Back after the holidays with assorted D League News

Fun D League news for me, since it relates specifically to my Warriors. (Misguided) Lottery pick Patrick O'Bryant will be relegated to the D League's Bakersfield Jam (the affiliate of the Warriors and Kings) while the Warriors will be filling his roster spot by signing ex-Kentucky guard and the league leader in the NBDL in scoring, Kelenna Azubuike. They'll be taking him from Fort Worth, who was in a tie for first in the Eastern Division with Dakota, and replacing his production will be quite the task. O'Bryant figures to get good playing time for Bakersfield as well, as their only (listed) true center is a dude averaging 6 and 5 a game. For the almost painfully average Warriors (lets be fair here, I'm actually ecstatic they're .500, but who knows if they'll keep it up) Azubuike will help shore up a beleaguered backcourt that has lost Monta Ellis and Jason Richardson (although his injury is probably a blessing in disguise). Azubuike was averaging 26.2 ppg and shooting 51.4% from the field (48.5% from three) for the Flyers.


Can't be any worse than Anthony Roberson or Keith McLeod.


New Year's eve also saw one game's worth of D League action going on...

Colorado 14ers 106 @ Dakota Wizards 108
Renaldo Major had 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists while also hitting the game sealing free throws with 40 seconds left to improve Dakota to 9-3 and a tie for first in the Eastern Division. James Maye added 21 for Dakota (his fourth straight game with 20 or more points) while Rick Rickert led the 14ers with 20 (Julius Hodge had 8 on 4 of 9 shooting.)

Yesterday in D League

Dakota Wizards 111 @ Idaho Stampede 105
Western Division second place holder Dakota featured 7 double digit scorers led by former UNC Greensboro Spartan James Maye with 23 (on 13 of 13 FT shooting) and former Fresno State forward Renaldo Major with 22 en route to beating a very NBA-rific Idaho team that features 10 year NBA vet Randy Livingston, everyone's favorite Cavs lotto pick Luke Jackson (who scored 15), Eddie Robinson, and recent Wizard second round center Peter John Ramos, who had a double double (and is also hideously ugly).

hideously ugly

Anaheim Arsenal 110 @ Colorado 14ers 112
Colorado's 7 double digit scorers proved enough to overcome 2 particularly strong games from Anaheim's Jawad Williams (27 points, 7 rebounds) and Corsley Edwards (22 points, 11 rebounds) as the 14ers came back from 18 and sealed it at the buzzer with a Julius Hodge jumper. 14er Pooh Jeter (!) had 8 assists. That's not a particularly important statistic, but I wanted to drop Pooh Jeter's name because it delights me so.

pooh jeter and his million dollar smile. cousin derek would be proud.

Bakersfield Jam 107 @ Albuquerque Thunderbirds 106 (OT)
One of my favorite Cal basketball players of all time, Joe Shipp, contributed 21 points and 6 rebounds in a losing effort for the Thunderbirds that culminated in All World Superstar Yuta Tabuse's game deciding shot with 55.5 seconds left. The NBDL doesn't have a recap for this game, so we're all left wondering what context would result in a game deciding shot being hit with an entire stinking minute left. Former University of Nevada star Kevinn Pinkney led the Jam with 27 points and former Hornet draft pick Brandon Bowman added a double double (15,10). Warrior training camp invitee and UCLA Bruin Dijon Thompson (sixth in the league in scoring) added 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists for Albuquerque (which is a rather annoying place to spell, if I might add.)

Clutch Tabuse

Yesterday in D League

Didn't find the time to make this last night, but...

Los Angeles D-Fenders 105 @ Austin Toros 87

Los Angeles rode former Virginia Tech point guard Brian Chase's 22 point and former Michigan State forward Alyosius Anagonye (!) 24 point games to beat the now 0-12 Austin Toros. Zero and 12. This is a team that features THE Jay Williams for crissake. Forward Scott Merritt also went 10-10 from the free throw line for Austin, which I found to be a fun stat line.

Most importantly though, poor former Cal (and Jonnyray) fan favorite Rod Benson had 2 points and 1 rebound.


Too Much Rod Benson!



Boom Got Them Tho

This Day in D-League

Colorado 14ers 110 @ Sioux Falls Skyforce 120

The Skyforce channeled their Christmas spirit behind center Jared Reiner (who last saw NBA action in 04-05 with Chicago and is no stranger to Christmas spirit, as evidenced by the photo)
and his 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks to upset the Western Division leading 14ers, a talented squad featuring, among others, former Laker 2nd round pick Von Wafer, Nugget first rounder Julius Hodge, University of Minnesota star Rick Rickert, and #1 overall expansion draft pick Elton Brown, whose 19 points and 11 rebounds continued his double double average on the season. Sioux Falls shot 50% from the field as a team and outscored Colorado in every quarter except the second, where they tied. Vincent Grier (U. of Minnesota, undrafted in 06) added 26 points on 10-17 shooting with 7 assists and 7 boards for the Skyforce, while former Depaul forward Andre Brown added 23 and 7 as well. On Colorado's end, Julius Hodge led the way with 23 points (11-16 shooting) and 7 assists. Wafer also added 23, but shot 2-9 from three. Colorado fell to 6-3 and moved into a tie for first with Los Angeles in the West, while Sioux Falls improved to 9-5 and now sit a game back out of first in the East.

More D League Expansion Draft Analysis Than You Likely Want

The NBA's D-League is introducing four new teams this year, and these four soon to be NBA talent powerhouses recently held their expansion draft to jumpstart rosters.

The Colorado 14ers (14ers?) made former Virgina forward Elton Brown the first pick of the draft. Brown last saw time with the D-League's Florida Flame at the end of last season (scoring 13.8 ppg and grabbing 9.8 rpg in their final five contests). The rest of the first round saw former Houston Rocket second rounder Andre Barrett go to the Bakersfield Jam (my boys the Warriors new affiliate), former UNC Tarheel Jawad Williams go to the Anaheim Arsenal, and forward Duane Erwin, who saw time with the Florida Flame also last year, go fourth to the Los Angeles D-Fenders.

If you, like me, find yourself perusing the draft list for names that seem remotely familiar, you may recognize superstars like former University of Minnesota star and T-Wolves draft pick Rick Rickert (3rd round, 14ers), part time 05-06 Golden State Warrior Will Bynum (8th round, Jam), and, of course, Mateen Cleaves (9th round, Jam). QUITE the backcourt there for the Jam.

Also of note is poor Theron Smith. You see, this is the second time Theron has been drafted in an expansion draft, the first time by the Charlotte Bobcats. Teams just keep throwing the man away, and, suffice it to say, this isn't exactly a step in the right direction.

Perhaps most imporantly, though, is that America is yet again treated to Sung Yoon Bang being back in the news. As the linked to article puts it, "The other talent player which hasn’t yet achieved NBA status yet, but is already as popular as Michael Jordan in Korea; a man known as Sung-Yoon-Bang. He is a starter for the Roanoke Dazzle in the NBDL. He made superstar status in Korea after defeating Yao Ming in the China vs. Korea game in the Olympics. The Koreans love him for that fact."



Hear that, people? The Anaheim Arsenal are proud owners of the Korean Michael Jordan. Watch out.