As you already know, player movement overseas is a frequent occurrence all season long. Eurobasket.com is reporting the signing of center Terence Dials by Swiss club BBC Nyon. Dials joined Matt Terwilliger & Paderborn Baskets of the German League in November 2009. The big man averaged 7 points & 4 boards in limited minutes, BBC Nyon is currently 12-8 & 5th in the Swiss league standings.
This same website is also reporting that another team in Switzerland's top league, the Lugano Tigers have invited Brian Brown to a tryout. Brown just officially parted ways with Trier this week.
From Eurobasket
Joe Whelton , coach of Lugano Tigers, invited Brian Brown (college: Ohio St.) for try-outs because 'bianconeri' are currently looking for another playmaker to help Stein. Whelton coached Brown for two 1.Bundesliga seasons (2004-2005 and 2005-2006) when they worked with TBB Trier. Brown started this season with TBB Trier and he averaged 8.3 points, 2.8 boards and 2.2 assists per game.
A quick cup of coffee: After just one game with Utah Flash, Kosta Koufos was recalled back to the Utah Jazz. Kosta was called back up for the same reason why Utah neglected to send him down all season, they are in need practice & rotation bodies due to injuries. Koufos is expected to be in uniform for tonight's game vs the Kings. With Carlos Boozer out, KK may recieve some backup minutes.
Several Pro Buckeyes are known for their engaging, approachable, & down to earth personalities, as well as their presence in their respective team communities.
Rookie center Byron Mullens recently held a youth camp in the Oklahoma City area called 'Thunder Fit'. The program stressed the importance of health & fitness for youth age groups.
Point guard Mike Conley Jr. is a fixture in the Memphis community, and is also known to appear at events in Indianapolis, Ohio, & anywhere else where he can kick knowledge and help out youth. Conley, an avid bowler, holds an annual community bowling bash in Memphis, and frequently attends events sponsored by the Grizzlies.
(-Short clip of Mike & teammate Rudy Gay at a basketball camp from a couple years ago)
Olympic Gold Medalists Michael Redd & Katie Smith are also well known for their various youth camps, foundations, & charity events. Michael Redd holds an annual youth basketball camp for kids based in Ohio. In October 2009 Smith spoke to a group of Elementary students at Great Oaks Elementary in Michigan where she stressed setting goals & fighting through adversity.
-Clip from Redd's 2009 Camp-
In addition to the current stars, we can also obviously gain a great deal of knowledge from our past Buckeye greats as well. Former Buckeye & Sacramento King Lawrence Funderburke founded the Lawrence Funderburke Youth Organization, an organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth. Funderburke also currently has a book out entitled 'Hook Me Up Playa' full of stories that warn about the dangers of the pro night life, and unscrupulous people such as shady businessmen and 'crews'.
(Brown in the recent contest vs Alba Berlin: 1/9/2010)
Earlier this week the German League Club TBB Trier, announced (via official their official website) the mutual agreement to part ways with former Buckeye combo-guard Brian Brown(1998-2002). Brown, age 30, asked the club to terminate his contract, citing personal reasons, and is already back home in the States. He averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds & 2 assists in 24 mpg for the 2009/2010 season, his second stint with Trier. Brown's last game was on January 22 vs Frankfurt, he scored 8 points & had a rebound & assist each.
(The last Trier game we viewed was the January 9th game vs league leader Alba Berlin. He came off the bench & was effective in initiating the team's O..he still has a lot of juice in the tank.)
We of course fondly remember Brown from his days at Ohio State where he scored with the best of them. He made a big splash as a freshmen by contributing to a team that would make the final four (starting in all 5 NCAA tournament games) And like his former teammates Penn, Johnson, Reese & Darby, he has been balling around Europe ever since. We wish all the best to Brian.
If anyone knows how GO feels right now, it is rookie point guard of the Milwaukee Bucks Brandon Jennings. Brandon is another young player who also found out last summer that sometimes people who you trust have absolutely no problems with putting you on blast to world (or making things public)
By now everyone knows what happened, and Oden answered questions in a recent press conference.
