Schedule | TV | Standings | Leaders | Draft | Rosters/Players | Tryouts | All-Star Game | D-League Pre-Draft camp | D-League Draft (Nov. 5, 2009)

2009-10 NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE TEAM AFFILIATIONS

Albuquerque Thunderbirds (NM)
Dallas Mavericks
New Orleans Hornets

Austin Toros (TX)
San Antonio Spurs

Bakersfield Jam (CA)
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers

Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, ND)
Memphis Grizzlies
Washington Wizards

Erie BayHawks (PA)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IN)
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks

Idaho Stampede (Boise, ID)
Portland Trail Blazers
Denver Nuggets

Iowa Energy (Des Moines, IA)
Chicago Bulls
Phoenix Suns

Los Angeles D-Fenders (CA)
Los Angeles Lakers

Maine Red Claws (Portland, ME)
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Bobcats

Reno Bighorns (NV)
Orlando Magic
Sacramento Kings

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (TX)
Houston Rockets

Sioux Falls Skyforce (SD)
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves

Springfield, Mass.
New Jersey Nets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers

Tulsa 66ers (OK)
Oklahoma City Thunder

Utah Flash (Orem, UT)
Atlanta Hawks
Utah Jazz

D-LEAGUE TEAMS (Official site links)
Albuquerque T-birds Anaheim Arsenal Austin Toros Bakersfield Jam Colorado 14ers Dakota Wizards Erie BayHawks Fort Wayne Mad Ants	Idaho Stampede Iowa Energy Los Angeles Defenders Reno Bighorns Rio Grande Valley Vipers Sioux Falls Skyforce Tulsa 66ers Utah Flash

NBA D-League Daily
Monday, Apr. 20, 2009

Today’s Schedule: Dakota @ Utah 9:00 p.m. ET

ALL-TIME HIGH 49 PLAYERS WITH NBA D-LEAGUE EXPERIENCE FEATURED ON 2009 NBA PLAYOFF ROSTERS

2009 NBA playoff rosters feature 49 players with NBA D-League experience, including key contributors Rafer Alston (Orlando), Chris Andersen (Denver), Jose Barea (Dallas), Aaron Brooks (Houston), Jordan Farmar (Los Angeles Lakers), Chuck Hayes (Houston), Ime Udoka (San Antonio) and Von Wafer (Houston).


NBA D-League Daily
Saturday, Apr. 18, 2009

Upcoming Playoff Schedule:
Saturday’s Schedule: Austin @ Colorado 9:00 p.m. ET
Monday's schedule: Dakota @ Utah 9:00 p.m. ET


NBA D-League Daily
Friday, Apr. 17, 2009

THURSDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Behind Wizards guard David Bells’ 34 points off the bench, Dakota beat the Iowa Energy 114-109 in the first round of the NBA D-League playoffs. Dakota had six players in double figures including Bell and three with double-doubles. Guard Blake Ahearn finished the night with 20 points and 11 assists, while forward Renaldo Major also had 20 points of his own. Forward Richard Hendrix grabbed yet another double-double, finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds and guard Maurice Baker nailed 12 points to go with10 rebounds.

Iowa was led in scoring by guard Othyus Jeffers’ 31 points and 14 rebounds, while former Wizards guard Denham Brown nearly grabbed a double-double, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds.


NBA D-League Daily
Thursday, Apr. 16, 2009

SPURS ASSIGN MARCUS WILLIAMS TO AUSTIN

The San Antonio Spurs today assigned forward Marcus Williams to the team’s NBA D-League affiliate Austin Toros. Williams’ is the 45th assignment of the 2008-09 NBA D-League season and the first in his career. Williams, a 6-7 forward, played in 45 games, all starts, for the Toros this season.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Mohammed Abukar notched a game-high 36 points for Idaho, scoring 23 points in the second quarter and hitting a perfect 8-of-8 in the period.

Malik Hairston scored 34 points and Marcus Williams added 33 as the Austin Toros advanced to the second round of the NBA D-League Playoff by defeating the Idaho Stampede 119-116 in overtime. Dwayne Jones, who was acquired earlier in the season for a trade for Mohammed Abukar, recorded a double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds for Austin. San Antonio Spurs assignee Marcus Williams also added nine rebounds and eight assists to his high scoring evening.

Kevin Kruger scored 23 points and Ronald Dupree had a double-double to lead the Utah Flash to a 94-81 victory over the Bakersfield Jam. Kruger also added six rebounds and six assists. Dupree finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. J.R. Giddens, on assignment from the Boston Celtics, knocked down 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Morris Almond, on assignment from the Utah Jazz, contributed 15 points off the Flash bench.

Trey Johnson led the Jam with 23 points, while Mateen Cleaves added 15 points. Justin Reed notched 16 points for the Jam and Terrance Thomas contributed 11 points off the Jam bench.


NBA D-League Daily
Wednesday, Apr. 15, 2009

FORT WAYNE’S CHRIS HUNTER SIGNS WITH NEW YORK KNICKS

The New York Knicks signed Chris Hunter of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants making him the 24th GATORADE Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season. Hunter joins 78 other NBA players with NBA D-League experience. A 2009 NBA D-League All-Star, Hunter, 6-11, appeared in 47 games, all starts, for the Mad Ants this season averaging 19.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 32.8 minutes. He scored in double figures on 44 occasions, including twice scoring a season-high 34 points (Feb. 19, in a 99-90 win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce and April 5, in a 105-86 win over the Tulsa 66ers). For his efforts during the season, Hunter was named to the All-NBA D-League Second Team.

TUESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Seven 14ers scored in double figures, led by 33 points from Josh Davis. Dominique Coleman added 19 points to go with 13 rebounds, five assists and five steals. Eddie Gill and John Lucas combined for 32 points and eight assists in the win.

Maurice Rice led the BayHawks, matching Davis with a game-high 33 points. Erik Daniels added 15 points and 11 assists while Jackie Manuel and Ivan Harris poured In 18 points apiece.

With the victory, Colorado advances to the second round of the D-League playoffs, and will host the winner of tonight’s Idaho Stampede vs. Austin Toros match-up.


NBA D-League Daily
Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2009

2009 NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE PLAYOFFS TIP OFF TODAY IN COLORADO

The 2009 NBA Development League playoffs will begin on Tuesday, April 14 in Broomfield when the top-seeded 14ers host the seventh-seeded Erie BayHawks at 9 pm ET at the Broomfield Event Center in the single-elimination first round. The 14ers selected the BayHawks as their first round opponent, a right the team earned by finishing the season with the best overall record, and capturing the Southwest Division Championship.

First-round action continues with two games on Wednesday, April 15, when the second-seeded Utah Flash host the eighth-seeded Bakersfield Jam at 9 pm ET at the McKay Events Center in Orem, Utah and the fourth-seeded Austin Toros host the fifth-seeded Idaho Stampede in a 2008 NBA D-League Finals rematch at 8:30 pm ET at the Concordia University Fieldhouse on the campus of Concordia University in Austin, Texas.

The first round comes to a close on Thursday when the third-seeded Iowa Energy host the sixth seeded Dakota Wizards at 8 pm ET at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

RAPTORS SIGN DOUBY

The Toronto Raptors announced they have signed guard Quincy Douby for the remainder of this season and the 2009-10 season. The Raptors signed the free agent to consecutive 10-day contracts March 24 and April 2. Douby has appeared in six games for Toronto, averaging 5.2 points and 1.7 assists in 10.7 minutes. He has averaged 8.0 points, 2.0 assists and 14.0 minutes in the past three games, shooting .667 (10-15) from the field and three-point range (4-6) during that span. Douby, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, averaged 18.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 28.6 minutes in five games with the D-League’s Erie BayHawks this season. He scored in double figures in all five games, with a high of 23 points at Albuquerque.

IOWA’S STINSON NAMED NBA D-LEAGUE PERFORMER OF THE WEEK

Curtis Stinson of the Iowa Energy was named NBA Development League Performer of the Week for games played the week of April 6, 2009. Stinson is the second Energy player to earn the honor this season. Stinston led Iowa to a 2-0 record last week as the team clinched the Central Division title with averages of 21.5 points, 15.0 assists, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals. His two 15-assist games marked the 19th and 20th time he has reached double-figures in assists this season. This season, Stinson ranked third in the NBA D-league with 8.4 assists while also adding 16.1 points in 50 games, all starts for the Energy. The 6-2 guard from Iowa State is playing his third season in the NBA D-League.


NBA D-League Daily
Saturday, Apr. 11, 2009

FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Maureece Rice notched a game-high 36 points for Erie. Erik Daniels added 23 points, with Oliver Lafayette coming off the bench to contribute 18.

Coleman Collins marked a career-high with 31 points for the Mad Ants. Anthony Kent notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Ron Howard with 19 and Taj McCullough with 17 rounded out the Mad Ants in double figures.

Wizards forward Richard Hendrix lead the way for Dakota with 25 points on the night and had eight rebounds. Guard Blake Ahearn nailed 19 points; while Maurice Baker dished out a season-high 15 assists to earn his 10th doubl- double of the season hitting 10 points.

Anaheim was led in scoring by guard Cedric Bozeman's 25 points and 12 rebounds. Former Wizards forward Andre Patterson played well off the bench for the Arsenal nailing 17 points while Cameron Bennerman hit 17 points of his own.

Lance Allred paced the Stampede with 24 points and Jamaal Tatum scored all 13 of his points in the fourth quarter. The Stampede finished with six players scoring in double-figures. Kevin Burleson finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and dishing out 11 assists. Roberto Bergersen dropped in 14 points while Lanny Smith and Brent Petway added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Bakersfield was led by Trey Johnson and Mateen Cleaves who scored 24 and 22 points respectively. Nick Lewis and Derrick Byars finished with 15 points apiece, while Terrance Thomas came off the bench to score 11 points.

Dwayne Jones grabbed 28 rebounds and scored 31 points to tie the NBA D-League record of 28 rebounds in a game set by former Toro and current Bighorn Rod Benson, also breaking his own record of 23 set against Tulsa earlier this season. Malik Hairston scored 41 points in his return to Austin.

Craig Winder finished two points shy of his career high scoring 27 points with four rebounds in the loss for RGV. Jared Jordan and Kurt Looby each posted double-doubles. Jordan scored 14 with 10 assists while Looby scored 10 with 15 rebounds. Julian Sensley scored 20 in the game and finished a rebound shy of a double-double, while Cliff Clinkscales added 14 points and five assists off the bench.


