SB Nation - Josh Davis

Turnover at the Top

Jon L — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:44 -0000

Chris Hunter is one of only a few of last season's D-League leaders coming back to the league.

I've made a few oblique references this offseason to all of the D-League three-point shooters who will be playing overseas this year, and it's true that there will be some unfamiliar faces jacking up perimeter shots next month. But it's actually even more remarkable than I thought. Heres is the list of last year's D-League award winners:

MVP - Courtney Sims
Defensive POY - Brent Petway
Impact POY - Eddie Gill
Rookie of the Year - Othyus Jeffers
Coach of the Year - Quin Snyder
Sportsmanship Award - Will Conroy

Notice anything? With the exception of perhaps Sims, all of the players listed above are playing overseas (and RU's Coach of the Year pick, Bryan Gates, is in the NBA now). True, one of them could come back midseason (and be in the running for the Impact award), but those are still some relatively big names missing. It gets even more drastic than that. Here are the All D-League teams:

First: Blake Ahearn, Will Conroy, Erik Daniels, Courtney Sims, Marcus Williams

I expect Williams to join back up with the Toros, and we're still waiting to see what Sims will do, but Ahearn, Conroy and Daniels are all overseas now.

Second: Derrick Byars, Josh Davis, Chris Hunter, Trey Johnson, James White

Hunter's back in Fort Wayne, but Byars - gone; Davis - gone; Johnson - gone; White - gone.

Third: Lance Allred, Ronald Dupree, Eddie Gill, Dontell Jefferson, Cartier Martin

Jefferson is back with Utah but I would expect a call-up for him at some point this season (the defense is too good). Otherwise, they're all in Europe and elsewhere. And while I won't bother listing all of the honorable mentions, by my count less than half of them are with the D-League again this year.

So what's the point of this? Change, and lots of it. Sure it will be disappointing not to see these talented players, but I prefer to see it as a crisi-tunity. With training camps underway and the regular season starting in just two weeks, a lot of players will have a chance to make their mark on the D-League. Some of them we can probably guess - expect Marcus Williams to tear it up again until he gets called up, Garrett Siler should be one of the best big men in the league and Carlos Powell and Anthony Tolliver should both fill up the box scores. But just as likely is that we can't predict right now who's going to make those 2009-2010 All-D-League teams. It could be someone like Amara Sy, who started his career off promisingly in Europe; or Reggie Williams, who was a smart, crafty scorer in college; heck, it could even be Yaroslav Korolev (it probably won't be Yaroslav Korolev).

All this turnover at the top of the league, talent-wise, is both likely a little daunting for the league and a pretty exciting development for D-League watchers. Teams are busy right now sorting out who can play and who can't, then it will be our turn.

Bob MacKinnon Hired as New Stampede Coach

Jon L — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:00:21 -0000

New Idaho Stampede coach Bob MacKinnon, who won the D-League championship last season with Colorado (via www.nba.com)

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The Idaho Stampede hired Bob MacKinnon as their new coach yesterday, replacing Bryan Gates who is now an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. We briefly looked at MacKinnon's credentials on Saturday, but now that he's been hired a closer look at the work he did last year is probably in order.

If there's one thing the Colorado 14ers did last season, it was run. As the local CBS affiliate's news story notes, the team averaged 120 points a game last year, which is still on the high side even for the uptempo D-League. They relied on a bevy of athletic players including John Lucas, Trey Gilder, Sonny Weems, Dominique Coleman and James Mays as well as dependable veterans like Josh Davis, Eddie Gill and Joe Dabbert, and finished the season first in both pace and offensive rating. Small lineups were not uncommon to see, with Davis at center and Gilder playing power forward alongside three guards. In part this was due to the foul trouble that all three of the centers on Colorado's roster towards the end of the season were foul-prone, but it also made smart use of the team's personnel. The team also had several players leave at various points due either to injury or being called up by the NBA, such as Mays, Cheikh Samb and Sean Williams. As MacKinnon himself noted in this "A Day in the Life" piece, flexibility is a trait he prizes, so he is likely confident in his ability to adapt his style if need be.

Will MacKinnon be able to implement the same style in Idaho? At the risk of asking a question then immediately copping out, I'm not sure. Idaho finished 14th (out of 16 teams) in pace last season, but a few of the players on that roster who may have preferred that pace, such as Nate Jawai or Lance Allred, are no longer around. However, there are some players who may thrive in MacKinnon's offense, such as Coby Karl and Luke Jackson, who won't be back either. Should Mohammed Abukar return, however, I think he'd do well, and he has experience playing at a faster pace from his time in Austin. MacKinnon also will be without the services of lockdown defender Brent Petway, and while Colorado's defense was about average last year (8th in the league), Petway's absence, perhaps in conjunction with MacKinnon's running style, makes it unlikely that the Stampede will repeat as the D-League's best defense.

A few closing comments: one fun aspect of this hire is that the "feud" between MacKinnon and Utah Flash owner Brandt Andersen (which as far as I know may be completely one-sided, which is the best/most hilarious kind of feud) may be kept alive. This also means that Rio Grande Valley is the only D-League team without a head coach in place. Congratulations to MacKinnon on being hired, and to the Idaho Stampede for finding a solid coach for their team.

