Sioux Falls Skyforce Player Evaluation Report

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Dec 042012
 

Demetris Nichols F 6’8” 215 9-4-84 (28) Syracuse

Nichols is a Forward with a strong, wiry frame. He is a solid D-League starter with NBA experience, but lacks a true position. Nichols is primarily a wing man with an inconsistent jump shot from the elbow and wing area. He struggles with shot selection and drifts at times when shooting. He is very aggressive looking for his shot, with many shots coming on isolation plays or off one dribble. Nichols has no “go to” move in the post or post presence. Defensively, he needs work defending the post. He doesn’t fight hard through screens or establish early position in the post while defending. Nichols is athletic and an aggressive rebounder at times. Nichols would have to be a volume scorer to be able to overcome his weaknesses on the defensive end. He is a solid D-League starter, but doesn’t have a true NBA position based on his strengths and weaknesses.

Dan Coleman F 6’9” 225 2-13-85 (27) Minnesota

Coleman is a post player who physically resembles Alaa Abdelnaby or a shorter Tyson Chandler. He had a solid four-year career at Minnesota as a shot blocker and made the Skyforce club out of an open tryout. Coleman’s “go to” move is a hook shot in the paint with both the right and left hand. He gets good position at times in the paint; at other times he gets pushed out of position. He is at his strength when he initiates contact in the post. Coleman will also catch/turn/face/drive or catch off a curl at elbow, although he had little success with either one when I saw him. He is a solid defensive rebounder and has some shot-blocking skills. Coleman is just short of a 10-day contract guy, but a solid D-League guy. He needs to improve his ability to finish in the paint and establish good position on a consistent basis.

Jarvis Varnado F 6’10” 225 3-1-88 (24) Mississippi St.

Varnado is a post player who physically resembles the body type of Walter McCarty. He is an athletic shot blocker with raw offensive skills. Varnado was a second-round pick by Miami in 2010 and was waived by the Heat in training camp this fall. He doesn’t have a “go to” move and has little idea what to do with the ball in the post. Varnado did show some ability with his back to the basket of feeling the defense and spinning accordingly. He put up 21 points, 8 rebounds, and blocked 8 shot the night I saw him. Varnado needs to work harder to defend the post, fight for position and bump the receiver out of his comfort zone. Despite this, he is a solid offensive rebounder. Varnado is an energy player with shot blocking abilities but needs refinement of his offensive skills. I can see him getting NBA minutes down the road with improvement.

Andrew Goudelock G 6’3” 200 12-7-88 (24) Charleston

Goudelock is a shooting guard who physically resembles a taller Dana Barros. He’s a second-round pick from 2011 with the Lakers and a volume scorer. Goudelock is confident, shoots a lot, and is fundamentally sound. He showed some explosiveness in the open floor, which reminded me of Kerry Kittles. Goudelock also uses a floater in the paint successfully, similar to Sherman Douglas. He anticipates well on defense and works hard. Goudelock is a scorer who has a place in the NBA. He is better than a 10-day guy right now; should get a shot by someone early season.

Troy Hudson G 6’1” 178 3-13-76 (36) So. Illinois

Hudson is a veteran point guard with 11 years of NBA experience under him. He is a ball-control PG, facilitating the offense and serving as a real solid floor leader. Hudson showed the ability to hit a mid-range jumper and creates separation well to create his own shot. He also shot the three well, although it often came when plays broke down. Defensively, he does a solid job containing the ball and funneling the offense to one side of the floor. Hudson is a veteran who could fill a short-term need in the NBA, if needed.

Will Foster C 7’5” 260 3-7-88 (24) Gonzaga

Foster is a long Center with a light, wiry frame. He is a strong offensive rebounder with little offensive skills. Foster played 13 minutes the night I saw him. He struggled with the ball in the post – not sure what to do with the ball; showed no “go to” move. Foster got banged around a bit defending the post on the other side of the floor. He is active around the basket and someone who is in the right place at the right time … resulting in four offensive rebounds for offensive put-backs. I feel Foster is well worth following. He needs to add some bulk and develop his offensive game though.

Mike Davis G 6’9” 225 10-21-88 (24) Illinois

Davis is a small forward and a solid D-League role player. His “go to” move is a step-back move from the right block. Davis’ mid-range game is inconsistent in general though. He struggles defending the post against true post players, but held his own defending wing players. Davis has solid basketball instincts and moves well without the ball. Davis is a D-League role player and should be able to develop into a starter at some point.