(Look at some of those names drafted ahead of Michael Redd. Mike is a testament to what you can achieve with hard work & dedication. Redd, a natural born scorer, went from being a 2nd round afterthought to transforming himself into one of the worlds best shooters, and earning the titles of an All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist. And this is what the pro game is about. Amidst all the doubters, critics & haters lies the player, who ultimately holds his or her fate. So while there may be naysayers for a certain rookie in the southwest, or another young big (21 years old to be exact) in the D-league, the talk is just more fuel to fire to prove people wrong & prove something to themselves. It does not always happen the way you want it, or happen right away..but hard work can make it happen.)
Age 20 - Canal Winchester - The Ohio State University - Oklahoma City Thunder
-Pro Timeline-
-June 25, 2009: The Oklahoma City Thunder acquire the draft rights to the 24th pick Byron Mullens from Dallas in exchange for the draft rights to the 25th pick Rodrigue Beaubois and a future second-round draft pick.
Rising guardJe'Kel Foster started alongside his Oldenburg teammates Rickey Paulding and Ruben Boumtje Boumtje for Team North at the 2010 German League All-Star game. Foster, wearing a #7 jersey, scored 13 points, 9 of which from long range, to go with 4 assists. (led both teams with a game high 31 minutes played)
Some other names in this game who you might be familiar with. Toby Bailey (UCLA), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford), Brendan Winters (Davidson), Jeff Gibbs (Otterbein) -Highlights of All-Star game later in the week-
With Euroleague play over, Oldenburg is now fully locked in on defending their championship title. They are currently tied for 2nd in the League Standings. The Blue, White & Yellow will need Foster (who remains in the BBL Top Ten rankings in steals & assists) to continue his January tear in next week's clash of the titans match vs league leader Alba Berlin. Oldenburg fell at Berlin 69-67 on October 18, 2009.
Two former Ohio State guards competed against each other on the 16th when Jamar Butler's (2004-2008) Larissa team hosted power Olympiakos & James 'Scoonie' Penn (1998-2000) in the Greek League.
Olympiakos (12-1) along with rival PAO share the prestige of being the two most dominant teams in Greece, as well as key contenders to win the Euroleague title. The former boasts a stacked lineup led by former NBA hoopster Josh Childress. Inside they have two formidable Greeks in Bourousis & Schortsanitis. Lithuanian Linas Kleiza is another tough player to contend with as is starting point guard Milos Teodosic. Scoonie re-joined Olympiakos in early January 2010 as a result of Andre Collins' return to Virtus Bologna. Penn, a guy who has seen it all & just about done it all, provides back up support to Teodosic for legendary Greek coach Giannakis.
3rd year Pro Jamar Butler starts for Olympia Larissa (3-10), a new team in the league struggling to find wins. In addition to Butler, Larissa has another outside threat Demond Green, the versatile Devin Green, & post man Christopher Massie.
The Reds jumped out to an early 17-6 lead and would not look back against an undermanned Larissa team. Jamar Butler & Scoonie Penn matched up with each other for a couple stretches in this contest. No it was not a big one on one battle like we would like :) ..but it was still cool seeing two former Bucks d-ing each other up.
The 33 year old veteran Penn played pretty good D on Butler, but the former Ohio Mr. Basketball did get Scoonie once off a pump fake that allowed him to step into a baseline jumper. (pictured to the left, Butler moves past an air born Penn to knock down the J) Butler finished with 8 points & 2 assists, Penn 4 points, 3 steals, 1 dime. -clips of this game later in the week- (finally getting the Butler highlights with Larissa playing the big squads)
#5 Penn will play in some awfully big games in the remainder of the season as he helps Olympiakos try to win the Greek & Euroleague titles.
