hell, I like a lot of people more than Jasper Johnson. I would have put assistant coach Chucky Brown back on the court if that was an option over Jasper.

Albuquerque Thunderbirds - Antonio Meeking (David Noel)

Will Conroy PG, Majic Dorsey PG, Cheyne Gadson G, Corey Underwood 4/5

They had a really good pick originally in Noel (but then randomly traded him?) I think Meeking would have done well here with Noel off the board. He played well in this system after being traded for Noel, anyway.

Iowa Energy - Denham Brown (Cartier Martin)

Curtis Stinson PG, Dwayne Mitchell 2/3, Courtney Sims C

Iowa got a steal in Martin - Brown wouldn't have been much of a drop off.

Austin Toros - Kurt Looby (Robert "who?!?" McKiver)

Carldell Johnson PG, Malik Hairston 2/3, Marcus Williams 2/3, Charles Gaines PF

Looby was very unpolished, but could always block and board. I considered a point guard here, but I think that Williams played well as a point-forward and Looby was probably the best available player that seems like he wouldn't screw up the chemistry.

Best available left:

PG - Tierre Brown, John Gilchrist

SG - Dominique Coleman, Derrick Dial

SF - Jasper Johnson, Keith Brumbaugh

PF - Trey Gilder, David Monds

C - Brad Stricker, Sean Sonderleiter, Aaron Spears (Dakota's 2nd round pick - he should've played in the D-League)

BONUS: Steals and Duds of each round!

1 - Steal: Cartier Martin (Iowa) Dud: Tierre Brown (Anaheim)

2 - Steal: Russell Robinson (Reno) Dud: Keith Butler (Los Angeles)

3 - Steal: Othyus Jeffers (Iowa) Dud: Vernon Hamilton (Erie)

4 - Steal: Dominique Coleman (Colorado)

5 - Steal: Marvin Phillips (Iowa) Dud: Mikheil Berishvili (Tulsa)

6 - Steal: Keith Brumbaugh (Sioux Falls)

7 - No steals, all duds

8 - Steal: Derrick Dial (Tulsa)

9 - Steal: Cliff Clinkscales (Erie)

10 - Steal: Carlos English (Dakota), Sean Sonderleiter (Iowa) - Tie!

Rod Benson, now with Reno, can score, drive a nice car. Plus, D-League Results from Selection Sunday!

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:30:07 -0000

Yesterday there were five games in the D-League, all with their own random results, some not anything indicative of D-League.com's Matthew Brennan (we'll get to that in a post soon)!

The biggest news, however, came out of Reno. No, not that Cezary Trybanski is back in the league (huge news though? Yes). Bigger than that! No, not that preliminary reports are that Patrick Ewing Jr. just ended up with a strained ACL (FYI, his Georgetown Hoyas drew a six seed in the used-to-be-prestigous-but now-definitely-isn't NIT). Bigger than that, even. No, not even that Rod Benson has remembered how to score. Getting warmer! Benson bought a new car! Thanks to his shrewd negotiating, Boom Tho is now rolling around Reno in a 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG that was listed at for over double what his D-League salary will be this season. Do I know what all those numbers and letters mean? No. Do I know that if he's able to buy a Mercedes and play in the D-League simultaneously, that all players should go overseas until Christmas time and come back loaded? Yes. Here's a picture:

Continue on for coverage of all the games last night in the D-League. Who's hot, Who's not, Who's who?

Also, if you've got connections, and I know most of you do, to arrange a way for me to get a couple tickets for the Minneapolis Regional of the NCAA's, let me know.

Erie 89 @ IOWA 101

Iowa was led by Othyus Jeffers, who is quickly becoming my favorite player in the D-League. He's aggressive, he's got swagger, he locks down on defense, and he rebounds amazingly well for a 6'5" player. I'd put his position (2?3?4?), but I'm not sure what it is. He's basically a 6'5" slashing power forward that guards the opposition's best player under 6'9". Since the beginning of February, Jeffers is averaging 21.5 points, 9.5 boards, 3.5 assists, and 2.3 steals, shooting 51% from the field. This game, however, against one of the hottest teams in the D-League, he stepped his game up one more notch. Jeffers notched 28 points and 11 boards this game, leading his team to the victory.

Other notable players for the Energy include Courtney Sims with 19 points, 14 boards, and point guard Curtis Stinson, with 19 points, nine boards, and four assists.

