The James Singleton Memorial 2012 D League Thread

[Ed Wood]

Many of you may know the D League as a time portal to the Golden State Warriors of the future but you may not know that any NBA team is, in fact, permitted to call up players not already under contract with another franchise and to then not play them so as to confuse fans and make sure Golden State isn't allowed to have them. This year the Wizards have yet to do this, partially because the team already has a full complement of fifteen players under contract, meaning a player would have to be released in order to sign a D Leaguer. This may seem like a significant impediment but consider the following candidates:

Hamady N'Diaye: The team's only current D League resident (ed: no longer as of the exorcism of Andray). He's been quite bad in the D League and maybe it would be a better idea to try other players who are actually good at the same level.

Roger Mason Jr: Currently deceased, the team may have some sort of Weekend at Bernie's plan for him but if not he can probably be safely cut.

Mo Evans: Partially responsible for NBA basketball occurring this year but not because he's playing it.

Basically Anybody Really: The Wizards are awful.

And here, dear reader, are some potential alternatives:

Morris Almond
Guard
6'6” 215 lbs
Born 02-02-85 (26)

Partially listed out of defference to CCJ, Almond nevertheless continues to be really good at scoring in Not the NBA. With a career scoring average of over 25 points per 40 minutes in D League play and a pretty consistent 50/38/80 split in his shooting percentages (field goals/three point attempts/foul shots) Almond wouldn't be the worst choice in the world to use a few possessions for a really really limited offensive team. Not really a standout rebounder any longer that was very much a college strength and remains respectable.

Downside: Defense generally described in relation to **** (not necessarily using phrases like “superior to”). Would make CCJ happy and also maybe right.

Manny Harris
Guard
6'5” 185 lbs
Born 09-21-89

Harris spent last year being inoffensive in limited minutes for the Cavs, though it is somewhat worrying that the team didn't see fit to retain him for the current season. Harris wasn't able to finish two point shots reliably against NBA players the first time around and given lukewarm results on the same shots in the D League (44% thus far) he may not be capable of being efficient inside the arc. Harris' value offensively lies in his ability to hit threes and draw fouls, something he's managed to do at healthy rates at all stops. This year he's not shooting very well from three, which is in keeping with so-so college results, but his numbers are generally depressed by a really awful start and he's beginning to look significantly better and so may bear watching. Harris is also a very good rebounder for a guard despite his slight frame and is big enough and fast enough to be a decent defender. He's also a good passer for an off guard.

Downside: Fits in a little too well with the “talented but not actually especially effective on the court” motif that has not served Washington well of late.


Ben Uzoh
guard
6'3” 195 lbs
Born 03-18-88

Ben Uzoh managed to stick with an NBA team for a significant portion of last year, specifically the Nets. Not unlike Jeremy Lin Uzoh was actually fairly decent when on the court and for largely the same reasons. Uzoh plays much bigger than his size and was an excellent rebounding guard. Additionally he managed a healthy assist rate and was a fairly competent source of steals and blocks. In D League minutes his profile is similar, but he is much more productive offensively (though he was not necessarily a low usage player for the Nets) and has been excellent at converting two point shots. His foul shooting, which took a dive last year, has also been a more typical 80.4% for the year. Unfortunately Uzoh hasn't demonstrated anything resembling a consistent three point stroke at any professional level and that may doom his chances to fit in here, where that's more or less a prerequisite for any backup guard. Nevertheless with his physical profile and other skills if that shot ever develops he has a lot to offer.

Downside: Not a great fit alongside Wall with his lack of perimeter shooting ability, in general replicates skills already present on the current roster.

Malcolm Thomas
Forward
6'9” 220 lbs
Born 11-08-88

Thomas has already seen action with a smart team this year, having been called up by the Spurs. Should they release him he has a fair chance to be a high energy forward with a particular flair for defense. Thomas was an important part of the excellent San Diego State teams of recent memory (and a teammate of fellow Spur Kawhii Leonard) and was briefly very good for the Los Angeles regional office of the D League. Not a particularly skilled player Thomas is likely a jump shot away from being a really viable rotation player of any significance but without it he could probably manage a decent Michael Ruffin impression.