NBA D-League Daily
Friday, Apr. 10, 2009

RIO GRANDE VALLEY’S JAWAD WILLIAMS SIGNS WITH CLEVELAND

The Cleveland Cavaliers today signed forward Jawad Williams of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers making him the 21st Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season. Williams, a 6-9 forward from North Carolina, has appeared in 19 games, 18 starts, for the Vipers this season and is averaging 25.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

ALBUQUERQUE’S MOUHAMED SENE SIGNS WITH NEW YORK KNICKS

The New York Knicks signed Mouhamed Sene of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds making him the 22nd Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season. Sene joins 77 other NBA players with NBA D-League experience. Sene, a 7-0 center from Senegal, has appeared in 10 games, nine starts, for the Thunderbirds this season and is averaging 10.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. He has scored in double figures seven times, including five points/rebounds double-doubles.

AUSTIN’S DEMARCUS NELSON SIGNS WITH CHICAGO BULLS

The Chicago Bulls today signed DeMarcus Nelson of the Austin Toros making him the 23rd Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season. Nelson joins 78 other NBA players with NBA D-League experience. Nelson, a 6-4 guard from Duke, has appeared in 11 games, 10 starts, since joining the Toros on March 10, 2009 and is averaging 23.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 41.4 minutes.

THURSDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Ryan Forehan-Kelly scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Brandon Heath and Charlie Parker each chipped in 20 points. Earl Barron posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Dwayne Mitchell scored 14 and Mickael Gelabab added 13.

Reno was led by Richie Frahm’s 18 points and David Noel recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds. Russell Robinson added 16 points, nine boards and seven assists. Daryl Dorsey scored 16 points off the bench.

Curtis Stinson’s double-double, 27 points and 15 assists, propelled the Iowa Energy. Also posting double-doubles were Othyus Jeffers with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Denham Brown with 25 and 11. Demetris Nichold scored 22 and John Edwards added 20 to round out Energy players in double digit scoring.

Six Wizard players scored in double-digits, including Maurice Baker, notching a double-double with 15 points and 12 assists. Renaldo Major led with 25 points and Romel Beck added 20.


NBA D-League Daily
Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2009

COURTNEY SIMS NAMED NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE MVP

Courtney Sims, who appeared in 32 games with the Iowa Energy, has been named the NBA Development League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2008-09 season. Sims, a 6-11 center, who is currently in the middle of his second 10-day contract with the New York Knicks, was selected by a vote of the NBA D-League’s head coaches. NBA D-League president Dan Reed will present Sims with his award prior to the start of an upcoming Knicks game at Madison Square Garden.

NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE ANNOUNCES 2008-09 ALL-LEAGUE SELECTIONS

Five NBA Development League players with NBA experience make up the 2008-09 All-NBA D-League First Team, including Iowa center Courtney Sims - the 2008 NBA Development League’s Most Valuable Player currently playing for the New York Knicks - Dakota guard Blake Ahearn, Albuquerque guard Will Conroy, Erie forward Erik Daniels and Austin center Marcus Williams.

Two members of the Bakersfield Jam, guard Trey Johnson and forward Derrick Byars, earned spots on the All-NBA D-League Second Team. The duo from Bakersfield is joined by Colorado forward Josh Davis, Fort Wayne center Chris Hunter and Anaheim guard James White, who is playing for the NBA’s Houston Rockets.

The All-NBA D-League Third Team is made up of Colorado guard Eddie Gill, Utah forward Ronald Dupree and Idaho center Lance Allred and a pair of Charlotte Bobcats, guard Dontell Jefferson who was called-up from Utah and forward Cartier Martin who was called-up from the Iowa Energy.

In all, 13 of the 15 players selected to this year’s First, Second, and Third All-NBA D-League teams by a vote of the League’s 16 head coaches have NBA experience, while seven earned Call-Ups this season.

FORT WAYNE’S HUNTER AND AUSTIN’S WILLIAMS NAMED NBA D-LEAGUE CO-PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Chris Hunter of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Marcus Williams of the Austin Toros were today named NBA D-league Co-Performers of the Week for games played the week of March 30, 2009. Williams earns the honor for the second time this season and the third in his career, while this is the first selection for Hunter.


NBA D-League Daily
Sunday, Apr. 5, 2009

THUNDER RECALLS D.J. WHITE, KYLE WEAVER FROM TULSA 66ERS

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced that the team has recalled forward D.J. White and guard Kyle Weaver from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League. White has appeared in six games (five starts) for the 66ers during three assignments to the D-League. The 6-9 forward averaged 18.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 31 minutes per game while with Tulsa. Weaver saw action in two games (two starts) during his first assignment to the 66ers. The 6-6 guard averaged 17 points, 9.0 assists and 7.5 rebounds in 44 minutes per game.

VIPERS RE-ACQUIRE HUBBARD

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers announced today that they have re-acquired Marcus Hubbard, who was waived due to injury on March 18. To make room on the roster, the Vipers waived Quin Humphrey due to injury.

SATURDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS…top performers from Saturday’s games:

Mateen Cleaves notched a double-double (14 points, 12 assists) as the Bakersfield Jam defeated the Anaheim Arsenal 96-84. Derrick Byars led all scorers with 23 points for the game while Nick Lewis also added 21 points for the Jam.

The Arsenal received 20-point efforts by Kedrick Brown and Cedric Bozeman in the loss. Bozeman added 13 rebounds to notch a double-double.

Roberto Bergersen and Lance Allred paced the Stampede with 19 points each. Allred also earned a double-double by adding 10 rebounds. Jason Ellis recorded a double-double of his own with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Kevon Burleson ended the night with 11 points and 12 assists.

Kasib Powell led the Skyforce with 24 points and Bobby Jones added 17. Keith Brumbaugh dished out a season-high five assists.

Marcus Williams recorded a triple-double including 29 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, while all starters scored in double figures for the second game in a row. San Antonio Spurs assignee Malik Hairston scored 21 points, Dwayne Jones added 14 and Eric Dawson finished with 13.

Curtis Stinson recorded a triple-double for the Energy and scored a team-high 27 points, 11 points and 10 assists. Iowa also had five players scoring in double figures, which included 19 points from Othyus Jeffers, 17 from Mark Tyndale and 14 from Demetris Nichols.

Maureece Rice led all scores with 37 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for Erie. Erik Daniels added 21.

Richie Frahm led the Bighorns with 28 points and Alton Ford added 22. David Noel notched a double-double with 18 points and 14 assists.


NBA D-League Daily
Saturday, Apr. 4, 2009

TORONTO’S JAWAI RE-ASSIGNED TO IDAHO STAMPEDE

The Toronto Raptors re-assigned rookie Nathan Jawai to the Idaho Stampede. Jawai’s re-assignment is the 43rd in the league this season. In the 6-10 center-forward’s first assignment to the Stampede he appeared in 10 games and averaged 12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 25.0 minutes.

ANAHEIM ARSENAL’S MARCUS CAMPBELL SUSPENDED

Anaheim Arsenal center Marcus Campbell has been suspended for one game for his actions and comments towards game officials following the Arsenal’s game at the Utah Flash on March 28.

FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Erik Daniels scored a game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the BayHawks. Maureece Rice chipped in 18 points, six assists, and two steals.

The D-Fenders were led by Dwayne Mitchell and Brandon Heath, who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. \Earl Barron finished with 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Mad Ants’ Ron Howard and Chris Hunter combined for 63 points as Mad Ants blazed past the Wizards, 100-92. Hunter led all scorers with 33 points and pulled down 16 boards, and Howard scored 30 of his own with 10 rebounds for Fort Wayne.

Richard Hendrix and Blake Ahearn led Dakota. Hendrix notched a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Ahearn scored 19.

Kyle Weaver, on assignment from Oklahoma City, tallied 24 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and three steals. D.J. White, also on assignment from the Thunder, led the 66ers with 28 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Gary Forbes put up 22 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds, while Keith Clark added 12 points. Ryan Humphrey added 15 points and six rebounds off the bench for Tulsa.

The 14ers finished with six players in double-figures, led by Josh Davis, who tied for a game-high with 28 points. Eddie Gill finished with 23 points and seven assists, while Dominique Coleman added 19 points, five boards and five assists. Billy Thomas put in 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, while John Lucas and Kentrell Gransberry scored 10 and nine respectively.

Utah Jazz assignee Morris Almond scored a game-high 27 points, while Kosta Koufos, also on assignment from the Jazz, connected on 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Boston Celtics assignee J.R. Giddens added 21 points for the Flash. Ronald Dupree knocked down 18 points for the Flash.

Jasper Johnson had a double-double for the Thunderbirds with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Will Conroy scored 23 points for Albuquerque, while Mark Walters added 17. Antoine Agudio chipped in 16 points, and Antonio Meeking added 12 points off the Thunderbirds bench.


NBA D-League Daily
Thursday, Apr. 2, 2009

THUNDER ASSIGNS D.J. WHITE, KYLE WEAVER TO TULSA 66ERS

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced that the team has assigned forward D.J. White and guard Kyle Weaver to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY’S JAWAD WILLIAMS NAMED NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Jawad Williams of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers has been named NBA Development League Player of the Month for games played in March. Williams joins C.J. Watson, currently a member of the Golden State Warriors, as Vipers who have earned the monthly honor.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Othyus Jeffers’ 37 points and 14 rebounds led the Energy, with Demitris Nichols adding 23 points. Curtis Stinson (21 points, 11 assists) Marvin Phillips (12 points) and Mark Tyndale (11 points) rounded out the Energy squad scoring in double-digits.

Dwanye Mitchell led the D-Fenders with 28 points, with Mickael Gelabale and Earl Barron adding 21 points a piece. Also contributing to the D-Fenders victory were Ryan Forehand-Kelly (20 points), Charlie Parker (18 points) and Brandon Heath (10 points).

Wizards forward Richard Hendrix helped lead Dakota, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the first half. He also grabbed 12 boards. Blake Ahearn nailed 27 points as well, going 10 for 10 from the free throw line. Dakota had all five starters finish in double figures. Maurice Baker had 18 points and nine rebounds, while David Monds had 16 points and 11 assists. Renaldo Major finished the victory with 16 points.

Idaho was led by center Lance Allred who had 25 points and seven rebounds and all of the reserves scored in double figures. Jamal Tatum led the bench with 18 points and nine assists, while Mildon Ambres had 15 points to go with his nine rebounds.

DeMarcus Nelson scored 29 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Austin Toros defeated the Tulsa 66ers 131-119. Malik Hairston, playing in his first home game with the team since being re-assigned from the San Antonio Spurs, added 26 points in 34 minutes of play. Ryan Bright scored a season-high 15 points and three Toros finished with 26 points including Marcus Williams and Dwayne Jones.

Gary Forbes and DJ White each scored 24 points to lead the 66ers in scoring. Ryan Humphrey added 18 off of the bench.

Jawad Williams dropped in a game-high 35 points and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers notched 68 second half points en route to a 115-100 victory over the host Utah Flash. Jared Jordan recorded a double-double with 17 points and 13 assists. Stanley Asumnu added 16 points, while Trent Strickland notched 15 points in the win. Julian Sensley added 15 points for the Vipers.