The Erie Bayhawks were led by Erik Daniels. Ugh. 22 points, 20 boards, 8-of-26 from the field. I just have not got close to falling in love with his game yet. I apologize. His defense is nothing to write home about, his 45% shooting playing the low post is gross, and in this game, he had 10 offensive rebounds. Five were off his own misses. Not sure if he was pulling a Ricky Davis to get up to 20 boards and increase those statistics, but he'll have to show he can play as a 3 and defend much better before those numbers impress NBA GM's.

Other notable players for the Bayhawks were Maureece Rice, who scored 17 points, dished six assists, and grabbed five boards; Ivan Harris, who scored 14 points and shot 4-for-10 from 3; and Quincy Douby, who should soon be inserted into the starting lineup. While I'm not sure there's enough shots to go around for him, he's a great scorer (at least at this level), scoring 14 points in 19 minutes yesterday afternoon.

TULSA 100, Albuquerque 97

Gary Forbes led the way for Tulsa. This should have been happening nightly. Unfortunately, it just started recently. Forbes was traded to Tulsa earlier this season, presumably so that Oklahoma City could get a better look at one of the better D-League prospects. Only recently has the rookie out of UMass blossomed, though. He ocassionally plays the point, has furthered his range, and can get to the rim with ease (Not LeBron James easy, more with Blake Ahearn awkward-ease). Over his last five games, he's averaging 22.4 points, 7.8 boards, and 4.8 assists. I'd have to get WelcomeToLoudCity's opinion, but I don't think it's all that far-fetched to take a look at Forbes, and soon. This game, he had 26 points, six boards, and four assists.

Other notables for Tulsa include Herbert Hill (former Sixer), who had a monster 18 points, 17 boards, and three blocks; and Shaun Livingston, who didn't play great, scoring eight points and grabbing five boards.

Albuquerque was led by Antoine Agudio. Since I profiled Agudio over the weekend, I'll use that same info today. Enjoy! Agudio is the all-time leading scorer from Hofstra, which boasts such luminaries as Speedy Claxton and Norm Richardson! Agudio is a lights out shooter (Blake Ahearn-esque) that's recently been given an opportunity since Keith McLeod went down with an unknown injury three four games ago. Since that injury, Agudio's killing it. Tonight was no different, as he finished with 23 points on 11 shots and had five steals 30 points on 15 shots, six-of-8 from beyond the arc, five boards, four assists and two steasl. As a bonus, his name is fun to say.

The other notable Thunderbird was Will Conroy. While he also finished with 30 points, it took him 12 more shots from the field and an extra six from the free-throw line compared to Agudio. He did add eight boards and seven assists, for positives.

DAKOTA 100 @ Fort Wayne 97

Dakota wasn't really led. Kind of a team effort, with no one really standing out. No clue how they won. Fort Wayne crumbled multiple times. For a Wizards standout, I'll go with Richard Hendrix. Really, he never stood out other than a minute and a half stretch when Fort Wayne decided it was a smart idea to put Anthony (Who?) Kent on him, but he did finish with 17 points and 10 boards, so we'll give it to the big man. Hendrix is battling a leg injury, but played alright in 27 minutes this game. On the season, he's averaging 13.9 points, 11.5 boards, and 1.6 blocks, shooting 55% from the field and just 60% from the free-throw line.

Other notables for Dakota include Mo Baker with 16 points, eight boards, and six assists (but five turnovers); and David Bell with 18 points and six boards (plus he drove and didn't turn it over every time. Bonus!).

Fort Wayne was led by Taj McCullough. After Renaldo Major went to the bench with a back injury early in the game, Dakota didn't really have anyone to guard him, as they either went with three guards (none of which could guard the 6'7" McCullough) or Romel Beck (who is a black hole on offense and not impressive on defense). McCullough did put up good numbers, as he should have, scoring 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbing four steals.

Other notables for Fort Wayne include Chris Hunter, who finished with 12 points and 10 bords; Ron Howard, who finished with 21 points and shut down Ahearn early on defense; and Walker Russell, who finished with 17 points and 10 assists.

RENO 113, Anaheim 105

Reno was led by "Too Much" Rod Benson. I got confirmation from Mike Offerdahl, Wizards PR guru (Reno doesn't read RU or what!?), that Benson's 30 points last game (For fun,read this recap via Reno here) were a career high. Too Much followed that performance up with something nearly as impressive, scoring 25 points and grabbing seven boards last night. Benson apparently just needed to get back to the west coast to re-blossom, as he's averaging 16 points, 6.3 boards, and 3.2 blocks in 29 minutes, starting his first game last night.

Other notables for Reno include David Noel who scored 22 points; Richie Frahm with 19 points and 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc; and Lamar Butler (who?) with 21 points, five-of-six from deep, off the bench.