Ridiculous Transactions: 8/31-9/6

Jon L — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:57:32 -0000

So long, Josh Davis. Scott's going to miss you.

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Not much happened this past week save for a few minorly major signings, so this will be a post somewhat fitting for Labor Day. Let's get to it.

September 3: Josh Davis - signed with Panellinios (Greece); Jason Collins - signed with the Atlanta Hawks; Mikki Moore - signed with the Golden State Warriors

We don't cover a lot of NBA moves here, but I thought I'd offer the above two as contrast. Jason Collins can get an NBA job, but Josh Davis can't? But Lance Allred can't? But Will Frisby can't? Even Mikki Moore, D-League success story that he is, doesn't really rebound much anymore, and never really did much else. Sigh. It's stuff like this that keeps us here at RU working and talking about these players. Memo to the NBA: Davis, Allred and Frisby are all better than Jason Collins. They can actually help your team.

The other thing worth mentioning is that Davis was another player drafted by the Red Claws who now won't be with the team at the start of the season. I know the team likes to post comments here talking up their draft, but I'll just point out that the only frontcourt player whose rights they drafted who will actually be with the team come November is now Noel Felix, who is a solid defender but who offensively doesn't put much scare into other teams. I'm not too surprised at Davis's move, as he's 29 years old, and even though he can play in the NBA right now, the NBA doesn't seem to be requesting his services anymore. He has a family, so this was obviously something he felt he needed to do, and it's hard to argue with.

September 4: Pops Mensah-Bonsu - signed with the Houston Rockets

See Marge? These guys get it. It's officially official now, and while the contract is non-guaranteed and the Rockets have a lot of guys under contract right now, Chase Budinger and Jermaine Taylor are likely candidates to see beautiful Rio Grande Valley this season. The Rockets also like to go big, so having five guys who can play PF/C isn't the worst thing in the world. I'd also hope that at this point Mensah-Bonsu could beat out, say, Brian Cook for a roster spot, but crazier things have happened, like NBA teams continuing to pay Jason Collins.

Expansion Draft Results & Analysis

Jon L — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:00:17 -0000

After cutting down the nets in Colorado, Billy Thomas will be playing for the Maine Red Claws this season.

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While RU had its mock draft on Tuesday, yesterday was the actual expansion draft with the Springfield Armor and Maine Red Claws picking from among the guys who finished last season with either Colorado or Anaheim, both of which are now no more (though Springfield is kinda-sorta the new Anaheim). The teams were actually drafting the D-League rights to these players, not the players themselves, so in some cases the teams were drafting guys who have already signed elsewhere, in the hopes that they're either cut by the NBA or come back from overseas during the season, in which cases the players would join whoever drafted them. A round-by-round list of the picks can be found here, but since there were only two teams drafting I'll just list the final "rosters":

Springfield	Maine
Marcus Campbell	James White
James Mays	Trey Gilder
Eddie Gill	Billy Thomas
Kentrell Gransberry	Noel Felix
Cedric Bozeman	John Lucas III
Jamar Brown	Kedrick Brown
Malick Badiane	Dominique Coleman
Marcus Taylor	Joe Dabbert
Cameron Bennerman	Josh Davis
Kirk Walters	Andre Patterson

Overall, the Red Claws bet heavily on the players I was talking about above, taking James White and Trey Gilder (who both have at least partially-guaranteed NBA contracts) with their first two picks, then followed up later in the draft by taking Dominique Coleman, who's going to play in Belgium, and Joe Dabbert, who's going to be in Korea. If these work out it was a good draft for them, but if not then they'd better hope to get some NBA assignees this season. The Red Claws also were able to pick up Josh Davis in the ninth round, though, which is crazily low, so that was definitely a good pickup.

I really like what Springfield did in the draft, taking up the best center in the draft with the first pick (Campbell*) then surrounding him guys who can score like Bozeman and Mays. They also seemed to have cornered the market on available big men. Felix and Davis are the only two players Maine has right now who can play in the middle. There really were two different philosophies at work here, with the Armor taking guys who can contribute immediately and maybe keep fans coming to games once the novelty of having a new team wears off. Both teams will be filling out their rosters with players from local tryouts, of course, but at this point Springfield seems more ready to start the season.

* Thanks to an alert reader for reminding me that it was Marcus Campbell who was drafted, not Hubbard.

But that's just one man's opinion. What do you, the viewers at home, think?

D-League Expansion Draft Tomorrow; RU Mock Draft Today

Jon L — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:00:15 -0000

The D-League rights of John Lucas III are available in tomorrow's expansion draft.

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In case you haven't heard, the D-League's Expansion Draft will be held tomorrow, September 2, at 2 p.m. ET. There are only two teams participating, the Maine Red Claws and the Springfield Armor (even though I didn't think the Armor were an expansion team, since they're just the new Anaheim Arsenal), and the list of players available can be found here. It's basically just the players from last year's Anaheim and Colorado rosters. The draft will be done snake-style, where the team with the first pick in the first round has the last pick in the second round, etc., which seems a bit silly with just two teams, but I'm not the one in charge here. The draft will last ten rounds, and Springfield won the coin toss so they're going first.

