SB Nation - Gerry McNamara

Interview with NBA Agent Bill Neff: The Economic Downturn, Affiliations, and the Direction of the D-League (PART 1)

Aisander D — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:00:10 -0000

Recent occurrences in the D-League have made it abundantly clear that we are approaching a difficult time for both the NBA and Developmental League. The financial markets have begun to predicate many of the actions taken by major league and minor league franchises. Bakersfield recently announced their platinum club plan, charging exorbitant prices for D-League games. A quick scan of our transactions list reveals that a lot of well known D-League players are making the jump overseas. Many NBA teams have been cutting staff and signing players very cautiously, in an effort to guard the bottom line. Combined, all of this paints a painful picture, filled with tough decisions ahead.

In order to get a handle on the state of the D-League and the outer forces influencing it, we're going to be interviewing a series of people who can be considered "stakeholders" in the League. GMs, coaches, players, and agents will be the target of this effort, which will essentially try come to some understanding about where the D-League stands in the next year and where we are headed in the future.

Our first interview in the series is with well known agent Bill Neff, who works for Saga Sports and has over 15 years of experience with the CBA, NBA, and D-League. Bill graduated from the University of Michigan in 1980 and has represented mostly minor league players for much of his career. Mr. Neff's current client list includes the likes of well known player/blogger Rod Benson, Gerry McNamara, Jamaal Tatum, Kevin Ollie, Mike Wilks, Jason Hart, and Demetris Nichols. Bill was also representing Mike Taylor when he was the first player drafted from the D-League in the 2008 NBA draft.

Today's post is Part 1 of the interview, followed by Part 2 tomorrow morning.

AD: How long have you been representing players and how long have you been working with the D-League?

Bill Neff: I have been representing players for about 16 years now and have worked with the D League since its inception and the CBA before it. The essence of our firm [Ed. Note: Saga Sports], its DNA, if you will, is minor league players. We believe strongly in it. First, because of the kinds of players we get or try to get, where we do not do anything which violates NCAA or NBPA rules, they will not necessarily get drafted. However, they may be as good as a drafted player but not received the exposure that some of the draftees get. The minor leagues help that. Second, you have to play to get better. Sitting on an NBA bench as a younger guy is a waste of time. See Ramon Sessions. Third, all of my players go through the D League and prior to that, the CBA. It makes them so much better. It is graduate school.

All of my players go through the D League and, prior to that, the CBA. It makes them so much better. It is graduate school.

AD: Generally how have you seen the D-League grow or change over the course of your interactions with the League? What have been some positive and negative changes?

Bill Neff: The D League is a work in progress. Used correctly, it could be a great vehicle, as the Bucks did with a terrific coach in Joey Meyer for Sessions. They were lucky, in that regard. If the NBA sees the D League as an opportunity, it can be that. If you see it as an expense, it is an expense.

If the D League is about development, you can take a late second rounder and turn him into a mid level player. It happened for me with Troy Hudson who, by the way, looks great now that he is healthy. Younger players need to play. If you are like the Jazz and run the same system as the NBA team, that is a good way to go. Or, if you make sure your draft choice goes down and gets to play, it should be helpful.

Or, if you use it to give an incentive for players to come there. For instance, promise the players that they will be on your summer league roster. If you can handle it logistically, attempt to work out with the Players Association, an angle where D League players get practice time benefits, such as money, if they practice with the big club. Add that to the CBA. Tell your Personnel Directors if you find a Kevin Ollie, Mike Wilks or Jason Hart in the minor leagues, we will boost your pay. Have them work like Mark Warkentien (Dahntay Jones) and Carroll Dawson used to with Chucky Brown and Mario Elie and find championship pieces in the minor leagues. They are there.

The problem is too many NBA people look at the NBDL as a lesser place. It is not. Some really good coaches like Phil Jackson and George Karl toiled there [Ed. Note: both coached in the CBA in the mid-80's] and the recent generation of Dave Joerger, now with Memphis, Bryan Gates, now with Sacramento, and Meyer are every bit their equal. The view from the NBA has changed, unfortunately.