Anaheim was led by Cedric Bozeman, who scored 24 points, grabbed five boards, and dished seven assists, but then countered them with five turnovers. On the season, the former Hawk is averaging 18 points, 6.8 boards, and 3.8 assists, shooting 30% from beyond the arc (that % is bad, FYI).

Other notables for Anaheim include Ronald Allen with 21 points and Cameron Bennerman (Who?) with 17 points off the bench.

LOS ANGELES 111 @ Colorado 107

Los Angeles was led by Ryan Forehan-Kelly, who wins tonights Who of the Night! Forehan-Kelly is one of those random help-out players the D-League gave to LA to begin the season, after trying out for LA. This doesn't seem fair to me, as he should have already been on the D-League radar, having been in the draft last season. Regardless, Forehan-Kelly came out firing off the bench, scoring 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting and grabbing nine boards. RFK's season averages are a little more modest - 10.4 points and 3.9 boards.

Nobody else had great games for LA, yet they were somehow able to go on a 15-0 run in the second quarter. Joe Crawford had 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting; Dwayne Mitchell came out hot, scoring 10 points in the first stanza (enough to make me email 14ers Mr. Everything Chad Andrus to tell him to "suit up, stop him from putting his head down and driving left"), but Mitchell finished with just 13 points and nine boards, clearly fearful of Andrus defensive prowess. Sun Yue, the most overhyped player ever to be assisgned to the D-League (including Martynas Andriuskevicius) got dunked on twice, hard. Sonny Weems once, Trey Gilder the other time. I loved it. He also contributed 11 points, six boards, and four assists, shooting 4-of-12 from the field. Dear LA, bring him back up. I think the over-promotion of him is hurting him.

The 14ers were led by Dominique Coleman according to the box score, but his numbers, minus the six big steals, came very quietly. Thus, I don't have much for anecdotes of him this game. He finished with 20 points, eight boards, five assists, and four turnovers.

Other notables for Colorado include Josh Davis, who seemed to be the only player on the court for the majority of the game, finishing with 19 points and and six boards and Sonny Weems, who scored 16 points in 17 minutes. Eddie Gill stunk it up, shooting 1-for-8 from the field, finishing with four points, six assists, and four turnovers, including a terrible decision on a shot in the last minute of action.

Game Notes: Fort Wayne 113, Austin 110

Jon L — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:34:12 -0000

Last night I attended the Toros' only home game this month, against Fort Wayne. The Mad Ants won in overtime, 113-110, behind a triple double from Walker Russell, Jr., who had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Marcus Williams came close to one himself with 34 points on 24 shots to go with 10 assists and 8 rebounds.

The Toros were winning for most of the game, before Fort Wayne clawed its way back with Marcus Williams on the bench in the 4^th quarter. Even after he came back in, FW was able to hold on and match the Toros basket for basket before taking the win in the extra session. Austin had a chance to send the game into double overtime, but DerMarr Johnson's last-second three bricked off the backboard (more on that later). Forthwith, notes on some of tonight's players:

Marcus Williams

If anyone read my initial comment on Scott's "call up Pops" post, they'll see that I've done a 180 on Marcus Williams. I loved his game tonight. He was the focal point of the offense without being overbearing, and it never really seemed like he was forcing anything. As I mentioned above, he was very efficient with 34 points on 24 shots. Reinforcing what Scott wrote in the latest call-up rankings, he's also been playing point-forward and for a stretch of the game was the actual point guard (guarding and being guarded by WRJr.). By my count he had 18 possessions where he brought the ball up the court, and there were probably a few more, enough that it was probably a full quarter of the team's 82 possessions. His passing skills were pretty nice at that. He had a few dunks, including a pair of alley-oops, and one where he drove to the basket and dunked like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Walker Russell Jr.

I'd say he was the second-best player on the court, though to be honest I was a little surprised to see he had a triple double. There were several opportunities for assists that he missed out on because his teammates blew layups. A big part of his game is the drive and kickout, though there were a few times where he sliced through three defenders for a layup that showed he has a little bit of explosiveness (I say a little bit because I only saw it happen a few times). Squeaky Johnson guarded him early on in the game (and the Toros would eventually throw at least three different defenders at him), and he proved to be a real handful on both ends of the court. He did a good job of playing the passing lanes towards the end of the game, stealing the ball on an inbounds pass and dashing for a layup to put Fort Wayne on top 111-110. Russell finished with five turnovers, and the three I saw came from forcing things - trying to force the ball into the post and having it knocked away by Squeaky, getting the ball stripped from him while trying to dribble through traffic, and stepping out of bounds while driving baseline for a kickout.

