SB Nation User Blog: Scott Schroeder

Warriors Granted 2nd Hardship Exception; Rod Benson's Available!

Scott Schroeder — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:09:14 -0000

Who gets buckets, boards and blocks? Well, according to Mr. Boom Tho's newest video, Rod Benson.

Why is this relevant?

[Don Nelson] said Warriors are scouring the D-League for another player, their second-hardship exception

I don't want to be that guy and hype Benson just because he's RU-friendly, but I think this is seriously can't miss.

He's from the bay area, he runs the floor like few 6'10", 225 pound big men can (nobody else in the D-League is more fitting for the Warriors) and if nothing else, he'd cheer up the Golden State of Mind crew! Seriously, his qualifications aren't lacking and with Andris Biedrins, Ronny Turiaf and Mikki Moore all shelved, this could actually work.

As our old pal Matt Moore penned:

Benson's almost a volume rebounder, if there is such a thing. His DRR if he were to ever get a stinkin' flyer would be insane. All you're looking for is quality minutes and you know he'll give you that. He's added frame as he's gotten older and it's not like he's lost in terms of positioning. He's got a high basketball IQ. What's the downside here? The only thing I can figure at this point is that he peed on Adam Silver's rug at some point. And it tied the room together.

Plus, with the Warriors obviously not headed toward the playoffs, wouldn't it be nice to throw the fans a bone and call-up a marketable local player?

My other guess would be Rob Kurz, just because they're familiar with him and he's not in a shooting funk like Vladimir Radmanovic is. Kurz played for the Warriors last year and is averaging 16 points and 12 boards for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the D-League. It doesn't really make sense to replicate Radmanovic, but how often do the Warriors make sense?

Dark horse? I'm throwing Dontell Jefferson's name into the mix. They're backcourt heavy, obviously, but Jefferson, tops on our most recent call-up rankings, might be able to pull the team together. He's a shooting guard turned pass-first point guard, 6'5" and a great defender, three things that would absolutely be able to help the Warriors out. It's not a position of need obviously, but the Warriors could definitely use him.

Poll

Warriors are scouring the D-League... Who would be your choice?

Tolliver said he was one of the three players to work out for the Blazers on Wednesday, and was...

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:39:52 -0000

Tolliver said he was one of the three players to work out for the Blazers on Wednesday, and was joined by Chris Richard and Courtney Sims during the tryout.

Now, tell me folks, why would Chris Richard and Courtney Sims be sitting at home, waiting for random tryouts like this?
From Brian T. Smith at the Columbian.

Last Night in the D-League: Where NBA-Assignee's Happen

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:47:10 -0000

More photos » by Brian Babineau - NBAE/Getty Images

Bill Walker should probably stick to doing this, not shooting jump shots.

Browse more photos »

[This was supposed to go up at 7 am this morning but somehow didn't. So here it is. - JL]

I'm writing this while catching up on three night's of DVR'd "The Sing-Off" so forgive me if this isn't as spot-on as my usual commentary (Whoa! How much did I sound like a young Jeff Potter on that one?). Anyway, back to basketball and not Bea Arthur Whoa(!) montages. Lester Hudson is good. So is Bill Walker. Since they don't need either of these players, I assume the Boston Celtics are good as well (at things other than flagrant fouling Brad Miller... h8u Rondo!)

Lester Hudson had a succesful debut. 25 points (14 in a pivotal fourth quarter), seven boards, six assists and a game-sealing block with three seconds left in a four point game. With former NBAer Donnell Taylor and Cedric Jackson taking turns watching him pop jump shots or fouling him on the way to the rack, I was happy to notice Hudson's athleticism show through in the ultra-athletic-but-usually-without-the-skills-to-match D-League. Unfortunately, I don't think he used enough of it, often settling for jumper's, but shooting 4-for-9 from deep helps ease this pain. He had a couple mental lapses (four turnovers), but that's to be expected when it's the first day on the job and the chemistry isn't quite there.
Bill Walker, please learn that your specialty is not the jumper. Last night, you scored 16 points, shooting 7-of-18 from the field, and by my count, your jumper accounted for four of those makes and 10 of your misses. In my opinion, Billy, this is a problem. No turnovers and six boards is a nice little takeaway though, so props on that.
Trey Gilder is probably a bit upset that he can't get a start in the D-League, even after starting this season with the Memphis Grizzlies (who, despite what you've heard, are not a D-League team). Gilder's long and efficient and getting the mention here because he was the only other Red Claw to score in double-digits, totalling 13 points in 31 minutes off the bench.