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Fighting For an Opportunity: The Brent Jennings Story

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 282012
 

Merriam-Webster defines the word opportunity as “a good chance for advancement or progress.” The word opportunity is sacred to every single member of the D-League because they know how they have to claw and bite in practices to gain minutes and playing time. The D-League is a battlefield where you have to fight because everybody is going after that same goal of a shot to lace their sneakers on an NBA court.

While many people fail to realize the importance of the D-League you have to realize that there’s hundreds of basketball players out there that want to make that dream come true, and the D-League is that one stepping stone to make it a reality. One of those hundreds of players out there is Brent Jennings, a 6’4″ guard who’s been clawing for an opportunity ever since he was a young high schooler in Atlanta, Georgia. Unlike many players who go through the AAU system at a young age, Brent didn’t start playing in organized ball until his junior year in high school at South Cobb High. A year later Jennings transferred to Frederick Douglas High in Maryland. There he became a varsity captain and helped lead the team deep into the Maryland State playoffs.

Of course Jennings didn’t get many looks by major college coaches because he really only played one full season of high school ball, so he accepted a full scholarship to attend Faulkner University, a private Christian college in the Atlanta, Georgia area. In 2007 Jennings became an active member of Faulkner after being red-shirted his freshman year, but made the decision to transfer at the end of the season. Jennings received offers from two Division II teams (Jackson State in Mississippi and West Georgia), but during that process he experienced a tragedy as his cousin Kyle Jennings was murdered. Following the tragedy, Jennings decided to attend Southern Poly State in Marietta, Georgia, which is a suburb of his hometown Atlanta to stay close to his family.

After sitting out the 2008-09 season due to eligibility issues with grades and transcript, he went on to become 1 of 3 people to average 16 PPG and became the team’s leading rebounder with 9 RPG which is not bad for a 6’4 player who’s playing out of position as a post player.

After his college career came to an end, Jennings faced a dilemma because he knew he had to change his position because there was absolutely no way he could make it as a 6’4″ post player. With that said, Jennings had trouble finding a pro team because he had no film or really any experience playing the guard position so he started working in Detroit with basketball trainer Tony Leonard where he worked on some of the basics of being a true guard like footwork, spacing, and how to lead a team without shooting.

The first real post-college opportunity that Jennings had was being one of the members of the 2011 Reno Bighorns training camp roster where he reportedly ended up becoming the 11th man on the 10 man roster. “It was all a numbers game,” Jennings told me in an interview. “They liked my game but they really had no idea about me when I came in for a try-out, and it’s really hard for somebody like that to make a D-League roster when the team has all those obligations to their NBA teams.”

After that set back, Jennings made his rounds around the country playing in the WBA (World Basketball League) with the Atlanta Blaze and in the UBA (Ultimate Basketball League) with the Atlanta Assault. Jennings looked like an absolute man against boys while in both semi-pro leagues where he averaged 28 PPG and 5 boards while with the Blaze and 19.2 PPG and 7.4 RPG with the Assault.

With that success in the semi-pros behind him, Jennings went to Idaho in October to try to make his second attempt at making a D-League roster but this time with the Idaho Stampede. Jennings had another solid performance in training camp that even allowed Justin Harper to state that Jennings was a great player/teammate and hard worker who will without a doubt make a team happy. To Jennings’ disarray that team was not the Stampede as he was one of the final cuts which felt way too familiar.

The story of Brent Jennings is all too familiar for players all over the country who work their hearts out to even make it to the D-League because they still believe in that dream that they’ll make it to the NBA. Jennings knows that it’s him against the world right now but also he realizes that that one single word “opportunity” is what he strives for to make that dream of becoming a member of the D-League and the NBA a reality.

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November 23rd D-League Round Up: Opening Night

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 252012
 

The 2012-13 D-League season started up Friday night with four highly competitive games. Thanks to the recent agreement between the D-League and YouTube, I had the ability to watch all of the games. I checked out the Canton Charge vs. the Maine Red Claws live before enjoying the other contests via video archive.