Dwayne Jones

I really liked the Toros center in the last game I saw, and while he finished with 23 points on 13 shots and 16 rebounds, I felt like he played a bit distracted at a few points in the game, particularly at the outset. To be honest I think he may play better when he's the only big man out there. While Eric Dawson started at PF, he and Jones eventually split time at center until Dawson went out with an injury. Without another player to take up space in the post, Jones is free to use his good instincts to clean up around the basket and pull down rebounds. He's not great when he has to put the ball on the floor; the first time he had to dribble more than twice it resulted in this flip-hook thing that was one of the most awkward shots of the game. He also (along with Dawson) had a tough time guarding Fort Wayne center Chris Hunter; Jones was clearly frustrated at times, and towards the end of the game gave Hunter a couple of forearms to the back on one play.

DerMarr Johnson

DerMarr Johnson's 11 and a half minutes of play were mostly uneventful. To be honest I'm not sure how great of a fit he is in Austin. His game is fairly similar to Marcus Williams (without the passing and rebounding), but they kind of detract from each other when they're on the court together and Williams plays so much that I can't see Johnson getting consistent quality minutes. Johnson missed the last shot of the game, but I don't really put it on him. He was put into the game with one second left in overtime after being on the bench since six and a half minutes remained in the 4^th. I can kind of understand why Austin coach Quin Snyder wanted him the court with a three needed (he was one of four Toros to attempt one in the game), but he must've been stone cold at that point. Also, and this is unrelated to anything, but his ankles are really, really skinny.

Others

Ezra Williams of the Toros showed off a nice three-point stroke in the first half, and he had a nice behind-the head pass to Dawson at one point and a solid block on Sean Sonderleiter. If Austin is going to have a consistent bench contributor as I mentioned in the weekly wrap-up, E. Williams may be a solid bet, though he's going to really have to improve his efficiency.

Stanley Burrell of the Toros is an aggressive on-the-ball defender, something I also noticed in the last game I saw. Even when he was on the floor alongside Squeaky Johnson he took on the responsibility of guarding Walker Russell Jr., and he knocked Russell around a bit. He didn't see much time at the end of the game, probably in part because he's pretty much a non-entity on offense and struggles when putting the ball on the floor. At one point he stole the ball and had a 2-on-2 with DerMarr Johnson, and ended up turning the ball over.

DeMarcus Nelson of the Toros had a few nice sequences, including one where he drove to the basket for a layup, then got back on defense and got a block on the other end, but to be honest I was surprised to see he played 43 minutes. It's true that was focusing more on other players, but I just didn't notice him on the court for long stretches.

Taj McCullough of the Mad Ants, like DerMarr Johnson, spent time on the Washington Wizards preseason roster so I have some prior exposure to him, though he wasn't much of a presence there. He spent most of tonight's game guarding Marcus Williams and hanging out on the perimeter. He had a rough shooting night, needing 18 shots to get 15 points.

Recapping last night in the D-League

Scott Schroeder — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:31:47 -0000

As a precursor, since Ben missed recaps yesterday, I'd like to commend Erik Daniels on his triple double a couple days ago. Daniels had 30 points, 23 boards, and 10 assists. No joke. True, the opposing 66ers had no player taller than 6'8", but still. Impressive.

Anaheim lost to Los Angeles, 108-103. It went to overtime. The crowd wasn't into it however, as of the 30 or so fans, most of them there to see Sun Yue it seemed, they focused on a guy sleeping, wearing a tie twice in overtime. Sun Yue's big debut wasn't good. First, in the original box score, he was referenced as Brandan Wright. Now, in the post-game box score, it shows he started, but got a DNP. Perfect reasoning as to why this hybrid model will work out perfect. LA just doesn't care enough about their D-League team. Yue's DNP might look better than his actual line, as he scored 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting. Ouch. Joe Crawford had 19 points before fouling out. For Anaheim, Cedric Bozeman had 22 points and 14 assists - I'm falling in love with his game. Marcus Campbell also had a great game, with 17 points, 18 rebounds, and seven assists. I've been the president of his fan club since last season, when I said he should have been the sixth overall pick (Disclaimer, I liked Jesse Smith as a 6th round steal last year as well, so maybe the Dakota trade will work out). Don't worry, though, it's not too late to join Campbell's fan club, as I'm still looking for a treasurer. Kedrick Brown added 24 points and five fouls.