And now, since the Bayhawks lost to a team that shot 28 of EIGHTY from the field, they're after the jump. Sorry Bayhawk fans, if you read RU, comment. Maybe we can be friends.

First, a little love for Jackie Manuel from Blog Talk Bayhawk:

[...]Manuel is my early pick for BayHawks MVP. He's just a consistent all-around performer. Whenever Manuel makes a key play, the crowd at Tullio Arena is treated to a sound clip of Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "Jackie Blue." Point is, we heard it often tonight. Manuel dominated the third quarter offensively for the BayHawks, scoring the team's first 8 points. For the game, he scored 15 on 7-15 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots. Not surprisingly, he also led the team in minutes played with 46:25. Manuel has led the team in minutes played in all but one game so far this season.

And now a little (not) love for Big John Bryant from BTB:

[...]after hearing him touted as a potential all-star and watching him fill out the box score to start the season, I'm concerned. Coach Treloar took my advice (wink) and played Bryant just over 17 minutes tonight with Aminu and Gunter seeing increased roles. To Bryant's credit, he pulled down 10 rebounds while he was in there. But he also looked out of sync on offense (1-5 shooting, 4 turnovers) and overmatched on defense (5 personal fouls).

That about sums it up, it seems.

Anthony Tolliver Called-up to Portland Trail Blazers

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:28:00 -0000

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Anthony Tolliver has been called-up, Gatorade style (I'm hoping for a sponsorship, kids) to the Portland Trail Blazers, as first reported by HoopsHype's Jorge Sierra. Tolliver, who plays for the Blazers D-League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, is expected to be in uniform tonight.

Since we debuted our call-up ranking's yesterday, I'd like to report that Tolliver was number one on two ballots (Steve and Jon L), number two on one ballot (mine, but behind a point guard), and number eight on Matt Moore' (of Hardwood Paroxysm fame) ballot, finishing second behind Dontell Jefferson. Just sayin'.

Obviously, the Blazers know what they're doing. They were given the "Hardship Exception" and, according to our good friends over at Blazersedge, they were looking for a big man or possibly a small forward. With Tolliver's outside-inside game, he can probably fill-in in both of these spots.

Tolliver is a stretch-four and played the Matt Bonner role in San Antonio at the beginning of last season, just to give you an idea of what you're getting Blazer fans. And, not to toot my own horn, but the last time I wrote about Tolliver, I said this:

Anthony Tolliver has got to be the next person to get a call-up (Note: If the NBA keeps going the Jonathan Bender route, replace AT with Chocolate Thunder Darryl Dawkins). The 6'9" Tolliver continued to be a sniper, hitting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc to finish with 28 points on the day. He picked up seven boards as well, but that was kind of negated by his five turnovers (which are more a result of the Idaho offense than anything). He can play inside and outside on offense, does the little things on defense and generally seems to care - which isn't, unfortunately, a given in the D-League.

Tolliver is averaging 20.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and shooting 47% from the field, inclunding an impressive 43% from beyond the arc. As Steve Weinman noted here, however, he's got more of an everywhere-effect:

I can't find a word more descriptive of Tolliver's performance than "everywhere." At 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, Tolliver is a large man, even by basketball standards. But the threes he takes aren't typical of the 21st century pseudo-bigs who hang around the perimeter waiting for kickouts. To borrow the type of term Walt Frazier enjoys using, I can remember few other occasions when a player seems as omnipresent as AT - sprinting to the sideline to snare long rebounds from unsuspecting guards and fighting his way to loose balls amidst the pack inside as well. Defensively, more of the same. One second, Tolliver's jumping out to double a guard on a high screen-and-roll; the next, waiting at the rim to provide help on penetration or swat a shot out of vicinity of the basket.

UPDATE: In order to give the Blazer's fans a little more information about Tolliver, I penned this mini-report:

Tolliver's biggest knock seem to be no true position, stemming from Summer League last year. He prefers to play in the post, but San Antonio tried him out in what I'm calling a Matt Bonner role, AT got hot from 3-point land (not typically his specialty) and earned himself a few weeks in San Antonio in that role. Once his 3-point shot wasn't falling consistently, however, they let him go.