Week 14 of the Greek League Regular season will not get any easier for Butler & Larissa. A road test against the other best team Panathinaikos awaits. (January 30th)
(2nd D-League Stint)
It was reported Sunday that the Utah Jazz have sent big man Kosta Koufos down to the D-League on assignment with their affiliate Utah Flash club, effective on Monday January 25. This is Koufos' first stint in the D-League this season, and 2nd in his short pro career. The center out of Canton will attempt to grab some confidence back following a disappointing first part of the season filled with DNPs A not so good pre-season seemingly set the tone for the whole season as Koufos has yet to return to what he even displayed last season ( a decent young big with potential).
In our opinions Kosta would have been sent down earlier. But he was caught in a torcherous pickel where Utah needed him activated as an emergency big man, but he was not going to get any meaningful minutes anyway. The result was little if any real on court playing time. Kosta got into 4 January games for a total of 17 minutes resulting in 2 points, a left-handed hook shot over Miami's Michael Beasley in a late game blowout (January 11th). We think part of the problem is a lack of identity relative to how Utah wants him to fit on their team. His strengths always seemed to be more on the skilled offensive side rather than a tough defender/rebounder that the Jazz want him to be. We still see potential there in another situation. Utah recently signed former D-League player Sundiata Gaines for the remainder of the season, paving the way for Koufos to be sent down. It will certainly be interesting to see how Kosta responds..
Maybe he can get some of the mojo back that he had last season.
-Quickies - Ken Johnson returned to BC Kalev/Cramo on January 20 following a one game suspension after the incident in Rakvere. Cramo went on the road and defeated Tallinna 93-86. Johnson came back in style with 12 point off 6-10 shooting, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, & 2 blocks. Kalev/Cramo is now 10-5 in the Estonian National League.
And finally, a belated Happy Birthday to one Greg Oden who celebrated his big day on Friday, January 22!
With the 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend rolling around in a couple weeks, roster names have already begun to be filtered out, as well as selections for some of the weekend events. Multiple outlets including the man himself, Daequan Cook, have confirmed that the 3 year pro will defend his Three Point Shooting Championship at the 2010 NBA Footlocker 3-Point Shootout. Cook is currently nursing a mild ankle sprain after coming down on a teammates foot at practice friday. He will look to the 3 point shootou ( Friday, Feb. 12, 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT) as a jumping off point in finding some shooting consistency in order to get right with the Heat rotation again.
2009: Miami's Daequan Cook ended Jason Kapono's two-year reign as the NBA's best exhibition sharpshooter, besting Orlando's Rashard Lewis in overtime in Phoenix.
Cook set up a winner-take-all by rallying late to tie Lewis at 15 and eliminate Kapono during the three-man finals. Cook nailed the money ball to force another 60 seconds and five racks.
"I was actually doing the math as I was shooting," Cook said.
Once in the Shootout's shootout, Cook had little trouble as the Orlando swingman couldn't muster any magic. Lewis didn't connect until the third rack and petered out with seven points. Cook, sensing the title his for the taking, had it wrapped up halfway through the round and coasted to 19 points.
Kapono was gunning to join Hall of Famer Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players to win the contest three consecutive years.
Je'Kel Foster is currently making a strong bid for Player of the Month. He is leading his club Oldenburg, a squad that has won 5 out of their last 6 games in the German League. Foster has averaged around 14 points in that span of games including a 27 point performance vs Brose, a 23 point effort in Frankfurt, and a 20 point game in EWE's most recent game, a loss to Goettingen :(
Oldenburg concluded their first Euroleague season on January 13th at home vs Panathinaikos or PAO (defending Euroleague champions). Both teams were a bit short handed due to injuries, but you would not have known it from the effort displayed by both teams. The contest was back & fourth and certainly there for the taking. Actually, it looked like EWE was starting to control the 4th quarter, but they would eventually fall to tad bit more poised Panathinaikos team.
Je'Kel Foster led Oldenburg in scoring & assists in Euroleague play. The ultimate objective is a W, and EWE would have no doubt liked more. But there is no question about Foster's capability in this high level setting.
