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NBA D-League Update

Published on December 13, 2011 under NBA G League (G League) News Release


GOING ON A CAMPING TRIP

The official number, as of today, is 62 players from the NBA D-League currently pitching tents in NBA training camps. That number figures to increase in the coming days, as NBA teams scramble to fill out rosters, consider trades, evaluate talent -- things that usually happen over the summer and carry on through the completion of training camp and preseason at the end of October.

All 16 of the NBA D-League's teams had at least one player invited to camp, with the Los Angeles D-Fenders pacing the field with six players invited. Meanwhile, 26 of 30 NBA teams invited an NBA D-League player to training camp.

While these aren't ideal conditions for NBA general managers and coaches to bust out the marshmallows, tell scary stories and make tough decisions, this is the hand that's been dealt.

Of the 62, some find themselves in more advantageous positions than others. Maine's Chris Wright and Dakota's Edwin Ubiles are in camp with the Golden State Warriors. As of today, with Wright and Ubiles, the Warriors are carrying 13 players. Assuming the Warriors will keep anywhere from 13-15 players to start the season, it stands to reason both players have a decent chance to hang around.

"If I can stick until Dec. 19, I?ll be on the team for the remainder of the year," Ubiles told the Poughkeepsie Journal. "I just have to believe in myself and try to get better."

Wright, once considered a potential first-round pick, was not drafted in 2011. He was selected by Maine in the first round of the 2011 NBA D-League Draft, had a strong start to his first professional season, and now finds himself knocking on the door of the NBA.

"Just because you didn?t get drafted, that doesn't mean the door is closed to the NBA," Wright told the Dayton Daily News back in June. "Everybody's path is a little different. It's just my story is going to be a little bit longer than somebody else's."

PROSPECT REPORT

Brandon Costner, Los Angeles D-Fenders -- As a redshirt freshman at North Carolina State in 2006-07, Costner led the Wolfpack in scoring (16.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg), en route to earning All-ACC Third Team honors. At the time, it appeared Costner was on the fast track to the NBA. Costner never delivered on the promise of his freshman campaign, slumping badly over his next two seasons, and making himself available for the 2009 NBA Draft (he was not selected). After spending 2009-10 in Belgium, Costner appeared in 49 games with the Utah Flash last season, averaging 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. Though not an exceptional athlete, Costner (6-9, 235) is a polished offensive threat who can score both inside and out. A tweener in terms of his position, he'll need to improve his speed and quickness to enhance his chances of making an NBA roster. Costner currently ranks second in the NBA D-League in scoring (25.0 ppg).

Anthony Mason Jr., Sioux Falls Skyforce -- It felt like Mason Jr. played at St. John's for nine years, with his assorted injuries, redshirt seasons, and the like. When the smoke cleared, the son of former NBA All-Star Anthony Mason didn't have much of an NBA profile to speak of. He got off to a pretty good start to his rookie season in the D-League last year, averaging 15.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, while shooting better than 50 percent from the field in 15 games for the Skyforce. Unfortunately, his season ended in early January due to a torn labrum in his shoulder. He went through rehab at IMG Academies with hopes of returning to form for the upcoming NBA Development League season. Mason has the requisite size (6-7), length and hop to merit NBA consideration. He needs to improve his shooting and overall feel for the game. Through six games, Mason is averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds.

NEWS & NOTES

133 Players with NBA D-League Experience in NBA Training Camps

One hundred thirty-three players with NBA Development League experience over the last 11 seasons have reported to various NBA training camps around the league. Out of the 132 players, 62 of them have played in the NBA D-League this season. The Tulsa 66ers have the most players among NBA D-League teams competing for NBA roster spots with 13 former players represented, followed by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with 10. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who had an NBA-high seven players with NBA D-League experience looking to earn roster spots each of the past two preseasons, once again lead all NBA teams with nine. The New Orleans Hornets have eight former NBA D-League players vying for spots on their opening night roster, while the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers have seven each.

L.A. D-Fenders' Costner Named NBA D-League Performer of the Week

Brandon Costner of the Los Angeles D-Fenders was today named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played Dec 5-11. A 6-9, 235-pound forward out of North Carolina State, Costner led Los Angeles to a 2-1 record for the week, averaging 28.3 points and 5.0 rebounds. Costner, the league's fourth leading scorer on the season (24.6 ppg), scored a season-high 42 points, including 18 in the first quarter, in a 97-90 loss against the Idaho Stampede Dec. 10. In back-to-back victories over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Costner averaged 21.5 points, including a team-high 24 in the D-Fenders? 117-113 home win Dec. 7.