He's not a guy that can get the ball in the post and dominate, but he has enough low post game to be able to score with his back to the basket... in Idaho, they run a SSOL offense, which suits his game perfectly... He's too versatile to just sit him in the post and let him go to work with his back to the basket all game.

He's not strong enough to guard Dwight Howard, but he'll be able to hold his own down low. As far as the meshing goes, nobody really meshes in the D-League, simply because everyone is trying to get to the NBA, but I've never heard any issues as far as Tolliver being a problem in that regard.

He's active, athletic and only 24 years old. He's not going to set the world on fire, but he's willing do the little things, and do them well.

Poll

What do you think of Tolliver being the first in-season Gatorade Call-Up?

Portland Trailblazers Granted Hardship Exception; D-League Call-Up Possible?

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:09:44 -0000

From Joe Freeman of the Oregonian:

The NBA has awarded the Blazers a hardship exception, giving them the option of signing a 16th player to the roster for a short-term basis. Teams are eligible for the exception after four players on a roster miss at least three games and are expected to miss two additional weeks.
[...]
"We're surveying our options," said Tom Penn, the Blazers' vice president of basketball operations. "We've been looking at free agents that are out there and available ... and we're going to keep our options open. We may or may not ultimately sign a player."

Hopefully, when Penn say "free agent," he's alluding to a player that doesn't have his right's held by another NBA team (D-League, Hooah!) and not a player that is sitting at home on the couch, waiting for an opportunity such as this (hypothetical Jonathan Bender).

Reading the comments in a similar post over at Blazersedge, the Blazers will be looking for a Greg Oden-replacing big man or possibly a defensive 3. While they'll probably find Robert Traylor (his current team suspended operations in Italy) to throw me into a rage, I'm going to endorse either Rod Benson (you know who he is) or Dwayne Jones (pulled down a 27 point, 24 board, 4 block performance last night).

Luckily, we did our first "Randy Livingston Memorial On the Edge Call-Up Rankings" today so I've got nice little blurbs to tell you about each, courtesy of Matt Moore at Hardwood Paroxysm and our very own Jon L:

Rod Benson, Reno Bighorns (16.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 2.2 spg, 53% FG) - Benson's almost a volume rebounder, if there is such a thing. His DRR if he were to ever get a stinkin' flyer would be insane. All you're looking for is quality minutes and you know he'll give you that. He's added frame as he's gotten older and it's not like he's lost in terms of positioning. He's got a high basketball IQ. What's the downside here? The only thing I can figure at this point is that he peed on Adam Silver's rug at some point. And it tied the room together. (Matt Moore)

Dwayne Jones, Austin Toros (18 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 66% FG) - Jones has clearly been working on his post moves in the offseason, and while they're still not great, he looks a lot more fluid executing them. In addition to the spin move he "had" last year he's added one where he goes underneath the basket and lays it in from the other side, which was pretty effective. And, just so we're clear, his numbers have been helped tremendously by being matched up with Kevin Pittsnogle in five of his ten games. Defensively, he's not great, but he'll block some shots and has played 80 games in the NBA, so the experience is there.

Random Retread. For comedy's sake, I chose Robert Traylor, Napoli Itialy) (9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 54% FG) - Robert Traylor has bad knees, is 32 and hasn't played in the NBA since 2005. I just feel, since the Knicks decided to pick up Jonathan Bender earlier in the week, Traylor seems to have a better shot than any D-League player.

Poll

If you were the Blazers, who would you pick?

Randy Livingston Memorial "On The Edge" Call-Up Rankings

Scott Schroeder — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:28:26 -0000

Dontell Jefferson, the 6'5" point guard, can dunk, as learned here by Reno's Marcus Hubbard. (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE)

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As you can see, we've collaborated with the top D-League blogger's in the universe (read: all that would answer my e-mail's) to come up with the top 10 players that are deserving of an NBA call-up. While 10-day contract's aren't able to be handed out until January 5th, there's typically two or three call-up's before that date, which is why we've put our heads together to bring you this list. As you'll remember last season, we alternated this type of post with a more specific list like this one. More than likely, I'll put one of those together as well, just because it serves a different sort of purpose.

Anyway, continue on to see the list and a breakdown of each of the top 10 players, an early holiday gift to all of our loyal readers from the D-League blogging contingent!