In short, the D League has grown because of the assignment aspect of it but it is still hampered by the NBA's/NBDL's lack of creative thinking. Spend a touch more in salaries, which they won't, allow more freedom to go to Europe and you will have a great league. Relax the rules to allow players to choose which team they can go to but what has happened is because of the D League's byzantine rules, you must be very careful when you put your guy into the pool. Also, teams like San Antonio have tinkered with the rules to their advantage. The rules should be simple, allowing for the best players to enter into the League. They do not exist now. Only because I believe in the D League have I pushed my players there. I am in the minority of agents. So, the positive changes are some NBA teams' mild embrace of the league, its greater exposure but the negatives remain which hamper its development: an embrace by the NBA as an equal partner, unclear rules, low salaries, so it will continue to lurch along by fits and starts until it cleans up some of those things.

The problem is too many NBA people look at the NBDL as a lesser place. It is not.

AD: Over the past few seasons, but this season in particular, the global and regional financial outlook has been fairly grim. It's well documented that NBA owners are trimming the pocketbooks and preparing for rough times ahead. How do you think this affects the D-League? Are there fewer opportunities for players to be called up from the D-League, or will NBA teams be seeking more cheap talent than ever?

Bill Neff: The global economy has affected everyone and will affect the D League. There will be fewer callups. I wish it were different. The NBA should be seeking cheap talent but by the way they used the summer leagues and just promote their own players for the most part, they will not be looking to the D League, as they should. They should be encouraging cheap talent. The hybrid teams should attempt to encourage players to come by offering summer league spots but they do not. It is really a waste of a good product to some extent.

Stay tuned for Part 2 with Bill Neff tomorrow morning.

Ridiculous Transactions

Jon L — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:00:11 -0000

Hello! I hope you're enjoying your weekend. Today we debut a new (hopefully-) recurring series of posts detailing transactions for the previous week. What kind of transactions? I plan to mainly focus on, well, the type of players this site focuses on. That means a lot of D-League players and teams, but also players who previously played in the D-League but are now in Europe, players who saw some action at this year's Summer League, and maybe the occasional recent draft pick or player. This isn't meant to be comprehensive with the European signings (I'm not looking to compete with Ball in Europe), nor will the bulk of NBA trades and free agent signings be covered. Sorry, Andre Miller. I will, however, be providing some brief commentary below all (or most) of the transactions listed. This is a new feature, so any suggestions on what you'd like to see format- or content-wise is welcome. So here we go, with a look at "Ridiculous Transactions" for July 17-June 24.

July 17: Cartier Martin - signed with Treviso (Italy)

Martin played decently in Summer League for Golden State, doing a good job of getting to the free-throw line and not turning the ball over much, but he made only a quarter of his three-pointers, and needed one good game to get up to even that mark. Martin played for Iowa in the D-League last season, and since he can score, he should do well over in Italy.

July 18: Marc Salyers - signed with LeMans (France)

Salyers has been in Europe for a few years where he's a terrific scorer, and while he played for the Hornets' Summer League team, he never really got his shot to fall consistently in Vegas. He has a variety of offensive moves but little defense or rebounding, so Europe is probably where he belongs.

July 20: Nick Lewis - signed with Roanne (France); Sergiy Gladyr - signed with Manresa (Spain)

Lewis effectively replaces Salyers, who played with Roanne last year. Lewis is late of the Bakersfield Jam, where he showed some decent if inconsistent rebounding ability. He fancies himself somewhat of a three-point shooter, and he made almost 38 percent of them last year, decent for a 6'10" guy I suppose, but that number was quite a bit higher than his career mark, and I have doubts as to whether he'll sustain it. Gladyr was a second-round pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the most recent draft, and he's a shooting guard with emphasis on the "shooting." Some have questions as to whether he's athletic enough for the NBA, though pre-draft reports were decent on that front.

July 21: Jimmy Baron - signed with Mersin (Turkey); Dakota Wizards - hired Rory White as head coach

We've already discussed White's hiring, so let's turn to Baron. Baron was a very good three-point shooting in college, though he's a bit like Blake Ahearn in that he's "point guard-sized" without having a lot of point guard skills (though Ahearn is obviously a bit ahead on that since he's had longer to work on them). Baron got invites to both the Orlando and Vegas Summer Leagues, though he didn't play much for the Jazz and Washington cut him before they actually got to Vegas. This is probably a case where he could go to the D-League and have a chance to work on the non-shooting parts of his game, but I'm sure he'll get a chance to get his shooting on in Turkey.

