Austin's Marcus Williams named Performer of the Week

NEW YORK - Marcus Williams of the Austin Toros was named D-League.com Performer of the Week for games played during the week of March 3. Williams averaged 32.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists, while shooting 26-of-39 (.666) from the field, and is the first Toro to earn the honor this season.

The rookie forward recorded double-doubles in both of Austin's games for the week, scoring a season-high 33 points on Saturday in a win over Albuquerque.

Williams is averaging 18.1 points and 6.7 points in 29 games for the Toros this season and earned the season's sixth GATORADE Call-Up from the San Antonio Spurs.

Other top performers in the D-League last week included Dakota's Blake Ahearn, who scored 45 points and dished out nine assists, while shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range in Sunday's win over Fort Wayne; Sioux Falls' David Bailey, who averaged 30.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists in two games; Rod Benson, who scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Dakota on Sunday; Bakersfield's Mateen Cleaves, who averaged 19.5 points, 12.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds in two games, including a 21-assist game on Sunday; Albuquerque's Julius Hodge, who averaged 30.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in two games; and Kasib Powell, who averaged 35.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in two games for Sioux Falls.

Kane County Chronicle on the D-League ...

We spotted this interesting article from Kane County, Illinois:

Bulls’ Brown a changed man after NBDL stint

Rich and famous pro athletes are not used to traveling this way. During a stint with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in January, Bulls guard Shannon Brown journeyed with his team from the southern tip of Texas to a National Basketball Developmental League tournament in Boise, Idaho.

There was a four-hour bus trip to San Antonio on which players ate boxed lunches with sandwiches, chips, a banana and cookies.

There was a two-hour commercial flight to Denver, a far cry from the private charter flights that are an NBA staple. Brown squeezed his 6-foot-4 frame into a coach seat.

There was an hour-long layover in Denver. There was a second flight from Denver to Boise, which is not the most glamorous place to visit in January.

Finally, there was basketball.

“Actually, I never appreciated the game more,” Brown said. “Going through all that to get there, you can’t wait to just play.”

For players such as Brown, a first-round draft pick who had known nothing but stardom in high school and college, the NBDL can be a jolting experience. These players are used to the bright lights, not the minor leagues.

Learning to adjust, even if their NBDL stint is short-lived, can be a challenge.

“Riding that bus was a little bit humbling, and I mean that in a good way,” Brown said. “All the [perks] that come with playing in the NBA, you’re not guaranteed any of that. It was a good reminder to have.”

The second-year guard, whom the Bulls acquired in last month’s trade with Cleveland, spent six days in the NBDL while with the Cavaliers.

The D-League, as the NBDL is best known, gave Brown a better chance to hone his skills than he would have had while sitting at the end of Cleveland’s bench. But the lifestyle was a big change.

Brown, after all, had lived in northern urban environments throughout his life – from Maywood in the Chicago suburbs to East Lansing, Mich., for college to Cleveland.

In Hidalgo, Texas, home of the Vipers, “I saw people wearing sombreros,” Brown said. “If you drove a little ways outside town, you’d end up on dirt roads. It was something new for me.”

So was realizing his limitations as a basketball player.

Brown was a prep star at Proviso East in Maywood, where one of his teammates was eventual University of Illinois star Dee Brown. Shannon Brown went on to Michigan State, where he earned second-team all-Big Ten honors as a junior.

Cleveland made Brown the 25th pick of the 2006 draft. Scouts lauded his athleticism, but wondered whether, at 6-foot-4, he was too short and lacked a pure enough jump shot to excel at shooting guard.

Those concerns were justified. Brown appeared in only 23 games as a rookie during the Cavs’ run to the NBA Finals. He got off to a slow start this season as well.

“My dad [Chris Brown] always made me work so hard,” Brown said. “And ever since high school, all that hard work had paid off. Now I was having a tougher time where just working hard wasn’t going to cut it. Not everyone can just come right in and be LeBron [James].”

On Jan. 11, the Cavs assigned Brown to the Vipers.

The more Brown thought about it, the more he actually was happy about the designation. Cleveland had surprised him by declining to pick up the third-year option on his rookie contract, and the D-League showcase in Boise would be a chance to play in front of scouts from all 30 teams.

“We talked about that part of it with him and, when he thought about it, it was something he wanted to do,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said.

The D-League is a 14-team outfit that has been in existence in some form since 2001. In the most recent collective bargaining agreement, signed in the summer of 2005, the NBA persuaded the players’ union to agree to make the D-League more of a true minor league.

Each D-League team is associated with two or three NBA teams. NBA players in their first or second season can be designated for assignment.