#8 contributed 15 points, 4 assists, & 2 steals for Oldenburg against the Greek powerhouse PAO. High courtesy of BasketsOldenburg :)
New highlights of Foster dropping trey bombs (six of them) vs BG Goettingen..love the fan chant they have going for Je'Kel.
Sharpshooter Ivan Harris needs your help to make to the 2010 D-League All Star Game in Dallas, Texas (Feb. 13th)
Vote daily for Ivan Harris & his fellow Erie teammates Jackie Manuel and rising point guard from Cleveland State Cedrick. Harris leads the Bayhawks in 3 point shooting. His club has won 5 out of their last 6 games
Click here to fill out an official ballot - One must have an NBA user account to vote, registration is free and it only takes a quick minute. You will also be able to watch live D-League for free with that account.
- Veteran WNBA champion & Olympic Gold medalist Katie Smith recently addressed her playing future at an early January charity event. She does indeed plan on playing in the 2010 WNBA season, if her health permits. Smith missed last season's playoffs on account of a back injury. Katie has also already revealed that in the even that she returns, it will not be with her former Detriot club that has since relocated to Tulsa Oklahoma.
- Earlier this month we blogged about George Reese's opening year performance vs Polpharma in the Polish League (1-2-2010). Reese led his club AZS Koszalin with 25 points, 7 rebounds & 5 assists en route to an 87-66 upset victory.
George was named the Player of the Game and took questions from the media with his head coach at the post game press conference.
Highlights of George Reese & AZS vs Polpharma.
J.J Sullinger in the PBA - The video of Ken Johnson 'wylin' out in Estonia got us thinking about similar incidents involving former Buckeye players. One that immediately came to mind was a video from 3 years ago of J.J Sullinger, older brother of current Buckeye super recruit Jared Sullinger, getting into it with an opposing coach named Yeng Guiao in a PBA game (Philippines). Guiao is reguarded as the Bobby Knight or Pini Gershon of the PBA. He exchanged words & obscenities with Sullinger, who was not about to back down. J.J was always one who did not shy away from voicing opinions or sticking up for himself. He is the guy we would want on our side in a confrontation.
Former Buckeye center Ken Johnson, normally a gentle giant, was ejected from Saturday's game in Rakvere, Estonia after shoving one scrub to the floor and going after another wannabe. It looks like some mutual physicality between Johnson and the first guy, and then a considerable amount of frustration on big Ken's part. Johnson was suspended for one Estonian league game.
CEZ Basketball Nymburk played perhaps their most important game of the season on January 12th vs BK Ventspils. The objective for the final regular season round of Eurocup play was quite simple, win and advance to the top 16 for the first time in the club's history, lose and endure a remainder of the season filled with what ifs.
It was clear from the opening tip that Nymburk was not interested in falling short of their capabilities this time. The Czech Champions arrived to Latvia in buisness like fashion, and dismantled Ventspils (winless in Eurocup play) accordingly. If you are one of those fans who likes to grab a drink or sandwich right at the start of a game, causing you to miss a couple minutes of action, well you pretty much would have missed the 'real' game portion of this contest. That is how quick this one was over. Nymburk jumped out to an early 11-3 run, and that was all she wrote for Ventspils. #22 Ron Lewis led all scorers with 22 points and a perfect 10/10 performance from the foul line.
Some clips of Nymburk v. Ventspils (should give you an idea of how balanced Nymburk is)
Eurocup Top 16! Nymburk finished the Eurocup regular season on top of Group H (over Bamberg via a tie breaker) with a 4-2 record. They will play in the next round of Eurocup (Top/Last 16) for the first time in the club's history.
The next stage of play will bring adversity in the form of unfamiliar territory & tougher competition. Yet, this is the type of stage where Nymburk can make some noise & open up some eyes. So far Ron Lewis' Eurocup experience has taken him to the countries of Italy, Germany & Latvia. The road atmospheres against Biella in Italy & Brose in Germany were challenging for Nymburk, the game in Latvia not so much. They will now experience a step up in European competition when they travel to the perennial powerhouse countries of Spain, Serbia & Turkey in Group L of the Top 16.
