The Microwave: Ivan Harris was evidently a little more than bothered with the shaky early season start by his team, the Erie Bayhawks. The 2nd year NBA Developmental League club is currently at 2-7 with an average margin of loss at about ten points. Only two of those defeats really got out of hand, both to the Maine Red Claws..one of the better teams in the league this season. The rest were contests where Bayhawk fans saw the now all too familiar situation of their team competing, only to wilt in the 3rd or 4th quarters (mostly due to turnovers, Erie blogger Duane Rankin specifically pinpointed taking care of the ball, or lack thereof, in regards to their last defeat.)
Moreover, the new D-league schedule has not been accommodating to an Erie team searching for any type of chemistry that will result in wins. The league is now doing this home & home deal where you play a team twice (home & away, usually on a back to back) before you move on to the next club. The last four contests for Erie were against Maine & Iowa, the two top teams in the Eastern Conference..not exactly the recipe for a team looking to get on its feet.
On Saturday December the 19th vs the Iowa Energy, it looked like Erie would let another game get out hand, but the 'Microwave', Ivan Harris had different ideas.
Erie would face a 12 point deficit midway through the 2nd quarter before a Harris technical free throw triggered a consecutive seven point stretch that placed the Bayhawks back into the game. From there Erie scrapped their way into a competitive outing, eventually coming within one point following a Harris 3 point shot at the three minute mark of the 3rd quarter. But that was as close as Erie would come because Iowa's Curtis Stinson & Rashad Anderson would control the 4th quarter en-route to a 95-88 victory . The Bayhawks accounted for 21 turnovers, including 8 in the 2nd half. In contrast, Iowa finished with 7 less turnovers & 4 more offensive rebounds. This is a winnable game vs a good team if they can just clean a few things up.3rd year Pro Ivan Harris finished with a game & season high of 28 points with 7 rebounds. His mark quickly topped Michael Redd's 25 from earlier in the week to make him the leading Buckeye in most points in a single game this season. While the loss is disappointing, Harris' game is encouraging considering that it took him a little time to get warmed up. 10 of Ivan's 12 field goals came from inside the arc. The more offensive versatility he can show, the better it will be for his career and his team. A shooter is what comes to mind, yet he already displayed a willingness & ability to score in a multitude of ways in his early pro career. It would certainly be advantageous for Erie to exploit the matchup problems that he can occasionally cause (driving, posting up)
Next game: Erie @ Springfield (1-7) December 23rd
The Iceman - It is safe to say that Jamar Butler is settling nicely into his 2nd year of European Basketball. Year number two brought him to the Greek League, where he finds himself in a more expansive role with an upstart Olympia Larissa team that has playoff aspirations. Jamar's 31 minutes per game average is indicative of a role where he, along with fellow guard Demond Greene are both called upon by head coach George Kalafatakis to control the tempo & provide solid guard stability. They are joined by two other effective Americans in Christopher Massie & especially Devin Green.
Larissa improved to a 3-5 record on Sunday, December 20th with a 82-71 victory over Kavala/Panor (2-6). Butler contributed to the cause with 17 points & 4 assists. The combination of Jamar Butler, Demond Greene, & Devin Green accounted for 52 of Larissa's 84 points. #15 Butler has scored in double figures in all but one of Larissa's eight games. He leads his club in assists, and we don't think coach minds Jamar's 90% free throw shooting percentage when it comes to the clutch moments down the stretch. (just missed one all year)
Now it is somewhat difficult to to get a true feel for how Butler & Larissa are playing without seeing the majority of games. But it is not hard to imagine that Jamar is probably doing work with his ill jump shot and overall floor game. Like Je'Kel Foster, we believe Butler's skillset, toughness, & understanding of the game is why he is tailor-made for high level European Basketball. A superior level is exactly what Larissa will have to display on December 29th when they play a very solid club called Panellinios. (6-2 3rd place)
Olympia Larissa is currently in a 4 way tie for 8th place in the A1 Standings.
Staying the course: Greg Oden publicly addressed his current status for the first time late last week. He uplifted his fans by reiterating his desire to get back and play, as well as not resigning to the assumption that he may be out for the remainder of the season.from Sports Illustrated
"I just want to get back,'' said Oden in his first public comments since he suffered a fractured left kneecap Dec. 5, resulting in recent surgery. "They say I'm out for the whole year, but my plan is to work really hard and you never know. Hopefully I don't have to [be sidelined all season]. I'm hoping things are way ahead of schedule and I can come back at the end of the year.'' :)
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/basketball/nba/12/17/greg.oden/index.html
Quick Dishes: - Ron Lewis & Scoonie Penn were both M.I.A in the boxscores of their weekend domestic league games. (Not sure if they were injuries or coaches decisions.) Mike Conley & Memphis earned another hard fought victory on the 20th versus the Denver Nuggets. Get all of the numbers at Easy Stat Access.
-Thunder Insider: Christmas looking merrier for Byron Mullens (Excellent article on Byron Mullens by Darnell Mayberry. Byron is actually recovering from an ankle injury. He missed his last D-League game & has since been allowed to travel with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder on the inactive list.)
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