During his week in the D-League, Brown still collected his $1.044 million salary. The collective bargaining agreement requires any player that gets “sent down” to continue receiving full pay.

Most of Brown’s teammates at Rio Grande Valley were not contracted to NBA teams. They were fringe pros playing for somewhere around $50,000 while hoping to attract the notice of an NBA club and perhaps sign a 10-day contract.

“Seeing them, I couldn’t complain about anything,” Brown said.

The Boise tournament was a success for Brown, who scored 63 points in two games to earn his way back onto the Cavs’ main roster. And no, he did not see any potato farms.

“We were downtown the whole time,” Brown said. “It was like a mini-Cleveland.”

However, their accommodations were not as extravagant as Brown had become used to during 11⁄2 pro seasons. Most NBA teams stay in four- or five-star hotels on the road (think Ritz-Carlton), while NBDL teams frequent Holiday Inns and the like.

Also, it’s two players to a room in the D-League. Brown always appreciated the privacy of a solo room, allowing him to nap on game days, but he had to adapt.

All told, he came away thankful for the experience.

“As soon as I got to the NBA, it was like I had realized my dream,” Brown said. “I had to understand that the hard part was just beginning. My time down there really helped drive home that point even more.”

CJ Watson Talks About Being Called Up

CJ Watson has been blogging this season for one of my favorite sites on the net, DraftExpress. He was recently called up by the Golden State Warriors and describes his experience. Here are a couple excerpts:

Some hours after our last game at Austin I received word that I was soon to be getting a "Gatorade call up" and my dream of finally playing in the NBA would come true. I would be going to the fast paced Golden State Warriors. I can't lie, I was excited, I don't think I slept that whole night after finding out. I was just up thinking about having my dream of playing in the NBA really come true. I'm so close to accomplishing some of my goals, and still, I have many more that I want accomplish.

In my first NBA debut against the red hot Portland Trailblazers, I was excited. I finally made it to this big stage, and when the coach called me to go in, I was shocked and overzealous at the same time. I didn't know any plays, but in Coach Nelson's system you don't have to. They don't run any plays. They just get the ball and go. My first shot I missed-- I wasn't used to coming off the bench, so I didn't have my legs under me, but hey, no excuses.

Also, another feature on the D-League website that I discovered tonight was the top ten plays from the month of February starring D-League alumni now playing in the association. You can see them by clicking here.

Finally, Matthew Brennan has an interesting article posted on D-League.com highlighting 6 former D-League players now taking part in the Houston Rockets franchise record 17-game winning streak.

A quick look at the D-League ...

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS … The top performers from Wednesday’s D-League games

- Marcus Campbell led Austin to a three-point victory over Idaho with 33 points and 10 rebounds, while Justin Bowen scored 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds and Cheyne Gadson chipped in with 16 points and dished out 10 assists.

- On assignment from the Seattle SuperSonics, Mouhamed Sene scored 30 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Stampede. Lance Allred scored 13 and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Randy Livingston dished out 20 assists while scoring eight points.

- Demetris Nichols, on assignment from the Chicago Bulls, scored 33 points in Iowa’s win over Anaheim.

- Anaheim’s Mo Charlo led the way for the Arsenal with 24 points and six rebounds.

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS…a look at D-League Alumni in last night’s NBA games

- A total of 27 players with D-League experience competed in 12 NBA games last night, six as starters.

Here are the highlights:
- Rafer Alston scored 21 points and dished out seven assists in 31 minutes for the Houston Rockets last night.

- Mikki Moore netted 20 points to go with five rebounds and four assists for the Sacramento Kings.

- Los Angeles Clipper Josh Powell finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

- Stephen Graham scored nine points in nine minutes for the Indiana Pacers.

- Earl Barron contributed with 10 points and three rebound sin 33 minutes for the Miami Heat.

D-League's Lasme to visit former UMass teammates ...

This news item on Stephane Lasme, former UMass forward currently on the D-League's LA D-Fenders, is from The Republican can be found at MassLive:

Ex-star Lasme to visit UMass game tonight

Wednesday, March 05, 2008
By RON CHIMELIS
rchimelis@repub.com

Rather than take the quick money available by signing to play overseas, Stephane Lasme chose to keep his NBA dreams alive.

"I'm not really an overseas type of player, and everybody I talked to said to stay here and just get experience," the 6-foot-8 former University of Massachusetts forward said yesterday. "I'm looking to become more consistent with my outside shooting."

Lasme is playing for the Los Angeles D-Fenders (23-11) in the NBA Development League. He is making a brief visit to Amherst, and will attend tonight's UMass-La Salle game at the Mullins Center.