July 22: Christian Eyenga - had his contract with DKV Joventut (Spain) extended for three more years; Maine Red Claws - hired Austin Ainge as head coach

Again, we've covered Ainge's hire. Eyenga was the Cavaliers' first-round draft pick this year, and I find it interesting to think about his situation in the context of the Cavs' roster. Clearly Cleveland is trying to win as soon as possible - they made the conference finals this year, and LeBron James is under contract for just one more season. But what happens should James re-sign with Cleveland? I wonder if he'll allow Cleveland to keep drafting players like Eyenga in an attempt to adopt at least part of what could short-handedly be called the "Spurs model," or whether he'll keep saying "I've never heard of these guys, I want you to sign Joe Smith again." The Cavs aren't on the hook for Eyenga's salary or anything, but it will be interesting to see how they use the draft if James is under a long-term contract again.

July 23: Bobby Jones - signed with Banco Tercas Teramo (Italy); Gerry McNamara - named as Grad Assistant for Syracuse University

Remember when Jones was going to get called up by the 76ers? Whatever happened with that? Jones may feel that if he had gotten that close without making it in the D-League he has nothing left to play for here, but I do wonder how a primarily-defensive player such as Jones will fare over in Italy. Then again, I also wonder why I didn't see him on any Summer League roster. Jones is a decent scorer, so he'll probably be fine, but I do think he still could have made his mark in the D-League and gotten a call-up. Gerry McNamara was last seen being released from his D-League contract for "personal reasons," and whether it's related or not he seems to be headed for the coaching route.

July 24: Ryan Forehan-Kelly - signed with Scafati (Italy); Dominique Coleman - signed with Dexia Mons-Hainaut (Belgium)

Forehan-Kelly has been all over the place, playing in China, Venezuela, Mexico, Croatia and with the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Europe is probably the best place for him, as he's decent at several things (including three-point shooting) but wasn't really among the top few tiers of D-League players who could've seen a call-up. Coleman, well, this is slightly disappointing. Regular readers (which I think is TorosGirl and the people currently writing for the site) know that I was a big fan of Coleman's last year, and he does a lot of things very well, including defend and rebound. Hopefully he makes his way back to the States at some point, as I think he could develop into a solid NBA bench player.

The McNamara Plan Moves Into Phase II

Sean Keeley — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:10:20 -0000

Phase I was the the return of the prodigal son. Gerry McNamara announced he was opening up a basketball camp in Syracuse. He started making appearances at local quick service eateries. He made the local sportstalk radio rounds. In short, he was back. Phase I complete.

Phase II has now begun. Gerry has signed a deal to make weekly appearances on TK-99 as part of the Gomez & Dave Morning Show.

"I think it's a good thing for Galaxy and TK99 and it's a good thing for Gerry, too, " Levine said. "Gerry McNamara is Syracuse. He's a Scranton native, but this is his adoptive hometown."

"It'll be exciting to get on the radio and talk about stuff that I talk about with my buddies all the time, " McNamara said Thursday. "I think it's going to be fun."

Gerry joins a roster of radio show friends that is unrivaled in the industry. Master Chief Meteorologist Wayne Mahar is sure to put Gerry under his wings and teach him the fine art of broadcasting. And if Gerry & Mr. Skin cross paths on Thursday mornings, well, it's what we've all been waiting for.

Savvy move for Gerry. He knows that if he wants it, a lifetime job on the radio or TV in the Syracuse market is his. Might as well figure out if he likes doing it. Plus, this keeps him at the forefront of all things SU sports, and specifically, SU basketball. So when Phase III, Gerry taking a job as an SU basketball assistant coach happens, he will be ready. And if Phase III doesn't work out, there's always Phase III-B, SU Basketball Color Commentator For Life.

Yo Quiero Gerry McNamara?

Sean Keeley — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:39:28 -0000

View full size photo »

The Greater Syracuse area is experiencing an embarrassment of Gerry McNamara riches these days. First news came down that GMac will be hosting a basketball camp in town. Now comes word that, if you want to, you can start on one end of a Grilled Stuft Burrito, Gerry will start on the other end and you can meet in the middle.*

*possibly not part of the event.

