NBA D-League Update
Published on February 17, 2012 under NBA G League (G League) News Release
THE PROSPECT WATCH -- ORLANDO EDITION
They're falling fast.
Of the 20 players selected to the sixth annual NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by 26 Seconds, two of them had already cracked the NBA by the time the team was selected. Later that day, Greg Smith's call-up to the Houston Rockets made it three.
Then, when Reno Bighorns star Andre Emmett got the call from the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday, taking away the second-leading scorer in the NBA D-League, another spot opened up on the roster, leaving 16 of the original 20 still set to hit the court in Orlando on Saturday, Feb. 25 (live on NBA TV).
And at the pace things have been going, there could be (many) more call-ups to come between now and then. Of course, a call-up doesn't mean a player can't play in the NBA D-League All-Star Game, although he has to be assigned (even temporarily, even for that day) to the NBA D-League to do so. It just means that chances are he'll spend All-Star Weekend elsewhere.
NBADLeague.com's Kevin Scheitrum takes a look at the 16 guys who (as of now) we'll see on the court at Jam Session, with an eye to how they rank as NBA Prospects. Some of the top names include the L.A. D-Fenders Gerald Green, who won the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest; Dakota's Edwin Ubiles, who was a late cut of the Golden State Warriors in training camp, and is having a terrific rookie season; Reno's Blake Ahearn, who's reprising the role of Crash Davis in Bull Durham, setting all kinds of NBA D-League records this season; Springfield's Jerry Smith, who despite flying under the radar in four seasons at Louisville, is starting to look like a guy who could find a niche in the NBA; and Sioux Falls' Marqus Blakely, who's an NBA caliber athlete and defender just waiting for a chance.
PROSPECT REPORT
Jerry Smith, Springfield Armor -- In an interview in December, Nets General Manager of Minor League Operations Milton Lee, who runs the basketball operations of the Armor, said he thought Smith was an NBA talent who just needed an opportunity. Smith, who never averaged better than 10.7 points in four seasons at Louisville, didn't get an invite to any NBA Pre-Draft camps in 2010; wasn't listed among Chad Ford's Top 100 Prospects and didn't have any notable player blog entries on Draft Express. Undersized shooting guards have always had an uphill battle from an NBA scouting perspective, but Smith is proving to be a little more well-rounded than many thought. In addition to scoring at a solid clip (18.0 ppg), Smith is also averaging 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists. In back-to-back games last week, he had 11 rebounds. NBA teams will get a closer look at the NBA D-League All-Star game in Orlando next weekend.
NEWS & NOTES
Los Angeles Lakers Assign Devin Ebanks to NBA D-League Affiliate L.A. D-Fenders
The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned second-year forward Devin Ebanks to the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the Lakers' NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment marks the 37th time an NBA player has been assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season and is the second assignment for Ebanks of his career. Ebanks (6-9, 215, West Virginia) has appeared in 12 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 2.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 12.6 minutes. Originally selected by the Lakers in the second round (43rd overall) in the 2010 NBA Draft, Ebanks appeared in 20 games for L.A. last season, averaging 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.9 minutes. Ebanks returns to the NBA D-League following a six-game assignment to the Bakersfield Jam last season when he averaged 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 27.7 minutes.
AROUND THE D-LEAGUE
The Reno Bighorns have acquired David Palmer from the available player pool. To make room on the roster for the acquisition, the team has waived Damon Jones . Palmer (6-9, 250) played 25 games with the Bakersfield Jam this season, averaging 8.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks. Before coming to the NBA D-League, Palmer played professionally in Poland, where he averaged 7.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in 21 games ... Jermaine Taylor, the 32nd overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, who averaged 5.4 points in his first two NBA seasons split between Houston and Sacrmamento, will reportedly sign with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers ... Charge forward Frank Hassell will play tonight at Rio Grande Valley after the transaction made by the Canton Charge and Erie BayHawks was voided yesterday due to medical reasons with NBA Development League approval. Hassell has returned to Canton's active roster while Sharrod Ford rejoined Erie.
ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS
Cleveland's Alonzo Gee scored 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 28 minutes in a loss to the Toronto Raptors last night. Not drafted by an NBA franchise in 2009, Gee signed with the Austin Toros, and was named the 2009-10 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year, averaging 21.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in 36 games with the Toros. After spending time with the Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs at the end of the 2009-10 season, Gee was signed by the Cavaliers in December 2010, and went on to average 7.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 40 games.-->
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
Springfield's JEFF FOOTE, who like Jeremy Lin played at an Ivy League school (Cornell): "The good thing about going to an Ivy League school is you've got a lot of options after getting your degree, and a lot of them more lucrative than basketball, especially where I'm at. You get a good starting salary with say Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley, and maybe 10 or 20 years down the road you wind up even better off. The bad thing is that people assumed you played in the Ivy League because you weren't good enough to get an athletic scholarship anywhere else." The Associated Press, Feb. 17, 2012
NBA G League Stories from February 17, 2012
- Tulsa Earns Overtime Win at Sioux Falls - Tulsa 66ers
- Bighorns Trampled by Stampede - Reno Bighorns
- Stampede Blast Bighorns - Idaho Stampede
- Armor Surge Past Iowa - Springfield Armor
- Skyforce Acquires Covington - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- NBA D-League Update - G League
- Jam Take Down Toros - Bakersfield Jam
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