Downside: Lack of a clearly defined means of contributing offensively, it's difficult to tell whether his rebounding is a standout skill or merely solid.

Greg Smith
Center
6'10” 250 lbs
Born 01-08-91

One of the younger players in the D-League Smith unsurprisingly is far from a finished product. He is, however, a player with very real ability and would be a vastly better use of a roster spot than N'Diaye if the later is not to appear in an NBA game on any account anyway. Smith is physically reminiscent of Kevin Seraphin and is having a very solid first foray in the D-League for Houston's affiliate (he was a Houston draftee but wasn't able to stick on a roster already over-saturated with young big men). Smith might be a case where the best thing to do would be to sign him and then allow him to remain in the D League but there's enough there that the investment may well pay off.

Downside: Not likely ready to perform meaningfully in the NBA. An undersized center at present, and in general similar to what the team already has in Seraphin.

Leo Lyons
Forward
6'9” 240 lbs
Born 05-06-87

After playing an important but not overwhelming role on a series of very good Missiouri teams Lyons has been a valuable but not incredibly visible part of the Spurs' affiliate for the past two years. Lyons is most interesting because he has very good touch for his size, having converted roughly 38% of nearly 200 three point shots over the past two years. He's not enormous or exceptionally athletic but isn't obviously deficient in either area either. Overall if he is provided an opportunity and is able to demonstrate that his shooting ability is a consistent NBA caliber skill Lyons has a place as a stretch big man to a team that values perimeter shooting in it's big men, such as his parent team, the Spurs. Given the clear lack of shooting on the Wizards he might well be of real value here as well.

Downside: If he isn't able to establish his shot at the NBA level he doesn't seem to have a fallback skill on which to depend to remain a viable player.

That is by no means a comprehensive list of every D League player who merits discussion, but I have to stop the post at some point so I'll stop it here. Please, do talk about the D League.

[dlts20]

thats funny, I thought we not only already had a D-Leauge player but a roster full of them............lol

[fugop]

I've been following Jerry Smith from Louisville -- he's had quite a season thus far. Older and smaller than any of these guys (b. '87), 6'2", but he has a strong perimeter shot and is a great rebounder for his size. I didn't expect him to play in the league when he was in school, but he's continued to work on his game and may deserve a call up somewhere.

[FreeBalling]

The Wizards are getting blown out by 20-30 points, I see no problem sending 1/2 of our roster down to the D-League. Bring up a few hungry D-League players for a week or two. Send a message to the players, if your going to resist being coached, then it's D-League for you. The players that are sent to the D-League should take a pay cut, there must be an incentive for the player to produce in the NBA. It takes a team to win games and a knuckle head to blow one up.

Believe it or not basketball is a profession.

Rashard Lewis is a waste of money. I would send him to the D-League today.

[Nivek]

The Wizards are getting blown out by 20-30 points, I see no problem sending 1/2 of our roster down to the D-League. Bring up a few hungry D-League players for a week or two. Send a message to the players, if your going to resist being coached, then it's D-League for you. The players that are sent to the D-League should take a pay cut, there must be an incentive for the player to produce in the NBA. It takes a team to win games and a knuckle head to blow one up.

Believe it or not basketball is a profession.

Rashard Lewis is a waste of money. I would send him to the D-League today.

Good idea. Some time in the D-League is exactly what the 32-year old in his 14th season -- the guy with more than 31,000 career minutes and a body that's breaking down -- needs to hone his craft and become a better player.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Rashard Lewis as a D-Leaguer could foot the bill for the finest of team charter buses, what with him making $22M this year.

A coach might get treated the same way Latrell Sprewell treated PJ Carlisemo if that coach tried to send an established NBA veteran down to D-League.

[closg00]

Greg Smith gets a multi-year deal with Houston. Nicely done Ed.

[closg00]

With Hamady waived, I hope that call-ups are right around the corner.

