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NBA D-League Update

Published on March 30, 2012 under NBA G League (G League) News Release


HUDSON, HORNER GET THE CALL

Lester Hudson and Dennis Horner have been around the block a few times.

Hudson's tale is the stuff of Memphis urban legend -- tough upbringing, barely one season of high school basketball, academic troubles, junior college, etc.

Eventually, Hudson landed at Tennessee-Martin, and the narrative began to shift -- first quadruple double in Division I history, two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, and eventually the 58th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics.

This past June, Horner, who played in Belgium and Cyprus last season, spent $650 (plus travel expenses) to try out for the NBA Development League. Six months later, Horner was making his NBA debut for the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center, just a two-hour drive from his home near Atlantic City.

Today, both are back in the same neighborhood, earning call-ups to the NBA D-League. Hudson, who was playing for the Austin Toros, signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the record 46th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2011-12 NBA D-League season. He joins more than 100 players with NBA D-League experience currently on 2011-12 rosters.

In five games with the Toros this season, Hudson (6-3, 190) averaged 17.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 29.2 minutes. He scored in double figures in all five games, including a season-high 24 points to go with 11 rebounds in a 113-103 win over the Iowa Energy on March 21.

Hudson returns to the NBA having played in 36 games for the Celtics, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 NBA seasons, scoring 76 total points, and tallying 30 assists, 23 rebounds and 204 career NBA minutes. Hudson is expected to join the Cavaliers today and be available when the team hosts the Milwaukee Bucks tonight.

Horner re-joins the Nets as the 47th Call-Up of the 2011-12 NBA D-League season. In 25 games, 20 starts, with the Springfield Armor this season, Horner (6-9, 230, North Carolina State) is averaging 17.0 points and 8.5 rebounds, while shooting .471 from the field.

He scored a season-high 29 points on 10-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range against the Maine Red Claws on Feb. 27. In a five-game stint with the Nets in December and January, he scored four points in 16 minutes. Horner is expected to join New Jersey today and be available when the team faces the Kings in Sacramento tomorrow night.

PROSPECT REPORT

Joey Graham, Erie BayHawks -- In six years in the NBA, Graham never had trouble making an impact. He never averaged more than 20 minutes in a season, but the former Oklahoma State star shot nearly 50 percent during his run in the Show, notching as many as 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game for a full season (2008-09, with the Raptors). So it makes sense why nobody's been able to stop him yet in the NBA D-League. Graham's spent four games stuffing the scorecard, scoring 21.5 points, grabbing 6.8 boards (including 13 on March 26 against Dakota) and throwing in 3.5 assists. He's got some competition for a call-up at the swingman position, from people like Elijah Millsap and Graham's own teammate, D.J. Kennedy, but few things have given call-ups an edge this year better than NBA experience. -- Kevin Scheitrum, NBADLeague.com

NEWS & NOTES

Houston Rockets Assign Malcolm Thomas to NBA D-League Affiliate Rio Grande Valley

The Houston Rockets today assigned rookie forward Malcolm Thomas to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets' NBA D-League affiliate. The assignment marks the 61st time an NBA player has been assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season and is the third assignment for Thomas this season. He was first assigned from the Los Angeles Lakers to the L.A. D-Fenders in December, and then from the San Antonio Spurs to the Austin Toros in January. Thomas, who earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Rockets from the D-Fenders on March 27, has yet to appear in a game for Houston this season. Prior to his most recent call-up, Thomas appeared in 19 games for the D-Fenders, averaging 13.8 points and 9.3 rebounds. During a previous assignment from the Spurs, he averaged 9.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while with the Austin Toros. In three NBA games this season, all with the Spurs, Thomas scored one point and grabbed three rebounds in 15 minutes. More

L.A. Clippers Re-assign Leslie to NBA D-League Affiliate Bakersfield Jam

The Los Angeles Clippers re-assigned rookie guard Travis Leslie to the Bakersfield Jam, the Clippers' NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment marks the record 60th time an NBA player has been assigned to his NBA D-League affiliate during the 2011-12 season and is the second assignment for Leslie this season. Leslie (6-4, 205, Georgia) returns to the Jam having appeared in four games earlier this month, when he averaged 12.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 21.0 minutes. In 10 games for the Clippers this season, he is averaging 1.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in 4.5 minutes. He scored a career-high six points in a 107-81 win over the Washington Wizards on Feb. 4, 2012. Originally selected in the second round (47th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft, Leslie is expected to join the Jam today and be available tomorrow when the team hosts the Los Angeles D-Fenders. More

Iowa's Cartier Martin Signs with Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards have signed Iowa Energy forward Cartier Martin for the record 45th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2011-12 NBA Development League season. Martin joins more than 100 NBA players with NBA D-League experience currently on 2011-12 rosters. With the Call-Up, Martin becomes only the second player in NBA D-League history to make the jump from the NBA D-League to the NBA in three seasons. Martin returns to the Wizards having played in 60 games for the team during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, when he averaged 4.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 10.9 minutes. In 103 career NBA games, including stints with the Charlotte Hornets and Golden State Warriors during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, Martin averaged 4.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 11.6 minutes. In seven games with the Energy this season, Martin averaged 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 32.4 minutes, posting four 20-plus point games. Martin has appeared in 59 career NBA D-League games, all with the Energy, averaging 18.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 32.8 minutes. More

AROUND THE D-LEAGUE

The Erie BayHawks have re-acquired Keith McLeod, who was waived on March 15 due to injury. McLeod averaged 14.9 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds in nine games with the BayHawks. He was acquired on Jan. 25 from the Canton Charge in a three-team deal that also included the Idaho Stampede. The 32-year-old has seen action with four NBA teams (Minnesota, Utah, Golden State and Indiana) over the course of his career. He also participated in training camp with the Utah Jazz this past season. To make room on the roster, Erie released forward Sharrod Ford, due to injury ... Iowa's Curtis Stinson, the reigning NBA D-League MVP, will miss the remainder of the season with a back injury. He's having an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury.

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

Nets forward GERALD GREEN, on the benefits of playing in the NBA D-League for him as opposed to playing overseas: "I feel like me being overseas I was just lost. A lot of people can get in contact with me and then they couldn?t see me play. Me being in the D-League, people could kind of keep up with me, see how I'm doing, see my development and things like that." Newark Star-Ledger, March 30, 2012

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NBA G League Stories from March 30, 2012


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