Erie beat Sioux Falls, 122-113. This game didn't go into overtime. The Bayhawks were led by Tony Bethel. I have no idea who he is or where he came from, but he had 32 points. Maureece Rice stayed hot, flirting with a triple double with 24 points, 12 boards, and nine assists. Erik Daniels did his usual damage, racking up another double-double with 20 points and 11 assists. Sioux Falls was led by Frank Williams, who scored 23 points and Kasib Powell with 22. Big Chris Ellis, who is growing on me, had 11 rebounds. This was a high scoring game, which is rare when the teams combine for 54 fouls.

Utah defeated Albuquerque, 102-94. Ronald Dupree, who should be talked about more here at RU, scored 19 points, had 11 boards, and seven assists. He's due for his yearly call-up soon. For Albuquerque, 6'6" 260 pound Jasper Johnson continued his torrid pace, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 boards. He's due to head overseas and make a lot of money. A lot. The matchup I was focused on however was Will Conroy vs. Dontell Jefferson. I don't believe DJ gets enough credit, and tonight, it showed. He held the league's leading scorer to 18 points on 6-for-15 shooting, six turnovers compared to just four assists, and Conroy fouled out to boot. Jefferson, meanwhile, scored 19 points, dished nine assists with three turnovers, and led his team to a victory over the recently red hot Thunderbirds.

Fort Wayne lost to Reno, 101-92. Reno was led by David Noel, who had 23 points and six boards in his Reno debut against his former teammates. Patrick Ewing Jr. was impressive, with 21 points, 13 boards, and six (eek!) turnovers in his fifth start of the season. "Too Much Number 17" Rod Benson also made his debut, scoring 11 points, grabbing eight boards, and swatting four shots, off the bench. Fort Wayne was led by Chris Hunter, who scored 24 points and grabbed 10 boards. Walker Russell had 12 points, five assists, and seven turnovers. Seems that while they have near-identical records with 14 wins and 20/21 losses, these two teams are quickly headed in opposite directions. Fort Wayne needs some help. Fast. Luckily, I hear Mohammed Sene, Shaun Livingston, and Quincy Douby are all entering the D-League pool soon. Jeff, pick one of these guys up, or take the bench, or hire me, or something. Yes we can!

NOTES: While I didn't watch the whole Reno-Fort Wayne game (tried, but Reno's otherwise wonderful futurecast has freezing issues every five minutes), I, as usual, didn't understand Jaren Jackson's substition system. Taj (or Ty, then later Chainsaw (seriously) by the announcers) McCullough played just 21 minutes, Anthony Kent got his second start in 30 games (and played 37(!) minutes), and their best perimeter player, Ron Howard, had his minutes decreased to 32 after averaging 43 over the past four games.

Minor Updates

Scott Schroeder — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:59:52 -0000

[Note by Ridiculous Scott, 02/18/09 9:18 PM CST ]

UPDATE: Richie Frahm, Jared Jordan, and John Lucas III have all just been added to the D-League. Wow.

Just so everyone knows, I now have one of my three answers I was looking for answered, thanks to the wonderful Joanna Shapiro. Patrick Ewing Jr. missed the dunk contest as he was recovering from an illness. Bobby Jones missed all-star weekend due to some family reasons.

So we've got that settled. Still am working on finding answers as to why no D-League Dream Factory Friday Night is on the internet if Rick Kamla was there or why Nancy Lieberman was put in the box score last night when it should have been Stanley Burrell. Baffles me. Simply baffles me.

In other news, the D-League has been infused with talent as of late. In the last month and a half, 10S guys have come into the D-League with previous NBA experience -- James Lang, Dwayne Jones, John Edwards, Billy Thomas, Steven Hill, Justin Reed, Demetris Nichols, Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Kevin Burleson, Herbert Hill and Jawad Williams have all popped up around the D-League. That's not including other NBA prospects like Rod Benson, Taj McCullough, Gerry McNamara, Longar Longar and Kevin Kruger.

I also wonder if Cheikh Samb or anyone that is a trade casualty ends up in the D-League soon.

I Missed You Guys....

ben.renz — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:00:04 -0000

113 Utah Flash, 100 Fort Wayne Mad Ants

It's hard to be mad. Yes, I'm an Ants fan. Why wouldn't I be? I live in Fort Wayne. And yes, the Ants ended up disappointing (once again) and leaving their Tuesday night crowd with a loss. But it was nice to be watching some D-League basketball that wasn't on FutureCast. I love FutureCast, but I can only stand watching basketball on a small square so much. It's good to see the Ants back home.