We thought it would be fun to run a mock draft, so Aisander and I drafted players we thought would be good for the D-League's two newest teams. He had Springfield, I had Maine. At least, he had Springfield until he stopped e-mailing me his picks. We limited our player list to only those who haven't already signed contracts in Europe or the NBA (except in a few instances I'll mention when we get to them) - even though the D-League teams are drafting a player's D-League rights, so for instance if Maine drafts Joe Dabbert he could join the team once the South Korean season ends or he doesn't feel like playing over there anymore. But, we thought this would be a little more interesting, and it also gives us a chance to comment in players who don't get a lot of mentions around here.

Check out the RU Expansion Mock Draft after the jump. All the player comments are mine except where noted.

Round 1

1. Springfield - James Mays, 6'8" F

If I'm Springfield (or any franchise for that matter), I want to make sure I'm getting a quality big man who scores efficiently and can rebound. Mays fits that bill perfectly. He was an absolute beast for the 14ers last year, averaging 19.0 points and just shy of 9.0 rebounds a game. He was one of the more dominant players in the D-League up until he was injured mid-season. And really, his ACL is the only thing that gives me pause. But if James Mays is healthy, then I'm taking him first. -- AD

2. Maine - Cedric Bozeman, 6'6" G/F

I had planned on drafting Mays, who went to Clemson, to try and get Maine's affiliate the Charlotte Bobcats to pay attention to the team even though we're so closely tied with the Celtics. But Bozeman's a good consolation prize. He's a versatile swingman who rebounds well for his position and can distribute the ball a little bit as well, so he's the Maine Red Claws' first pick.

Round 2

3. Maine - Josh Davis, 6'8" F

The versatility theme continues, plus Scott would have a fit if Davis fell any lower than this. Davis is a really solid frontcourt player who can shoot threes, defend, pass and rebound, and he even played some center in Colorado's fast-paced offense last year. With Bozeman and Davis on board, I'm liking the roster already.

4. Springfield - Kedrick Brown, 6'6" G/F

Well I was dying to pick Josh Davis, aka Scott Schroeder's man crush, but lo and behold you've snapped him up. So instead I'm going with a solid NBA-caliber swingman. Brown was originally drafted by the Boston Celtics, but has played the last two seasons with the Arsenal. He's been a solid player, averaging around 15 points and 6 boards a game. Brown is capable of scoring big numbers when he's hot, blowing up for over 30 a few times last season. He's a seasoned vet at this point in his career, which is something any new franchise/coach could use. -- AD

*It should be noted that Brown has signed a contract to play overseas this season, which I didn't realize until I was putting this post together. I'll leave him on Ais's roster as a penalty for his not finishing this thing. I also should tell you that Aisander was responsible for cutting out all of the players who had already signed elsewhere, so it's possible that he was trying to pull a fast one on me.

Round 3

5. Springfield - John Lucas III, 5'11" G

I was going to go with Eddie Gill here, but John Lucas really was solid off the bench for the 14ers last season, stepping it up when Gill was struggling. I like Lucas primarily because he's younger and a little bit quicker. As a point guard, he is a good, not great floor leader, who runs the offense smoothly and shot a blistering 45% from three last year. He's solid as a scoring and passing PG, averaging about 15 points and 4.5 assists last season. I also like Lucas because his assist-to-turnover ratio was 4:1, because hanging onto the ball is an important part of the game, no matter what Will Conroy might tell you. -- AD

6. Maine - Eddie Gill, 6'1" G

Lucas may be younger and quicker, but I like Gill to run the point for my team. It's true that he's had some stints with the New Jersey Nets, who the Armor are affiliated with this year, but I think first-year head coach Austin Ainge will appreciate having a savvy veteran running his offense and getting everyone in the right place. Gill sometimes settles for three-pointers a little too often, but he finished third in the D-League in assists last season both on a per-game and per-season basis, and there's the added bonus of him being a decent midseason call-up option for the Celtics should their search for a backup point guard prove fruitless.

Round 4

7. Maine - Marcus Campbell, 7'0" C

Marcus Campbell, 7'0" C - I guess someone has to draft a center, and Campbell's the best available. He was third in the D-League last year in rebounds per minute (just ahead of Kentrell Gransberry) and he's a decent shotblocker as well. He's 27, so this is probably as good as it gets for Campbell, and he doesn't get to the line quite as often as you'd like your big man to, but he'd give the Red Claws a solid inside game to go with their skilled perimeter players.