Besides one minor exception (the Texas vs. Tulsa game that I’ll talk about later on) each of these games were offensive shootouts that weren’t the best games technically but certainly were exciting match-ups from the opening tip to the final whistle. With that said, let’s take a trip back to last night and take a look at all four games.

 Canton Charge Vs. Maine Red Claws

If you were following me last night on twitter (@Dakota_Schmidt), you would’ve noticed me live tweeting the game and showing my displeasure in the way Celtics forward Fab Melo was playing. Now I’m not really attacking Danny Ainge and the rest of the Celtics front-office because they’ve worked miracles for the Celtics, but I’m already wondering if the drafting of Fab Melo was a mistake. Normally when an NBA player gets called down to the D-League they flourish, but Melo was an exception as he played poorly in last night’s game against Canton. Melo looked disinterested last night and was lazy both on the offensive and defensive ends last night, finishing with just 2 points and 1 rebound in 20 minutes. There were times when Canton’s guards Kyle Gibson and Kevin Anderson drove to the hole last night with Melo just watching as they made easy layups.

The Maine Red Claws did show spirit and resilience last night as they came back from a 17-point deficit to win the game 123-115 thanks to Celtics assignment Kris Joseph and former Warrior Chris Wright who put the Red Claws on their back in the second half to lead the team to victory. Those two players combined for 52 points (Joseph with 28 and Wright with 24) but were also helped out by a bunch of great performances by Shelvin Mack (16 points), Chris Ayer (14 points) and Micah Downs, Xavier Silas and Champ Oguchi who all posted 13 points.

Despite losing the game I think the player of the game had to be former West Virginia Mountaineer and current Charge PF Kevin Jones who posted an impressive 26 points and 14 rebounds while also showing a decent shot from about 18 feet, which really wasn’t talked about that much in the lead-up to last June’s NBA draft. Besides Jones, some other notable performances for Canton included Antoine Agudio putting up 20 points while making three shots from behind the line. The aforementioned backcourt of Gibson and Anderson both had solid statistical games, but both fell silent when the Red Claws were making their third quarter run.

Erie BayHawks Vs. Fort Wayne Mad Ants

If there’s a single duo that could make the biggest splash in the D-League this year I would have to go with the combination of DJ Kennedy and Nick Covington for the Erie BayHawks. Like the Mad Ants announcers stated during the game, Kennedy has the speed of a 6’0″ guard but the long arms of a power forward all combined in a 6’6″ and 215-pound frame. Kennedy looked smooth last night, posting a 21-point, 10-rebound performance. It would be surprising if he doesn’t get a shot in the NBA this season because he could be a contributing player this season. While Kennedy is one of those players that could do anything around the court, Covington’s main strength is shooting 3s, and it’s safe to say that he lit up the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum last night by making 5 shots from beyond the arc. Covington lead the team with 27 points and at times looked absolutely unstoppable against Fort Wayne in a 109-100 victory.

While those two players shined, former Pepperdine forward Mychel Thompson had an extremely solid game himself going for 16 points, 7 boards, 5 assists and 5 steals.

While Fort Wayne may have lost last night, you can not overlook how great Mad Ants veteran Ron Howard looked. He was everywhere on the court last night with 27 points and 7 rebounds on 7-13 shooting. The Pacers brought down Miles Plumlee and Orlando Johnson for the two weekend games, and they both produced against Erie. Plumlee had a rough night offensively shooting 2-9 from the field but caught 12 rebounds. Like Plumlee, Johnson had a rough day from the field shooting 5-16 but ended up with 16 points. Former Piston Walker Russell also looked fantastic by going for 17 points and 6 assists while putting up some crazy circus shots that are highlights you should look out for if you’re planning on watching the replay of the game on YouTube.

Texas Legends Vs. Tulsa 66ers

Is it too early to nickname the Texas Legends “The Roberts Bros and Co.”? If your name didn’t have Chris and/or Roberts in it then you didn’t do a thing in last night’s contest against the 66ers. Former NBA role player Chris Douglas Roberts had a spectacular opening-night game by notching up 31 points with 11 of those coming from the charity stripe. Meanwhile the other Chris Roberts, a former Bradley Braves guard, posted 22 points on 8-17 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds. Former NBA players Melvin Ely, Christian Eyenga, and Sean Singletary combined for only 10 points on 5-19 from the field (Eyenga was 2-10).