Livingston Memorial "On The Edge" Call-Up Rankings
Player w/ link to season stats	Jon L (RU)	Matt Moore (Hardwood Paroxysm)	Scott Schroeder (RU)	Steve Weinman (D-League Digest)	Composite Rankings

Dontell Jefferson	3	3	1	2	1
Anthony Tolliver	1	8	2	1	2
Morris Almond	4	2	3	3	2
Rod Benson	2	1	5	5	4
Desmon Farmer	8	4	4	4	5
Carlos Powell	5	5	7	6	6
Mike Harris	6	10	6	10	7
Sundiata Gaines	7	9	8	8	8
Alonzo Gee	10	6	NR	7	9
Dwayne Jones	NR	7	10	NR	10
Reggie Williams	9	NR	NR	9	NR
Cedric Simmons	NR	NR	9	NR	NR

(If I were to round out a top 15, I'd include Cartier Martin, Ron Howard and Romel Beck)

1. Dontell Jefferson, Utah Flash (20.5 ppg, 6 apg, 5.1 rpg, 1.6 spg, 47% FG) - Jefferson should be the poster child for the NBA Development League because I don't think there's been a player that's gotten consistently better like Jefferson has. Consider his D-League draft bio as a rookie back in 2006: to go from averaging 3.2 points and 4.4 assists in college to an call-up to the Bobcats last season is amazing. Having watched a couple of Flash games this year, he may have even gotten better. While his calling card will always be his defense and decision making, the 6'5" point guard is showing some impressive scoring ability this year as well. (Scott Schroeder)

2a. Anthony Tolliver, Idaho Stampede (20.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 47% FG, 43% 3pt) - I can't find a word more descriptive of Tolliver's performance than "everywhere." At 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, Tolliver is a large man, even by basketball standards. But the threes he takes aren't typical of the 21st century pseudo-bigs who hang around the perimeter waiting for kickouts. To borrow the type of term Walt Frazier enjoys using, I can remember few other occasions when a player seems as omnipresent as AT - sprinting to the sideline to snare long rebounds from unsuspecting guards and fighting his way to loose balls amidst the pack inside as well. Defensively, more of the same. One second, Tolliver's jumping out to double a guard on a high screen-and-roll; the next, waiting at the rim to provide help on penetration or swat a shot out of vicinity of the basket. (Steve Weinman, D-League Digest)

2b. Morris Almond, Springfield Armor (33 ppg, 6 rpg, 49% FG) - Morris Almond is mostly known for his scoring, and it's true that putting the ball in the basket remains his best skill. He also does so fairly efficiently, getting to the free-throw line at a decent rate. Almond greatly improved his rebounding while in the NBA, though, jumping from just under two boards per-36 minutes as a rookie to around five last season. Almond wasn't able to crack Utah's
rotation but got some offseason looks from the Knicks (Summer League) and Magic (training camp). The one thing that might hold him back is, well, his back. He had some problems with it last year and teams might worry that they'll return, I suppose. He's not as athletic as some of his peers, but he has a very nice midrange game and so far in career has kept working to improve. What sounds bad about that? (Jon L)

4. Rod Benson, Reno Bighorns (16.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 2.2 spg, 53% FG) - Benson's almost a volume rebounder, if there is such a thing. His DRR if he were to ever get a stinkin' flyer would be insane. All you're looking for is quality minutes and you know he'll give you that. He's added frame as he's gotten older and it's not like he's lost in terms of positioning. He's got a high basketball IQ. What's the downside here? The only thing I can figure at this point is that he peed on Adam Silver's rug at some point. And it tied the room together. (Matt Moore, Hardwood Paroxysm)

5. Desmon Farmer, Reno Bighorns (25 ppg, 6.7 apg, 5.5 rpg, 5.17 TO/g (doh!)) - Look, I get the push against guys from the D-League that aren't great at defense. I do. I appreciate that. And I certainly understand the turnover concern. But Farmer has been on summer league teams. He's been in camps. He's done his time. And he fills up the sheet when he's on the floor. He's had cups of coffee with San Antonio and the Pacers and the Sonics. But the Spurs never have room for anyone, and the rest were before the league had experienced success at the NBA-level. He's got potential to be a solid end-of-the-bench contributor with the possibility of a great fill-in in case of injury. (Matt Moore)