My candidate:

Marcus Lewis out of Oral Roberts. I think his rights were held by the Bucks, but I do not see him on their roster. Lewis is an absolute BEAST on the boards and he can score points. Not sure if he plays under-sized PF in the NBDL or forward.
http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/m ... stats.html

Bio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Lewis

[FreeBalling]

The Wizards are getting blown out by 20-30 points, I see no problem sending 1/2 of our roster down to the D-League. Bring up a few hungry D-League players for a week or two. Send a message to the players, if your going to resist being coached, then it's D-League for you. The players that are sent to the D-League should take a pay cut, there must be an incentive for the player to produce in the NBA. It takes a team to win games and a knuckle head to blow one up.

Believe it or not basketball is a profession.

Rashard Lewis is a waste of money. I would send him to the D-League today.

Good idea. Some time in the D-League is exactly what the 32-year old in his 14th season -- the guy with more than 31,000 career minutes and a body that's breaking down -- needs to hone his craft and become a better player.

Nivek, how would you motivate a player that seems unhappy with his employment? You can't teach heart or desire. However, management can replace dead weight with a player who wants to earn a roster spot.

In sales when your not hitting the number, management will find another sales rep with a Ph.D (Poor Hungry and Driven)

[FreeBalling]

BTW I do not care about his age (18-50) I care about production. Wins are what make the Wizards profitable. Not losses.

Maybe it's people like you that side with the union or player for soft play. Should I pay you top dollar for being old? NO........................

Earn your f*cking pay or become an owner.

[Severn Hoos]

Ahhh, but with a unionized workforce......

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

With Hamady waived, I hope that call-ups are right around the corner.

My candidate:

Marcus Lewis out of Oral Roberts. I think his rights were held by the Bucks, but I do not see him on their roster. Lewis is an absolute BEAST on the boards and he can score points. Not sure if he plays under-sized PF in the NBDL or forward.
http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/m ... stats.html

Bio
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Lewis

Yep, this guy is tearing it up in the D-League.

[FreeBalling]

Ahhh, but with a unionized workforce......

You hit the nail right on the head. The UNION will protect the conteact but not enforce the contract. Players that give up should not effect, players trying to promote the union. You hit the nail right on the head. The UNION will protect the contact but not enforce the contact. If a player gives up then the union should support the owner.

The unions build America, and if you think the labor force was like this you have another thing coming.

The UNIONS were a teams, the Wizards are a JOKE. A bunch of TURDS. You can't polish a turd..

[7-Day Dray]

I really don't think effort is the issue with Shard. I think his age and wear and tear has just caught up to him.

[Nivek]

The Wizards are getting blown out by 20-30 points, I see no problem sending 1/2 of our roster down to the D-League. Bring up a few hungry D-League players for a week or two. Send a message to the players, if your going to resist being coached, then it's D-League for you. The players that are sent to the D-League should take a pay cut, there must be an incentive for the player to produce in the NBA. It takes a team to win games and a knuckle head to blow one up.

Believe it or not basketball is a profession.

Rashard Lewis is a waste of money. I would send him to the D-League today.

Good idea. Some time in the D-League is exactly what the 32-year old in his 14th season -- the guy with more than 31,000 career minutes and a body that's breaking down -- needs to hone his craft and become a better player.

Nivek, how would you motivate a player that seems unhappy with his employment? You can't teach heart or desire. However, management can replace dead weight with a player who wants to earn a roster spot.

In sales when your not hitting the number, management will find another sales rep with a Ph.D (Poor Hungry and Driven)

What makes you think the issue with Lewis is motivation? I don't see that. I see a guy whose body is breaking down after 34,000+ career minutes (including playoffs) and whose production has been in decline for four seasons now.

Your issue seems to be with the money he's earning. Thing is, he didn't put a gun to anyone's head to get that contract. Orlando called up his agent and offered the max. Lewis did what anyone would do in that situation: he accepted. Dunno about you, but if someone offered me $15 million a season, I damn sure wouldn't say, "Thanks, but I'm really only worth $9 million."

And all the talk about what the union should do or whether contracts should be guaranteed -- yeah, whatever. How about we talk about reality? The owners agreed to guaranteed contracts. They didn't have to, but they did. And they just did it again. So, while they don't particularly like paying a guy like Lewis, whose play has gotten worse as he's aged and his body has started breaking down, but it must not bother them too much.