While CDR lit up the scoreboard for the Legends, Thunder assignee DeAndre Liggins messed around and got a triple double for the 66ers with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Daniel Orton, the other Thunder player on assignment, had a great game posting 10 points and 11 rebounds. Some other notable players in last night’s 66ers 83-76 victory included Dominique Sutton (13 points and 6 rebounds) and former Knick guard Andy Rautins who laced up 11 points thanks to making three shots from behind the line.

Bakersfield Jam Vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers

The final game on the docket was an offensive showcase between two teams that appear to be loaded with depth after last night’s game. For Rio Grande Valley, the two Rockets that were called down were both productive in a 115-113 defeat, including a fantastic 31-point and 8-rebound performance by center Donatas Motiejunas. The other Rocket Scott Machado almost posted a double-double with 20 points and 8 assists. Former Warrior Jeff Adrian had a fantastic game with 17 points and 11 boards.

Bakersfield really didn’t have a star performer like Motiejunas but just had solid performers all over the roster. Former Badger center Brian Butch lead the charge with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Sticking with alumni from Wisconsin colleges, former Marquette Golden Eagle Jerel McNeal had 13 points with 6 assists. The Jam really won this game because of their work at the charity stripe making 10 more free throws than the Vipers all thanks to forward Renaldo Major who put up 20 points and 6 boards but also was perfect from the free-throw line making all 8 of his shots. Some notable bench performances include Stephen Dennis who laced up 13 points, Isma’il Muhammad with 10 points and James Nunnally with 14.

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Rio Grande Valley Vipers Team Preview

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 252012
 

Our journey around the NBA D-League continues as we take a look at the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Vipers residein Hidalgo, Texas, which sits on the edge of the Mexico/Texas border, making them the southernmost professional team in all of the United States. This Valley Vipers team could be sitting on the edge of the D-League Finals picture this season despite finishing below .500 last season. Why do I have the Vipers slated as being so good after being so mediocre last season?

Well there are two reasons for that:

Reason #1: They currently have a roster that’s balanced with scorers like Demetri McCamey and Jeff Adrien and young front court players with potential like Reeves Nelson and Tim Ohlbrecht.

Reason #2: The Rockets currently have the youngest roster in the league. They have  seven available to send to the Vipers including Terrence Jones, Scott Machado (already with Vipers), Marcus Morris, Donatas Motiejunas (with Vipers), Chandler Parsons, Greg Smith, and Royce White.

After passing Wednesday night’s roster deadline, we now have a clear picture of what the Vipers roster will look like this season, and it’s clear that the Vipers have a pretty standout back-court especially with Scott Machado currently on the roster. Machado went undrafted in June’s draft but received a contract with Houston after having a great performance in the Summer League. With Iona, Machado nearly averaged a double-double with 13.3 PPG and 9.9 APG which was one of the top assist rates of the 2012 draft class. In addition to Machado, the Vipers feature another solid PG in former Illinois star Demetri McCamey. Before struggling in the Turkish league last year, Demetri was a stud in college by averaging 14.6 PPG, 6.1 APG and was really efficient with a 20.5 PER in his senior season.

While the PG situation looks pretty clear with McCamey and Machado (as long as he’s on assignment), the SG position looks a bit more fishy. There’s going to be three players competing for playing time including former Arizona Wildcat Kyle Fogg, Toure’ Murry, and Glen Rice Jr., who is the son of former NBA All-Star sharpshooter Glen Rice. All of these players are rookies in the D-League so they all have something to prove, but I would give a slight edge to Toure’ Murry because he was one of the leaders of a Wichita State team last year that landed a #5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile Kyle Fogg was a decent sharpshooter for Arizona while Glenn Rice Jr. showed a lot of potential with Georgia Tech before he was kicked off the team last season after being charged with a shooting incident in an Atlanta nightclub. Rio Grande Valley will be giving Rice a change to redeem himself but will have to work harder than he has ever had if he wants that starting gig with Rio Grande.

The Vipers front court is a bit of a question mark, but we do know that Jeff Adrien will be the star of not only this front court but the rest of the team. Before having stints with the Rockets and multiple European teams, Adrien had an outstanding year with the Vipers where he averaged a double-double with 19.9 PPG and 12.2 RPG. While Adrien is looked at to be the star of the team, rookie Chris Johnson will be looking to acquire any type of playing time behind the stud Adrien. Johnson was a decent spot-up shooter at Dayton and like Adrien was a decent rebounder for someone who’s not exceptionally tall.