6. Carlos Powell, Albuquerque Thunderbirds (21.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4 apg, 50% FG) - Carlos Powell, like Farmer, is he what he is - a big, polished wing that can put his head down and get to the hoop with ease. Powell has an affinity for scoring right around 25 points per game to go along with a handful of assists and rebounds a piece every where he plays. While he's obviously not going to put those numbers up in the NBA, he's a veteran scorer that has what it takes to succeed in the big leagues. (Scott Schroeder)

7. Mike Harris, Rio Grande Valley Vipers (26 ppg, 7 rpg, 59% FG, 45% 3pt) - Harris is currently third in the league in per-game scoring, amidst guys who are more likely to come to mind like Mo Almond, Reggie Williams, Desmon Farmer and Sundiata Gaines. He's making 45 percent of his three-pointers and averaging 10 rebounds per 48 minutes. So basically, he's good. The Rockets obviously like him, having retained him off of their Summer League team, but any other teams jealous of Houston's glut of 6'6" combo forward action too can get in on it by calling Harris up. He's been playing mostly inside next to Joey Dorsey, which helps, but he's also pretty athletic and has worked on his shot enough where he can play some small forward as well. (Jon L)

8. Sundiata Gaines, Idaho Stampede (25.4 ppg, 7.7 apg, 5.3 rpg, 56% FG, 2 spg - has started 1 of 7 games) - That's right, a (mostly) D-League reserve made our call-up rankings. Gaines is that good (and also Bob MacKinnon's bench usually plays a lot). A combo guard in college, Gaines has been playing more point in Idaho, and he's been one of the best in the league so far. He's second in the league in assists, both per-game and per-48 minutes, fourth in the league in scoring, and perhaps most impressive is the fact that he's averaging just three turnovers in that fast-paced MacKinnon offense. Gaines isn't the biggest point guard around, but he's really, really, talented, and his game should speak enough for itself for him to get some consideration. (Jon L)

9. Alonzo Gee, Austin Toros (20.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 55% FG) - You can't really take Gee in the Virtual Scout Game. I mean, he's a rookie, playing in a power system that rewards players of his ilk. And he's not really MVP worthy, despite being second in Pts+Reb+As, since he plays alongside the double-double machine Dwayne Jones and Curtis Jerrells. But if you're looking for top-level production that you could sign and immediately send back down? Gee would be a fantastic option for farming. You know, if anyone had managed to do that effectively. Thanks for ruining that dream, Ian Mahinmi. (Matt Moore)

10. Dwayne Jones, Austin Toros (18 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 2.2 bpg, 66% FG) - Jones has clearly been working on his post moves in the offseason, and while they're still not great, he looks a lot more fluid executing them. In addition to the spin move he "had" last year he's added one where he goes underneath the basket and lays it in from the other side, which was pretty effective. And, just so we're clear, his numbers have been helped tremendously by being matched up with Kevin Pittsnogle in five of his ten games. (Jon L)

Lester Hudson Set to Join Maine Red Claws, Rival D-League Teams Pee Their Pants

Scott Schroeder — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:23:31 -0000

Dear Lester, I hope you're excited to meet that guys son.

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Lester Hudson's going to be joining the Red Claws, according to the Boston Herald's "Celtic's Insider" Blog:

Doc Rivers said moments ago that Lester Hudson will be making a trip to the D-League in the near future. The coach still likes the point guard very much, but the rookie has played just 49 minutes for the Celtics entering tonight's game against his hometown Grizzlies.

"We're going to send him down pretty soon to the NBDL for a week or so to get him some games, because I don't like our young guys going these long stretches without playing games. And then we're going to bring him back. I think that will help him."

Last night, the D-League's Twitter account held a contest for a free t-shirt for whoever could answer the following question:

What NBA D-League team has the most players with NBA experience? Can you name them? 1st correct answer today (Dec 14) gets a free shirt

The RU Twitter account quickly responded as such (P.S. They've yet to contact us about a free t-shirt unless they hit up Jon L and he's holding out on me):

@nbadleague Maine. Billy Thomas, Will Blalock, Billy Walker, Alexis Ajinca, Trey Gilder, Noel Felix and Mario West.

Anyway, back to the story at hand. That's seven freakin' players on their (NBA expanded) 12 man roster with D-League experience. Provided that they don't swap Billy Walker for Lester Hudson, eight of their 12 players will have NBA experience. That's a lot. And they're already 5-1. Yikes.

Should Gerald Henderson be Assigned to the D-League?