Gerry will be appearing at the Taco Bell on Erie Blvd. on Sunday, June 7th from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. He'll be there on behalf of the Syracuse Boys & Girls Club signing basketballs. Of course you can bring your own item to be signed as well, you'll still need to drop the fiver...for a good cause.

While you're there, I GUESS you could splurge on a Gordita or something. I mean, look, Taco Bell didn't do this for financial gain, they're doing it for the kids. So really it's on you to help them out. For once in your life, will you help Taco Bell help you???

Oh and pick me up a 1/2 lb. Beef & Potato Burrito while you're there. For my friend.

(And yes, I spelled Stuft correctly in this instance. Hooray for faux-edgy marketing!)

Update: The Gerry McNamara Media Blitz continues! If you're in the Syracuse area, listen to Gerry on Brent Axe's On The Block show tomorrow at 5pm EST and if you're in the North Country listen to GMac on Matt Mc's Sports Fix shortly thereafter.

It's Matt Gorman's World, We Just Live In It

Sean Keeley — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:01 -0000

The Greatest Living Basketball Player in Great Britain, Matt Gorman, has been unfairly overlooked back in the States for years now. Unjustly not given credit for his contributions to the 2003 National Title team (1.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG), Gorman had to escape to Ireland and then England to find fame and fortune.

Well the chickens have come home to roost, ya'll. Someone is finally receiving their kahdooz:

No, not you crazy lady. Matt Gorman!

Gorman was named one of the 100 greatest athlete's in North Country history by the Watertown Times.

Gorman was a critical part of that 2000-01 WHS team that blazed through Syracuse Corcoran in the Section 3 Class A title game for the school's first crown since 1950. He averaged 19.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, and blocked a school-record 130 shots as the Cyclones went 23-1.

Two years later, Gorman was just a college freshman when Syracuse captured the national championship by beating Kansas. He played in nine games for the Orange, averaging 2.3 points per game.

And as if this wasn't enough brouhaha in one day over the former SU forward, news then came of a rare upcoming appearance in the Syracuse area:

Gorman will join his former Syracuse University teammate at the first of two weekend session of McNamara's basketball camps at Onondaga Community College. The first session will be held on June 12-14 with another camp scheduled for June 19-21.

Do I smell a 2003 Championship team reunion? Hey, Carmelo's available now...

I just hope Gorman will be on his best behavior at the camp. I don't know happy the parents would be if they heard Matt was putting on his infamous one-man show during mealtime:

Gerry McNamara: Part II

Sean Keeley — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:52:41 -0000

Greece. Bakersfield. Philadelphia. Reno. Utah. Latvia.

Gerry McNamara is a little like Anthony Bourdain. They both travel the world in search of great things. They're both tall and lanky. And they both cook in the French style. Okay I don't actually know how, and if, Gerry cooks his food. But when I think of GMac, I think haute cuisine. Maybe it's just me.

At 26, Gerry McNamara is still a young man. But after so many stops and starts in professional basketball, the window on a professional career is closing fast. Gerry's was thisclose to make the Utah Jazz roster this past season but his recent turn with the NBDL's Reno Bighorns didn't yield NBA-calibur results. It sure seems that if he wanted to he could have a fine career overseas but I get the feeling Gerry's tried that and it didn't stick. He wants to be in America doing what he loves.

So if he can't do it on a pro level, perhaps he can do the next best thing. Start teaching others how to do it.

The Gerry McNamara Basketball Camp is coming to Syracuse. If I were you, I'd book room now.

McNamara will host two weekend basketball camps in Syracuse this June and the former Syracuse University star plans on being there.

"I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it or if I wasn't going to be there," McNamara said. "I've done camps the last few years in Scranton. This is the first year I'm going to be in Syracuse. I'm definitely excited about it. It's always fun for me and I'm sure the kids will get something out of it as well."

Sorry, older Cuse fans. This one's only eligible for 2nd through 8th graders. You'll just have to keep your dreams of playing alongside Gerry capped for now.