Utah Jazz assignee Morris Almond knocked down 24 points, while fellow Jazz assignee Kosta Koufos had his second straight double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Ronald Dupree scored 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out six assists for the Flash, while Boston Celtics assignee J.R. Giddens chipped in 22 points. Kevin Kruger added 19 points for the Flash.


NBA D-League Daily
Wednesday, Apr. 1, 2009

NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE TEAM COMES TO SPRINGFIELD MASSACHUSETTS

NBA Development League President Dan Reed announced at a press conference at the Basketball Hall of Fame that HWS Basketball, LLC will be bringing an NBA D-League team to Springfield, Massachusetts for the 2009-10 season. The team will play at Springfield’s MassMutual Center. The new team will be owned and operated by Michael Savit who is the managing partner of HWS Basketball, LLC, a group of local investors. Savit and his group have been awarded the right to relocate the NBA D-League team currently playing in Anaheim, California to Springfield. While the local ownership group will have the option to retain rights to current Anaheim Arsenal players, they will announce a new name, colors, and a mascot for the Springfield team later on this spring.

THUNDER SIGN GUARD SHAUN LIVINGSTON

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard Shaun Livingston to a multi-year deal. Livingston becomes the 19th Call-Up of the 2008-09 season and the 137th player since the league began play in 2001. With the Tulsa 66ers he averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 29.4 minutes in 11 games (10 starts). At the time of his call-up, the 6’7’’ guard ranked seventh in the D-League in assists (6.0). Originally selected by the L.A. Clippers in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft (#4 overall), he has appeared in 149 NBA games with L.A. Clippers and Miami.

THUNDER RECALLS D.J. WHITE FROM TULSA 66ERS

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced that the team has recalled forward D.J. White from Tulsa. White was assigned to Tulsa for the second time this season on March 29. Overall, he’s seen action in four games D-League contests averaging 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 30.8 minutes.

NUGGETS RECALL WEEMS

The Denver Nuggets have recalled G/F Sonny Weems from the Colorado 14ers. Weems, who was re-assigned to the 14ers on March 6, has averaged 20.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.05 spg in 19 outings during two separate stints for Colorado this season. His second stint with the 14ers was highlighted by several big games, including a 36 point (15-22 FG), nine rebound outburst at Erie on March 27.

TUESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Morris Almond scored 23 points in 27 minutes for the Flash, to lead all scorers. Kosta Koufos and J.R. Giddens finished with 21 and 18 points, respectively. Koufos, also had 10 rebounds, while Giddens had eight rebounds and seven assists. Giddens and Koufos combined for 20 of Utah’s 30 points in the final period. In addition, Ronald Dupree notched his second consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and Kevin Kruger chipped in 11 for the Flash.

Mateen Cleaves and Trey Johnson had 21 points each for Bakersfield. Derrick Byars contributed 20 for the Jam, while Nick Lewis had 12 and Justin Reed 10.


NBA D-League Daily
Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009

RENO’S DAVID NOEL NAMED NBA D-LEAGUE PERFORMER OF THE WEEK

David Noel of the Reno Bighorns is the NBA D-League Performer of the Week for games played during the week of March 29, 2009. Noel becomes the first Bighorns player to earn the honor. Noel led the Bighorns to a 1-1 record and averaged 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 12.0 assists. He registered his second triple-double of the season on Thursday when he scored 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists in a win over Iowa.

Other top performers last week included Rio Grande Valley’s Jawad Williams, who averaged 26 points and 6.5 rebounds in two games for the Vipers; Fort Wayne’s Chris Hunter, who averaged 25.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in three games for the Mad Ants; Erie’s Maureece Rice, who averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.5 steals in two games for the BayHawks; Sioux Falls’ Kasib Powell, who averaged 22.0 points with 6.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 3.5 for the Skyforce; and Iowa’s Curtis Stinson, who averaged 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 3.0 steals in three games for the Energy.

VIPERS ACQUIRE SECOND POINT GUARD

The NBA D-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers announced that they acquired Cliff Clinkscales from the player pool. To make room on the roster, the Vipers waived Jeff Trepagnier. In 43 games (nine starts) with the Erie BayHawks, Clinkscales averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 assists (11th in the D-League) per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. He is sixth in the league in assists per 48 minutes (8.9) and first in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.02.

MONDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Dakota’s David Bell scored a team high 22 points off the bench as the Wizards defeated the Toros 110-102. The Wizards had five others finish in double figures with forward Romel Beck hitting 17 points off the bench, forward Renaldo Major and guard Blake Ahearn both scored 15. Center Jesse Smith and forward Richard Hendrix both nailed 14 points with Smith also grabbing nine boards in the victory.

Austin was led in scoring by forward Marcus Williams who had 29 points. DeMarcus Nelson dropped in 20 points off the bench, while Spurs assigned guard Malik Hairston finished with a double-double, scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds. Center Dwayne Jones also had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.


NBA D-League Daily
Saturday, Mar. 28, 2009

SIOUX FALLS SKYFORCE FRANK WILLIAMS SUSPENDED

Sioux Falls Skyforce guard Frank Williams has been suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the League.

FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Shaun Livingston’s 20 points led the six Tulsa double-figure scorers. Livingston also dished out a team high five assists. Keith Clark tallied his ninth double-double of the season scoring 19 points and hauling in a team high 10 rebounds. Gary Forbes scored 13 while Ryan Humphrey tallied 17 points and brought in five boards.

Trent Strickland and Jawad Williams each scored a game high 29 points in the loss for Rio Grande Valley. Jared Jordan notched his ninth double-double of the season, scoring 14 and dishing out a game high 12 assists, finishing two rebounds shy of his first triple-double. Kurt Looby scored 12 with eight boards and two blocks to round out the double digit RGV scorers.

Kasib Powell paced the Skyforce with season highs in points (26) and assists (9). David Bailey added 24 points. Bobby Jones contributed 17 points and Chris Ellis recorded his sixth double-double on the season with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Leading the Thunderbirds was Antoine Agudio with 21 points and Will Conroy added 19.

4er Sonny Weems, on assignment from the NBA Denver Nuggets, notched a game high 36 points. Josh Davis and Joe Dabbert combined for 18 and 14 respectively in the win.

Maureece Rice once again led the way for the BayHawks with 24 points, adding seven rebounds, seven assists and 4 steals. Erik Daniels added 20 points while Ivan Harris had 19 and Tony Bethel rounded out the BayHawks in double figures with 15.

Utah Jazz assignees Morris Almond and Kosta Koufos combined for 46 points to help lift the Utah Flash to a 109-82 victory. Almond scored 25 points, while Koufos contributed 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in his NBA D-League debut. Boston Celtics assignee J.R. Giddens picked up a game-high 11 assists, to go with eight points, four rebounds and five blocked shots Ronald Dupree had 14 points and Kevin Kruger 13.

Cedric Bozeman recorded a game-high 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Anaheim, while Kedrick Brown added 24 points. Ronald Allen chipped in 11 points.


NBA D-League Daily
Friday, Mar. 27, 2009

KNICKS SIGN JOE CRAWFORD TO 10-DAY CONTRACT

The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that free agent guard Joe Crawford has been signed to a 10-day contract. Crawford, a member of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, became the 18th Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA D- League season.

JAZZ RECALLED FESENKO FROM FLASH

The Utajh Jazz recalled center Kyrylo Fesenko from the Utah Flash, the Jazz’s NBA Development League affiliate. Fesenko has played in 14 games during two assignments to the Flash, averaging 12.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 blocks in 25.6 minutes.

UTAH’S KOUFOS ASSIGNED TO NBA D-LEAGUE AFFILIATE UTAH FLASH

Utah Jazz rookie Kosta Koufos was assigned to the Utah Flash. Koufos’ assignment is the 38th of the 2008-09 NBA D-League season. He joins Jazz teammate Morris Almond on the Flash’s roster. Koufos, a 7-0 center, has appeared in 48 games, seven starts, for the Jazz this season and is averaging 4.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 11.8 minutes. He scored in double figures on seven occasions. Selected by the Jazz in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft, Koufos played one season at Ohio State.

RENO BIGHORNS ALTON FORD SUSPENDED

Reno Bighorns forward Alton Ford has been suspended one game for committing a Flagrant Foul, Penalty Two against Idaho’s Lanny Smith. The incident occurred with 2:54 remaining in the fourth period of Reno’s 108-100 loss to the Stampede at Qwest Arena in Boise on March 19.

THURSDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

In a game of Bighorn firsts and highs, Reno set three new team records as well as the first Bighorns triple-double by David Noel. A new team record was set in points, with 131; a new individual player high of 31 by Richie Frahm ; and a team record of assists with 40. Noel had a triple-double by the end of the 3rd and finished the game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. Rod Benson also scored 17 points and added 11 rebounds for a double-double.

The Energy finished the game with four players scoring 20 or more. Leading the Energy were Othyus Jeffers and JamesOn Curry, both with 24 points. Jeffers added 10 rebounds to net a double-double.

All five Fort Wayne starters finished in double figures and Taj McCullough led the Mad Ants with 25. Anthony Kent (11 points and 15 rebounds) and Walker Russell, Jr. (14 points and 12 assists) both had double-doubles for the Mad Ants as well.

Dwayne Mitchell sat atop the stat sheet for the D-Fenders with 25 points, and Charlie Parker and Ryan Forehan-Kelly added 16 points each.


NBA D-League Daily
Monday, Mar. 23, 2009

AHEARN BREAKS D-LEAGUE 3-POINT RECORD

Dakota Wizards guard Blake Ahearn’s four three pointers Sunday night in Tulsa gave him 125 for the 08-09 season, which sets a new NBA D-League record for three pointers made in a single season. Sioux Falls forward Frank Williams set the mark during the 2006-07 season with 122.

MAURICE BAKER BREAKS WIZARDS CAREER REBOUNDING RECORD

Wizards guard Maurice Baker grabbed six rebounds last night in Colorado, which propelled him past former Wizard Kevin Beard in Wizards regular season rebounds. Baker now sits atop that mark with 1,035 career regular season rebounds. He is also ranked in the top spot in five other categories including being the first Wizards player to surpass 1,000 assists. He now sits at 1,001 in his career.

SUNDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Jawad Williams scored a team-high 28 points for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Jared Jordan dished out a game 15 assists, his third straight game with double digit assists. Kurt Looby hauled a game-high 15 rebounds and finished the game with his seventh double-double of the season adding 14 points to his rebound total while blocking five Austin shots.

DeMarcus Nelson scored a game high 39 points in the Toros loss. Marcus Williams finished with 20 points and Dwayne Jones earned his 13th double-double of the season scoring 16 points with 13 boards.