The 2007 Atlantic 10 Conference player of the year, Lasme was Golden State's second round draft pick last June. He became the first player from the nation of Gabon to play in the NBA, but his Warriors career was over in an eyeblink.

After playing in only one game - a total of four seconds - he was cut.

"I was shocked, because they'd told me they liked me and planned to keep me for (at least) two years, but I got over it," Lasme said.

In the developmental league, Lasme is competing with other players who find themselves on the NBA fringe, hoping for another chance.

A record-setting shot-blocker at UMass, Lasme believes he will get that chance if he rounds out the rest of his game, especially offensively.

"The situation in Los Angeles is better than most (in the NBADL), even though I'm not a Hollywood type of guy," he said. "Like everyone else, I'm looking for what will be best for me, but I've improved a lot, and I know what people in the NBA are looking for."


http://www.masslive.com/sports/republican/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/120467670396550.xml&coll=1

D-League Success Stories

Many current successful NBA players today have gotten their start in the d-League over the past few years. Matthew Brennan of d-League.com recently published an article detailing some potential call-ups for the remainder of this season. Dan Reed, the d-League president, has his own blog and recently talked not only about the number of d-League players that are called up, but also the number of NBA players that are assigned to the d-League over the course of the season.

By the way, we just hit a major milestone with regards to NBA assignments. Today we'll announce that the Miami Heat sent two players to the Iowa Energy, including their 1st round draft pick Daequan Cook. With those two assignments, 30 NBA players have now spent time improving their games in the D-League this year, which breaks the previous record of 29 set in '05-06, and is a testament to the belief that NBA GMs, coaches, and players have in our system.

Since 2001 there have been 105 d-League players called up to the NBA (view the complete list) and you might recognize some of the names detailed below.

Jose Juan Barea: Regional fans may remember Barea from his days at Northeastern University where he was nominated in his junior and senior seasons for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top collegiate level point guard. He finished his career as the school's second all-time leading scorer with 2,209 points behind Reggie Lewis. Barea went undrafted and found his way to the Dallas Mavericks who assigned him to the d-League in January of 2007. Barea is the first NBA-assigned player to be named the D-League Performer of the Week.

Kelenna Azubuike: Azubuike also went undrafted and played his first season as a pro in the d-League where he excelled as an All d-League Player and led his team to the championship. He was called up by the Golden State Warriors last January and has remained with the team ever since. This season he is averaging 8.7 PPG and 3.8 RPG with the Warriors.

Matt Carroll: Matt was the d-League MVP in '04-'05 and is finished sixth on Notre Dame’s all-time leading scoring list with 1,850 points. He is currently averaging 8.2 PPG and 2.4 RPG for the Charlotte Bobcats. On Friday night he scored 16 points in a losing effort to the Boston Celtics 108-100.

Jamario Moon: Jamario was one of four contestants in this year's Slam Dunk Contest and lost out to Dwight Howard who put on quite a show when the event needed it the most. Jamario is a 27 year old rookie with the Toronto Raptors and and has posted 8.5 PPG and 6.2 RPG on the season. This past January he was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month and is also famous for this youtube video capturing dunks in practice as he prepares for the contest at All Star Weekend.

Bobby Simmons: Bobby spent some time in the '02-'03 season with the Mobile Revelers, a season which saw them victorious in the d-League championship. Bobby is currently with the Milwaukee Bucks averaging 7.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG. After the '04-'05 season Bobby was named the NBA's Most Improved Player when he played for the LA Clippers and had his breakout season averaging 16.4 PPG.

Friday's Meeting With City officials

Kelley Bouchard from the Portland Press Herald reports on the meeting Friday morning with Portland City officials to discuss the possibility of leasing the Portland Exposition Building.

The Portland City Council's finance committee started talking about the terms of a tentative lease for the city-owned Expo during an executive session Friday morning at City Hall.

Before the closed-door meeting started, city officials said use of the Expo by a D-League team will happen only if current users aren't displaced and it doesn't cost the city anything.

This would include Portland High School teams that use the facility and potential benefits could include increased visibility for high school basketball in the city.

"They're actually pretty excited about the prospect of double-headers," said Anita LaChance, an assistant city manager.

The financial considerations being taken into account by City officials also do not seem to be a problem and another possible advantage to having the team in Portland would be the renovation of the Expo without asking tax payers to foot the bill.

Troubh assured Portland officials that the investors don't want to displace any current users and they plan to pay for building renovations and maintenance.

Check back tomorrow as we'll be taking a look at the D-League and getting to know the brief history of the league and some interesting rules regarding the use of the league by the NBA affiliate team.