Nymburk opens play with a home contest against long time Serbian power Red Star Belgrade (Crvena Zyezda) 5-1 Eurocup Reg. Season, 7-9 in the Adriatic League. (regional league made up of teams from the former Yugoslavia. Mini-version of the Euro-league which spreads across the continent, good competition) - January 26th, 2010 -
CEZ will then travel to Turkey to meet up with Turk Telekom on February 2nd, 3-3 Eurocup Reg. Season, 8-6 in the Turkish League.
The next two weeks will feature a home & home with Gran Canaria 2014 of the Spanish ACB (the number one domestic league in Europe), 4-2 in Eurocup Reg. Season, 8-10 in ACB play.
Their last road game will be on March 2nd vs Red Star in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. Nymburk returns home a week later to host Turk Telekom.
(B3 Top Plays of December - featuring Michael Conley Jr., Michael Redd, Greg Oden, Ron Lewis, Daequan Cook, Othello Hunter, Ivan Harris & Byron Mullens.)
The top plays of January 2010 will catch back up with Je'Kel Foster & some of the other Bucks doing their thing in the German League, as well as Ron Lewis, Ivan Harris, Byron Mullens, Michael Redd's last couple of games, & Mike Conley Jr., as well as others.
10.Michael Redd beats the buzzer to end the 1st in Cleveland (12-18-09) 09. Byron Mullens throws down alley from Mustafa Shakur vs Reno (12-26-09) 08. Mike Conley Jr. blows past Nene with another hesitation move (12-20-09) 07. Michael Redd shakes Shannon Brown (12-16-2009) 06. Othello Hunter slam vs Memphis (12-16-09) 05. Mike Conley Jr. freezes Paul Pierce & finishes over Sheed (12-14-09) 04. Greg Oden blocksDwayne Wade (12-1-09) 03. Ron Lewis dunks on Ventspils in Eurocup play (12-2-09) 02. Michael Redd clutch 3 in OT vs L.A (12-16-09) 01. Mike Conley Jr. Game winning drive & score in OT vs Cleveland (12-8-09)
Michael Redd suffered another setback on January 10th when he tore both ligaments in his left knee vs the Lakers in the Staples Center . While very disappointed, Redd's passion & desire to play has not wavered. He will have surgery in late Jaunary/February, and attempt another rehab back in Columbus, Ohio.
-Post L.A Audio Interview- (Special thanks to BrewHoop)
- Memphis point guard Mike Conley Jr. was held out of Saturday's contest vs the Charlotte Bobcats due to soreness pretty much all over after a hard foul by Carlos Boozer in the previous game vs Utah. Earlier in the week it was reported that Conley was already dealing with nagging pain in his right shoulder, add the hard fall against Utah and that is more than enough reason to shut things down for a game or so & rest up.
-Oklahoma City Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks gave Rookie Byron Mullens meaningful minutes on Saturday (January 9th) vs the Pacers when he inserted the big man at the 7:20 mark of the 2nd quarter. Byron responded by scoring his fist points in an NBA regular season game, two in rhythm mid to long rang Js setup by Kevin Durant. Mullens also grabbed three boards & had one assist. Oklahoma City 108 Indiana 102
You know it might be a big game whenever the President of the country checks in to participate in the festivities. Such was the case on January 5th, 2010 when Václav Klaus, current President of the Czech Republic, attended a pivotal Round 5 Eurocup contest between CEZ Nymburk & Lauretana Biella of Italy (6th place in the Italian League). This game amounted to a do or die setting for Nymburk as a loss would have regulated them to 3rd place in Group H, and out of contention for the next round of play (top 16). Moreover, fans of Nymburk approached this game with a bit of trepidation following two borderline shocking late December defeats in the Czech League. And on top that, they entered knowing the capability of Biella, who handed Nymburk their first loss of the season in Eurocup round one, a 78-77 heart breaker.