NBADLeague.com's Kevin Scheitrum Profiles Anthony Mason Jr.

Pain is the teacher. The liberator. The place where Anthony Mason, Jr. grips for control. When NBA training camps began on Friday, four players from Mason's Sioux Falls Skyforce NBA Development League team got invitations to big league clubs. Mason wasn?t one of them. So he bid goodbye to Greg Stiemsma, Charles Garcia, Gabe Pruitt and Casey Mitchell and buried his head in work again, disappearing to the gym again so he can finally, for the first time since his body began breaking down annually, take ownership of the pain that's put him here.

SN.com: Super Tuesday

Tonight, watch live on SportingNews.com when the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the suddenly surging Canton Charge meet in South Dakota (8 p.m. ET) in an Eastern Conference showdown. Don't miss your chance to catch rising stars Anthony Mason, Jr. and Dante Milligan in action. More

AROUND THE D-LEAGUE

The BayHawks might get First-Team All-NBA-D-League pick Ivan Johnson back. The 6-8, 255-pound power forward is in training camp with Atlanta. If the Hawks waive him and he returns to the D-League, the BayHawks have his rights. Johnson, who was playing overseas in China, averaged 22.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 2010-11 for the BayHawks, who won a franchise-best 33 games ... The L.A. D-Fenders are 5-1 over their last six games ... Rio Grande Valley's Stanley Asumnu, who averaged 4.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 17 games with the Vipers last season, is averaging 18.7 points and 8.2 rebounds in nine games this season.

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS

Boston's Ray Allen needs 28 threes to pass Reggie Miller (2,560) for first on the all-time list. Boston's Kevin Garnett needs 60 rebounds to pass Charles Barkley (12,546) for 16th on the all-time list. The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant needs 52 points to pass Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946) for eighth on the all-time list. Bryant needs seven steals to pass Rod Strickland (1,616) for 22nd on the all-time list.

-->LOOKING AHEAD There are 18 NBA D-League televised games the week of Dec. 12, including three live tilts -- Canton at Idaho (Friday, Dec. 16 on KTRV), Rio Grande Valley at Texas (Saturday, Dec. 17 on KTXA 21), and Reno at Iowa (Saturday, Dec. 17 on Mediacom. Click here for the full list of games and times.

GATORADE CALL-UP BOARD

Boston's Ray Allen needs 28 threes to pass Reggie Miller (2,560) for first on the all-time list ... Boston's Kevin Garnett needs 60 rebounds to pass Charles Barkley (12,546) for 16th on the all-time list ... The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant needs 52 points to pass Hakeem Olajuwon (26,946) for eighth on the all-time list. Bryant needs seven steals to pass Rod Strickland (1,616) for 22nd on the all-time list.

ASSIGNMENT BOARD

NBA Players Currently on Assignment in the NBA D-League:

Player NBA Team NBA D-League Team Assignment Date G PPG RPG APG

Hassan Whiteside Sacramento Reno 11/29/10 7 5.1 3.2 0.1

DeMarre Carroll Memphis Dakota 12/14/10 6 35.7 18.3 6.8

Pape Sy Atlanta Utah 12/27/10 6 24.0 5.5 5.0

Devin Ebanks L.A. Lakers Bakersfield 12/27/10 6 26.5 12.0 8.0

Garret Siler Phoenix Iowa 1/4/10 16.0 4.0 7.0

Cole Aldrich Oklahoma City Tulsa 12/30/10 28.8 7.3 8.1

-->Today's Quote Erie coach JAY LARRANAGA, on possible getting Ivan Johnson, who's in training camp with the Atlanta Hawks, back on the BayHawks: "Talking to him before the draft, he felt like he wants to play in the NBA or he wants to play overseas and make money. Maybe after this experience in training camp, he'll think, 'I'm very close, let me go back to Erie and I can get called up.' This is a great year to get called up. I think it could very well happen, but again it's going to be his decision." Erie Times-News, Dec. 13, 2011

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NBA G League Stories from December 13, 2011


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