SB Nation - Trey Gilder

D-League Profiles: Trey Gilder

Jon L — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:00:14 -0000

Photo by David Jennings of the Broomfield Enterprise

Remember me? Sorry about not posting much the last few days, I've just been preparing for the RU offseason (and seeing this band). One of the things Scott and I wanted to do was profile players we think will see Summer League or NBA action next year. First up, Trey Gilder.

How he got here

DraftExpress doesn't have a whole lot on Gilder (or really anything at all). He's a 6'9" forward who's a little on the skinny side (he's currently listed at 185, but that's even less than he weighed in college, and is probably still generous). Gilder bounced around a bit in college, playing at McNeese State and Tyler (Texas) Junior College before settling in at Northwestern State - and before you say "I've never heard of that school," I actually have heard of that school and been on its campus. It's a pretty tiny college in Natchitoches, Louisiana (though it's pronounced, Nack-a-dish), which is in the west-central part of the state.

He came off the bench his first year at NSU, but put up solid scoring numbers at 12 points a game. Gilder then moved into the starting lineup his junior year, and averaged around 16 and a half points on 48 percent shooting and just over six rebounds in 27 minutes a game. He didn't take or make a ton of three pointers, and his free throw percentage was a respectable-but-with-room-for-improvement 77 percent. Gilder's rebounding got a little more consistent towards the end of his senior season, though he also had occasional turnover problems.

He ended up coming to the D-League when he found out this fall that he wasn't eligible in the NCAA after a mix-up over his freshman season at McNeese State where he redshirted, Gilder had run out of basketball eligibility and thus signed a D-League contract.

How his D-League season went, after the jump.

D-League play

As we've covered here before, the Colorado 14ers drafted Gilder with their second-round pick in the 2008 D-League draft. The D-League draft is actually a snake-style draft, which for those of you unfamiliar with it from fantasy sports, means that the team with the first pick in the first round has the last pick in the second round, the team with the second pick in the first round has the second-to-last pick in the second round, etc. All of that is a roundabout way of saying that Gilder was actually picked towards the bottom of the second round.

Gilder started the season playing somewhat inconsistently, which shouldn't be too surprising. One item of note, though, is that after the first two games of the season, his turnovers dropped. He had five in each of the first two games against Albuquerque, but never had more than four the rest of the year. He also showed flashes of rebounding ability, including grabbing seven boards in 16 minutes against Tulsa on December 20.

January, though, is where Gilder started to show his knack for scoring on a consistent basis. Getting more playing time in the wake of James Mays's injury, Gilder put up double-digits in points in the last six games of the month. That carried over into February, when he started to put it all together, including scoring 23 points on 15 shots, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block against the LA D-Fenders. RU started to take notice of Gilder at this point, and Coach Bob MacKinnon is quoted as saying

"Trey has been a constant offensive force for us. He's someone who can create his own shot and get his own opportunities, so at the offensive end I feel he's definitely a strong NBA prospect"

By March, Gilder brought his rebounding back into the mix, with double-doubles against Albuquerque, Los Angeles, Tulsa and Anaheim, including back to back games with a combined 34 points, 24 rebounds and only one turnover and two fouls in 63 total minutes. Gilder's minutes became a little more inconsistent in April as Colorado had Sonny Weems to work into the rotation as well, but he also had his best game of the season on April 7 against Albuquerque, with 32 points on 19 shots, 12 rebounds (seven offensive) and only two turnovers and a foul in 31 minutes off the bench. Gilder's role was further reduced somewhat during the playoffs, though he was still a solid contributor, making 65.4 percent of his field goals.

Overall Picture

His body type is a little similar to Tayshaun Prince's (standout commenter TorosGirl has remarked, "Gilder is one of the lankiest people. It looks like one of his limbs is just gonna snap at any second"), though he doesn't have the outside shot or the defense that Prince does. He still relies on his athleticism more than anything else to score, and Colorado's offense helped him out there by getting the ball inside a fair amount.