But on this evening fans in Pardubice were treated to Championship quality Nymburk defense in the first half that would serve as an appetizer to a 2nd half run away. Veteran guard Arthur Lee led CEZ with 20 points, #22 Ron Lewis & Ladislav Sokolovsky added 16 points each, along with 12 points from left handed Brit Mike Lenzly.
From watching Nymburk this season, it is easy to tell that the heart & soul (in the form of leadership and big time European experience) of the Czech Champions are their veteran Czech forwards Petr Benda, Sokolovsky or 'Soky" and American guard Lee. These guys provide excellent poise & experience for teammates like Lewis, Phillip Ricci & Lenzly, who are very talented, but lack Eurocup experience. Lee, Benda & Ricci set the tone early on offense in the 1st quarter, with Lewis following suit with seven 2nd quarter points to end the half. (32-23 Nymburk)
Nymburk's defense continued to lock down Biella in the 2nd half, allowing Lee, Soky, Lewis & Lenzly to put it away on the other end. Lewis made three long range treys out of five attempts on the night with three assists. Ron was also able to draw timely fouls on Biella for trips to the foul line. (3-6 fts) Sokolovsky (pictured on left), scored all 16 of his points in the 2nd half. On a team full of talent, Sokolovsky's all around game & experience shines for Nymburk. At 6'5/6'6, the native Czech baller can shoot, pass, handle the ball, and drive to the hoop.We'd say he has a little Evan Turner in his game. Biella, who was coming off a staggering Jan 3rd. 124-54 rout of poor Martos Napoli, suffered their worst loss, and lowest scoring total of the season vs Nymburk on the 5th (84-60 final)
Top 16? - The victory over Biella puts Nymburk in a favorable position to advance to the Eurocup Top 16 for the fist time in the club's history. By blowing out Biella, Nymburk now controls their destiny in next week's make or break road game at BK Ventspils in the country of Latvia.
1. Brose Baskets 4-1 2. CEZ Nymburk 3-2 3. Lauretana Biella 3-2 4. BK Ventspils 0-5
The first two teams after 6 weeks of regular season play will advance to the top 16. Week Six (January 12!) will see Biella host Brose Baskets Bamerg, and Nymburk traveling to face Ventspils. If CEZ & Biella both win, CEZ Nymburk holds the tiebreaker due to the margin of victory in week five. So this basically means that Nymburk just has to defeat the group's worst team on the road to accomplish their biggest season goal. CEZ took care of Ventspils in an easy 79-57 home victory in week 2. (Video) But we can certainly expect a different game in Latvia as the road has not been kind to Nymubrk in Eurocup play so far (0-2). This is where the experience of their veterans such as Benda & Lee will be key.
- Below are clips of the big victory on 1/5/2010-
(Opening tip ceremony with President Vaclav. Some of Lewis' teammates including Lee, Benda, Ricci, Lenzly, & Soky. Injured Ian Hanavan appears with a message in the beginning after Lewis, Ricci & Lenzly. This vid also shows all of Ron's threes and a nice drive. But our favorite part besides Ron's buckets is near the end when Soky draws a foul on known whiner & cheap shot guy Matteo Soragna, who proceeded to cry to the refs. Soragna played on Italy's National team and attempted to undercut guys like D-Wade when Team USA met Italy in the 2006 World Championship. It's cool that Nymburk was able to eliminate this poor sport and his team from top 16 contention.The video ends with Nymburk's fan getting hyped, congrats & good luck Nymburk!)
The new biggest game of the season - Nymburk at BK Ventspils 1/12/2010
Next Czech League game - Nymburk at Novy Jicin 1/9/2010
Another big road game, CEZ has dropped their last two Czech games & Novy is the 2nd place tema in the league. Two huge games coming up.