8. Springfield - Kentrell Gransberry, 6'9" F/C

Well it's official, the pickings are getting slightly slim. But I'll go ahead and take Gransberry, who is your typically undersized center with some weight issues. But there is some upside with Gransberry. If he can shed some weight and work on his footwork I think he's got a shot at being a decent bench rebounder/garbage scorer. He did not exactly light up the D-League last year, but he's a solid rotation player at this point. -- AD

Round 5

9. Springfield - Billy Thomas, 6'5" G

Thomas is a vet, and will give you some solid play as either a starter or off the bench. And it can never hurt to have a guy with NBA experience and a nice shooting touch. Thomas is not always a consistent scoring threat, but when he's on he can be a great asset to any team. I think he's a nice catch at this point in the draft. -- AD

10. Maine - Marcus Taylor, 6'3" G

Taylor was a high school All-American; that's how far back we have to go with some of the players left in the draft. Taylor played only three games with the Arsenal after signing with them in February, but he scored 28 points in those three games and had some decent per-minute numbers. Hopefully with some more playing time he can serve as a solid 2-guard.

Round 6

11. Maine - Ray Reed, 5'11" G

Reed was a combo guard at Cal State-Fullerton, and while he's been transitioning to more of a straight point guard that versatility may come in handy. He was also supposedly the Titans' best backcourt defender (according to the team's website, which is why I say "supposedly"), which is nice, though with his size I don't expect a ton of that in the D-League. Reed led the Arsenal in assists on a per-minute basis and doesn't turn the ball over too much, so I think he'll be a nice bench player for my Red Claws team. I have to say, I'm really starting to like this team I'm putting together.

12. Springfield - Malick Badiane, 6'10 C

This is where Ais dropped out. Badiane still has a lot of work to do on his game, but I'm not sold on Gransberry as a player who can give a lot of minutes at this point so Springfield needs another center to share time. Hopefully Badiane can continue to develop his athleticism (he'll occasionally spring for double-digit rebounds) into consistent production.

Round 7

13. Springfield - Noel Felix, 6'8" F

In case Badiane doesn't work out or Gransberry can't stay out of foul trouble, Noel Felix should step in as a solid interior defender. He's not a great rebounder, but he can block some shots and his scoring has improved over the last two seasons.

14. Maine - Jamar Brown, 6'9" F

Jamar Brown was the third-string center for the 14ers last season (or maybe fourth-string, depending on whether you call Josh Davis the backup), and he has as much propensity for foul trouble as Gransberry does, but Brown also grabbed more rebounds per-minute last season than guys like Erik Daniels or Jasper Johnson, and the fact that I can draft that kind of rebounding ability this late in the draft shows how much I'm dominating this thing.

Round 8

15. Maine - Andre Patterson, 6'8" F

I was trying to decide between Patterson and Ronald Allen, since the Red Claws as I've drafted them could use someone to fill in at small forward, and their stats are pretty similar. Eerily similar, in fact, at least on a per-minute basis. Patterson has a better field goal shooting percentage, though, so I'll take him. It looks like I win this round as well.

16. Springfield - Geno Carlisle, 6'3" G

Springfield needs a bench scorer and a backup shooting guard, so this is an easy pick. Carlisle doesn't do much besides shoot, and while his .375 three-point shooting percentage is good but not great, it's still pretty decent for the eighth round of an expansion draft.

Round 9

17. Springfield - Ronald Allen, 6'9" F

While I made it seem like taking Patterson over Allen is a big victory, I should reiterate that they're very similar numbers-wise, and Allen got more starts last year. He's inconsistent, but still solid enough to be a contributor for this Springfield team.

18. Maine - Dabo Kabov, 6'5" F

I have no idea what kind of player Kabov is. He played in 10 games for the Arsenal last year and never made more than one field goal, and shot only five total free throws. If there's an upside he also never turned the ball over more than once in a game. But, it was around this time that I realized there weren't enough players to fill out ten rounds, so while Kabov doesn't look like a contributor at this point, I'm sure that Austin Ainge's legendary teaching skills can mold him into a useful player.

Round 10

19. Maine - Dominique Coleman, 6'3" G

Yep, I went ahead and did it. Like I said, I needed to find a few more players, and Ais drafted a guy headed overseas a lot earlier. So the Red Claws will draft Coleman's rights as a longshot in hopes that he doesn't take a liking to Belgium and comes on back to the US. My crush on Coleman's game is well-documented at this point, but in short he can rebound, shoot threes, distribute the ball as needed, pick up some steals, and he made RU's All-Defensive team last year to boot.

20. Springfield - Kirk Walters, 6'11" C

Walters is a center who doesn't rebound particularly well, but Springfield needed another backup big and this is the last pick. Walters has decent size for a center, so despite the fact that he wasn't much of a rebounder at the University of Arizona either, perhaps there's some potential in there that just needs to be tapped into.

Let's review the draft:

Aisander Arsenal	Jon Red Claws
James Mays	Cedric Bozeman
Kedrick Brown	Josh Davis
John Lucas III	Eddie Gill
Kentrell Gransberry	Marcus Campbell
Billy Thomas	Marcus Taylor
Malick Badiane	Ray Reed
Noel Felix	Jamar Brown
Geno Carlisle	Andre Patterson
Ronald Allen	Dabo Kabov
Kirk Walters	Dominique Coleman

I think it's pretty clear who "won" this draft (hint: me). The Arsenal ended up with some talented players like Mays and Lucas and Badiane, but even without Dominique Coleman, I think the Red Claws ended up with a really solid roster, one that would have a chance at seriously competing in the Eastern conference. But we'll see how the real teams do tomorrow.