There's really a lot to say about this game. Carl Elliott looks a lot like Baron Davis (and the headband was icing on the cake). The Mad Ants announcer stopped yelling "MAD ANT BASKETBALL" after every single Flash turnover (I always wish he would stop doing this, and it seems he has for now). I finally opened my ears to what the Bailey Bunch are saying, and I was amused to no end. I can pretty much guarantee that some old guy is going to give me free tickets to every Ants' home game (this is why I don't buy season tickets - that and I'm a poor college boy). The Pistons' half-time trampoline dunk team consists of a lot of very young white kids and a middle-aged black man (it was Pistons' affiliate night, and I was hoping for the Ants to don some Pistons jerseys, but it wasn't meant to be). Chris Brown is a sleazebag. I had some really good pizza prior to the game. Dontell Jefferson had me in awe. And as for Steve Newman? But a simple postal worker...

The Bailey Bunch loved to pick on Newman. As well as J.R. Giddens. I can't remember too much of what was said but I did notice a J.R. baseline dunk, afterwards he ran down court and looked over at the hecklers, however I was on the other side of the court...and saw no mouth moving. Awesome information, right? Anyways, the Bailey Bunch are a clever group. I laughed on a few occasions. And I don't laugh. Just ask my parents.

But back to Mr. Newman. He had a really crazy nice jump shot for a big white guy. Gavin Grant put a few really nice looks and Ryan Diggs has a motor implanted in him somewhere. Wowza, that kid is fast. Giddens was very solid. Off the bench to shoot 9 for 13? Beautiful. Countless dunks by the rook, and you knew when his shot went up that it was gonna fall. I've always been iffy on Giddens, but he sold me last night. He seemed pretty happy to be back with the Flash and I like seeing that. Carlos Wheeler impressed me too. Lots of atheliticism for the 30 year old forward.

The box score claims Andre Ingram was on the court for 27 minutes. I'm not believing it. He did so much nothing out there, though it's hard to fault him as Utah escaped with the win. Not to mention the team shot 60% from the field. But you can chalk that up more to Giddens and the three other starters that aren't Bennet Davis.

Dontell Jefferson. Oh wow. This guy easily has the prettiest shot I have ever seen in my life. He put up just 8 during the game but I gasped every single time. Not to mention he's a great floor general who plays really solid defense. He's also long to boot, and with just one simple step he can get in front of his man. Yes, I love Walker Russell, but Jefferson is a beastly NBA ready point guard, moreso than anyone else in the league. So quick and with a great jumper, he can also pilfer like Carl Weathers in church (this joke will probably go over your heads as it's really stupid, but the video concerns "change" - which people often donate to churches during the collection portion of the mass, and Carl Weathers plays a very cheap version of himself in my favorite TV show, Arrested Development- very funny stuff here at Ridiculous Upside).

Despite his 5 turnovers, James Lang was a force. He put up 21 points and grabbed 7 boards and seemed to dominate in the paint all night. Ronald Dupree was as good as ever, putting his fair share of 20 points. Utah is a team. They pass well, they execute well, and they can shoot your lights out if you give them too much, and that's exactly what they did last night on the Mad Ants. And they are solid at the point and center positions, and that's what wins games.

As for the Ants, they shot 52% - they just didn't want to play defense, I suppose. Coleman Collins was visibly frustrated most of the game, Carl Elliott could never get his shot going, Dewitt Scott pulled a Andre Ingram and managed to blend into the court during his 20 minutes, and Walker Russell's scoring hasn't gotten any more accurate. But on the positive (up)side, Chris Hunter had a great double-double on the night with 23 and 10 and missed only 4 shots. Hunter has progressed so much since the season started. He's much more powerful when he goes up to the basket now. Countless times last night he would explode from down low, plowing through three Flash big men, and going up for a huge slam and getting the crowd off their feet. "Big Game" Hunter had a big game indeed. NBA ready? I'd say so. I'm looking at you, Kevin McHale.

Ron Howard was great offensively on his way to 26 points. This guy cuts to the basket so well. So many textbook lay ups for Mr. Howard. He's a great fundamental basketball player. He is indeed the leader of this team and it's a shame he takes a backseat (middle, his feet on the hump) to Russell and Hunter most of the time. Taj McCullough had a solid game off the bench for 20 points in 30 minutes, but for a PF to not grab a single rebound in that time? Taj loves to score, and I love to see him score, but he needs to develop his game beyond just that one area.