2010 should be a productive year if the opening weekend was any indication. It all started on mid-day (or evening in Central European time) of Saturday, January 2nd when Je'Kel Foster & Oldenburg matched up against Brose Baskets of Bamberg, Germany in BBL play. Brose is a solid club that includes Americans Casey Jacobsen & former Dayton guard Brian Roberts. This same club currently sits atop of Group H in the Eurocup competition (regarded as the 2nd highest level of European play, which leads you to believe that Bamberg should be better than their 9-8 Bundesliga record). They were able to draw a split in two games with CEZ Nymburk in Eurocup. Ron Lewis was not able to go off vs Brose, but another Buckeye did on January 2nd. #8 Je'Kel Foster opened the year with a season high 27 points to lead EWE Baskets past Brose in Bamberg. He made five three pointers & added 7 rebounds, 3 assists. This win was extremely satisfying for an Oldenburg squad that dropped a couple German League games in late December. The defending champions are currently 11-5 & sit at 3rd place in the BBL standings.
George Reese's 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists helped AZS Koszalin upset the third place club in the Polish PLK, Polpharma. G-Money's efforts pushed Koszalin above .500 with an 8-7 record, good for 6th place in the PLK standings.
Next Game - 1/9/2010: AZS Koszalin (8-7) vs SKK Kotwica (4-11)
Redd Hot in the Clutch - Later that night back in the States, Micheal Redd & Milwaukee enjoyed a much needed victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. #22 led the Bucks with 27 points & 7 rebounds. Down 74-71 in the fourth quarter, Redd hit consecutive threes to give Milwaukee a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. Stud Kevin Durant's 31 pints helped push the contest to overtime. But two more Redd jumpers in the extra period to go with a clutch steal at the 15 second mark sealed the deal for Milwaukee (13-18).
Ivan Harris & the Erie Bayhawks will begin play today at the 2010 D-League Showcase in Boise, Idaho. The Showcase is an annual event where several D-League clubs convene to a central location to perform in front of numerous scouts and gms from the NBA & around the world. Here players will attempt to impress evaluators in hopes of earning a look by an NBA or overseas club. This is the perfect setting for Ivan Harris to show exactly why his skills can be asset to a higher level team. Both of Erie's showcase game will be broadcasted live on NBA TV! The first game tips off in about 10 minutes. Showcase Schedule
1/6/2010 - Erie Bayhawks vs Reno 1:00 pm eastern NBA TV
1/7/2010 - Erie Bayhawks vs Los Angeles Defenders 3:45 pm eastern NBA TV
Words such as adversity, attrition, & triumph can best describe the month of December for our pro Buckeyes. The last month of the calender year marks the point in a basketball season where clubs hope and expect to be past the 'settling in' phase. Team questions like playing style, chemistry & defined roles begin to fade away as clubs aspire to reach the type of form that will carry them to a playoff spot in each of their respective conferences and leagues.
As we all know, the month got off to a sour start when Greg Oden went down with a knee injury on December 5th vs the Houston Rockets. Simply put, when Greg Oden was on the floor, he was a problem for opposing teams..a top 5 center in the NBA type of problem. The Portland Trailblazers Center was averaging almost a double double in just about 22 minutes per game. He was one of the leagues most efficient rebounders, as well as one of the best paint defenders.
Greg's offense was definitely beginning to emerge too. He scored in double figures in 12 of his 20 full played games. 8 of those 12 were games where Oden scored 14 points or more, including a season high 24 point performance against Chicago on November 23rd.
We have no doubt that GO will come back strong. Just take it day to day, week to week..and before you know it he will be back out there swatting ish again.
-A mid-December address by Greg Oden-
Doubt Me Now - The Player of December certainly has to be 3rd year pro Mike Conley Jr. A bit of a rocky early season start prompted some criticism, yet Conley was able to silence the voices in the crowed quite nicely with a multitude of good December performances. It is no surprise that Mike's improved play coincides with the overall better quality of basketball that Memphis is currently displaying for us. December remember? Time to get Ws. The Iverson stuff was in the past, guys started to settle down, & chemistry improved. After a dreadful beginning to the season, Memphis now currently sits with a 17-16 record, thanks to a 9-4 record in December
It was almost as if Greg Oden subliminally passed the baton to his former High School teammate when he went down. Conley opened the month with a 20 point game at Minnesota on December 2nd, he made a career high 8 threes. We guess we should have considered ourselves warned because Mike was not playing.