Six 14ers scored in double figures, led by 23 from Josh Davis. Dominique Coleman added 21 with five rebounds and two steals, and Denver assignee Sonny Weems finished with 20 points, five rebounds, and six assists off the bench in the victory.

The Arsenal was led by Cedric Bozeman’s 27 points, while Cameron Bennerman added 15 in the loss for Anaheim.

Tulsa’s Moses Ehambe came off the bench to score 25 points, one shy of his career-high, in a 112-102 victory over the Dakota Wizards. Tulsa finished with seven players in double digit scoring. D.J. White, on assignment from Oklahoma City had his second double-double with the 66ers, scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Derrick Dial added 15 points, Gary Forbes added 14 points and four assists, and Keith Clark put up 12 points, nine boards and three blocks. Yemi Ogunoye finished with 10 points, five assists and two blocks in the win.

The Wizards finished with six players in double figures, led by Blake Ahearn’s game-high 29 points. Will Frisby added 17 points and seven rebounds, while Jesse Smith contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. Both Maurice Baker and Richard Hendrix finished with double-doubles, as Baker put up 11 points, grabbed 12 boards and added seven assists, while Hendrix had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Romel Beck finished with 10 points and three steals.


NBA D-League Daily
Sunday, Mar. 22, 2009

SATURDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

The D-Fenders finished with seven players scoring in double-figures, led by Joe Crawford’s 21 points and six rebounds. Sun Yue scored a season-high 14 points to go along with four rebounds and three blocks. Charlie Parker added 14 points, while Dwayne Mitchell and Ryan Forehan-Kelly had 11 points each. Brandon Heath and Earl Barron each finished with 10 points, as Barron added seven rebounds and six assists off the bench.

Led by Gary Forbes, Tulsa had five players in double-figures scoring. D.J. White finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Keith Clark added 13 points and 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Moses Ehambe contributed 12 points off the bench and Shaun Livingston added 10 points and five assists.

The Wizards were led by Romel Beck’s 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Blake Ahearn and Maurice Baker finished with 22 points apiece in the loss.

The combination of Billy Thomas and Dominique Coleman led Colorado. Thomas 22 points and Coleman posted new season highs of 32 points and eight steals to go along with his nine rebounds and four assists.

Leading Erie was Quincy Douby, who tallied 23 points, five assists and five boards. Helping Douby, was Maureece Rice and Ivan Harris, who combined for 43 points, 12 rebounds and two assists. Erie's starters all scored in double figures.

Antoine Agudio finished the game with 25 points and two rebounds to lead the T-birds.Chipping in 17 points and 10 rebounds was Jasper Johnson, who nabbed is 16th double-double this season.

David Noel scored 28 points, helping the Reno Bighorns defeat the Idaho Stampede 119-115. Richie Frahm led the three-point assault, shooting 67% (6-9) from deep and finished with 26 points. Russell Robinson added 25 points for the Bighorns.

Stampede forward Lance Allred scored 24 points while Jason Ellis finished the game with his second consecutive double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Nathan Jawai, on assignment from the Toronto Raptors, also finished with a double-double scoring 15 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Mohammed Abukar dropped in 19 points, while Kevin Burleson added 17 points, in the loss.

Six Bakersfield Jam players scored in double-digits on their way to a 108-96 victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The Bakersfield effort was led by double-doubles by Mateen Cleaves (17 points, 11 assists) and Nick Lewis (13points, 10 rebounds) while Trey Johnson led all Jam scorers with 21 points and Derrick Byars followed with 20.

Kasib Powell led all Sioux Falls scorers with 21 points and David Bailey added 18.


NBA D-League Daily
Saturday, Mar. 21, 2009

BOSTON’S GIDDENS RE-ASSIGNED TO NBA D-LEAGUE AFFILIATE UTAH FLASH

Boston Celtics guard J.R. Giddens was re-assigned to the Utah Flash.The assignment is the 36th this season, and Giddens’ third. Giddens was originally assigned to the Flash between Nov. 25, 2008 and Jan. 8, 2009 and then again between Feb. 5 and Feb. 29, 2009. Giddens, a 6-5 rookie guard selected in the first round, 30th overall, by the Celtics in the 2008 NBA draft, has played in six games for the Celtics this season, scoring four points in eight minutes. In 15 games, 12 starts for the Flash, Giddens averaged 17.6 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field. Giddens scored in double figures on 14 occasions, twice finishing with points/rebounds double-doubles.

FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Jawad Williams scored a team-high 28-points and Trent Strickland tallied 23 points and four rebounds for Rio Grande. Jared Jordan notched his second straight double-double and his eighth of the season as he scored 15 points and thirteen assists. Quin Humphrey scored 13 to lead the bench in scoring and dished out the game winning assists.

Will Conroy finished one rebound shy of a triple-double as he scored 17 points and dished out a season high 18 assists for the Thunderbirds. Five other Thunderbirds scored in double-figures. Antonio Meeking tallied 22 points off the bench while Mark Walters scored 21 to help the T-bird effort.

Utah Jazz assignee Morris Almond scored a game-high 26 points and all five Utah Flash starters reached double-digits in scoring. Almond also notched his 1,000 point as a Jazz player on assignment to the Flash with a dunk at the 10:51 mark in the second quarter. Kyrylo Fesenko, also on assignment from the Jazz, notched his second-consecutive double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Ronald Dupree netted 22 points and Kevin Kruger added 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists for the Flash. Brian Jackson chipped in 10.

Erie’s Maureece Rice knocked down a team-high 22 points for Erie. Erick Daniels dropped in 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Quincy Douby added 19 points. Jackie Manuel chipped in 10 points.

Anaheim finished with three players with 20+ points, two players obtaining double-doubles with Kedrick Brown finishing with 32 points and 14 rebounds and Marcus Campbell taking home 19 points and 18 rebounds. Arsenal guard Cedric Bozeman scored 28 points on the night.

Iowa forward Othyus Jeffers led the Energy with 25 total points. Iowa finished with four players reaching 20+ points, including Courtney Sims who ended with a double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds.


NBA D-League Daily
Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2009

TUESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHT:

Frank Williams scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Sioux Falls Skyforce to a 92-89 victory over the Los Angeles D-Fenders. On assignment from the Charlotte Bobcats, Alexis Ajinca recorded a double-double pulling down 12 rebounds and 18 points, scoring all of his points in the first half. Williams and Ajinca paced the Skyforce in the second quarter scoring 22 of the team’s 29 points in the period.

Earl Barron came off the bench for Los Angeles to grab a game-high 17 rebounds to go along with 10 points. Lawrence McKenzie led three D-Fenders’ reserves (Barron and Ryan Forehan-Kelly each scored 10) in double figures with 16 points. Joe Crawford led all D-Fenders with 19.

Courtney Sims led Iowa with a game-high 36 points. Forward Othyus Jeffers had four steals to go with 29 points in the victory.

The Wizards were lead by newly acquired forward Romel Beck who scored a season high 27 points and dished eight assists. Guard Blake Ahearn also put on a shooting display hitting 27 points as well as four three pointers. Other Wizards in double digits include forward Richard Hendrix with 12 points 13 boards, forward Will Frisby had 17 points and 10 boards and guard Maurice Baker who finished with 18 points and nine assists.

Josh Davis led six Colorado players in double figures with 22 points. Sonny Weems added 20 off the bench, while Joe Dabbert posted 19 with eight rebounds in 18 minutes of action. Eddie Gill put up his 12th double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 assists to go with six rebounds.

Idaho was led by Lance Allred’s 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jamaal Tatum and Mohammed Abukar also combined for 30 points off the bench.

Will Conroy finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to lead Albuquerque. Guard Antoine Agudio chipped in 23 points and newly acquired Mouhamed Sene grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

Leading the 66ers was Herbert Hill, who tallied 26 points, 10 boards, five blocked shots and an assist. Tulsa’s backcourt, comprised of Shaun Livingston and Gary Forbes, combined for 34 points, 13 rebound and nine assists.

Both teams had all 10 starters finish with double digit scoring totals as Bakersfield defeated Anaheim 111-94. David Berghoefer notched a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Jam. Trey Johnson led all scorers with 23 points and six rebounds while Justin Reed finished with 20 points and eight rebounds.

Cameron Bennerman led the Arsenal with 18 points while Cedric Bozeman added 17. Kedrick Brown and Ray Reed tallied 14 points apiece.


NBA D-League Daily
Monday, Mar. 16, 2009

SUNDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Antoine Agudio and Will Conroy led the Thunderbirds, scoring 30 points apiece. Conroy added eight rebounds and seven assists. Mouhamed Sene notche double-double scoring 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Leading the 66ers was Gary Forbes with 26 points and six boards. Herbert Hill tallied a double-double, scoring 18 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Derrick Dial provided a spark off the bench with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Player of the Game, Othyus Jeffers, scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Energy defeated the Erie BayHawks 101-89. Courtney Sims (19 points, 14 rebounds), Curtis Stinson (19 points) and Patrick Sanders (12 points) all added double-digits.

Eire’s Erik Daniel went 7-for-7 from behind the free throw line, while scoring 22 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. Maureece Rice added 17 points while Cliff Clinkscales and Quincy Douby scored 14 points apiece to round out the Erie players scoring in double-digits.

Cedric Bozeman led the Arsenal with 24 points and 7 rebounds while Ron Allen followed with 21 points.

Rod Benson led the Bighorns with 25 points and 7 rebounds. Bighorns forward David Noel notched 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while Lamar Butler came off the bench to add 21.

Ryan Forehan-Kelly posted a game-high 24 off the bench in the win for Los Angeles and Darren Cooper finished with 15 points. In addition to Forehan-Kelly and Cooper, all five Los Angeles starters finished in double figures on the night including Joe Crawford with 16 and Dwayne Mitchell, who added 13 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

Colorado was led by Dominique Coleman’s 20 points. Trey Gilder added 15 with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots in the loss.

Blake Ahearn and David Bell led the Wizards with 18 points each. Ahearn added six assists and Bell added six rebounds. Richard Hendrix notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Maurice Baker added 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Taj McCullough led five Mad Ants in double figure scoring with 24 points. Ron Howard scored 21 points and Coleman Collins added 17. Walker Russell and Chris Hunter both recorded double-doubles, Russell with 17 points and 10 assists; Hunter with 12 and 10 rebounds.


NBA D-League Daily
Saturday, Mar. 14, 2009

FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Blake Ahearn led the charge with 35 points, shooting 7 of 10 from the three point arc. Maurice Baker (20), Will Frisby (18) Romel Beck (15) and Renaldo Major (13) rounded out the Wizards in double figures. Ahearn's seven three pointers gives him 202 for his Wizards career, which sets a new franchise record for career 3-pointers made in regular season games. Ahearn who passed Forward Willie Murdaugh (197 total) becomes the first Dakota player to have made more than 200 three pointers in a career. He broke the record in just 75 games.