Should a team pay top dollar for being old? Yes -- if that's the contract they offered. Does it hamper a team? Of course. But teams know that (or should know it) before they offer these deals. Offer a max deal that runs into a guy's mid-30s and odds are that at least a year or two at the end is going to be gross overpay for what the guy produces on the court. Which is one reason why the owners pushed for shorter contract lengths. This kind of thing gets compounded when someone offers max money to a guy who's not a max-caliber player to start with.

Rashard, for example, was overpaid from the moment he signed that deal. Not his fault. He didn't offer himself the max. Orlando offered, he accepted. At this point, he's grossly overpaid, but again -- not his fault. He didn't force Orlando to give him 6 years. Orlando offered, he accepted. Orlando knew (or should have known) there was a decent chance he'd be in decline before his deal was finished. Washington knew (or should have known) he was in decline before they traded for him. To gripe about him at this point seems silly. What did you expect?

As for Washington, they didn't trade for Lewis because they thought he'd be worth $20 million a season. They traded for him to rid themselves of Arenas, who was a) not worth the money on his deal; b) causing problems with his behavior toward his teammates and coaches; c) not giving full effort in practices; and d) having conversations with Otis Smith about how they could get him to Orlando. Given item D, Washington could have gone after Orlando for tampering. Ted and Ernie decided to just make a deal and be done with the situation.

I think they're getting about what they expected to get from Lewis. If they expected more, they were fools.

[Nivek]

You can't polish a turd..

Actually, the guys at Myth Busters proved you CAN polish a turd.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI[/youtube]

[Ruzious]

Ahhh, but with a unionized workforce......

You hit the nail right on the head. The UNION will protect the conteact but not enforce the contract. Players that give up should not effect, players trying to promote the union. You hit the nail right on the head. The UNION will protect the contact but not enforce the contact. If a player gives up then the union should support the owner.

The unions build America, and if you think the labor force was like this you have another thing coming.

The UNIONS were a teams, the Wizards are a JOKE. A bunch of TURDS. You can't polish a turd..

Apparently, you can post when you're unconscious.

[closg00]

D-League "allstar" roster for the 2/25 game

EAST ALL-STAR ROSTER
Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. College
F Marqus Blakely (Iowa) 6-5 220 Vermont
F Tyrell Biggs (Canton) 6-8 240 Pittsburgh
G JamesOn Curry (Springfield) 6-4 200 Oklahoma State
C Jeff Foote (Springfield) 7-0 265 Cornell
C Charles Garcia (Sioux Falls) 6-10 230 Seattle
F Darnell Lazare (Fort Wayne) 6-8 240 Louisiana State
G Keith McLeod (Erie) 6-2 190 Bowling Green
G Walker Russell (Fort Wayne) * 6-0 175 Jacksonville State
G Jerry Smith (Springfield) 6-2 190 Louisville
F Edwin Ubiles (Dakota) 6-6 204 Siena


WEST ALL-STAR ROSTER
Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. College
G Blake Ahearn (Reno) 6-3 190 Missouri State
C Brandon Costner (Los Angeles) 6-9 235 North Carolina State
G Justin Dentmon (Austin) 6-0 185 Washington
G Jerome Dyson (Tulsa) 6-3 180 Connecticut
F Andre Emmett (Reno) 6-5 220 Texas Tech
F Gerald Green (Los Angeles) 6-8 220 Gulf Shores Academy, TX (HS)
F Marcus Lewis (Tulsa) 6-8 245 Oral Roberts
G Elijah Millsap (Los Angeles) 6-5 215 Alabama-Birmingham
C Greg Smith (Rio Grande Valley) * 6-10 250 Fresno State
F Lance Thomas (Austin) * 6-8 225 Duke

[penbeast0]

We had a 7 Foote player who could play at Cornell? Man, I have not been paying attention.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

We had a 7 Foote player who could play at Cornell? Man, I have not been paying attention.

Jeff Foote was a solid defender. I remember him. He went to play IIRC with Maccabi, before the 2011 NBA draft. I was not aware he is in the D-League.