SB Nation - Gary Forbes

Big Night In The D-League

Scott Schroeder — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:59:35 -0000

There are five games on tap tonight, all of which should be pretty good matchups, save for Austin @ Tulsa, but WelcomeToLoudCity is there with the live blog, so that should be exciting. I'll use this as a open thread/live blog/me talking to myself while watching 1,000 games of basketball. Join in, please!

Here's what to look for:

Dakota @ Erie: Both teams are one game back in a very tight Central division.

Matchup to watch: Blake Ahearn Vs. Quincy Douby - Both undersized 2-guards who ocassionally end up playing the point. Both can put up big numbers on the offensive end. Both will probably end up with 25+ points if their team lets them.

Austin @ Tulsa: Austin is one of the top teams in the D-League with a 25-13 record, though they're just 5-5 in their last ten games. Tulsa is a little colder, as they've won just one of their last ten games, though it was an overtime victory over Iowa yesterday. Will be liveblogged over at WTLC.

Matchup to watch: Marcus Williams Vs. Gary Forbes - Not sure who Tulsa will put on Williams, as Shaun Livingston could also probably guard him, but we'll match him up with Forbes. The 6'7" Forbes is a very similar player to Williams, as they can both play the point-forward, both are excellent at creating, and both are relied on heavily for their team.

Los Angeles @ Idaho: This is a matchup between the worst in the West and the best in the West. LA is 11 games back, out of the playoffs, but are a team to reckon with since the addition of Earl Barron and Sun Yue.

Matchup to watch: Sun Yue Vs. Luke Jackson: This could be a fun matchup to watch. Yue, who is being heavily pimped on D-League.com (Chinese people love them some Sun Yue!), settled into the D-League better last game, scoring 12 points on seven shots in 35 minutes of action. Jackson has been heating up lately, averaging over 25 points, seven boards and six assists in his last three games. If they heat up, watch out!

Bakersfield @ Utah: Both teams could really make some noise in the playoffs. Bakersfield is 1.5 games behind Utah, but both have already eclipsed the 20 win mark.

Matchup to watch: Trey Johnson Vs. Morris Almond: Wow. This should be happening in the NBA, but I'll gladly take it in the D-League. Both are amazing shooters/scorers, both will probably put their team on their back and shoot the lights out. Could be fun!

Sioux Falls @ Reno: A struggling Sioux Falls team versus a Reno team that's retooled well. Not sure if either will make the playoffs, but lots of fun stuff happening in this game.

Matchup to watch: Alexis Ajinca Vs. Patrick Ewing Jr. - If they matchup, this will be a good test for both players. PEJr, since moving into the starting lineup with the Rod Benson trade four games ago, has averaged 21.8 points and 12.5 boards. Ajinca, who has just been assigned to the D-League after not getting much love by the Bobcats in the NBA really looked like he had a lot of potential during Summer League. Depends on how often they match up, but this could be a good barometer of their future NBA careers.

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.

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.