Maureece Rice continued his hot hand with a game high 36 points and just missed a double-double with 9 assists on the night. Ivan Harris knocked down 23 points and Erik Daniels added 17 in the losing effort. The BayHawks newest addition Quincy Douby notched 16 points in his debut outing.

Dwayne Jones led the Austin Toros to a 111-108 overtime win over the Tulsa 66ers on Friday with season-highs of 33 points and 23 rebounds. Austin finished with five players scoring in double figures. Marcus Williams finished with 26 points and eight rebounds, while DerMarr Johnson added 18 points off the bench. DeMarcus Nelson contributed 15 points and nine rebounds, and Burrell chipped in 13 points and seven assists for the Toros.

Tulsa dished out 30 assists, led by Shaun Livingston’s 10, on 43 made field goals for the game. Tulsa also finished with five players in double figures. Forbes finished with a team-high 22 points and snagged eight rebounds, while Keith Clark put up 20 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out five assists. Ehambe shot 6-of-10 from the field en route to his 18 points off the bench, while Hill added 17 points and three blocks, and Yemi Ogunoye finished with 11.

Lance Allred scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half to pace the Idaho Stampede who had six players in double-digit scoring. Toronto assignee Nathan Jawai scored 15 points to go with nine rebounds. Kevin Burleson and Jason Ellis each finished with double-doubles. Burleson scored 14 points and dished out 10 assists, while Ellis recorded 11 points and pulled down 15 rebounds.

Los Angeles forward Dwayne Mitchell dropped in 34 points to lead all scorers in the game. Brandon Heath added 20 points, while Gabriel Hughes recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Charlie Parker came off the bench to score 10 points, in the loss.

Utah Jazz assignee Morris Almond poured in a game-high 29 points for the Utah en route to a 108-96 victory over the Bakersfield Jam. Gavin Grant contributed 14 points for the Flash in a reserve role. Ronald Dupree and Kevin Kruger each dropped in 13 points for the Flash, while Carlos Wheeler chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds. Jazz assignee Kyrylo Fesenko grabbed nine rebounds.

Trey Johnson led Bakersfield scorers with 28 points, while Byars added 18. Justin Reed, Nick Lewis and Alpha Bangura each had 12.

Rod Benson led the Bighorns with 30 points and seven rebounds. Russell Robinson scored 20 points while Patrick Ewing Jr. and David Noel finished with 19 points apiece. Noel added eight rebounds and eight assists.

Led by Frank Williams’ game-high 31 points, the Skyforce had six players score double-digits.


NBA D-League Daily
Thursday, Mar. 12, 2009

UTAH’S DONTELL JEFFERSON CALLED UP TO CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

The Charlotte Bobcats have signed Dontell Jefferson of the Utah Flash to a 10-day contract. Jefferson becomes the 15th Call-Up of the 2008-09 season and 133rd overall since the league began play in 2001. Jefferson, a 6-4 guard out of Arkansas, has appeared in 32 games for the Flash this season and averaged 18.6 points, 5.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 36.7 minutes, scoring in double figures on 28 occasions, including 16 games with 20 or more points.

A three-year NBA D-League veteran, Jefferson played for two seasons with the Dakota Wizards, where he was a part of the 2006-07 NBA D-League championship squad. Jefferson has also participated in preseason training camps with the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS:

Lance Allred recorded a double-double to help the Idaho Stampede defeat the Anaheim Arsenal 91-90. Allred and Luke Jackson each finished the first quarter with 10 points apiece. Allred finished the game with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Jackson led all Stampede scorers with 23 points to go with nine assists and eight rebounds.

Anaheim guard Cedric Bozeman scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half. Kedrick Brown followed with 20 points to go with eight rebounds. Marcus Campbell notched a double-double, contributing 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Trey Johnson led Bakersfield with 24 points and added five rebounds. Justin Reed tallied a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Terrance Thomas added 16 points, Alpha Bangura had 12 points and six rebounds, while Nick Lewis collected 11 points and five rebounds to round out five Jam players in double digit scoring.

David Noel led Reno with 23 points while Patrick Ewing Jr. erupted for a 22 and 15 double-double. Richie Frahm followed with 20 points and seven rebounds and Russell Robinson contributed 18 points and seven assists.


NBA D-League Daily
Wednesday, Mar. 11, 2009

TUESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Chris Hunter’s 29 points and 12 rebounds and a triple double by Walker Russell led Fort Wayne to a 113-110 victory over Austin. Russell had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists and Ron Howard added 28 for the Mad Ants.

Marcus Williams led the Toros with 34 points and 8 rebounds. Dwayne Jones added 23 points and 16 rebounds to the Toros efforts.

The Colorado 14ers set a new franchise record for points in a game in a 147-119 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The 14ers set another team mark with 49 points in the fourth quarter to pick up their eighth consecutive win on the home court. Seven Colorado players scored in double figures, led by 27 points from Denver Nuggets assigned player Sonny Weems. Weems added six rebounds, seven assists, and two steals off the bench in the win. Colorado’s starting backcourt of Eddie Gill and Dominique Coleman also combined for 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in the win. John Lucas and Trey Gilder chimed in with 17 apiece, and Josh Davis added 16 points.

Jawad Williams had a game-high 29 points, as the leading scorer for Rio Grande Valley. The trio of Ernest Scott, Quin Humphrey, and Craig Winder also combined for 48 points off the bench for the Vipers.

Trey Johnson led Bakersfield with 22 points en route to a 102-96 victory over the Reno Bighorns. Johnson led all scorers, while Derrick Byars and Nick Lewis both added 18 to the Jam tally in addition to Mateen Cleaves' 12 assists.

Patrick Ewing, Jr. and David Noel both contributed double-doubles for Reno as six players scored in the double digits for the Bighorns. Ewing scored 19 points and 14 rebounds while Noel notched 11 points and 10assists.

Nabbing his 19th double –double this season was Iowa’s Courtney Sims who had two game highs with 25 points and 15rebounds.Curtis Stinson chipped in 21points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Leading the Thunderbirds was guard Will Conroy who tallied 24 points, 10 dishes, five rebounds and two steals. Conroy received help from Jasper Johnson who added 18 points and 10 boards.


NBA D-League Daily
Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2009

CHARLOTTE’S AJINCA AND SINGLETARY ASSIGNED TO NBA D-LEAGUE AFFILIATE SIOUX FALLS SKYFORCE

The Charlotte Bobcats assigned Alexis Ajinca and Sean Singletary to the team’s NBA Development League Affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce. Ajinca and Singletary are the 31st and 32nd assignments of the 2009 NBA D-League season, respectively. Originally selected in the first round (20th overall) by the Bobcats in the 2008 NBA Draft, Ajinca has appeared in 31 games for the Bobcats, four as a starter, and averaged 2.3 points in 5.9 minutes.

Singletary, who was selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, has appeared in 24 games for the Bobcats this season after being traded from Phoenix in Dec. 10, 2008. In 37 games this season, including 13 with the Suns, Singletary is averaging 2.4 points in 8.2 minutes.

ERIE TEAMMATES DANIELS AND RICE NAMED NBA D-LEAGUE CO-PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK

Erik Daniels and Maureece Rice of the Erie BayHawks were named NBA D-League Co-Performers of the Week for games played during the week of March 2. Daniels, who also earned the honor on Dec. 8, 2008, and Rice led Erie to a 3-0 record last week.

Daniels, a 6-8 forward from Kentucky, averaged 23.3 points, 13.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists last week, including a triple-double on Thursday when he scored 30 points, pulled down 23 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in a win over Tulsa.

Rice, a 6-1 rookie guard from George Washington, finished the week averaging 24.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He has scored more than 20 points in his last eight outings.

MONDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Luke Jackson scored a game-high 29 points as the Idaho Stampede overcame a 21-point second half deficit to pick up a 105-100 victory over the host Utah Flash. Lance Allred contributed 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Idaho. Mohammed Abukar dropped in 21 points off the bench, while Jamaal Tatum added 11 and Jason Ellis grabbed 13 rebounds for the Stampede.

Jazz assignee Morris Almond led the Flash with 22 points, while Kevin Kruger added 15. Ronald Dupree chipped in 19 points. James Lang grabbed 10 rebounds for the Flash.


NBA D-League Daily
Sunday, Mar. 8, 2009

66ERS ACQUIRE POINT GUARD SHAUN LIVINGSTON

The Tulsa 66ers announced they have acquired the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, point guard Shaun Livingston. Livingston, at 6 foot 7 inches, has played in 149 regular season NBA games, including 60 starts for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2004-07. He played in four games for the Miami Heat earlier this season and has career averages of 7.3 points, 4.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds while shooting 44 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line. In order to make room on the roster for Livingston, the 66ers released guard Derrick Dial due to an injury.

UTAH’S ALMOND ASSIGNED TO NBA D-LEAGUE AFFILIATE UTAH FLASH

The Utah Jazz assigned Morris Almond to the team’s NBA Development League affiliate Utah Flash while re-assigning Kyrylo Fesenko. Almond and Fesenko’s assignments are the 29th and 30th of the 2009 NBA D-League season, respectively.

Originally drafted by the Jazz in the first round (25th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft, Almond, a 6-6 guard out of Rice University, has appeared in 25 games for the Jazz this season and averaged 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.2 minutes. Last season, Almond earned NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year honors following a 34-game assignment to the Flash. During his time with the Flash last season, Almond averaged 25.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists while scoring an NBA D-League record 53 points in a game against the Bakersfield Jam on Jan. 30, 2008.

Fesenko, a 7-1 center from the Ukraine who was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round (38th overall) in the 2007 NBA Draft, rejoins the Flash having been assigned earlier this season for eight games between Jan. 6 and Jan. 24, 2009. In that time, Fesenko averaged 12.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 12.5 minutes. In 18 games for the Jazz this season, Fesenko averaged 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in 7.9 minutes.

SATURDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS…top performers from Saturday’s games:

Ryan Humphrey and Keith Clark both recorded double-doubles for Tulsa. Humphrey finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Clark put in 14 points, snagged 12 rebounds and blocked four shots. The 66ers were led by Jeremy Kelly with 22 points and six assists. Gary Forbes finished with 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds, while Yemi Ogunoye had six points and seven boards. Signed earlier in the afternoon, Shaun Livingston put up six points and dished out three assists in his debut.

Jawad Williams led the Vipers with a game-high 28 points, while Jared Jordan pitched in 12 points and seven assists. Trent Strickland added 10 points and seven rebounds, and Craig Winder had 10 points off the bench. Kurt Looby had six blocks and 12 rebounds for the Vipers.