Gerry also does a camp in Scranton and continues to do so. While this might not be the end just yet for Gerry's playing days, it is a signal that he's beginning to see the 2nd phase of his career...working his Syracuse connection for it's worth. Gerry McNamara might be slightly more well-known than me in Los Angeles, but in Syracuse, he's a living legend. There's no reason there shouldn't be a GMAC Camp there every year. And depending on how he wants his career to go, there's any number of options possibly available to him now:

1. Keep playing, but try to play as nearby as possible. If I thought that new ABA team had a leg to stand on, I'd say they should make Gerry a Godfather offer (whatever that amounts to in ABA-terms) and have him be the face of the franchise it's inaugural year. Of course, Gerry would probably only do this if he was 100% sure he's not going to play NBA or pro ball elsewhere. It's less a career-making move and more a publicity tour.

2. Take that Broadcasting course at SU and get in the booth. GMac doing some commentary on SU games? Sure!

3. Join the coaching ranks. Gerry has future coach written all over him and perhaps these camps are a first step in that. You don't think Jimmy would love to have McNamara on the staff to teach Brandon Triche a thing or two?

Who knows, maybe Gerry will be back in abn NBDL uniform come autumn but something tells me it's not too likely. I'd expect to starting seeing more of Gerry around the Syracuse area moving forward. Nothing wrong with that.

Invest In Gerry McNamara Bakersfield Jam Jerseys Now

Sean Keeley — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:25:29 -0000

Rabbobank Arena, The House That Gerry McNamara Built, will go silent next basketball season. The NBDL's Bakersfield Jam are ceasing operations. With them, die the dreams of many great things. We'll never know if the team would have retired Gerry McNamara's jersey. Sure, he only played there for 41 games and averaged 10 PPG, but, you know...

Don't be fooled by the business and political jargon, says team owner Stan Ellis. It's important to understand exactly what's going on here:

“I wouldn’t say we’re folding. We’re just not going to operate anymore.”

Glad we cleared that up. Oh and then there's this:

Palm said it was discussed to actually put the team up on eBay, but they decided not to.

No word on when the firesale will begin but if you're in the Bakersfield area, you might want to camp out near the Jam HQ just in case they start loading up the dumpster.

One thing the Jam haven't ceased is their online advertising. Which is unfortunate, given the content they're currently sponsoring:

HT: Ridiculous Upside

Who Is The Syracuse All-Decade Team?

Sean Keeley — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:04:13 -0000

I love OrangeHoops. Seriouisly, it's the most underrated SU blog out there. Why? Because every single time I go there, I learn something new or I read some kind of insightful analysis. Ray's does a mighty fine job crunching the numbers and making sense of it all.

And as he reminded me in his most recent post, the 00's are basically over as far as basketball is concerned. Sure, we can squabble over the upcoming season and make sure we include the November and December output in our discussions but we're probably not going to learn too much more about the decade in Syracuse basketball between now and then. So it's completely appropriate to begin the discussion...

Who Is The Syracuse All-Decade Team For The Aughts?

Ray's right, there's some tough choices to be made in this decade. But there's also a couple obvious ones as well.

First, I agree that Carmelo Anthony ('02 - '03) has to be on the team. Yes he was only here for one season but think of this way, 20 years from now when I ask you name five Syracuse basketball players from this decade, Carmelo will be among them. I guarantee it. He's in.

Next up, Gerry McNamara ('02 - '06) Discussion over.

Third, you gotta go with Hakim Warrick ('01 - '05). Hak has the hardware, he has the iconic moment "The Block," and he has the stats (21.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG as a senior). His post-SU career hasn't been memorable but Hakim does have the distinction of spending all four seasons with the Orange in this decade and improving immensely in each one. Still bothers me that he ended his career with the Vermont game.

Now it gets tricky. Who's available?

Demetris Nichols ('03 - '07) - 18.9 PPG and Big East 1st-Team.as a senior.

Preston Shumpert ('98 - '02) - We can only count his junior and senior seasons but even still, those were his money years anyway. #8 all-time scoring and #2 all-time in 3-PT percentage.

Eric Devendorf ('05 - '09) - Averaged double-digit scoring all four years (noted that one of those years was more like half-a-year) and you can't deny he has his share of clutch plays. Leaves as 14th on the all-time scoring list and 3# all-time in 3-PT percentage.

Jonny Flynn ('07 - '09) - Played almost every minute during both seasons at SU, averaged over 15 PPG both seasons and 6.7 assists his senior year. The face of SU basketball the last two years. #7 all-time in assists.