Overall, it's nice to be back in the Memorial Coliseum watching some solid NBADL action. It would have been nice to see the Ants pull out the W, but Utah is simply the better team. Even my girlfriend, who knows nothing about basketball and tunes me off when I go on and on about it, mentioned how well they move the ball. And Dontell Jefferson should be in the NBA. I know here at RU we've been praising this man left and right lately, but for good reason. I saw him in person for the first time tonight and he is indeed the real deal. The Orlando Magic could have used his services as anyone under 6'5" has more upside as a point guard than Tyronn Lue (I also hear from absolutely nobody that Jefferson is a mean chef with a specialty for sauces). Then again, this team also passed up Russell and Will Conroy so when it comes to decision making abilities with Orlando....well, let's just say you shouldn't leave things like that up to "magic."

But I'll stop yelling at NBA teams now. Also, J.R. Giddens' new nickname is "the Mayor." I made it up. And it's very good. But that's all I have today. Have a wonderful day DL fans, and please, eat well.

P.S. How AWESOME would it have been for the Magic to call up Majic Dorsey? Oh man, that would have made my life that much better.

Wait, Wait, Wait

ben.renz — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:57:50 -0000

Utah Flash 100, Bakersfield Jam 95

The Jam are falling fast. Derrick Byars hasn’t played in all of February (this is slightly funny because Black History Month is just four days old), they’ve lost four straight (4-6 in their last 10), and the Flash have taken their place as the 2^nd best in the West. Last night was more of the same for the Jam of 2009. They did manage to rally back from an 11 point deficit, but they couldn’t make it happen at the end and shot just 38% and were out muscled on the boards 46-37.

Dontell Jefferson needs to be an All Star. Last night he had 26 points, 7 dimes, 7 boards and 3 steals (6 forgivable turnovers). His season averages are just below these numbers too. That’s an All-Star. As for the only Utah to make the team? Ronald Dupree didn’t look so good on 4 for 12 shooting. He finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks though. Solid contribution. James Lang looked great in his 20 minutes for Utah, as he put in 15 points and 8 boards on 6 for 7 shooting.

The Jam’s Nick Lewis is another should-be All-Star. He’s been having a great season and in a league that only has a few solid centers (Sims, Hunter, and Lewis are in this class) he needs to be represented here. Last night he was brilliant for a team that didn’t really deserve him, with 27 points (including 9 for 9 from the charity strike – for a center!) and 8 rebounds. The real star last night for the Jam, however, was Terrance Thomas. MONSTER. 17 rebounds, 22 points, 6 dimes, 4 robberies. This all looks so good, but it should be noted that he turned it over 7 times, shot 7 for 19, and shot an embarrassing 1 for 7 from three territory. Eek! Good game last night between these two.

Dakota Wizards 106, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 98

The Wizards snapped their two game win streak and the Ants weren’t able to repeat their win on Saturday. The wizards outshot the Ants 50% to 40% and there were a good deal of rebounds available in this one (three Wizards had double-figure boards) as Fort Wayne took 93 shots in the game that saw no Shawn Hawkins (head-scratching). The Ants were just 26% from behind the arc in a game that saw Dewitt Scott not put up a single deep ball. Odd. Taj McCullough didn’t help matters with his 2 for 10.

Dakota’s All-Star Blake Ahearn had a game high 29 points and also dished 6 dimes (5 turnovers). Another Wizard All-Star, Richard Hendrix had just 6 points but went nuts for 15 rebounds and 5 blocks. Rod Benson was 6 for 8 from the field on his way to 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. And speaking of Benson, can someone explain to me what the hell “Boom Tho” means? Ah, yes I realize it’s ridiculous that I do not know this, especially as a faithful reader of his, but I suppose I just missed this explanation. So yeah, a comment explaining this would be lovely and you can laugh at me all you please!

Ron Howard led the Mad Ants with 27 points. It’s nice to see Ron emerge as the leader of this team once again. He’s been playing really solid basketball lately. Walker Russell struggled tonight with his 3 for 9 shooting and 4 turnovers. He had 7 dimes, but this is well below his usual average. All-Star Chris Hunter had a wonderful night however, besides his limited 31 minutes due to foul trouble. He had 17 points, 17 boards, and 2 blocks. Beastly.

We All Got Wood & Nails

ben.renz — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:09:32 -0000

Good afternoon D-League fans. Sorry I didn't get my morning post up - the perfect storm occured. I went to bed early last night as I felt terrible (like "Robocop getting his hand shot off" terrible) after my workout. I fell asleep watching Arrested Development (this made me sad because I would do anything for new episodes of this show; and I know, I know, but I don't actually think that movie will ever happen). Then my alarm never went off. So I was late for class. No breakfast. No time to warm up my car (I'm getting sick of winter - it's snowing as I type this). All this = no morning recap. But I'm on it now. We had just the one game last night and let's run it down (and as usual, since it's an Ants game I'll always go into a bit more detail).