Just like new teammate Glen Rice Jr, Reeves Nelson is coming to Rio Grande Valley as a talented but troubled player who was kicked off of his college team. Nelson was kicked out of UCLA after repeated bad behavior. Before being banished from the team, he was an All-Pac-10 selection when he put up 14.0 PPG and 9 RPG in his sophomore season. It would appear that Nelson has a clear path to being the starting PF for this team but the Rockets have a plethora of young PF’s that could make their way down to the D-League this season.

Going back to Motiejunas, he’s been compared to Andrea Bargnani as a big who’s not that great of a rebounder and likes to play around the perimeter. Donatas’ rebounding numbers did increase last year while playing in the Euro League but his reported attitude problem and inability to do the “dirty work” will be something that coach Nick Nurse will be working on while Motiejunas is down in Rio Grande Valley.

Wrapping up the look at the Vipers depth chart we take a look at the center position, which is currently held by the duo of DeVon Hardin and Tim Ohlbrecht. DeVon Hardin has been the definition of a “world-traveler” since playing with Tulsa in the 2009-10 seasons by making stops in places like Israel, Turkey, Belarus, Qatar and China. While Hardin really didn’t produce when he was with Tulsa, you would think that the RGV front-office sees something good out of him after drafting him in the 2nd round of this year’s draft. Meanwhile  Tim Ohlbrecht will more than likely be trapped on the Vipers bench because he really didn’t do anything in his career in Europe that stood out at me.

Overall this Vipers team is really different than any other D-League team because their NBA affiliate is so young that players could be called up and sent down very frequently. With that said, I can see them being one of the best teams because they could get a lot of NBA talent mixed with the standard D-Leaguers.

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Assignments and Call-ups Roundup for November 23

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 242012
 

Opening night was a mixed bag for the eight NBA players on assignment in games last night, while the D-League’s lone call-up of the young season didn’t see any action.

ASSIGNMENTS

Despite losing, RGV’s duo of Scott Machado and Donatas Motiejunas played like the most talented players on the floor in their game against Bakersfield. In equal measure, however, they also showed why they  were playing in Hidalgo and not Houston. Consider: the most glaring error in Machado’s game is the fact that he knows that he’s a skilled passer, which can lead to trouble when he tries to fit the ball into a tight window. As a result, the net gain of his 8 assists was mitigated by 7 turnovers. Meanwhile, Motiejunas also had the turnover bug, coughing it up 5 times. D-Mo’s talent to score and handle the ball is evident, but he has to assert himself down low and make a concerted effort to box out if he wants to make it back to the NBA sooner rather than later.

For the Maine Red Claws, Kris Joseph showed off his ability to create his own shot and get to the basket, along with a willingness to crash the offensive boards. He only turned the ball over once, and looked adequate in man-to-man defense – a major concern after spending four years in Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 zone at Syracuse. His teammate (and fellow former member of the Orange) Fab Melo didn’t fare quite as well. Melo looked passive for long stretches, and while it’s doubtful he’ll ever be the focal point of an offense at the professional level, it’s not unreasonable to expect more from him than 2 points on 2 shots. Melo only collected 1 rebound, but at least came away with 4 blocks in 20 minutes.

The two most recent assignments, Orlando Johnson and Miles Plumlee of the Pacers, couldn’t quite get in sync in their first outing for Fort Wayne. Johnson and Plumlee collectively shot 28% from the field and had 3 turnovers apiece. Despite sloppy play on the offensive end, their night wasn’t a total bust; Plumlee managed to grab 12 boards in just 26 minutes, while Johnson was very active on defense, recording 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Oklahoma City shooting guard DeAndre Liggins had the most successful night of any assignment, recording the first triple-double of the D-League season. Liggins isn’t known as a prolific passer, but found himself playing the point for stretches during the 66ers game against Texas. Despite the impressive statistical display, Liggins still finished at an even 0 in plus/minus. His Thunder running mate Daniel Orton had his night weighted down by 6 turnovers in 30 minutes before fouling out. Since Orton’s physical tools are what allow him to hang around the Association, he simply has to limit the mental mistakes which hamper his game. Doing so is the only way for him to stick full-time on an NBA roster.