Summer League Wrapup

Jeff Clark — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:21:08 -0000

Summer League is over and perhaps the biggest news was Lester Hudson breaking his finger. However, Marc Spears has some positive things to say about Gabe Pruitt, who was fighting for a roster spot (the Celtics can still cut him and not be responsible for the last year of his contract.

Gabe Pruitt got his important offseason off to a productive start this week in Orlando, averaging 10.2 points and 4.8 assists for the Celtics' summer league team. He wrapped up the tournament yesterday with 13 points and nine assists in a 92-79 win over the New Jersey/Philadelphia entry.

"The main thing I needed to do was be consistent and this was a good chance to showcase that,'' Pruitt said. "Early in the week we had a lot of turnovers in a couple games and I take that personally, me being a point guard and handling the ball. So, I tried to take care of the ball better. But I had a chance to really play the point and show what I can do.''

"He shot well, he did a good job getting into the paint and taking care of the ball,'' said Celtics assistant coach Mike Longabardi. "Russell Westbrook [of the Thunder] was definitely the best point guard here, but you can make an argument Gabe was the next guy. He's just got to continue to work, continue to stay ready, and we'll see what happens.

"He's been in the league two years now, he's played in NBA games . . . After Year 1 coming into Year 2, I thought his body improved. He really did a good job with that.''

Also, if you care about summer league stats, here's a quick rundown.

The Celtics finished with a 2-3 record in Orlando. Nick Fazekas led the team in scoring (13.4) and rebounding (6.2). J.R. Giddens averaged 11.8 points and 4.2 rebounds and was named to the league's All-Star second team . . . Chris Lofton broke the league record for 3-pointers, hitting 15 on 25 attempts over five games. The old 3-point mark was 12, held by Keith Bogans (2003) and Josh Davis ('07). "It doesn't really matter in summer league,'' said Lofton, who shot 17 of 22 from 3-point range in a 61-point performance in Turkey last season. "I shot pretty good but there's always room for improvement.'' Said Longabardi: "He looked like Eddie [ House] out there tonight.''

Q&A: Ridiculous Upside (Part 2 of 3)

Atma Brother ONE — Wed, 13 May 2009 06:15:10 -0000

If you thought we were ridiculous in Part 1 wait till you see what we've got here.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): In relative terms how good are the teams in the NBDL? Where would they finish in the NCAA tourney?

Ridiculous Scott (Ridiculous Upside): North Carolina was pretty good this season, and I'm not sure the best D-League team could beat them. Not in terms of talent, as there were more talented teams, but it's difficult to get any sort of roster continuity in the D-League, as they only carry 10 players, and thus, if a player isn't doing what he's supposed to be doing, he's going to get cut (this includes injuries as well). If a D-League team was together for three seasons, they'd be head and shoulders above any NCAA Team. The Colorado 14ers, this season's D-League champions, started Josh Davis (52 NBA games), Eddie Gill (187 NBA games) and Billy Thomas (53 NBA games), bringing John Lucas (60 NBA games) and Nuggets Rookie Sonny Weems off the bench. In January, Sean Williams (Nets) and Cheikh Samb were also assigned to Colorado. I would have no qualms taking them all the way in my bracket, though that doesn't mean much, as my wallet would tell you after this seasons Madness that happened in March.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): In your estimation is it better to send a young player who is riding the pine in the Big Leagues (ahem, Patrick O'Bryant) down to the Minors for "development" or keep him practicing with his NBA team? What can young NBA players gain from playing in the NBDL that they can't from practicing with their respective teams?

Ridiculous Scott (Ridiculous Upside): In my opinion, I'd prefer players to play in the D-League rather than riding the pine, and not just so the millions of GSoMer's start to read RU. Getting in NBA practices is great, but toward mid-season, NBA teams aren't regularly practicing, leading to the bench warmers basically turning into donut getters. In the D-League, players can gain confidence and, more importantly, real live playing time. Guys can learn a lot in practice, but executing in game situations is a whole 'nother ball game.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): Which D-League players in particular should NBA junkies be following closely? Who are we foolishly sleeping on right now? More specifically the biggest weaknesses on the 2008-2009 Golden State Warriors were passing and defense. Are there any hidden gems in the NBDL that can help the Dubs out in these areas?

Ridiculous Scott (Ridiculous Upside): Actually, the Warriors apparently nearly called-up Othyus Jeffers, who was, in our opinion, the best defensive player in the D-League this season (number 4 here). Other great defenders include, at the SF, Brent Petway (probably best remembered for winning the NCAA dunk contest), F/C Kurt Looby (rookie out of Iowa that averaged 2.5 blocks in 25 minutes per game), SF Renaldo Major (former GSW call-up) and PG Dontell Jefferson, if he isn't re-signed by Charlotte. As far as passing, options include Walker Russell or Jared Jordan. Both are short point guards, which I've learned you guys aren't interested in judging from the comments on my mock draft, but that's about all the D-League has to offer in terms of pure point guards.

**********

Can you believe we still have some more ridiculous in the pipeline? Don't forget to stop on by Ridiculous Upside for all your 2k9 NBA Draft needs.