I believe Gilder made a good impression this year, though. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back in the D-League next year as an assignee, in order to work on his shot or his defense, but I think whichever NBA team picks him is going to love having him on the roster. I'll leave you with the rest of that MacKinnon quote:

"This year he's learned how to work as a professional and has earned great respect among his teammates. He's put himself in a position now that he's played a year of professional ball that he will have less of a learning curve in the NBA"

Recapping Last Night In The D-League

Scott Schroeder — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:30:08 -0000

Trey Gilder came up big for the 14ers off the bench, finishing with 32 points and 12 boards.

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Three games last night - one Jon L was at (Reno @ Austin), one was pretty important for both teams (Albuquerque @ Colorado) one just important for Utah (loss at home vs. LA didn't help). So, for my morning write-up, I'm just going to break down Albuquerque-Colorado, as I'm under the assumption that a call-up from this game will be coming up later today.

First, let's get it out of the way - Nick Buchert and Brent Barnaky officiated, it got out of hand, the end. Feel free to email me if you want specifics, D-League officiating fans.

Colorado, seemingly at alll odds now that it seems all but official that this will be their last season, got in foul trouble early and utilized their bench. Lucky for them, their bench is deep. After a tie ball game through three quarters, the 14ers pulled away in the fourth, winning 129-121. This clinched the best record in the D-League this season for the 14ers, giving them homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. Albuquerque needed to win this game, and the loss of Antonio Meeking and another player to a call-up isn't helping the Thunderbirds playoff hopes.

Let's break the top players down... after the break, of course.

Trey Gilder is the man. He's draft eligible, which might be my favorite part about him. He's also extremely long, athletic and comfortable coming off the bench if needed. Tonight, he was needed off the bench. After early foul trouble in the front court, Gilder was called upon to come up big. Come up big he did, scoring 32 points and grabbing 12 boards in 31 minutes, making 13-of-19 shot's from the field.

The surprise on the other teams bench came from Mark Walters, a 6'3" guard out of New Mexico I've never heard of, probably because he was averaging 4.8 points and 2.4 boards after this game. Regardless, he started this game, and he started it out hot, scoring 11 points before half time, five boards in the first five minutes of the game. In the end, Walters finished with 15 points, 10 boards and three steals, not turning the ball over once.

Billy Thomas was huge for the 14ers, in part because he was one of the few to escape the wrath of foul trouble exuded on the 14er's starters. Text of the night: "Who would have guessed that with 1 minute left in third Colorados starters would have only 40 points 25 of which are from Billy Thomas and they are only down 2". He was valuable. Thomas finished with 27 points and little else, but without him, Colorado would have been in trouble.

Antoine Agudio did what he does. Nothing particularly impressive, besides his scoring abilities. I'm not sure what Coach John Coffino's thought process was moving him to the bench the past two games rather than Walters, but the former Hoftstra guard was still impressive, making 5-of-8 from downtown to finish with 21 points.

John Lucas played well off the bench, subbing in for Eddie Gill, who battled foul trouble all game long. In 30 minutes off the bench for little Luke, he was able to keep the offense going, finishing with 18 points and five assists, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. I've been impressed with him since he arrived in the D-League.

Will Conroy nearly had a triple-double! He finished just one turnover and three assists shy! His attitude was great! From the play-by-play: three bad passes, one travel in first quarter; two bad passes in second quarter; lost ball and travelling violation in the third quarter; backcourt violation in the fourth quarter, when his team was down four with 2:12 left to play. That's nine turnovers. I'm told he had a great attitude through all of this however, and finished with 31 points and just two less assists than turnovers, so call him up, NBA.

Quickies: Josh Davis struggled from the field (5-21), but finished with 18 points and 12 boards. Jasper Johnson didn't do anything impressive except draw a foul on a fadeaway jumper, finishing with 18 points and 11 boards. Mo Saer Sene had six blocks and three goaltends (definitely could've easily been reversed), to go along with 10 points and 12 boards. Keith McLeod finished with 18 points on 4-for-13 shooting from the field, but didn't contribute much else.

Bigger is better; random thoughts on last night in the D-League

Scott Schroeder — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:30:07 -0000

Three games Saturday night (in the D-League), all very close, all with different outcomes than I expected. Plus, I watched Jason Horner and the Mandan Braves win the North Dakota High School championship instead of the buffering madness that has recently been D-League basketball. Yikes! I may no longer be the D-League guru!