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:37:10 -0000

by Duane Burleson - AP

I really wish this was a video so I could find out if he gets blocked or not.

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Gerald Henderson, the Bobcat's first-round pick in this years draft, has picked up two DNP-coach's decisions and two appearances of four minutes or less in the past five games. This should reflect more on the coaching of Larry Brown than Henderson's skill level, but regardless, a first-round pick is getting minutes and the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell suggests a trip to Maine.

According to David Arnott over at Rufus on Fire, channeling his inner Donnie Walsh, Gerald Henderson is just too good for the D-League:

My general stance on sending players to the D-League is that there are guys, like Ajinca last year, who get close to nothing from being in the NBA. They're not good enough to learn and improve from playing against the top competition in practice and in games. Therefore, send them to Iowa to learn and improve until they're good enough to actually get something from the big club. Henderson isn't even close to that. Dude holds his own whenever he's on the floor. He's probably best served by playing against NBA competition more than he is by playing 35 minutes per game against D-Leaguers.

Well, David, I'm going to disagree, but let's get one thing correct before I get into this: He'd be sent to Maine, not Iowa. While in Maine, he'd learn from Mike Procopio, one of the best talent developer's in America (seriously, google it).

While in Maine, he'd be greeted with a younger, hungrier and possibly better group of swingmen than he has with the Bobcats. Billy Thomas, Billy Walker, Mario West and Trey Gilder all have NBA talent and all are working hard to get back to the NBA - yes, they all have been in the NBA within the past year. Seems that he may be able to improve by being pushed by those teammates every day just so he can say he didn't have to come off of the bench in the D-League.

If Henderson was sent to the D-League for the rest of December, he'd be matched up against former NBAer's Donnell Taylor, Reece Gaines and Cartier Martin while being checked by one of the best defensive players in the D-League in Fort Wayne's Ron Howard. For 35 minutes a game, none of those are easy match-ups.

Hmm, sitting on the bench and losing confidence or playing and practicing with NBA fringe talent (which is what Henderson is now, FYI) for a couple of weeks?

For me, the decision seems easy. D-League, Hooah!

Last Night in the D-League: Where Desmon Farmer Happens

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:43:11 -0000

Just looks like he belongs in the NBA, no?

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Good morning, RU crew. I'm covering for Jon L today, so if this night in review isn't as filled with Simpson's references as usual, deal with it. I'm also just highlighting individual players because, after a look at our viewership, most people don't care if Fort Wayne fell behind 22-6 and never recovered.

Reno Bighorns 109, Bakersfield 88

Desmon Farmer is good at basketball. Ridiculously good. Also, he has some upside. Before we look at what he did yesterday, let's look at what he's done in the past. The 28 year-old off-guard has played in the NBA in parts of two different seasons (most recently with the San Antonio Spurs last year). When he's not in the NBA, however, Farmer's playing (mostly) in the D-League, totaling 118 games over the past four seasons. This season, Farmer's averaging 26 points per game, the fourth highest in the D-League. His scoring, however, isn't what the NBA is looking for, which is why yesterday's game was probably great for his call-up outlook.
Farmer's shot wasn't falling (7-of-17 from the field), so he took on the ball-handling duties because regular point guard Russell Robinson's shot was falling (we'll get to that later). Primarily handling the rock, Farmer finished with 20 points, 11 boards and 10 assists, the first triple-double in the D-League this season, while turning the ball over just twice and only going to his left. Yo, NBA (except Donnie Walsh because we're fighting), call this man up!
Rod Benson picked up a DNP because, according to the announcers, he's got some food poisoning issues. Hopefully he didn't contract swine flu. Update: He apparently does not have swine flu.
Russell Robinson, who nearly, inexplicably, made the Cleveland Cavaliers roster this season, has developed a jump shot - or at least a spot where he can hit jumper's from. The 6-foot guard from Kansas spotted up in the exact same spot for, I think, all but one of his five 3-pointer's. R-Squared (sweet nickname, no?) led the team with 21 points and also dished five assists, but his five turnovers probably cancelled that out.
Apparently this is the week that the Milwaukee Bucks don't look ridiculous for deciding Marcus Hubbard and Mark Tyndale deserved camp invites. Tyndale exploded for 31 Saturday and yesterday marked Hubbard's coming out party, picking up 19 points and 18 rebounds. As soon as I find a position for him and don't have to worry about why he's been cut or traded by two separate D-League teams, I'm ready to sing his praises a bit more.
Bakersfield is a point guard, a decent big man, and a couple of perimeter players away from competing. Seriously. They're bad.