Poll

Would Patrick O'Bryant be a much better player if the Warriors didn't send him down the D-League several times?

YES: The Notorious P.O.B. would be a much better player if he wasn't sent down

65 votes

NO: He's a bust, moving on...

365 votes

430 votes | Poll has closed

The 2008-2009 Colorado 14ers: A Look Back

Jon L — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:34:55 -0000

Drafting Trey Gilder was just one reason why the 14ers won the championship.

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Now that they've won the championship, I thought I'd take a look back at Colorado's season. Consider it an internet version of those Sports Illustrated videos that come out for whomever wins the Super Bowl. We'll start with the draft, then go month-to-month, highlighting key performances that helped the 14ers achieve victory.

The Draft

Colorado's draft was...top-heavy. Their first pick (second overall) was James Mays, a 6-9 forward from Clemson who had originally been drafteed by the Denver Nuggets. Mays started 12 games for the 14ers, averaging just under 19 points a game on 46 percent shooting, with eight and a half rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 33 and a half minutes. He tore his ACL in early January, though, and was out for the rest of the year. They followed that up with Trey Gilder in the second round and Dominique Coleman in the fourth, but those are really their only other draftees of note. Unless you're a big fan of Marlon Palmer, John Gilchrist or David Godbold, I suppose. Of course, almost none of the players available in, say, the ninth round of the D-League draft are good bets to be on a roster at the end of the season. Still, players they passed over at one point or another include Kurt Looby, Othyus Jeffers and David Noel.

Retrospective Draft Grade: B+; It's hard to argue with picking up two starters and a guy who probably would've been a sixth man on any other team in the first four rounds. Coleman and Gilder in particular had key roles in Colorado's championship run, which is discussed after the jump.

November/December

The 14ers got off to a good start, going 8-4 in the first month (plus three days) of the season. During that stretch they played Albuquerque in a home and home, Rio Grande Valley twice and Tulsa three times. Standout performances from this period include Mays, who had 27 points on 19 shots, 11 rebounds and six steals against Albuquerque and 37 points on 19 shots and 11 rebounds against RGV; Dominique Coleman, who in the second game had 20 points on 14 shots, 10 rebounds, six assists and six steals; and Eddie Gill, who had 23 points on 12 shots, 10 assists, seven rebounds and two blocks against Sioux Falls Mays tore his ACL eight and a half minutes into the December 30 game against Fort Wayne, and wouldn't play again this season.

January

A new year, same result; the 14ers went 8-4 again in January. They spent a fair amount of time in Texas, facing the Toros three times (twice in Austin) and Rio Grande Valley three more times, all in Hidalgo. Notable performances include Cheik Samb, with 21 points on 12 shots, 10 rebounds and four blocks against Tulsa; forward/center Sean Williams, who had 16 points, 16 rebounds, six blocks and six assists against Austin; and Gill again with 20 points on six shots (he had a lot of free throws), 14 assists and six rebounds against Rio Grande Valley.

February

Colorado only played seven games in February, going 4-3 while playing Austin two more times. Vernon Hamilton saw some starts here, and while he provided some solid rebounding, he's not a very efficient scorer. Notable 14ers performances included Billy Thomas, who scored 24 points on 13 shots against Bakersfield and 30 points on 18 shots with six rebounds, seven assists and seven steals against Iowa; and Trey Gilder, who had 23 points on 15 shots and nine rebounds against Los Angeles and 19 points on 12 shots against Sioux Falls, all off the bench.

March

This is where Colorado really started to heat up, going 11-2 over the month of March. Austin was the league and division leader when the month started, but not when it ended. The 14ers played almost everyone in the league this month, playing 11 different teams. Notable player performances included Dominique Coleman, who scored 24 points on 18 shots with nine rebounds and eight assists against Dakota; Josh Davis, who had 29 points on 16 shots with seven rebounds against Austin; and Eddie Gill again, who had 12 points on seven shots and 12 assists against Idaho.

April (regular season)

Colorado finished the regular season 3-3 in April, including getting blown out in each of the last two games. Trey Gilder had a fantastic month, with 32 points on 19 shots and 12 rebounds and 26 points on 14 shots and 10 rebounds in back to back games against Albuquerque, and 25 points on 20 shots and 10 rebounds against Reno. Other standout games included Eddie Gill (he seems to have one big game a month) with 23 points on 15 shots, seven assists and only one turnover against Tulsa; and John Lucas III, who had 22 points on 13 shots and eight assists in the second Albuquerque game.

Playoffs

Colorado went undefeated in the playoffs (they pretty much had to), defeating Erie, Austin and Utah twice in the finals. They ran away with the game against the BayHawks, led by Josh Davis (33 points on 15 shots, eight rebounds and two blocks) and Dominique Coleman (19 points on 13 shots, 13 rebounds, five assists and five steals). Austin gave them a tougher time, but the 14ers won out behind solid performances by Eddie Gill (23 points on 13 shots and seven assists) and Sonny Weems off the bench (27 points). Colorado began the finals thinking they would cruise to a title, racking up 78 points in the first half of the first game against Utah. The Flash came back to make a game of it, even though the 14ers ultimately won that game, and kept it close in the second game until Colorado pulled away to win the title. Game one honors go to Billy Thomas (27 points on 18 shots and seven rebounds), Josh Davis (25 points on 15 shots and eight rebounds) and Sonny Weems (28 points on 13 shots). Game two standouts were Joe Dabbert (21 points on 10-10 shooting, seven rebounds and five blocks), Davis again (21 points on 7-10 shooting and seven rebounds) and Weems again (25 points, seven assists).