CALL-UPS

James Anderson picked up a DNP-CD for San Antonio as the Spurs handled the Indiana Pacers, 107-94.

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News and Notes from Opening Night

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 242012
 
  • Canton’s Kevin Jones had the best line of the night, scoring 26 points on 11-19 shooting with 14 boards (7 offensive), 4 steals, 1 block, and only 1 turnover. Jones was the only member of the Charge to record a positive plus/minus (+2). It still wasn’t good enough for a win, with Maine coming out on top, 123-115.
  • Bakersfield and RGV went down to the wire, with the Jam coming out on top 115-113. Houston assignment Donatas Motiejunas was called for a defensive three-second violation with 45 seconds left. Renaldo Major sunk the technical free throw to put the Jam up for good.
  • Oklahoma City assignment DeAndre Liggins recorded the season’s first triple-double with 15 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds, leading Tulsa in each category. His efforts were good enough to lead the 66ers over Texas, 83-76.
  • JaJuan Johnson, the number 1 overall pick in the 2012 D-League Draft, was hampered by foul trouble and couldn’t get into a rhythm on his way to a 13 point night on 33% shooting. He failed to record a block, but did scoop up 9 rebounds as his Fort Wayne Mad Ants lost to Erie, 109-100.
  • Erie’s Mychel Thompson put in 44 minutes of work last night, more than any other player. He made the most of them, posting a full line of 16 points on 50% shooting, 3 threes, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. His outside shot is definitely his best asset, but he’s made it clear that there’s a lot more to his game.
  • Scott Machado posted big numbers for RGV, albeit fairly inefficiently. The Houston assignment recorded 8 assists, 7 rebounds, and 20 points, but also turned it over 7 times and shot only 43.8% from the field.
  • Out of Canton’s 49 rebounds, 20 were offensive – by far the best percentage of any team who played last night.
  • Though RGV likes to push the ball at a blistering pace, Bakersfield actually led them in shot attempts, 106-92. Turning the ball over 27 times and allowing Bakersfield to put up a +8 in offensive rebound margin probably had something to do with that.

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Los Angeles D-Fenders Team Preview

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 212012
 

Continuing our look around the West Coast of the D-League world, we now take a look at the Los Angeles D-Fenders who are the actual little brothers of the L.A. Lakers (sorry, Clippers). The D-Fenders were two victories away from defeating the Austin Toros and wrapping up the D-League title, but that wasn’t meant to be as the Toros became champs. The D-Fenders will be entering the season hungry to get over that hump and become champions. The D-Fenders are an interesting team ranging from an NBA journeyman like Jamario Moon to a guy named Tristan Thompson who played at a Texas school (not the same Tristan Thompson that most basketball fans know). It all should add up to make for an interesting season at the Toyota Sports Arena in El Segundo, California.

Compared to the Idaho Stampede, who I previewed yesterday, the D-Fenders have an extremely solid backcourt right now featuring some players that have a great chance to be called up to the NBA like Courtney Fortson and Darius Johnson-Odom. Of course DJO was assigned to the D-Fenders from the Lakers, so there’s a good chance he’ll be brought back. He’d be a great offensive producer after putting up 18.3 PPG on 44.7 percent shooting last year with Marquette.

Meanwhile Fortson is returning to L.A. after being called up twice last year to Houston and the Clippers. He really made a statement after averaging 17 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 5.9 APG which is pretty wild when you remember that he’s only 5’11″. Fortson will probably be one of the many players called up this season on a 10-day contract, but while he’s with the D-Fenders you can bet that he’ll make a major impact.

If either one of those two guards are called up, the D-Fenders have a few options that they can go to help lead the ship. Tristan Thompson (guard version) was a standout scorer with the North Texas Mean Green and was solid in his rookie year with the Toros last year (8.8 PPG on .408 FG%). A few other solid backup guards (Cecil Brown and Kevin Kruger) are both coming back to the D-League after having an extended stay away from pro basketball. Kevin Kruger was a good scorer for the now defunct Utah Flash but took a season off to create a business named “Stadium Cribs” where they transform the inside of a baby’s crib into a replica of a particular stadium.

