NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Jones, Wright become first NBA players assigned to D-League

November 4, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release


FORT MYERS, Fla., November 4 -- Minnesota Timberwolves Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale announced the team has assigned center Dwayne Jones and guard Bracey Wright to the Florida Flame of the NBA Development League. The Flame has been assigned the Timberwolves' D-League affiliate for the 2005-06 campaign.

"Dwayne and Bracey are both young players that just need a chance to play and develop," said McHale. "Being assigned to the D-League will give both of these young men a chance to work on their games and get invaluable time on the court in game situations that they just wouldn't get in Minnesota."

Jones, a 6-11, 250-pound center, averaged 1.0 points, (.500 FG%), 1.7 rebounds and 5.0 minutes per game in three preseason contests with Minnesota. He played for the Timberwolves' 2005 Minnesota Summer League entry and averaged 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in five contests (all starts).

Jones was an early entry candidate for the 2005 NBA Draft, but was not selected. The Wolves signed Jones as a free agent on August 26, 2005. The Morgantown, West Virginia native spent three seasons at Saint Joseph's University (2002-03 - 2004-05) where he averaged 7.1 points (.522 FG%), 8.5 rebounds, and 2.37 blocks per game in 98 career contests (started 69).

Wright, a 6-3, 210-pound guard from Indiana University, was taken by the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft (47th overall). He averaged 7.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 17.0 minutes per game in starting three games for the Timberwolves' 2005 Minnesota Summer League entry. He registered 5.7 points, 1.0 rebounds and 18.2 minutes per game in six preseason contests this fall.

Wright was an early entry candidate for the draft after spending three seasons at Indiana (2002-03 - 2004-05). The guard ranks 15th all-time at Indiana with 1,498 career points and tied for third with 186 career three-point field goals made. As a junior last season, the native of The Colony, Texas, led the Big 10 in scoring (18.3 ppg), while posting 25 or more points on seven occasions. He posted a season-high 32 points vs. Michigan State.

"We're excited to get two very talented basketball players in Dwayne and Bracey," said Florida Flame Head Coach Jeff Malone. "We didn't expect to receive NBA players this early, so we're thrilled that Dwayne and Bracey will join us for training camp. Coming to the D-League is a terrific opportunity for both of them to get playing time, develop, and return to the NBA."

Wright and Jones join 10 players selected by the Flame in last night's D-League Draft, the team's two allocated players (Theron Smith and Chris Brooks), one player picked from local tryouts (FGCU's Roman Brown), and four returners from last season (Hiram Fuller, Kendall Dartez, Tremaine Fowlkes, and Sean Finn).

The Flame's draft night selections include 5-11, point guard Andre Barrett (1st round), 6-4, shooting guard Ricky Shields (2nd round), 6-2, point guard Kyle Bailey (3rd round), 6-8, small forward Jonathan Moore (4th round), 6-11, center George Leach (5th round), 6-2, point guard E.J. Rowland (6th round), 6-7, guard/forward Romel Beck (7th round), 7-0, center Anwar Ferguson (8th round), 6-6, small forward Josh Gross (9th round), and 6-4, shooting guard Torrian Jones (10th round).

Florida will open training camp this Sunday, November 6 in Fort Myers. D-League rosters will be cut to 12 players on Thursday, November 10, with opening day rosters set on Thursday, November 17.

The Flame tips-off its second season in its home opener, Friday, November 25 at 7 p.m. as they take on the Roanoke Dazzle at Germain Arena. Single-game tickets are now available at the Germain Arena box office and all Ticketmaster outlets, including Specs Music stores. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Germain Arena box office at (239) 948-7825, Ticketmaster at 1-800-4-NBA-TIX or by logging onto ticketmaster.com.

To order your season or group tickets, call the Flame today at 1-877-FLAME-TIX or visit floridaflame.com.

The Florida Flame is the official D-League affiliate of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Orlando Magic. Showcasing the best young talent in professional basketball outside of the NBA, the Flame will play a 48-game schedule during the 2005-06 season with 23 home games at Germain Arena. Led by a group of local investors, the Flame is entering its second season of providing affordable, family entertainment to sports fans throughout Southwest Florida.

The NBA Development League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).

The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up to the NBA on 50 separate occasions. Eleven (11) former D-League coaches, six athletic trainers, 14 referees and 30 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November 2001.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.

For additional information, please visit floridaflame.com or contact Florida Flame Director of Media Relations, Tim Becwar at (239) 561-8130 and tbecwar@nba.com. For additional information on the NBA Development League please visit NBADLEAGUE.com.

• Discuss this story on the NBA G League message board...

NBA G League Stories from November 4, 2005


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.

OurSports Central