That wraps up Colorado's season. They were a contender pretty much from the start, and Eddie Gill provided some steady performances as players like James Mays, Sean Williams and Cheik Samb came and went. The younger players like Gilder, Weems and Coleman started stepping up as the season went along, giving the 14ers the best bench in the league and helping them win the 2009 D-League championship.

Colorado Wins D-League Championship 123-104

Jon L — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:00:14 -0000

Sonny Weems was a big reason why the Colorado 14ers won the D-League championship.

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We have a champion.

It really seemed like I was going to devote a lot of this recap to the referees (and I'll get to them), but Colorado picked up where they left off in the first half of Wednesday's game, running away with this one in the fourth quarter and winning the D-League Championship. This game was close through three thanks to lopsided foul calls in Utah's favor and a bunch of Colorado turnovers, but then in the final period the 14ers went on runs of 13 and 10 points to put this one out of reach. There was a complaint in the comments yesterday that I'm not providing you all with enough wrestling references, so this recap will be full of them.

The player who had the best game? Of all people, it was probably Joe Dabbert. Dabbert didn't miss a single shot and finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five blocks before fouling out with four and a half minutes left in the game. Because of his field goal percentage, Dabbert gets a Mr. Perfect video.

Other solid players for the 14ers were Sonny Weems, who had led all players in both scoring and assists with 25 and 7, and the assists are what impress me. Regular point Eddie Gill was struggling for large parts of this game, but Weems helped distribute the ball a little bit and got the other guys going, even throwing an alley-oop to Dabbert at one point. I said "solid" so of course Josh Davis is next, with 21 points and seven rebounds (and two key three pointers in the third quarter), Trey Gilder had 14 points and seven rebounds, and John Lucas III had 17 points and five assists, and was really the one who put the offense back on track in the fourth.

Utah was led by JR Giddens, who had another strong double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Kevin Kruger, who made his first eight shots on his way to 18 points and five assists. For them, I think the Rockers will do nicely here, with Giddens in the Shawn Michaels long-term star role and Kruger as Marty Jannetty.

The rest of the Flash played anywhere from fairly solid to pretty bad. Morris Almond and Ronald Dupree were fine, I guess, with 18 and 14 points each, but on the brink of losing the championship I would've liked to see more. Andre Ingram hit a few outside shots that kept Colorado on its heels. After that, though, it starts getting rough. Road Warriors, these guys weren't.

A quarter by quarter breakdown when you hit the jump.

First Quarter

Colorado started this game in almost entirely the opposite way that they ended it. There were a lot of lazy passes on their part, a lot of balls that had to be saved from going out of bounds and loose balls that weren't picked up cleanly. Weems and Gilder provided a spark off the bench, though Weems probably looked to shoot a little too often. The 14ers shot 1-6 on three pointers for the quarter. On Utah's side, Mo Almond had eight of his 18 points in the first and Giddens had four rebounds.

Second Quarter

This is where Dabbert and, on the other side Kruger, started going to work. Weems started shooting a little better, but Utah's Gavin Grant went on a nice little run to end the quarter, scoring five points in the last minute and a half. There was a stretch where fewer fouls were called that allowed the 14ers to start going on a run, but Brent Barnaky put a stop to that (and it really was all Barnaky last night. There was nary a peep from Magic Marat Kogut), and by the end of the half the Flash had taken 22 foul shots to Colorado's six.

Third Quarter

Colorado's three point shooting improved a lot after halftime, and Josh Davis hit a couple of key threes to keep Colorado in the game. Kruger continued his hot shooting, though Utah went three minutes of game time without scoring a point. There was also a lot of falling down in the third quarter - Kentrell "Grrrr" Gransberry, Josh Davis, Mo Almond, you name it.

Fourth Quarter

Colorado's run probably started with John Lucas III hitting a pair of jump shots a few minutes into the quarter, and his presence really seemed to energize the team. For whatever reason, Gill just wasn't getting it done tonight. Neither was Dominique Coleman, who in addition to getting burned by Giddens ended up with six points on 3-15 shooting. In fact, you could say Coleman was a disaster. Anyway, after Lucas's shots, Dabbert got back into the action with a dunk on Brian Jackson and then an alley-oop from Weems. The 14ers made five straight shots at one point, and ended the game - and their championship run - in the style they're most comfortable with.

Thanks again to all of the commenters who stopped by our playoff Open Source Live Blogs, they really were a lot of fun. Posting may be light this weekend as Scott and I figure out our off-season plans for the site, and because I don't plan on being around the computer much on my birthday. But rest assured, we'll have all kinds of good stuff in the months leading up to the NBA Draft and Summer League's.