Looking good, Mr. Marat Kogut (also featured, Jasper Johnson)

Don't forget to watch the games starting at 4 central today. Five games on tap!

Continue reading for my breakdown of the individual games!

Colorado 107 @ ALBUQUERQUE 111

This is the most surprising game of the night. Albuquerque trotted out a lineup I loathe, featuring Jasper Johnson and Antonio Meeking, each with body dimensions very similar to mine (read: not tall enough, too wide, and not ideal for the NBA), big ol' Brad Stricker, Will Conroy, and Antoine Agudio, some dude I've never heard of.

Standing out for the Thunderbirds was Agudio, who, upon further research, 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 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. As a bonus, his name is fun to say.

Other notables for the Thunderbirds were Will Conroy, who had 27 points, eight assists, and seven turnovers (OUCH!), making 7-of-16 from the field. Jasper Johnson, who I'm not sold on, had 17 points, nine boards, five assists, and four blocks. Antonio Meeking had a similar line with 16 points and nine boards.

Standing out for Colorado was Trey Gilder. Gilder is the opposite of the Johnson-Meeking tandem in that he's tall enough to play power forward in the NBA, but weighs in at about 180 pounds, and that's only after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Super Bowl Sunday. Obviously, this means he's much quicker than those that matched up with him, and was able to get a couple nice putback dunks, moving well to the basket. The draft-eligible Gilder (I'm changing his name to that so everyone knows) had 19 points and 12 boards in 24 minutes of action.

Other standouts for Colorado included the the point guard tandem of Eddie Gill, who had 19 points and eight assists, and John Lucas, who finished with 17 points off the bench, along with Josh Davis, who finished with 13 points, grabbed six boards, and dished four assists in just 32 minutes of action. Sonny Weems box score didn't impress me, as he scored 13 points and grabbed four boards, his least impressive performance with the 14ers since he's been assigned.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY 108 @ Idaho 106 (OVERTIME)

I'm waiting for Rumble to come on and tell me that at 1:35 of this video, Jawad Williams was clearly out of bounds. I hate to question the D-League officials, but it seems to me that he was out of bounds. To put it in perspective, that was in overtime, and ended up being the game winning shot. Ugh.

RGV was led by their shooting from the 3-point line. When a team can shoot 28 3's and be nearly 50%, they're probably going to win. Trent Strickland also stood out for RGV. Strickland, who I rarely mention because I'm not all that familiar with him, is a third year player out of Wake Forest. When he's hot, he's hot, and when he's not, you definitely know that he's not. Strickland has started all 39 games for RGV this season, averaging 18 points and six boards, shooting just 33% from deep.

Other notables for RGV were Jawad Williams with 22 points and six boards, shooting 5-for-9 from beyond the arc (just 7-for-23 overall though) and Jared Jordan, who had 15 points and 13 assists while committing just one turnover in 40 minutes of playing time!

Idaho was led by The Big Aristotle (he's that smart - more deserving than Shaq) Lance Allred, who finished with 27 points and 12 boards in 30 minutes of action. While I didn't watch tonight, he's also been showing off a nice shooting touch from about 17 feet. This can only help his shot at the show (or a huge overseas contract).

Other notables for Idaho include Nate Jawai with 14 points, 10 boards, and four fouls in 26 minutes, Brent Petway with 10 points, 10 baords, and six blocks (four of Williams , as I had assumed in preview), and Mo Abukar off the bench with 16 points and nine boards in 23 minutes.

Sioux Falls 101 @ UTAH 107

Got nothing on this game. Utah won. Mo Almond had 26. Sioux Falls lost. Sean Singletary came off the bench with 23 points. Alexis Ajinca looked terrible - seven points four boards, fouled out in under 18 minutes. Frank Williams had 23 as well. According to Dee-Jay, Kyrylo Fesenko drinks Red Bull before the game and Almond wears his socks inside out. Now you know!