Cecil Brown on the other hand has basically been extinct in the basketball world since playing with the 66ers in the 2009-10 season. Brown was a productive player that year (14.1 PPG on .480 FG%) but will probably have a reduced role because of the simple fact he hasn’t played basketball in the past two seasons.

Where the D-Fenders really shine is with their forwards in the front court. They have a crew of experienced players like the aforementioned Jamario Moon or double-double threats like Jarrid Famous and Gary Flowers.  They’re also giving a shot to Renardo Sidney, who as a kid was acclaimed as a top prospect. Early in high school he had problems with weight and illegal benefits he received as a high schooler complicated matters. During this summer’s draft combine he had 22.4% body fat and weighed at least 304 pounds. Sidney has apparently cut down at least 20 pounds since that time because he’s listed at 285 on the D-Fenders site so it’ll be interesting to see what type of impact he can make in LA.

Jarrid Famous is probably the player on the D-Fenders with the highest chance for a D-League call-up. Famous almost averaged a double double (13.9 PPG and 9.8) in his combined stints with the Mad Ants and Iowa Energy, and I personally thought he looked great when I was watching him this summer as part of the Milwaukee Bucks Summer League squad. After failing to catch up with an NBA team, Jamario Moon made the trek to the D-Fenders where he had a nice short stint by posting up 18.2 PPG and 7.6 RPG.

A few other front court players that should be on your radar include Darnell Dodson who’s a former Kentucky Wildcat. He was a teammate of DaMarcus Cousins and John Wall but finished out his college career where he averaged 11.12 PPG and 4.9 RPG in his senior season. Also take a look at Gary Flowers who did spend a short amount of time overseas and with the D-Fenders. He previously starred at Southern Miss when he averaged 18.8 PPG and 7.7 RPG in 31 minutes per game.

All in all this D-Fenders team is pretty solid overall both in the front court and back-court and has a chance to possibly make it their way back to the D-League Finals picture. The Lakers actually have a young group of players on their bench like Robert Sacre, Earl Clark and Darius Morris (when Nash returns) who could make their way down to the D-Fenders.

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Stein: Spurs to call up James Anderson

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 202012
 

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Spurs will call up Rio Grande Valley Viper James Anderson. The move comes in the wake of Spurs swingman Stephen Jackson fracturing his right pinkie finger during last night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Jackson is expected to miss four to six weeks. Second-year Spurs wing Kawhi Leonard is also unavailable due to tendinitis.

This will be Anderson’s second stint with the Spurs. He was drafted by San Antonio with the 20th pick in the 2010 Draft. After an unsuccessful training camp with the Atlanta Hawks, Anderson signed with the Bakersfield Jam before being traded to RGV.

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Idaho Stampede Team Preview

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 202012
 

The NBA season has started and has already seen the twists and turns that you’d expect in an action flick. But it’s time to put the antics of those superstar players to the side to discuss the world of the NBA Developmental League. The likes of Byron Mullins and Alonzo Gee who both had extended time in the D-League in the past are currently having good seasons so far with their respective NBA teams and have proved how the D-League can help a player progress. There are hundreds of players currently in the D-League that are hungry that they could get to the level of Alonzo, Byron or other multiple former D-League players currently in the NBA.

Now even though they all dream of going to the NBA, those players still compete as a team to become the D-League champs like the Austin Toros last year. Players come and go in the D-League, but there’s still a championship to be won and one of these teams competing for the gold are the Idaho Stampede. The Stampede have struggled to even reach the playoffs since winning the title in 2007-08, but they hope that this is the year that they can make it back to the D-League playoffs and put excitement back in the CenturyLink Arena.

Idaho hopes former Magic and Richmond forward Justin Harper can be that player that can help lead this squad back to the playoffs. I’ve previously talked about Harper in my draft preview article. Harper plays in the same mold as Channing Frye. Harper never really had the opportunity to succeed with the Magic, but he was an all-around player at Richmond with his ability to score from the perimeter and the post and rebound.

Harper is going to have to lead this front court because they currently don’t have a big man that could pair up with him to rebound and block shots. The only player you could really call a center on this team would be 6’11″ rookie Garrett Green who was a role player with San Diego State last year (6.0 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 19 MPG). The likes of Paul Carter, who was a solid player for Idaho last year, could help the front court, but they’ll have to be hoping one of the other players step up or the Blazers send down Joel Freeland or Victor Clavor (more of a SF than a PF) to help the Stampede produce in the front court.