Game 1 D-League Finals Recap: Colorado 136, Utah 131 (OT)

Jon L — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:30:09 -0000

Sonny Weems and the Colorado 14ers had no trouble scoring early and often. And yes I know this picture isn't from last night's game - the pictures they uploaded weren't the best.

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This game started out looking like the story would be Colorado's domination of the Flash. The 14ers raced out to a 13 point first quarter lead and had 71 points at halftime. Soon after halftime, Ronald Dupree took over for Utah, allowing them to claw back and even take the lead momentarily in the fourth. Once the game hit overtime, though, Colorado eventually remembered how to execute, making their final three field goal attempts, and Kevin Kruger had two of his four turnovers as the 14ers pulled out the victory.

I have to chalk this up to the Flash being forced to run with Colorado. They had a lot of points to make up, and coach Brad Jones decided to go small in the wake of Brian Jackson's foul trouble (he fouled out in 19 and a half minutes of playing time), going with a combination of Carlos Wheeler and Bennet Davis at the pivot. While James Lang's three minutes of playing time weren't great, going small just fed into Colorado's game plan. Utah also didn't go to Dupree nearly as much as they could have in overtime, letting Kruger dribble down the clock on too many possessions.

Billy Thomas, that key player to watch I mentioned yesterday? He had it going on a la Stacy's Mom early, hitting all three three-pointers he shot in the first quarter. Thomas finished with 27 points on 18 shots for the night, along with pulling in seven rebounds, which, believe it or not, is only one off of his season-high. Thomas also had a key steal guarding Kruger late in the game. A really solid night overall, even though he disappeared for a stretch that amounted to about a full quarter of play.

Josh Davis had a solid game, as you'd expect, with 25 points on 15 shots and eight rebounds, while being active on screens. When I say he was active on screens though, I mean he kept moving his feet. Sonny Weems was quietly great off the bench with 28 points on 13 shots, shooting 11-12 from the free throw line. John Lucas III didn't put up great stats, but he had some solid defense against Kevin Kruger. Trey Gilder was good in limited minutes in the second quarter, but given how good he was I wonder why those minutes were limited.

Ronald Dupree did everything he could to win this game for his team, he really did. 37 points on 19 shots, and as we remarked in the OSLB, it was probably the quietest 37 points you'll ever see. He was all over the place in the second half, hitting jumpers, making layups and getting to the line. There was a three and a half minute stretch in the third quarter where no other Flash player scored, and Dupree had eight points. A great game that, unfortunately for him, came in a losing effort.

JR Giddens also played well for long stretches of the game, and finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. Carlos Wheeler was solid defensively, and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Mo Almond had 18 points (10 of those coming from the free throw line), though he missed all of his three-point attempts.

A quarter-by-quarter breakdown after the jump!

First Quarter

As mentioned above, this was pretty much all Colorado, and specifically all Billy Thomas and Josh Davis, who finished the quarter with a combined 27 of their team's 32 points. There were two stretches of about two and a half minutes each without any Utah baskets. The Flash did get seven layups/dunks, though.

Second Quarter

More Colorado, as the 14ers were up by 25 at one point after some good work by Trey Gilder and Kentrell "KG" Gransberry. The Flash started getting into the game with about four minutes left in the half, though, due to lots and lots of free throws. I didn't mention above so I'll mention it here: for such a fast-paced game (110 possessions, which is on the high side even for an overtime game), there were a lot of fouls called. 62 total (three technicals). Utah took six trips to the free throw line in the last three and a half minutes of the second quarter, which allowed them to pull within 17 (Scott's note - UGH!).

Third Quarter

It's too bad Third Quarter Collapse is already taken, because that's exactly what happened to the 14ers, so let's call it the Great Utah Comeback. Whatever it was, it officially began, oddly enough, with a jumper from Brian Jackson two minutes into the quarter. The Flash would score 26 points in the next ten minutes, a lot of that coming from Dupree. It didn't hurt that Sonny Weems was seemingly the only player for Colorado who could score, with 12 of the team's 23 third quarter points, but seven of those non-Weems points came in the first two minutes of the quarter. Billy Thomas hit a jumper with four minutes left in the third, and wouldn't score again until four and a half minutes remained in the...

Fourth Quarter

Utah continued their upward climb, getting some nice contributions from Gavin Grant, and Colorado never really woke up enough to take firm control of the game. Only 21 points in the fourth for the 14ers, exactly half of what they scored in the second. I should mention that Dupree and Giddens each put forth good effort here, but it really was largely a matter of Colorado's poor execution. The 14ers had six turnovers in the fourth, in just about every way imaginable - bad passes, travelling, shot clock violations, offensive fouls (including those moving screens), you name it. Utah briefly took the lead with just over a minute to go, but Eddie Gill was fouled and made one of his two free throws to tie it up, sending the game into...

Overtime

Both teams were pretty fatigued at this point. Utah kept getting inside, as all of their points in the extra frame came from either layups, putbacks or free throws. Colorado was able to wrest control halfway through the period, and made their last three field goals along with a pair of Lucas free throws to ice the game.