Sioux Falls Skyforce 110, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 100 (Link includes "Highlights")

Reggie Williams was a late scratch, due to food poisoning. Williams leads the Skyforce with 26.4 points per game, including 27 in a nine point loss the previous night. Fort Wayne play-by-play man Bill Hazen said Williams would probably be healthy by Tuesday, so our Wednesday call-up rankings shouldn't be affected by the groin of Williams.
Joe Krabbenhoft took Williams' spot in the starting lineup and, surprisingly, picked up exactly where Williams left off the night before, scoring 28 to go along with eight boards and four assists. The 6'7" forward isn't quite the scorer Williams is, but he did work on Ryan Ayers, torching him on his way to the basket for a decent amount of his points.
If you combined Raymond Sykes and Greg Stiemsma, you'd have the ugliest player in the D-League an amazing defensive, rebounding big man with almost no offensive skill. Actually, even separate, that's what they amount to - if Stiemsma could work on his offense just enough to hit the gimme's, he'd be NBA bound with his size. Sykes, while more raw than Stiemsma, brings a huge amount of energy and athleticism, which is fun to watch, if not good for anything else.
Remember when Rob Kurz used to be a good shooter? Well, he shot 0-for-7 yesterday, which isn't really what I was hoping to see. The former NBA big man was averaging 16 and 12 through five games, including shooting a ridiculous 56% from beyond the arc, but the 6'9" stretch big just didn't have it on the offensive end. He did pick up 12 boards and two blocks, but Fort Wayne really could've used his offense.
Ron Howard should never settle for a jump shot. Howard finished with 32 points, including 14 off drives to the hoop and another 15 from the charity stripe. That's 29 of his points off non-jumpers. Howard, who is one of the better perimeter defenders in the D-League, needs to stick to driving to the lane and playing hard-nosed defense if he wants his first call-up, after coming close the past two summers. Jumper's are never going to be his calling card.
Kyle McAlarney is white. Actually, between Fort Wayne and Sioux Falls, I'm sure this game led the league in white dudes on the court at the same time (seven players and three of the four coaches, if you're keeping track). I bring this up not because I love white people, but because Kyle McAlarney was recently featured on ESPN's Outside the Lines for being white, and we've never linked to it previously. Anyway, back to the subject at hand: McAlarney shot 7-of-10 from the field, scored 17 points and didn't excel on defense.
Indiana alum Rod Wilmont is a catalyst. Of all Fort Wayne's players, he seems to be the only one that wants to do something with the ball when he gets it. That doesn't mean good things always happen (6-of-15 from the field), but at least he's trying. Wilmont finished with 20 points.
I hate to compare Joey Meyer to Jaren Jackson (and I'm guessing President Potter won't like it either), but both, for whatever reason, seem to have an affinity for jerking Sean Sonderleiter's minutes around. Whatever Anthony Kent does in practice to prove he deserves more playing time doesn't translate to the games, and yesterday was no different. Kent started, had four fouls, three turnovers and two points in 25 minutes. Sonderleiter got 13 minutes off the bench and finished with six points and seven boards.

