G League NBA G League

NBA D-League Update

Published on December 16, 2011 under NBA G League (G League) News Release


BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

It stands to reason Milton Lee should find himself managing the basketball operations of the Springfield Armor in a hybrid arrangement with the New Jersey Nets. Lee, himself, is a hybrid of sorts.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Lee has worked as a proprietary trader on Wall Street; he ran his own basketball services company, working in conjunction with the NBA, its teams and players; he's been a skills coach with several NBA players; he also did a stint with the Los Angeles Clippers as an assistant coach for their summer league squads.

The sum total of these experiences has Lee, the Nets' general manager of minor league operations, shifting back and forth from New Jersey to Springfield, sometimes in the same day, in an effort to service both organizations as they grow into this new partnership.

"It's been full integration, and I think both organizations are very happy with the synergy we've found on both the business and basketball side," said Lee, who's been in Springfield the past few days with the Armor playing back-to-back tilts against Erie on Wednesday and Thursday. "We're trying to institute a culture that will transcend into future seasons, and I'm excited about being on this journey and watching things grow.

Part of his job is to push out regular updates to Nets General Manager Billy King and head coach Avery Johnson on the state of the Armor -- players in the program, players the team may be looking to acquire, or players that may be on their way out the door. Now that the NBA season has started, Lee is also in New Jersey on a regular basis, fulfilling his duties on the NBA side. Naturally, there's been some overlap in terms of personnel, with three members of the Armor -- JamesOn Curry, Dennis Horner and Jerry Smith -- participating in New Jersey's training camp.

"They've reflected very well what's been going on up here in Springfield," said Lee. "They have the added benefit of being in shape, running our plays, understanding what points of emphasis there are. They've put themselves in a great position to make our team."

Much of the credit, according to Lee, goes to Armor head coach Bob MacKinnon, whose strong personality and coaching expertise, have resonated with the entire organization.

"In D-League basketball, the coach has to be your leader, because the rosters are oftentimes pretty fluid, and there's a lot of turnover," said Lee, who's watched the Armor start out 6-1 this season, good for first place in the East. "We're lucky in that we have a really strong coach who knows what he's doing. He's a great leader of men. It's easy for our players to follow in line."

MacKinnon and assistant coach Chris Carrawell have been regular visitors to Nets training camp, working with players and becoming more familiar with the program Johnson has put in place.

"Our viewpoint is that it's full integration," said Lee. "They are an extension of the Nets staff, and we want them to be a part of the Nets as much as possible."

Lee will continue to have a foot in both worlds, balancing the many variables that exist at the D-League level with the demands of the NBA. For Lee, time spent on Interstate 84 is time well spent.

"I love the game and I love the journey a season allows you to take on," said Lee. "Watching things grow, and watching players react and get better, and watching the group of 10 players grow as a unit. That's the really fun part. More than balls going through a basket, it's watching guys develop and buy in and get better and reach their potential, and hopefully play at a higher level."

PROSPECT REPORT

JamesOn Curry, Springfield Armor -- In another week or so, Curry might not qualify for this section. He might be filling a roster spot for the New Jersey Nets. Selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round (51st overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Curry inked a two-year deal, never appeared in a game with the Bulls despite being on the roster in 2007-08, and was waived that summer. After spending time overseas, he settled in the NBA D-League for the 2009-10 season, earned a call-up to the Los Angeles Clippers, and played a total of 3.9 seconds in one game. Curry averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists in three games with the Armor this season before joining the Nets in training camp. Curry is a scoring point who excels in the pull-up game. He's able to create separation and will make tough shots. As with many in his position, he needs to be more of a distributor and play better defense.

NEWS & NOTES

NBADLeague.com Prospect Report: Week Three

You're busy. But you also want to know where all 62 players from the NBA Development League who got invites to NBA training camp stand. You want to know about the big battles for roster spots. You want to know where player movement has opened (or closed) doors. You want to know who's got inside tracks, who's got an outside shot and who may be headed back to their NBA D-League teams for now. We feel you. More

A.P. Hoops: A Closer Look at Ball Control All season long, NBAD-League.com will be looking at its top prospects and teams through the lens of advanced stats. Today, we focus on which teams do the best job of controlling the ball and making the most out of their possessions. More

AROUND THE D-LEAGUE

Reggie Williams, a former NBA D-League standout who earned a call-up to the Golden State Warriors in March 2010 and has been with the Warriors ever since, has signed a two-year deal with the Charlotte Bobcats. In 80 games last season with the Warriors, he averaged 9.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists, and ranked ninth in the NBA with a three-point field goal percentage of .423 (102-241) ... Antoine Walker is averaging 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in two games with Idaho ... Former Mad Ants center Sean Sonderleiter signed with the team but is off the roster because of a chest injury, according to head coach Joey Meyer. Sonderleiter, a 6-10 center from the University of Iowa, played 78 games with the Mad Ants from 2008-10 and averaged 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds ... The Rio Grand Valley Vipers welcomed a familiar face this week with the addition to 6-9 forward Julian Sensley, who was a member of the Vipers' NBA Development League championship squad two seasons ago. Sensley had been playing professionally in Greece before rejoining the Vipers. He was officially added to the roster on Wednesday.

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 PAUL HARRIS, on re-signing with the Maine Red Claws: "A lot of my friends and family members told me I should give the D-League another shot and give my all while I'm still not too old. It's a rare opportunity. The general manager, Jon Jennings, has been calling me for three weeks and he told me if I had been here from the start I'd be in a training camp right now." Niagra Gazette, Dec. 16, 2011

Check out the NBA G League Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



NBA G League Stories from December 16, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central