UConn vs Syracuse: Six OT's; Love of the game; (D-League stuff happened too)

Scott Schroeder — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:15:06 -0000

Unfortunately, due to some issues with Colorado's futurecast, the 14ers-Vipers game wasn't aired. Fortunately, this led to me watching the greatest game I've watched in a long time, maybe ever: Syracuse taking UConn to six overtimes before pulling out a 127-117 victory. Very impressive.

It's games like this, I was reminded, that are the reason I love sports. Games like this are the reason I went to school for Sports Management; the reason I volunteer my time at the local D-League games; the reason I've been holding out so desperately to find another job in basketball since the CBA folded (going on a month and a half) rather than taking a job locally. I'm not sure what would happen if I wasn't heavily involved in basketball - I love sports. I I love basketball. I love life. Thanks for the reminder, Syracuse and Connecticut.

(While we're talking about non-D-League, I'd like to make it clear I hate the new facebook. As Mr. Rod Benson wrote on my wall today, "it's now twitter". Exactly. So use Twitter. Follow me. We can be friends. Also - I need some book recommendations. Hit me up if you've read anything good recently.)

Passion for basketball, a life in sports, doing what they love, is what seems to keep the guys in the D-League going strong as well. With guys like Kurt Looby playing this year for the D-League minimum ($13,000 + housing), it's about the love of the game, following your dreams, and hoping to end up where you want to be someday. It's about being hungry, being close to family and friends, hoping to get noticed -not caring about the money. I love it. Why not follow these players that are so hungry to achieve their dreams? The guys in the NBA have already have reached their professional goals - let's hope more in the D-League do soon!

Anyway, lets get down to business and look in-depth at last night in the D-League after the jump!

TULSA 108, Iowa 107 (Overtime)

Two games on tap, and one was a dreaded Tulsa-Iowa 11am game. Games in Oklahoma, when Oklahoma State and Oklahoma play, eachother, will never have good attendance, especially in the morning, when the home team has the chance toimprove their record to 7-29. For the fans that did show up (either 1,809 or as was pointed out in the comments, it might have been 18 on one side, 09 on the other), it was a great game, with Tulsa beating the heavily favored Iowa Energy in overtime, 108-107.

Tulsa was led by Gary Forbes, who I'm told Oklahoma City is pretty high on. Not surprisingly, he finished 25 points, 10 boards, and five assists, though he also turned it over seven times. Forbes has the knock of a bad attitude, and the turnovers from the swingman doesn't help, but he has been the most consistent 66er since being traded to them from Sioux Falls.

Other notables for Tulsa include Herbert Hill, who had a succesful debut with 19 points, 10 boards and five blocks, while being matched up against Courtney Sims. Derrick Dial also impressed me in the first game he was actually noticeable. The old man hustles! Dial finished with 19 points, nine boards, seven assists, and three blocks from the point guard - off the bench!

Curtis Stinson was the man for Iowa. Why haven't you heard of Curtis Stinson this season? I honestly can't tell you. Perhaps it's because he's played with Cartier Martin (signed for season with Charlotte), Courtney Sims (two 10-days), Anthony Tolliver (started season in NBA, 10-day with New Orleans before going overseas), and Othyus Jeffers (assuming his time is coming in the next couple weeks), along with Denham Brown and JamesOn Curry. Pretty hard to get noticed among that crew. Stinson, however, has kkind of traveled under the radar for awhile. Declaring for the draft after his junior season at Iowa State in 2006, he went undrafted. He has made three NBA Summer League teams, most recently with the LA Clippers, but has never stuck. Iowa's also the fifth D-League team he's been with, despite not putting up terrible numbers at any of them.

This game, Stinson played all 53 minutes, scoring 17 points, dishing 16 assists, grabbing six boards, and turning the ball over just four times while being the primary ball-handler the complete game - overtime game. Stinson's numbers are impressive, but not all that surprising when looking at his season stats. He's averaging 15 points, 7.9 assists, and 7.1 boards per game. Problem is, his shooting is atrocious - 42% from the field, 15% from 3, and 72% from the line. Not great for a point guard.