The Arsenal’s Kedrick Brown led the home team early with nine points on his way to lead all scorers on the night with 33. Cedrick Bozeman, who ended up playing all 48 minutes, finished with 26 points and 4 rebounds.

Dwayne Mitchell finished with 21 points and 5 rebounds for Los Angeles. Marcus Campbell added 18 points and 7 rebounds while Joe Crawford ended with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Sun Yue finished with 12 points and 4 blocked shots on the night.

Marcus Williams led the Toros wih 27 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. Carldell Johnson and Ezra Williams each added 13.

Reno was led by Patrick Ewing Jr., scoring 25 points and grabbing eight boards. Russell Robinson added 20 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists.


NBA D-League Daily
Saturday, Mar. 7, 2009

AUSTIN’S POPS MENSAH-BONSU CALLED UP TO TORONTO RAPTORS

The Toronto Raptors announced that they have signed forward Pops Mensah-Bonus of the Austin Toros to a 10-day contract. The call to the NBA is the second of the season for Mensah-Bonsu, who becomes the 13th Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season.

IOWA’S DEMETRIS NICHOLS CALLED UP TO NEW YORK KNICKS

The New York Knicks announced that they have signed Demetris Nichols to a 10-day contract. Nichols becomes the 14th player to earn a Call-Up during the 2008-09 season and the 132nd overall since the league began play in 2001.

DENVER’S WEEMS RE-ASSIGNED TO NBA D-LEAGUE AFFILIATE COLORADO 14ERS

The Denver Nuggets have re-assigned rookie Sonny Weems to the team’s NBA Development League affiliate Colorado 14ers. Weems’ is the 27th assignment of the 2008-09 season.

LOS ANGELES’ SUN YUE ASSIGNED TO NBA D-LEAGUE AFFILIATE LOS ANGELES D-FENDERS

The Los Angeles Lakers today assigned Sun Yue to the team’s NBA Development League affiliate Los Angeles D-Fenders. Sun is the 28th assignment of the 2008-09 season and the first from the Lakers to the D-Fenders this season.

GILL, BROWN RETURN TO 14ERS

The Colorado 14ers announced that point guard Eddie Gill and forward Jamar Brown have returned to the team. They join the active roster after Billy Thomas was released for personal reasons, and Lamar Butler was released from the team.

FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

On assignment from the Los Angeles Lakers, rookie guard Sun Yue hit his first jumper 14 seconds into the game. Yue finished the game with 11 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two blocks. Gabriel Hughes scored all 19 points and seven of his team-high nine rebounds in the second half. Joe Crawford also chipped in with 19 points to pace the D-Fenders. Brandon Heath finished the night with 16 points.

Cedrick Bozeman led all scorers with 24, while Kedrick Brown poured in 22 and 14 rebounds. Arsenal center Marcus Campbell finished with a double-double, pulling down 18 rebounds to go with 17 points. Ray Reed came off the bench to lead all reserves with 16 points.

Tony Bethel had his strongest game in a BayHawks uniform, knocking down a game-high 32 points including a couple of crucial jumpers late in the game. Both Maureece Rice (24 points, 12 rebounds) and Erik Daniels (20 points, 11 rebounds) had double-doubles in the win.

Frank Williams and Kasib Powell led the scoring for the Skyforce, marking 23 and 22 points respectively. Six players finish in double figures.

Ronald Dupree and Dontell Jefferson scored 19 points apiece to lead the Utah Flash to a 102-94 victory over Albuquerque. Jefferson added nine assists while Dupree collected 11 rebounds to record his fifth double-double of the season. He finished three assists shy of his first triple-double. Bennet Davis chipped in 15 for Utah, followed by James Lang with 12. Carlos Wheeler and Kevin Kruger had 11 points each.

Jasper Johnson scored 19 points and had 11 rebounds to lead Albuquerque. Keith McLeod and Will Conroy contributed 18 points each for the Thunderbirds. Antonio Meeking scored 13 and had nine rebounds, while Antoine Agudio added 12.


NBA D-League Daily
Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2009

ANAHEIM’S JAMES WHITE CALLED UP TO HOUSTON ROCKETS

The Houston Rockets announced they have signed guard/forward James White to a 10-day contract. White becomes the 12th Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season, and the 130th overall since the league began play in 2001.

A 2009 NBA D-League All-Star and the NBA D-League Slam Dunk Champion in Phoenix, White has appeared in 34 games (33 starts) with the Arsenal, where he averaged a league-leading 25.9 points to go with 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 41.1 minutes while shooting 55 percent (291-of-530) from the field. Named NBA D-League Performer of the Week on Jan. 5, White has scored in double figures 33 times, including 11 games where he scored 30 or more points, while recording an NBA D-League season-high 47 points in a 117-113 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Jan. 20, 2009. Originally drafted in the second round (31st overall) by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2006 NBA Draft, White appeared in 24 games with the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs during the 2006-07 season, when he averaged 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 22.8 minutes.

TOROS ACQUIRE DERMARR JOHNSON

The Austin Toros announced that they have acquired forward DerMarr Johnson from the NBA D-League Player Pool. Johnson, a 6-9, 210-pound forward from Cincinnati, played for the Toros during the 2007-08 season and averaged 17.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 44 games. While playing for Austin last season, Johnson received two Call-Ups to the San Antonio Spurs and remained with the team for the 2008 NBA Playoffs.

TUESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Dwayne Mitchell led all players with 27 points and nine rebounds and Brandon Heath registered 25 points and nine assists as the Los Angeles D-Fenders defeated the visiting Fort Wayne Mad Ants, 123-116. Joe Crawford chipped in with 20 points.

All five Mad Ants’ starters scored in double figures led by Walker Russell Jr. with 24 points and a game-high 14 assists. Taj McCullough followed with 21 and Ron Howard added 20.

Five Iowa players scored in the double-digits with Othyus Jeffers posting a game-high 28 points and 12 rebounds. Demetris Nichols scored 20 points for the Energy while Courtney Sims recorded a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Curtis Stinson had a well-rounded night scoring 16 points, pulling down 10 rebounds and dishing out five assists.

Leading the Skyforce was Kasib Powell with 23 points. David Bailey added 22 points while Bobby Jones contributed 15.

Trent Strickland led the Vipers with a team high 27 points as six players scored in double figures. Jawad Williams scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half. Kurt Looby scored 11 points and hauled in a season high 17 rebounds while blocking five Albuquerque shots, netting his fifth double-double of the season. Jared Jordan tallied his fourth straight double-double and his sixth of the season scoring 16-points while dishing out 10 assists.

Keith Mcleod scored a season high 34-points to lead the scoring charge for the Thunderbirds. Jasper Johnson, the reigning D-League Player of the Month, scored 24 points while hauling in seven boards. Will Conroy scored 20 and tallied nine assists.


NBA D-League Daily
Sunday, Mar. 1, 2009

SATURDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Courtney Sims led Iowa with 30 points, while Othyus Jeffers and Demetris Nichols contributed 26 points apiece. Curtis Stinson (13 points, 7 assists) and Brian Evans (11 points) rounded out the five Energy starters who scored in double digits.

Leading the Wizards offense was Blake Ahearn scoring 25 points, with Will Fribsy and Maurice Baker both adding 17 points a piece. David Bell scored 14 points coming off the bench as Richard Hendrix and Hamed Haddadi both contributed 12 points.

David Bailey led all scorers with 31 points and also dished out seven assists. Frank Williams netted 25 points and seven assists of his own. Bobby Jones recorded his 10th double-double on the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Leading the 14ers was Trey Gilder with 19 points and Billy Thomas with 18. Dominique Coleman added a double-double of his own by scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

Austin was led by Marcus Williams’ game-high 30 points, while Eric Dawson added a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Dwayne Jones scored nine points and snagged 17 rebounds.

Keith Clark finished with his fifth double-double of the season, as he scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Tulsa. In addition to Clark, Gary Forbes added 16 points and six rebounds, while Jeremy Kelly finished with 14 points.

Thunderbirds’ forward David Noel led both teams in scoring with a game-high of 27 points. Jasper Johnson added 26 points and grabbed 11 boards.

Cedric Bozeman led the Arsenal with 22 points. Marcus Campbell finished with 15 points and grabbed a game-high 23 rebounds. Kedrick Brown added 18 points.

Luke Jackson notched 24 points, and five players reached double-figures in scoring as the Idaho Stampede defeated Utah 104-96. Toronto Raptors assignee Nathan Jawai dropped in 12 points in the win, while Brent Petway added 14 points. Kevin Burelson chipped in 19 points, and Mildon Ambres added 16 points off the Stampede bench.

Dontell Jefferson notched a game-high 29 points for the Flash, while Carlos Wheeler added 14 points and eight rebounds off the Flash bench. Ronald Dupree recorded 17 of his 19 points in the second half and grabbed eight rebounds in the Flash.


NBA D-League Daily
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009

NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE EXPANDS TO PORTLAND, MAINE

The NBA Development League has awarded an expansion team to Portland, Maine for the 2009-10 season, NBA D-League President Dan Reed announced yesterday at a press conference at Portland High School. The team, which is the first expansion franchise awarded for the 2009-10 season, will play at the Portland Expo Center.

The franchise will be owned and operated by Maine Basketball, LLC, which is principally owned by Bill Ryan Sr., the chairman of TD Banknorth Group and Bill Ryan Jr., who owns and operates Oxford Plains Speedway. Jon Jennings, a partner in Maine Basketball, LLC and former Boston Celtics assistant coach, will serve as the team’s president and general manager.

Portland will be affiliated with two NBA team parent-clubs, which will be able to assign their first and second year players to the club a maximum of three times during a season. Thus far, the 2008-09 NBA D-League season has had 22 NBA players assigned on 24 occasions to NBA D-League affiliates as players continue to develop their game. An announcement regarding Portland’s NBA team affiliations will occur during the offseason.

AUSTIN’S POPS MENSAH-BONSU CALLED UP TO SAN ANTONIO SPURS

The San Antonio Spurs announced that they have signed forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu, of the Austin Toros, to a 10-day contract. Mensah-Bonsu becomes the 11th Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season and the 129th overall since the league began play in 2001. In eight games with the Toros, Mensah-Bonsu averaged 26.6 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.50 blocks in 39.8 minutes. On February 22 vs. Colorado he had 39 points and 18 rebounds in 47 minutes.

Mensah-Bonsu was signed by the Dallas Mavericks after going undrafted in the 2006 NBA Draft. During the 2006-07 season, he appeared in 12 games with the Mavericks, averaging 2.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 5.9 minutes. That season he also appeared in 26 games for the Fort Worth Flyers of the D-League, averaging 15.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in 30.7 minutes. Mensah-Bonsu was selected to the 2007 D-League All-Star Game, where he captured MVP honors after scoring 30 points and grabbing seven boards.