This might be a little crazy but I'm gonna go with Jonny Flynn and Preston Shumpert. Both only played two seasons in the decade but their inclusion bookends it perfectly. Preston was the leader of the pre-Carmelo Orange. a dominant shooter and he really did the bulk of that in his final two seasons. On the other side, Jonny was the face of the "Dynasty." Although they never achieved what they set out to do, this group brought some hope and swagger back to SU under Flyyn and Jonny was the consummate floor general and player you wanted on your team.

Demetris is tough one because he did a lot while he was here but I feel like he's going to end up as a forgotten SU star. He exists somewhere between Carmelo and Jonny and while we remember he was good, no real memories come to mind. He also played second fiddle to Gerry most of his career.

And Devo? If he stayed another year he would have slipped in there ahead of Preston. He would have passed Preston in scoring and 3-PT percentage all-time so it's likely. Then again, maybe it's for the best that we leave him out of it.

So that give us:

Carmelo Anthony
Gerry McNamara
Hakim Warrick
Jonny Flynn
Preston Shumpert

We're a little soft in the paint. If you were going on the other way and wanted to make this an actual team position-by-position, like OrangeHoops did, I suppose you can insert Arinze as center. I'd put in Demetris instead just because he's further ahead on that list.

So what do you think? You can rank your own top players here or leave your thoughts in the comments below. And of course, we need to decide who the very best player of the decade is. OrangeHoops chose Warrick. I think I'd go with GMac because his aura and importance to the SU community trumps Warrick's statistical lead. But what do I know?

Poll

Who is the Syracuse Player of the Decade?

Carmelo Anthony

157 votes

Jonny Flynn

7 votes

Gerry McNamara

212 votes

Hakim Warrick

34 votes

410 votes | Poll has closed

Syracuse Fans Will Never Forget Billy McNamara

Sean Keeley — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:04:06 -0000

Syracuse vs. Oklahoma. The Sweet Sixteen. A game of this magnitude deserves only the best. And when you talk about the best in sports journalism, you're talking about the big gun. You know what I mean, the writer that every newspaper turns to when they need to take a ham sandwich and turn it into salad niçoise. The writer who can turn a seemingly ordinary chain of events into a treasure trove of hyperbole and metaphor that would make Shapespeare piss his pantaloons.

I'm talking about the featured columnist.

You know ours. Buddy "Big Show" Poliquin. And Bud gets off to a rolicking start this morning, referencing Hercules within the opening paragraph, drops a John Bunyon reference by the third, works in multiple Terminator nods and even finds time to refer to Blake Griffin as "the sculpted Sooner." If God is in the details, Bud's column is the messiah come back to life.

But Bud's not the only featured columnist working this beat. The Oklahoman still has one too. And his name is Berry Tramel. You might possibly remember Berry or wonder why his name sounds so familiar. I've give you a reminder...

BULLFEATHERS!

Yes, Berry is the newspaper writer who once compared people who peruse message boards to terrorists and exclaimed that they, not corrupt boosters and shady athletic departments, were the true villains of college sports. Good luck with that thesis, Berry.

Alas, we lost touch with Sir Tramel until recently and now he's come back into our lives when we needed him most. To see what kind of metaphorical, world-changing spin the Oklahoman folks are putting on a basketball game involving teenagers.

Berry builds his column around the Superman conceit. Not just for Blake but also for SU's own notable Man of Steel, Carmelo Anthony. But Carmelo didn't win the 2003 title alone. Oh, no, he had help. Although, SU fans might be confused as to actually who that help was...

So Willie Warren and Austin Johnson and Taylor Griffin will have to play the roles of Billy McNamara and Hakim Warrick and Kueth Duany, Anthony’s lieutenants in that 2003 Syracuse run.

Ah, Billy McNamara. So many memories. I wonder where Billy is today. I just hope that he takes some time out of his busy day doing whatever it is he does to say a little prayer for the Orange.

H/T: Andy K.

My Thoughts on the Iowa Energy @ Dakota Wizards Game

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:30:07 -0000

I attended the best game at the Bismarck Civic Center in nearly two years yesterday as the Dakota Wizards beat the Iowa Energy 123-116 in overtime. With an announced attendance of 4,351, I have to assume it was the best crowd since the last overtime game in Dakota that I remember, the 06-07 D-League Championship game.

Here are my random observations...