Other notable performances for Iowa include Courtney Sims, who finished with 23 points, 14 boards, and five turnovers, Denham Brown, with 21 points off the bench, and Othyus Jeffers, with 19 points and 13 boards, along with a huge steal that gave Iowa a chance at the end of overtime.

COLORADO 126, Rio Grande Valley 109

The futurecast didn't work for the first half, which was a huge disappointment. I didn't try during the second half, because there were other comittments (see: above; also Basketball, greatest game ever witnessed) that took me away from my lovely minor league obsession. Luckily ADB live blogged it and Chad Andrus of the 14ers sent me the post game recap, so I've got a little bit to go off. Biggest news of the night, Carmelo Anthony, among others was there to watch.

Colorado, as usual, had a solid performance from everyone. Sonny Weems was most impressive, for the second straight game. Seemingly, he should be in the dunk contest someday. Or at least the alley-oop contest. He's extremely athletic, able to adjust to any pass near the rim and throw it down with authority. I like him. He finished this game with 26 points off the bench.

Other notable performances include John Lucas with 20 points off the bench; draft-eligible Trey Gilder with 20 points, six boards, and four blocks; Eddie Gill who flirted with a triple double scoring 16 points, grabbing 10 boards, and dishing eight assists, and Josh Davis, who finished 17 points and 12 boards, despite an 0-for-5 night from beyond the arc.

RGV was led by Jawad Williams, who scored 28 points on 26 shots (just two points in the fourth quarter (not period, but quarter - periods are hockey) and grabbed just five boards. Disappointing performance from Williams, really. As we've talked about, team, practice your 3-pointers during warm-ups; going 3-for-11 in the game is not going to help your odds of getting a call-up.

Kurt "My Favorite" Looby was the only other player worth talking about for RGV. A commenter, presumably his brother, came on here awhile ago and put me on Looby watch. I've been impressed more often than not with the big fella.

The rookie out of Iowa finished with 11 points, 15 boards (seven offensive), and five blocks. Dude seems to live off of blocking shots and hustling. If he's not careful, he's going to sneak into being my favorite player.

Since the all-star break, 11 games ago, he's averaging 8.2 points, 11.9 boards, and 3.3 blocks in just over 31 minutes a game. Lou Amundson, by comparison, got a call-up and is now playing good minutes for Phoenix in the NBA after playing 25 games for the Colorado 14ers. His D-League averages? 11 points, 7.6 boards, and 2.5 blocks in 25 minutes per game. Just saying.

14er Trey Gilder -- Draft Eligible and Putting Up Numbers!

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:05:04 -0000

Alright, in my pimping of Keith Clark, I was reminded by 14ers media maven Chad Andrus (BIG UPS!) that Trey Gilder is also draft eligible.

Gilder, another guy I haven't talked much about this season, is a skinny 6'9", 185 pound forward that is a solid scorer, good rebounder, with his strength really the only question about him. (185 is a biiiiiiiit small)

Trey is doing big things over the past month with one of the better teams in the D-League. Gilder, who played his college ball at Northwestern State had planned to return there this fall. Unfortunately, after a mix-up over his freshman season at McNeese State where he redshirted, Gilder had run out of basketball eligibility and thus signed a D-League contract.

The 14ers drafted Gilder in the second round, and the rest is on its way to making history. The rookie has stepped up big when the 14ers have needed him, averaging 18.3 points per game over the past month, including an impressive 3-game stretch of games at the end of January when the totalled 83 points.

This is definitely going to help him out during draft time, as his coach, Robert MacKinnon, explains.

"Trey has been a constant offensive force for us. He's someone who can create his own shot and get his own opportunities, so at the offensive end I feel he's definitely a strong NBA prospect," said MacKinnon. "This year he's learned how to work as a professional and has earned great respect among his teammates. He's put himself in a position now that he's played a year of professional ball that he will have less of a learning curve in the NBA."

He's also starring on youtube like fellow draft-eligible player Keith Clark. Gilder seems to have a personality to go along with the skills he's been showing out on the court:

The D-League Draft in Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6. Anaheim -- LOTS of NBA talent here.

7. Bakersfield -- Legit starting 5.

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