Utah Flash (13-9) Knock Off the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (9-14) 123 - 114

This was a goody that went into overtime and saw the Ants blowing a ten point 4th quarter lead and getting lucky off a Taj McCullough layup to even force the overtime (in which, they were obviously outscored quite a bit). The game saw 19 lead changes and 15 ties and boy oh boy do I wish I was in Utah to see this one in person (well, maybe not; I probably would have cursed often). Dontell Jefferson went nuts. He had 38 points in the game and 18 of those came in the fourth (and 5 coming in OT). On top of that monstrous total he managed 5 dimes and 2 steals. Ouch.

You can chalk this one up to bad rebounding, as the Ants were outmuscled on the glass 47-32. Ain't gonna do the trick. Utah's 53% FG percentage also helped a great deal (no way!) and they shot 47% from long-range. But hey, when a team turns the ball over 27 times in a game you should be able to walk away with a win. But oh yeah...there was that rebounding thing....

The Ants also shot 17% from Treytah (that's trey+ utah; which oddly enough equals "Ben's out of ideas and isn't very funny"). Dewitt Scott is back into his slump. He shot 1 for 6 from beyond the arc; scoring just 5 points and not much else in 32 minutes of play. And speaking of insignificant minutes, what happened to Carl Elliott? He was out there for 43 minutes and managed just 8 points, 5 boards, and 3 turnovers. I suppose, in their defense, the Flash do have some attractive dancers. Eh, not particularly. I don't know what to blame this one on.

Walker Russell had another beast of a night in more ways than one. 29 points and 13 boards are the one way. And the 8 turnovers go the other way. Again, a beast of a night for WRJ. Chris Hunter fouled out in just 33 minutes of play, but put up 21 points and grabbed 9 boards and Ron Howard had 25 in the loss. Taj McCullough had 20 points...sadly it took him 20 shots to get there. His 9 boards tried to make up for it however. And Shawn Hawkins didn't play. I'm hoping he's injured, because there's no reason he shouldn't be the go-to sixth man on this team. And let me clarify: I never hope anyone is injured (except maybe Chris Paul when he's playing the Pacers), I'm just looking for a reason as to why Hawk didn't play last night. I'm not evil. Though that cheap shot at the Flash dancers was uncalled for.

Utah's Carlos Wheeler had 12 points and 12 boards off the bench but also 5 turnovers (there are always "buts" in this league - I guess that explains a lot though *shrugs shoulders* *promises to never use asterisks again to explain a physical reaction on a blog*). And though forward Bennet Davis shot just 4 for 11 last night, he had 4 blocks. And 4 blocks is always worth noting. Andrew Ingram had 21, 6 boards, and 3 steals in the Utah win. Woot woot. Mad Ants losing again. Now this is more like it!

The Prospect Watch has a new article up concerning the top 5 potential call ups - a list that of course is missing Walker Russell. He's out-assisting everyone in the league by a mile. Having Will Conroy on this list, and not Russell just blows my mind. Isn't the job of the point guard to distribute the ball well? It's easy to see which of these two players does that better. Not to say that Will doesn't deserve to be on this list. We could probably knock Ronald Dupree off (no offense to Ron, as he'd probably be my number 6 guy anyway) and add WRJ. Russell's the most NBA-ready point guard you're going to find who's not already in the NBA (because yes, you can be an NBA-ready point guard who's already in the NBA, stupid). There's also an interesting comment in the blog talking about James White's bad attitude on the court. Sounds pretty nasty. This could be a big reason why he's not with the Spurs as we speak. I've always like White, but if this happens to be true, I cannot support someone like that (if anyone knows more on this please let loose in the comments; I'd love to know more about it). Though it's always been a battle with me - seperating the basketball player from his personality - as I'm convinced most NBA players are the type of people I would not get along with. I'm sure our values are just a tad different. ANYWAY, read the blog. It's a good one and who doesn't love blogging on the D-League? :) (no asterisks!) PS. This video is awesome.

And on an end note, I saw that the 14ers acquired Vernon Hamilton yesterday, which is a great pickup for them. Hamilton was with the Ants for four games this season and he shows a lot of promise. He's the all-time steals leader over at Clemson and he's got a good future ahead of him. Three games tonight! I'll see you guys in the morning.