Maurice Baker is clutch. Talked to my dad at halftime, who asked me why Baker yells at his other teammates all the time even when he's not playing well himself. My response: Mo's a good player, he's usually able to turn it on when he needs. Granted, he is starting to look a little bit more like a ball hog, but it's okay when he puts up stat lines like he did yesterday. In nearly 50 minutes, Baker had 30 points, 13 boards, and five assists, with 14 of his 30 points coming in the fourth quarter. Impressive, late.
Othyus Jeffers can play defense. He was given the task of defending Blake Ahearn, and he did this phenomenally. Everytime Ahearn would touch the ball, Jeffers was in his grill. Ahearn had the quietest 19 points of his career, getting up just 10 shots in 40 minutes. Last time Ahearn only shot 10 times in a game: January 31st.
Nick Nurse is not nice. I've never heard a coach complain as much as he did this game. After the game, the officials had to ask security to get him out of their face, which took Nurse's wrath to the scorers table. Not sure one could be mad at the scorers table, but he was. His least favorite official is now Karl Lane, FYI. If a team is outrebounded, commits more turnovers, and shoots worse from the field, I'm under the assumption that the officials aren't to blame.
Courtney Sims might have an attitude problem. He did this game. After a foul was called in overtime with 1:21 left on the clock, Sims jerked out his mouthguard, threw it under the tables, and got T'd up to boot. It also looked like he had just picked up his sixth foul. Seconds later, the foul was attributed to Denham Brown, so Sims acted like he did for no reason. Interestingly enough, Iowa never scored again after this foul.
Scott Woodmansee, Wizards PA announcer, is a genius. Favorite call of the night: "Ahearn from the concession stand!" Clutch. Also, when Curtis Stinson and Sims fouled out, he plays "Apologize" sung by Timbaland One Republic. Most awkward song frequently played to hype the crowd up at a basketball game? We will get to that soon enough.
Hamed Haddadi reminds me of another former Wizard: Leonardo di Pacce dos Santos, AKA Morro. Reason being, Haddadi may as well stay on the defensive end at all times. Offensively, he's a huge liability, which scares me considering he's an NBA player with the Grizzlies. Have never seen a guy with worse hands than him. He doesn't have a back to the basket game, and you'll notice that his offensive rebounding numbers are always very close to his number of missed shots. 3-for-7, four rebounds. See the correlation? On defense, however, he is a stud. Very foul prone, but comes up with clutch blocks, as he swatted a Sims shot with :24 seconds to go that would have given Iowa the game. For that, I will award him best Iranian to ever play in the NBA or D-League. Ever. Hands down. This is non-negotiable.
Curtis Stinson fills up the box score quieter than anyone. It's absurd. In this game, he had 21 points, 14 boards, and eight assists before fouling out. He's just one of the former Wizards that almost came back to haunt them.
The other: Denham Brown. Brown, who the Wizards released due to "salary cap and roster concerns" according to the program, was lights out. 20 points in 31 minutes off the bench. If a team needs to release a player due to salary concerns, I think salaries should become public knowledge.
Richard Hendrix is easily the best dressed player in the D-League. Call him up, he'll at least make your bench look fashionable. Tonight, he was out with a strained calf.
My new mission will be to get salaries published and to disallow any team to release a player "due to personal reasons" or "injury". Gerry McNamara, Billy Thomas, and Ryan Humphrey were all recently released due to personal reasons, which I'm under the assumption means McNamara missed Damone Brown and Thomas was released due to feeling too good for the D-League. Humphrey -- No clue. Derrick Dial was released due to injury March 7th, but in the March 8th game, he played. Interesting? YES! Does it make any sense whatsoever? NO.
With twelve seconds left in overtime, the crowd started the alligator clap, which is traditionally done to signal the end of the game as Woodmansee hits the song Cecelia by Simon and Garfunkel. With a Wizard at the line, however, the music couldn't be played. The crowd didn't care, as 4,000 people were standing, doing the alligator clap. Easily the coolest thing I've ever seen at a Wizards game, and I once saw Keith Closs, full uniform, smoking cigarettes outside before the game.
This rivalry is getting large. Almost reminds me of way back when, in the IBA, when Dakota would play the Des Moines Dragons. bluejayrock wishes it was back to those days, I think.

Also, look for RU's updated call-up rankings sometime this afternoon!