Wednesday, November 25, 2009

D-League Guide

Ten things to watch in the NBA D-League, which tips off its ninth season Nov. 27:

10. Maine Red Claws.
The expansion team is run by Jon Jennings, an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics during the Larry Bird era, and coached by Austin Ainge, the son of former Celtics guard and current president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

9. Springfield Armor. The franchise formerly known as the Anaheim Arsenal has relocated to the home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Ex-NBA guard Dee Brown is the head coach, making him the sixth former Celtic to coach in the D-League (joining Joe Wolff, Tiny Archibald, Sam Vincent, Jay Humphries and the late Dennis Johnson).

8. Tulsa 66ers. The Oklahoma City Thunder affiliate is now owned by Thunder owner Clay Bennett, and the 66ers are now as tied to their NBA franchise as the Los Angeles D-Fenders are to the Lakers. In other words, the 66ers have adopted the Thunder’s colors and system, making them a true farm system. Bennett bought the 66ers for $2.25 million, proving that the value of D-League franchises is on the rise.

7. Alex Gee. The Austin rookie is already considered a star on the rise after the Toros made him a first-round draft pick in early November. Gee is a 6-foot-6 guard out of Alabama who scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Toros’ lone preseason game, a win over Rio Grande Valley. One NBA scout has already predicted Gee will be with NBA parent club San Antonio by season’s end.

6. Anthony Tolliver. A 6-9 center with the Idaho Stampede, Tolliver is expected to be among the league’s top big men, having spent time with San Antonio and New Orleans last season in the NBA. Also keep an eye on Stampede point guard Sundiata Gaines, a first-round pick out of Georgia.

5. Russell Robinson. The heady and quick point looked good in training camp with Cleveland, and is in the perfect spot for further development by landing in Reno. After all, the Bighorns are coached by longtime NBA point guard Jay Humphries, who’s in his second year with the team.

4. Dakota Wizards. One of the most well-run organizations in all the minors, the Wizards have been to the playoffs in each of their four D-League seasons after moving over from the CBA. Leading the charge this year will be new coach Rory White, who was an assistant under Mike Dunleavy with the Los Angeles Clippers last season.

3. Curtis Stinson. The former Iowa State standout guard returns to the Iowa Energy after having led the D-League in minutes played last season. The 6-3 Stinson was also third in the league in assists (8.4 per game), and many NBA types feel he’ll have a place in their league should Stinson continue to develop his point guard skills. Returning to join Stinson in the Energy backcourt is NBA veteran Jeff Trepagnier.

2. Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Not only do the Mad Ants boast one of the best nicknames in the minors, they will also be coached for the first time by D-League veteran Joey Meyer. Fort Wayne is one of only two teams with three NBA affiliates (Detroit, Milwaukee, Indiana) and became the first team with an NBA call-up this season, as returning second-team all-league center Chris Hunter has joined the Golden State Warriors.

1. The Showcase. No event, including the playoffs and championship series, is as important to the D-League as its annual in-season Showcase. It features all 16 teams, who play in a “carnival” style format in front of general managers and scouts representing all 30 NBA teams (as well as more than a few international scouts). Since it began in 2005, 15 players have joined NBA clubs during or immediately following the Showcase. This year’s event will be held Jan. 4-7 in Boise, Idaho.

Monday, November 23, 2009

D-League bonanza

The 2009-10 D-League season tips off Friday, and before it starts, you should check out the league's cool new Web site. Needless to say, it features links to the team sites, which also look to be cleaner.

Also, you can check out my D-League team-by-team preview (and weekly coverage of all minor leagues) in Minor League News magazine. A subscription costs just $11.99 per year.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Cavs far from perfect

The Cavaliers can't keep blowing huge first-quarter leads if they are serious about winning a championship - Shaq or no Shaq. Here is my take on the matter on SportsTime Ohio.

Meanwhile, Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer also touched on this matter, in a considerably better fashion than I, and I urge you to check out what he has to say. You can read Brian's piece here.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

LeBron (who else?) dismantles the Sixers

Too much LeBron James and a whole lot of fourth-quarter defense enabled the Cavaliers to overtake the feisty Sixers in Cleveland on Saturday night. You can read my complete report of the game on NBA.com.

The Nets we know and love

I actually feel kind of bad for the New Jersey Nets. They're now 0-13 after losing to New York at home. I repeat, the Nets lost to the Knicks ... at home.

The Knicks. At home.

Nothing says pathetic like that, folks.

But again, I feel for the Nets. Coach Lawrence Frank is one of the nicest, most regular guys in NBA history. He is a good coach, despite the futility around him. I am also a big fan of second-year swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts, second-year center Brook Lopez, and second-year guard Courtney Lee. And point guard Devin Harris may be the fastest man in the league.

So why all the losing? Well, you can start with youth. The Nets have an average age of 26.6. You can throw in the fact that you're probably not gonna get very far with Trenton Hassell and Josh Boone as your starting forwards. Those guys should be coming off the bench (or more accurately, warming it).

On top of that, the Nets have had plenty of injuries -- and chemistry issues because of it.

Now for a little good news: The Nets will likely have more than $24 million in available cap space this summer. (The question is, will anyone who can dribble and chew gum at the same time want to sign with a team that could set an NBA record for fewest wins?)

Hard to tell what will become of the Nets. For now, all we can do now is feel a little bit sorry for them. And how many times have we said that about the franchise that has been keeping us entertained for years by just being not too good.

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Cavs, Hickson and NBA.com

The folks at Turner Sports are working on a new look for NBA.com, where you can find my latest on the Cavaliers and J.J. Hickson -- who tried to do his best Carlos Boozer imitation against Boozer himself.

Hickson is still very young (20) and there's still no proof he'll be consistent, but there's no denying the Cavs are 4-0 since he's been inserted into the starting lineup.

You can view the new-look NBA.com here and view my take on Hickson and the Cavs on SportsTime Ohio here.

The Hoops News

Thanks for visiting my new blog. Here you will find news on hoops. How fitting, huh? I'll also link to my stories on NBA.com, Suns.com, SportsTime Ohio, and the various other outlets for which I cover the NBA.

Between Twitter, Facebook and all the other places to link to stuff, it's hard to believe that blogs even exist these days. But I will also be providing some exclusive content in this spot, offering information and opinion that I won't be reporting anywhere else.

Most of all, I am using this venue not to lecture on the NBA, but to converse. In other words, let's talk basketball. You can do it here in the comment section, or by sending an email to me at amico@probasketballnews.com.

Thanks for visiting and let's get started!