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NBA D-League Update

Published on February 3, 2012 under NBA G League (G League) News Release


MR. SMITH GOES TO ORLANDO

Ish Smith started and scored 11 points for the Golden State Warriors in a win over the New York Knicks on Dec. 28, 2011. Three weeks later he was unemployed.

So goes life on the fringes of the NBA, although Smith is back to work with the Orlando Magic, having been called-up from the L.A. D-Fenders. Smith, who was waived by the Warriors on Jan. 13, 2012, never actually appeared in a game for the D-Fenders before joining the Magic.

Undrafted in 2010, Smith split his rookie season between the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies, appearing in 43 games, averaging 2.3 points and 1.8 assists. He saw time in five playoff games with the Grizzlies, and also did an eight-game stint with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on assignment from the Rockets, averaging 12.5 points and 7.9 assists.

Today, he's looking to give the Magic much-needed depth at the point guard position, and will be thrown into the fire, according to Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.

"If he's good enough he'll have a chance to stick," Van Gundy told OrlandoMagic.com. "Jameer (Nelson) is a tough guy, but he takes a lot of hits because he's willing to stick his head in there. Ideally, we'd like to have three point guards on the roster, so Ish could be that guy."

Smith averaged 9.2 points, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals over four seasons at Wake Forest. He became the first player in Wake Forest history to post more than 1,000 points (1,114) and 600 assists (612) during his career. As a senior (2009-10), he started all 31 games, averaging 13.2 points, 6.0 assists (seventh in the nation), 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals, earning Second Team All-ACC honors.

Said a long-time NBA scout of Smith at the conclusion of the 2010 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament: "He can get into the lane against anyone and he did that with ease at the PIT. Once in the lane, he can make the play for a teammate or use his quickness to spin up shots from improbable angles. Smith is whirling dervish and there is no telling if he will pass or shoot until the last second and it's very hard to close off the basket to him. He can make shots close to the basket that few his height would even attempt because he releases the ball so quickly that bigger men don't have a chance to block it."

For now, Smith, who sat in a middle seat on red-eye flight to Orlando a few days ago, is hoping to make the most of this latest opportunity.

"There was no sleep (on the flight), but I wasn't getting any sleep at home either waiting on that call from the NBA," said Smith. "It's a blessing and I thank God. I got called back up and I'm grateful for getting another opportunity. In the NBA it's about opportunity and once you get that you have to flourish in it. I'm just happy for this chance."

PROSPECT REPORT

Keith Benson, Sioux Falls Skyforce -- Once touted as a potential first-round pick, Benson slid into the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft, taken by the Atlanta Hawks with the 48th overall pick. After a brief stint in Italy during the NBA lockout, Benson went to training camp with the Hawks, and was waived before the start of the season. A two-time Summit League Player of the Year at Oakland, Benson has many of the physical attributes NBA teams look for in a big man. He's long, athletic, fluid, has good feet and huge hands. That said, he's thin, struggles to hold position in the trenches, and lacks a certain level of grit and energy to his game that would enhance his chances of sticking in the NBA. In three games with the Skyforce, Benson is averaging 14.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in 27.7 minutes. Given his physical profile, Benson will continue to be scouted heavily, and could get another crack at the NBA in the near future.

NEWS & NOTES

Austin Toros' Justin Dentmon Named NBA D-League Player of the Month

Austin Toros guard Justin Dentmon has been named NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in January. Dentmon, who was named NBA D-League Performer of the Week on Jan. 17, is a first-time Player of the Month honoree. Dentmon (6-0, 185, Washington) led Austin to a 9-3 record in January, averaging 23.9 points on 56 percent shooting to go with 5.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 38.3 minutes. He scored in double figures in 11 of the team's 12 games, twice recording a season-high 31 points (Jan. 6 vs. Texas and Jan. 15 at Reno). A 2010-11 All-NBA D-League Honorable Mention, Dentmon was Austin's leading scorer 10 times and led the Toros in assists in 11 games in January. More

Reno's Ahearn Keeps Focus on NBA Dream It began on the day the seasons changed, at a line that never does. It was the last day of fall, Dec. 21, and Blake Ahearn had already missed two free throws - a rarity for a player who's missed a total of 42 in 171 career NBA Development League games. But he steadied himself, sank his last five of the game and didn't miss again for 42 days. Then, over a 16-game stretch that ended on Wednesday night in a 119-112 win in Texas against the Legends, the Reno Bighorns' point guard made 110 free throws in a row, shattering his own NBA D-League record, surpassing the NBA mark of 97 and falling shy of only John Wooden's professional record of 134. NBADLeague.com's Kevin Scheitrum takes a closer look at the streak, and the player. More

AROUND THE D-LEAGUE

Blake Ahearn is now the NBA D-League's all-time leading scorer. Ahearn has totaled 3,477 points, passing Desmon Farmer, who finished his NBA D-League career with 3,380 points. Ahearn is also the league's all-time leader in free-throw shooting, averaging 95.8 percent from the line ... The Bakersfield Jam has acquired guard/forward Derrick Byars . A first-round selection (5th overall) by the Jam in the 2008 NBA Development League Draft, Byars played 49 games during the 2008-2009 season, averaging 17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He returned two seasons later to the Jam in January 2011, and played in 33 games and averaged 17.5 points and 5.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists ... With a win over Sioux Falls last night, the Springfield Armor has now won a franchise-record 14 games.

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

ISH SMITH, on breaking some of Chris Paul's records at Wake Forest: "I did break a lot of his records, but Chris was only there two years. I don't know if I would be ahead of Chris if he had played there all four years. I did break them, but I had special players around me." OrlandoMagic.com, Feb. 3, 2012

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NBA G League Stories from February 3, 2012


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