Los Angeles D-Fenders 123, Idaho Stampede 112

Gabe Pruitt is probably call-up worthy. The second round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2007 looked great in the D-Fender's offense, making eight of his 11 attempts from the field and shooting 10-of-15 from the line to finish with 26 points. He filled out the rest of the box score nicely as well, grabbing nine boards and adding six assists and three steals during his 44 minutes of court time.
Diamon Simpson gives me the Lou Amundson vibe. I'm not sure if that's good, bad or ugly, but that's what I'm going with. Simpson finished with 17 points, eight boards, three blocks and a steal, filling the box score sufficiently. He's only 6'7", but in the D-League they have him playing a bit at the 5, which probably isn't going to be ideal for him in the NBA (unless he's guarding Chuck Hayes). On both of his offensive boards, he went back up strong and got to the line (though once he got to the line, he hit just 7-for-12). In both games I've watched of Simpson, I've been impressed, so kudos.
Ryan Forehan-Kelly had 21 and Dar Tucker had 20, but neither does enough things well to really impress me. I apologize to each of their respective fan bases.
Anthony Tolliver has got to be the next person to get a call-up (Note: If the NBA keeps going the Jonathan Bender route, replace AT with Chocolate Thunder Darryl Dawkins). The 6'9" Tolliver continued to be a sniper, hitting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc to finish with 28 points on the day. He picked up seven boards as well, but that was kind of negated by his five turnovers (which are more a result of the Idaho offense than anything). He can play inside and outside on offense, does the little things on defense and generally seems to care - which isn't, unfortunately, a given in the D-League.
Sundiata Gaines, I have no idea what to do with you. Another day, another 25 points off the bench in just 29 minutes. I really want to believe that he can make this translate to the NBA, but it just seems so unlikely. In the D-League, he gets to the basket so easily, gets fouled, gets to the line, rinse, wash and repeat. He also dished out seven assists, but his five turnovers and eight missed free-throw's probably nullify the assists. Regardless, the NBA's not looking for starters, it's looking for guys that can come in and play off the bench, and he's doing exactly that.
Cedric Simmons is becoming polished. He actually looks more NBA ready now than he did when he was in the NBA. Showed off a nice hook shot at one point, and the rest of his 15 points didn't come all that difficult either. His defense was on point as well, but I kind of expected that when matching up against Michael Fey, Boo Jackson and Diamon Simpson.

Maine Red Claws 87, Tulsa 66ers 82

Full disclosure, I only watched about three minutes of this game due to no live stats and something crazy going on with the audio. And there's no recap and nobody really stood out that I enjoy talking about (sorry, Mustafa), so we'll make this one quick.

This game featured Byron Mullens, Alexis Ajinca, Steven Hill and DeVon Hardin. That's roughly 28 feet of untapped potential.
Mario West didn't play. I don't know why. There should be a box score that says DNP-SOMETHING rather than that he just played 0 minutes. I assume he's good enough to play in front of Mike Williams.
Tony Bobbitt was ejected. In my secret over/under's for everything D-League related, I had Bobbitt going crazy in his fifth game, but he lasted until his 6th. Good job to all of you who took the over.
The Red Claws arena(?) looks nice and cozy. And has big windows that defeat the dimming of the lights during starting line-ups.
Fine. Mustafa Shakur had 21 points, seven assists, six steals, four rebounds, four fouls, four turnovers and a blocked shot. I still don't think he's a point guard.
If you're looking for more, check out JFoss's recap.

Jonathan Bender Signed by Knicks; Donnie Walsh says "F-You, D-League!"

Scott Schroeder — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:40:29 -0000

Yes, I have been sitting in this chair for the past four years. Alternate Caption: Well, his nickname is Jon-Jon, so that's... something, probably.

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Wow.

Just wow.

Jonathan Bender signed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Knicks.

I'm at a loss for words. With me, I assume so is every player in the NBA D-League, every player playing anywhere overseas, and every player that has heard that the fastest way back to the league is honing your skills in the D-League. With the Von Wafer to Memphis deal coming soon and Bender being signed by the Knicks, it seems I'm closer to a call-up than Dontell Jefferson.

I think it's safe to say that after Donnie Walsh tried out about ten different D-League guys since April (Chris Hunter, Mouhamed Sene, Joe Crawford, Courtney Sims, Demetris Nichols, Blake Ahearn, Patrick Ewing Jr., Ron Howard, David Noel and Yaroslav Korolev), Donnie Walsh hates the D-League.

Or really wanted to make a splash in the New York media AND hates the D-League.

How else do you explain signing Jonathan Bender, a 6'11", 28 year old project that hasn't played a professional basketball game since November 5, 2005? A player that averaged 5.6 points and shot 41% from the field over seven injury-plagued seasons?

Also, Knicks fans, this isn't really the "low risk, high reward" deal it's being bragged up as. Keep in mind, now that Bender will be an eighth-year veteran, he'll be making a pro-rated salary of $1,181,803. Had you signed a D-Leaguer without any NBA experience, however, it'd have cost you $457,588. A lot less risk with that, if I'm qualified to talk about risks.

If I was Donnie Walsh (and I'm not), I would have called-up Anthony Tolliver from the D-League's Idaho Stampede. The 6'10" Tolliver is averaging 21.4 points, 11 rebounds and has the inside-outside game that Bender can probably bring, sans injury history and without the four-years-of-not-playing-basketball rust.