NBA D-League Daily
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009

HAWKS RECALL THOMAS GARDNER AND OTHELLO HUNTER

The Atlanta Hawks recalled guard Thomas Gardner and forward Othello Hunter from the Anaheim Arsenal of the NBA Development League, according to Hawks Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Sund. Gardner appeared in two games with the Arsenal, averaging 23.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 1.0 apg (.531 FG%, .308 3FG%, .818 FT%). Hunter played in three contests, posting two double-doubles and compiling 8.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg and 1.3 spg (.324 FG%).

ALBUQUERQUE’S JASPER JOHNSON NAMED NBA D-LEAGUE PERFORMER OF THE WEEK

Jasper Johnson the Albuquerque Thunderbirds has been named NBA D-League Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Feb. 16, 2009. Johnson is the second Thunderbird to earn the honor this season, joining teammate Will Conroy.

Johnson led the Thunderbirds to two wins last week, extending the team’s winning streak to five games while averaging 34.0 points and 13.5 rebounds while shooting 25-of-38 (.658) from the field. He set new season high’s on Saturday when he scored 42 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in a win over the Tulsa 66ers. A 6-8 forward from Delta State, Johnson was a first-round pick (13th overall) by the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the 2008 NBA D-league Draft before being traded to Albuquerque in December. This season, Johnson is averaging 15.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in 27 games.

WIZARDS PICK UP BECK

The two-time defending NBA Development League Central Division Champion Dakota Wizards announced that they have acquired forward Romel Beck. Beck was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2008 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas Where he averaged 10.4 points and 20.8 minutes in five games. The 6’8, 195 lb forward spent majority of the 2007-08 season overseas in Italy with Cimberio Varese averaging 12.3 ppg in 19 contests. Beck was then traded to Pierrel Capo d’Orlando where he averaged 17.5 rebounds in 15 games.

MONDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Curtis Stinson recorded a double-double, contributing 20 points and 14 assists for the Iowa Energy. Courtney Sims added 23 points, while Anthony Tolliver (20 points) and Patrick Sanders (18 points) also finished the game in double digits.

Six members of the BayHawks squad contributed double figures including Ivan Harris (32 points), Maureece Rice (25 points), Jackie Manuel (16 points, 10 rebounds), and Darian Townes (11 points). Tony Bethel and Cliff Clinkscales also added 12 points a piece.


NBA D-League Daily
Monday, Feb. 23, 2009

SUNDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Pops Mensah-Bonsu scored 39 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to help the Austin Toros defeat the Colorado 14ers 131-124 in overtime. Marcus Williams added 30 points and Eric Dawson scored 22 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. Dwayne Jones, in his first game with the team since being acquired via trade, scored 13 points and had 8 rebounds.

The 14ers were led in scoring by 20 points apiece from Joe Dabbert and John Lucas. Colorado's bench scored 56 points and had four players scoring in double figures. Lamar Butler and Trey Gilder each added 13 points and Kentrell Gransberry chipped in 10 points.

Led by Blake Ahearn’s 32 points and D-League record 16 made free throws, Dakota defeated the Mad Ants. Dakota had 6 players in double figures, including Renaldo Major and Richard Hendrix with 16 points each.

Taj McCullough led all scorers with 34 points and Coleman Collins added 22 points and 10 rebounds for Fort Wayne.

Luke Jackson led Idaho with 23 points, while Mildon Ambres recorded his second straight double-double, with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Lance Allred and Jason Ellis also finished with double-doubles, Allred with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Ellis scoring 10 and 15.

Damone Brown scored 17 points for Reno and Antonio Meekings followed with 16.


NBA D-League Daily
Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009

TOROS TRADE MOHAMMED ABUKAR FOR DWAYNE JONES

The Toros announced the first trade of the 2008-09 season with Mohammed Abukar going to the Idaho Stampede for Dwayne Jones. Jones, a 6-10, 250 pound forward/center has seen time in the NBA with the Celtics (2005-06), Cavaliers (2006-2008), and Bobcats (2008). His first introduction to the D-League was in 2005 with the Florida Flame, and then again in 2007 when assigned to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds where he posted a game high eight blocks against the Idaho Stampede. Jones played briefly in the Turkish League and then signed with the Iowa Energy in January, 2009. He was traded to the Idaho Stampede.

SATURDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Bighorn newcomer, Richie Frahm led all scorers with 25 points. Patrick Ewing Jr. followed with 20 points and eight rebounds.

Lance Allred led Idaho with 20 points. Mildon Ambres recorded a double-double, with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Four BayHawk players scored over 20 points in the 98-96 win over the Skyforce. Ivan Harris and Maurice Rice netted 22 points each, while Erik Daniels added 21. Jackie Manuel recorded a double-double by scoring 21 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

Leading the Skyforce was Bobby Jones, who recorded his seventh double-double on the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Ryan Humphrey secured his second straight double-double with a career-high 42 points and 11 rebounds. Tulsa finished with five players in double-figures scoring. Keith Clark had 20 points and eight rebounds, while Jeremy Kelly and Derrick Dial each finished with 15 points. Forbes added 12.

Jasper Johnson scored a team-high 42 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds. Keith McLeod also finished with a double-double for Albuquerque with 29 points and 11 assists. Antoine Agudio finished with 18 points off the bench, and David Noel added 12 points.

Othyus Jeffers scored a game-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Iowa Energy. Demetris Nichols notched 23 points in the victory, while Curtis Stinson contributed 22.

Ronald Dupree led all Flash scorers with 22 points and Andre Ingram dropped in 20. Dontell Jefferson and Bennet Davis added 19 and 11, respectively.

The Los Angeles D-Fenders saw all seven players who saw game action score in double digits with three players ending with 20+ points. Ryan Forehan-Kelly ended the night with 23 points and 4 rebounds while Gabriel Hughes came off the bench to collect a double-double with 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Anaheim’s James White recorded his second double-double of the season by adding 11 rebounds to his 33 total points which led all scorers.


NBA D-League Daily
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009

BAKERSFIELD’S TREY JOHNSON CALLED UP TO CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Trey Johnson of the Bakersfield Jam making him the 10th Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season and the 128th overall since the league began play in 2001. The call-up marks the second time that Johnson has signed a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers this season. In 25 games (all starts) for the Jam this season, Johnson averaged 20.1 points, 4.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 39.2 minutes and scored in double-digits 23 times, including three games where he scored 30 or more points.

BUCKS SIGN EDDIE GILL TO A SECOND 10-DAY CONTRACT

The Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard Eddie Gill (6-1, 185) to a second 10-day contract. In four games for Milwaukee, Gill has averaged 3.5 points and 2.3 assists in 9.3 minutes per game. He signed his initial 10-day contract with the Bucks on February 9.

ATLANTA’S GARDNER ASSIGNED TO ANAHEIM ARSENAL

The Atlanta Hawks assigned Thomas Gardner to the Anaheim Arsenal. Gardner, who is the 25th assignment of the season, joins Hawks teammate Othello Hunter on the Arsenal’s roster. Gardner, a 6-5 guard from Missouri has appeared in five games for Atlanta this season, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds. In four games for the Chicago Bulls last season, Gardner averaged 5.3 points and 11.3 minutes.

JOHN LUCAS JOINS 14ers

The Colorado 14ers announced that guard John Lucas has been added to the team. Lucas will wear number 15 and will be available for the 14ers next game Sunday afternoon at Austin. The 5-11 guard last played in training camp for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fall of 2008. Prior to this season, Lucas played for Benetton Treviso in the Italian League and for the Houston Rockets from 2005-2007. He also had a previous stint in the D-League with the Tulsa 66ers in the 2005-2006 season. In 60 career NBA games Lucas averaged 3.1 points and 0.8 assists.

FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Dwayne Mitchell, Brandon Heath and Ryan Forehan-Kelly all finished with double-doubles for the D-Fenders. Mitchell poured in 22 points and 10 rebounds and Heath recorded 21 and 10. Forehan-Kelly came close to a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Joe Crawford led all scorers with 25. vTrent Strickland led the Vipers with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Marcus Hubbard came in off the bench to record a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.

Will Frisby led Dakota with 19 points. Maurice Baker added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the team had 6 players scoring in double figures.

Jarred Axon led the Mad Ants with a career high 20 points, and Chris Hunter contributed 14 points and 2 steals. Ron Howard (12 points) and Taj McCullough (12 points) also ended up in double figures for Fort Wayne.

The Thunderbirds were led by Will Conroy’s 29 points, while Jasper Johnson added 26 points and eight boards. David Monds contributed a double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds, Antoine Agudio added 11 points, and David Noel and Keith McLeod each finished with 10.

Tulsa’s Keith Clark erupted for a career and game-high 29 points and Ryan Humphrey recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Gary Forbes and Derrick Dial each finished with 16 points for the 66ers, while Moses Ehambe added 15.

Ronald Dupree and James Lang recorded double-doubles to lead the Utah Flash. Dupree scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Lang also scored 18 and collected 10 boards.

Thomas Gardner led all scorers with 21 points just hours after being assigned to the Arsenal by the Atlanta Hawks. Marcus Taylor followed with 15 and Kedric Brown added 14 for Anaheim. Cedric Bozeman had 10 rebounds.


NBA D-League Daily
Friday, Feb. 20, 2009

FRAHM JOINS BIGHORNS

Former Gonzaga shooting Guard Richie Frahm was acquired by the Reno Bighorns. While playing for Gonzaga, Frahm helped lead the Bulldogs to the Elite 8 in the 1999 NCAA Basketball Tournament, and then to the Sweet 16 Tournament in 2000. Frahm is no stranger to the NBA. He has four seasons of NBA experience, playing with the Seattle Supersonic, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and most recently the Los Angeles Clippers. He also played overseas for a season with the Benetton Treviso of Italy, where the team won the Italian Supercup in 2006.

THURSDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Chris Hunter dropped 34 points and a game-high 17 rebounds on the Skyforce as the Mad Ants cruised to a 99-90 win. Ron Howard and Taj McCullough scored 23 points apiece.

Bobby Jones led Sioux Falls with 24 points. John Edwards finished with 10 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. Frank Williams added 19 points.

Demetris Nichols and Curtis Stinson led all scorers in the game, finishing with 24 points apiece. Othyus Jeffers posted 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Anthony Tolliver and Patrick Sanders added 14 and 12 points, respectively for the Iowa Energy.

Jason Ellis came off the bench to score 16 points to go with 10 rebounds as the Idaho Stampede defeated the Iowa Energy 109-104 in Boise. Luke Jackson just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Brent Petway led all Stampede scorers with 18 points and played strong defensively, blocking five shots. Lance Allred added 13 points, while Lanny Smith and Roberto Bergersen each scored 11 points. Dwayne Jones and Kevin Burleson dropped in 10 points apiece.