He averaged 13 points & 5 assists in December including super games vs Cleveland (12 &5), Oklahoma City (20 & 8), twice vs Indiana (19 & 8, and 13 & 7), and a season high 22 points & 5 assists vs Washington.. But most importantly, Conley is playing heady, winning basketball. The selfless point guard is limiting turnovers, and is picking his spots to score in sound fashion.. Perhaps Mike's "Moment of Arrival" or highlight of the month was on December 8th vs Cavs when scored the game winning layup in overtime to give Memphis their signature victory of the season so far. Conley was able to carry that momentum into a successful month of basketball, and is definitely safe to say that #11 is a bonafide threat on a team that is very much in the mix for the playoffs in the western conference.
The Power Of The Lefty - Most basketball players will tell you that in order to play at a high level, one must be in a certain rhythm. This especially rings true for those who specialize in shooting the ball. A rhythm, or lack thereof, can be the difference between putting your team over the top or trashing a forgettable box score. When left handed shooters Michael Redd & Ivan Harris are in that much sought after 'zone', they each rank among the best shooters in their respective leagues.
In Redd's case, he simply wanted to get back on the court. Knee soreness stalled his early season campaign. And even Michael would be the first to note how difficult it has been for him to get back to top form. He returned to action in late November to disappointing results in the form of rusty play. Yet, by mid-December, Redd would get his legs under him and display that familiar scoring prowess that we are used to seeing. Mike captured the attention of many when he dropped 25 points vs the Lakers in a one point overtime loss on December 16th. He returned to Milwaukee's starting lineup vs the Pacers on the 21st where he scored 14 points in a game high 41 minutes. Two days later Redd exploded for 32 points versus the Washington Wizards on the 23rd. A steady Michael Redd is a welcoming bonus for Milwaukee, a club that still struggling to find a chemistry that will bring some type of consistency. (losing record in December)
Ivan Harris of the Erie Bayhawks officially settled in to the 2009/2010 season with some big scoring outputs in December. He scored in doubled figures in 6 of 11 games, including a 28, 21, and 19 point games. Though the current problem for Erie is that wins are few & far between. When watching the Bayhawks we can see that this club has yet to 'click'. We don't know if it is the player movement, lack of chemistry, or improved competition..but Erie just cannot close games out. Head coach John Treloar has tinkered with starting lineups (some games Harris is starting, others he is not), but nothing has seemed to really work thus far. The Bayhawks currently own a 4-11 record.
Rookie Byron Mullensspent most of December in the NBA D-League with the Tulsa 66ers. The young developing big man received plenty of run in the form of 35 minutes per game. He responded to his first D-League assignment with an average of 15 points & 8 rebounds. His biggest game was a 23 point, 10 rebound performance vs Rio Grande on December first. Byron missed a coupled games in mid-December due to an ankle injury, but came back and played in two more games in Tulsa with last contest being a 16 point, 8 rebound effort vs Reno on December 27th. The Oklahoma City Thunder rewarded Byron with a recall on December 28th. He would make his NBA debut that same night in spot duty during a blowout of the New Jersey Nets.
Thanks Joe - Seldom used forward Othello Hunter got a taste of regular season NBA action with the Atlanta Hawks. A hand injury to veteran Joe Smith made way for Hunter to be activated. The high level play of Atlanta allowed Hunter to play in 7 blowout games. He scored his season high of 6 points vs Memphis on December 16th..he also threw down a nice dunk in this game as well.. don't trip O we got the dunk for ya :)
As you already know, player movement overseas is a frequent occurrence all season long. Eurobasket.com is reporting the signing of center Terence Dials by Swiss club BBC Nyon. Dials joined Matt Terwilliger & Paderborn Baskets of the German League in November 2009. The big man averaged 7 points & 4 boards in limited minutes, BBC Nyon is currently 12-8 & 5th in the Swiss league standings.