The Stampede is led by the returning Coby Karl who has played European ball for the past two seasons but was an absolute stud with Idaho in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. Karl will bring a veteran’s touch to a backcourt that’s filled with inexperienced players (minus journeyman D-Leaguer Darren Cooper). Another returning Stampede shooting guard is former Beavers guard Seth Tarver who’s been a solid role player for the past two seasons.

Tarver is a good scorer (.507 FG% last year), but he’ll most likely be the sixth man thanks to the return of Karl. Point guard will be a question mark for this team but I can see former TCU Horned Frog Hank Thorns, who’s a 5’9″ spitfire who was a solid player in his senior season last year (13.5 PPG, 4.0 APG, 1.0 SPG) taking the starting gig because he’s really the only PG. Thorns will have a challenging matchup basically every single night as the D-League site recently looked at in their top-10 D-league PG list. Thorns could become the starting PG for the season, but Nolan Smith could possibly be called down to the D-League if he continues to rot away on the Blazers bench.

It’s hard to really predict how a D-League team will finish because different players get called up and down so frequently. That said, I believe that the Stampede are going to be a team that are built around Karl and Harper but will be still be on the outside looking in once the 2013 D-League playoffs start.

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2012 Pre-Season Jamboree Stock Report

 NBA D-League  No Responses »
Nov 192012
 

With roster cuts imminent, last weekend’s Pre-Season Jamboree in Carrollton, TX gave players from six D-League teams the opportunity to show their organizations why they deserved a spot on the team. After six exhibition games between Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Austin, Erie, Santa Cruz, and Tulsa, D-League Digest is here to tell you who helped their cause, who’s on the fence, and who has more work to do.

Stock Up

Reeves Nelson, Rio Grande Valley Vipers: Nelson’s upside lies in his versatility, and he used it to put on a show on Saturday. Though he only played 15 minutes during RGV’s game against Texas, he displayed an accurate long-range shooting touch to go along with his unreal athleticism. Nelson looked right at home guarding much taller bigs in the low post who weren’t able to keep up with him on the perimeter. If Nelson can keep his nose clean and turn in consistent, gritty performances all season, he could be one the D-League’s most pleasant surprises.

Sean Singletary, Texas Legends: The most impressive part of Singletary’s game is his intangibles. Singletary is a point guard’s point guard – he’s a floor general in the truest sense of the term, and the clear leader of the Legends. His veteran presence will be a welcome one on a Texas team with a new head coach and a number of rookies. On Saturday, he did all the little things right, and took his teammates aside when they failed to.

Holding Steady

James Anderson, Rio Grande Valley Vipers: Anderson spent the weekend getting up and down the floor in the fast-paced RGV offense, and had no problem getting into the lane whenever he wanted. Putting the ball in the basket, however, was another matter. Not only did Anderson have real problems finishing at the rim, he couldn’t get his shots to fall from deep either. He should get plenty of good looks in transition with the Vipers, but if he’s going to get another shot in the NBA, he’s going to have to finish them.

Brady Morningstar, Tulsa 66ers: Morningstar’s shot is as smooth as it ever was at Allen Fieldhouse. He has unlimited range, and he showed it off early and often at the Jamboree. Throughout Saturday’s game though, Morningstar spent a lot of time on the ball, which clearly isn’t his strength. His limitations as a ball handler and a playmaker were glaring, and he looked out of place and uncomfortable playing the point.

Stock Down

Japeth Aguilar, Santa Cruz Warriors: The considerable hype surrounding the D-League’s first Filipino player looked overstated on Saturday. Aguilar looked physically overmatched, and is substantially shorter than his listed height of 6-foot-10. He played 11 forgettable minutes, and failed to record a single rebound. Aguilar can stroke it from deep if he gets the chance, but judging from the way he played on Saturday, that opportunity might not come in the D-League.

D.J. Kennedy, Erie Bayhawks: Kennedy showed flashes of why he earned a callup from Cleveland last year, but his game was plagued by too many careless mistakes. Kennedy racked up a cringe-inducing six turnovers to go with his 18% field goal percentage. His athleticism and offensive ability are undeniable, but Kennedy can’t afford to string together too many games like this one if he and the BayHawks plan to have any sort of real success this season.

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