Austin's Marcus Williams and Mohammed Abukar led all scorers with 23 points apiece, while Pops Mensah-Bonsu added 22 and 11 rebounds on the night.

Bakersfield benefited from a 21 point night from Nick Lewis to go with nine rebounds and an additional 20 points from Derrick Byars. Mateen Cleaves added 19.


NBA D-League Daily
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009

ARSENAL AQUIRE MARCUS TAYLOR

The Anaheim Arsenal, proud affiliates of the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks, announced that they have signed guard Marcus Taylor while releasing forward Bryson McKenzie. Taylor, a 6’3”, 195 pound guard out of Michigan State, was the second round pick (#52 overall) in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He participated in the Timberwolves’ training camp but was released before the regular season began. He has extensive professional experience with stints in France, Greece, CBA, and the Albuquerque Thunderbirds and Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

JORDAN RETURNS TO VIPERS ACTIVE ROSTER

The NBA D-League Rio Grande Valley Vipers announced that they have added Jared Jordan back to the roster. He replaces Kendall Dartez, who was waived due to injury. Jordan suffered a high left ankle sprain against Tulsa on January 21st and has missed the last four games. Jordan is eighth in the league with 5.9 assists and seventh with 2.2 steals per game. He is averaging 8.0 points per game and shooting .368 from behind the arc, second best on the team and tops among guards.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

In his debut, Jawad Williams set a new season high for a Viper player this season, with a 43 point effort, shattering the previous high of 30 accomplished by Both Alpha Bangura and Smush Parker. Despite being in foul trouble for a good portion of the game, Trent Strickland scored 23 points while hauling in eight rebounds in the Viper loss. Jared Jordan scored only five points, but tied the franchise record for assists in a game with 15 in his return. Kurt Looby tallied his second career double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

James White, who scored a D-League season high 47-points in his previous meeting with RGV, scored 35 in Wednesday’s game. Cedric Bozeman chipped in with 27 points and 11 rebounds in the Anaheim victory.


NBA D-League Daily
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009

Atlanta Hawks rookie Othello Hunter was assigned to the Anaheim Arsenal, the Hawks’ NBA Development League affiliate, while the Memphis Grizzlies today re-assigned Hamed Haddadi to their NBA D-League affiliate, the Dakota Wizards. NBA players have been assigned to the NBA D-League 24 times this season. Hunter, a 6-8 forward from Ohio State, has played in 10 games this season for Atlanta, scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds in 33 minutes. In 76 career games for the Buckeyes, Hunter averaged 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.

Haddadi, a 7-2 center from Iran, has played in four games for Memphis this season, scoring three points in 13 minutes. During his first assignment in Dakota (Nov. 25-Dec. 24), Haddadi averaged 6.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.55 blocks and 17.7 minutes in 11 games (seven starts).

TUESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Pops Mensah-Bonsu buried a 21’ jump shot with 0.1 seconds remaining to lift the Austin Toros over the Los Angeles D-Fenders, 110-108. Mensah-Bonsu’s winning basket pushed his total to a team-high 25 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds. Rounding out the five Toros starters who scored in double digits are Marcus Williams (23), Eric Dawson (17), Carldell Johnson (14) and Ezra Williams (14).

Joe Crawford led the D-Fenders comeback with 20 of his game-high 32 points in the second half. Dwayne Mitchell poured in 25 and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Coming off the bench, CJ Giles provided a spark posting 13 points and six rebounds.

David Bailey scored had 18 first half points and finished with 32 to give the Skyforce the 116-114 overtime victory. Frank Williams came through in the clutch with 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to finish with 24 points total.

Carl Elliott led the Mad Ants with 31 points. Taj McCullough chipped in 22 points and Ron Howard added 15.

The Colorado 14ers set a new franchise record for points in a game with a 141-118 win over the Iowa Energy. Seven 14ers scored double figures as Colorado won its sixth straight on the home court, including Billy Thomas, who led all scorers with a season-high 30 points to go along with six rebounds, seven assists, and seven steals in the Colorado win. Dominique Coleman had another strong all around effort with 23 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Josh Davis added 21 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

Iowa was led by Brian Evans 21 points and six assists off the bench. Othyus Jeffers and Curtis Stinson added 20 points apiece.


NBA D-League Daily
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Player of the Game Courtney Sims scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Sims converted a 13-of-17 field goal attempts, with Curtis Stinson recording a double-double recording 15 points and 14 assists. Demetris Nichols (23 points), Anthony Tolliver (19 points), and Othyus Jeffers (11 points) all chipped in double-digits for the Energy squad.

Erie was lead by Maureece Rice with (28 points) and Erik Daniels (24 points). Also scoring in double-figures were Cliff Clinkscales (19 points), Darian Townes (16 points), Ivan Harris (14 points), and Tony Bethel (12 points).

Six Skyforce players scored in the double-digits, including a game-high 26 point effort by David Bailey. John Edwards netted 19 points with Glen McGowan contributing 15 and Frank Williams adding 10. Bobby Jones recorded his fifth double-double on the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds while Chris Ellis earned his second straight double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Jam was led by Justin Reed with 24 points and Terrell Everett with 18 points. Terrance Thomas posted a game-high 18 rebounds.

Josh Davis poured in a season-high 38 points to lead the Colorado 14ers to a 138-128 win over the Tulsa 66ers. In addition to Davis’ big night, the 14ers finished with six players in double figures. Dominique Coleman posted the 14ers first triple-double of the season with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists. Trey Gilder also added 26 off the bench in the win.

Tulsa was led by the backcourt duo of Jeremy Kelly and Derrick Dial who put up 23 points apiece. Gary Forbes added 22, and Moses Ehambe knocked down 5-8 3-pointers for 17 points off the bench in the loss.


NBA D-League Daily
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009

CAVALIERS RECALL JACKSON FROM BAYHAWKS

The Cleveland Cavaliers have recalled forward Darnell Jackson from the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced. Jackson was assigned to Erie Monday and played in the BayHawks’ 102-89 victory over the Utah Flash. He scored a game-high 24 points on 10-14 shooting (.714) and grabbed six rebounds in 26 minutes.

TUESDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

James Lang scored 21 points to lead the Flash, while J.R. Giddens, on assignment from Boston, and Ronald Dupree added 20 each. Dontell Jefferson scored 15 and dished out seven assists for the Flash. Carlos Wheeler chipped in 11.

Ron Howard scored 26 for Fort Wayne to lead all scorers. Chris Hunter and Walker Russell had a double-doubles for the Mad Ants. Hunter recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Russell had 11 points and 10 assists. Taj McCullough came off the Ants bench to score 20.

All-Star guard Blake Ahearn recorded a season high 41 points to lead Dakota. All-Star forward Richard Hendrix tallied his third straight double-double with 12 points and 17 boards for the Wizards, while Ahearn had the team’s second highest rebound total on the night with eight.

Bakersfield’s Derrick Byars scored a team-high 31 points. In addition to Byars, Forwards Nick Lewis and Terrance Thomas both had outstanding games for the Jam. Lewis scored 22 points and snatched seven boards, while Thomas finished with only 10 points, he did grab a season and game high 18 rebounds.


NBA D-League Daily
Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009

COLORADO’S EDDIE GILL CALLED UP TO MILWAUKEE BUCKS

The Milwaukee Bucks signed Eddie Gill of the Colorado 14ers, making him the eighth Call-Up of the 2008-09 NBA Development League season and the 127th overall since the league began play in 2001. The call-up is the third of Gill’s career and the first for the 14ers this season. Gill, a 6-1 guard, has appeared in 22 games for the 14ers this season, averaging 16.2 points, 8.2 assists (second in the NBA D-League) and 4.2 rebounds. Gill scored in double-digits 19 times, including 10 point/assist double-double performances. No stranger to the NBA, Gill holds career averages of 3.1 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.1 assists in 181 NBA games with the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers and Seattle SuperSonics.

CLEVELAND’S JACKSON ASSIGNED TO NBA D-LEAGUE ERIE BAYHAWKS

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Darnell Jackson was assigned to the Erie BayHawks, the Cavaliers’ NBA Development League affiliate. The assignment is the 21st of the 2008-09 NBA D-League season and the first in BayHawks history. Originally selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat, Jackson was acquired by Cleveland in exchange for two second round picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. The 6-9 forward, has seen action in 24 games for Cleveland this season and has totaled 25 points and 29 rebounds.

DAKOTA’S BLAKE AHEARN NAMED NBA D-LEAGUE PERFORMER OF THE WEEK

Blake Ahearn of the Dakota Wizards has been named NBA D-League Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Feb. 2, 2009. Ahearn is the first Dakota player to earn the honor this season. Ahearn led the Wizards to a 3-0 record, averaging 29.7 points and 8.3 assists while shooting .519 (27-of-52) from the field and connecting on 12 three-pointers. On Saturday Ahearn scored 32 points and added 10 assists in a 115-92 win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. A 6-2 guard from Missouri State, Ahearn was selected as a 2009 NBA D-League All-Star and will participate in the third annual NBA D-League All-Star Game on Saturday, Feb. 14, on Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas. The 2007-07 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year, Ahearn earned a Call-Up to the San Antonio Spurs earlier this season and is averaging 22.2 points this year.

MONDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Oliver Lafayette recorded a triple-double, with 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Erie BayHawks to a 101-89 victory over the Utah Flash Flash. Darnell Jackson, on assignment from the Cleveland Cavaliers, scored 24 points in 26 minutes, is expected to rejoin the Cavaliers today. Erik Daniels followed Jackson with 20 points and Ivan Harris chipped in 19 for Erie.

Boston Celtics assignee J.R. Giddens scored 18 points to lead the Flash. Ronald Dupree followed with 12 and James Lang chipped in 11. Andre Ingram and Carlos Wheeler scored 10 each for Utah.

Dwayne Mitchell led the Los Angeles D-Fenders to a 125-104 victory over the visiting Colorado 14ers, scoring 43 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Duane Erwin and Longar Longar each recorded six blocks. Erwin and Longar added double-doubles to the blocks with 11 points and 10 assists from Erwin and Longar’s 17 points and 13 rebounds. Ryan Forehan-Kelly came off the bench with 21 points.

Trey Gilder led the 14ers with 23 points and nine rebounds off the bench while Joe Dabbert (18), Billy Thomas (17), Dominique Coleman (15) and Vernon Hamilton (14) rounded out Colorado’s leading scorers.

D-LEAGUE SALARIES

NBA D-League salaries pay around $12,000, $18,000 or $24,000 per season, according to an NBADL player who spoke to InsideHoops.com.

Also see some additional recent NBA D-League news and notes.

OLDER: Final 2002-03 D-LEAGUE standings and leaders | 2003 D-LEAGUE Draft.