This is traditionally the time of year when lottery-bound NBA teams look to the D-League. Some teams need to fill spots opened by injured players while others are looking ahead and thinking about D-Leaguers as potential Summer League roster players. Whatever the reason, call-ups in late March and early April are inevitable. The effect of these particular call-ups on the outcome of the NBA season—at least this year’s NBA season—is negligible, but the impact felt in the D-League can be significant.

Naturally, many of the top D-League’s top NBA prospects double as key contributors to their respective D-League franchises. Therefore their call-up to the NBA also serves as a blow to the D-League team they are departing, especially as they are preparing for the playoffs. It’s a situation that is particular to minor league sports. At any other level, winning the championship is the ultimate goal. D-League franchises still cater to their fans and strive to make that happen as best as possible, but the dilemma comes in on the player side.

Given the option of competing for a D-League title or competing for a contract via a 10-day on-the-job “tryout” for an NBA team, I think most players would choose the latter. And it’s hard to blame them. Ultimately, the dream remains to play in the NBA. The D-League is a path to get to The League, and it’s a path that is proving to be increasingly effective as more and more teams invest in it and recognize its value.

Although some D-League teams will lose key players prior to the postseason, other teams will likely benefit. In the past few seasons, it has become a popular move for NBA franchises, especially those teams who are in the playoff hunt, to assign young players to the D-League specifically for the playoff run. Rather than spending NBA games in street clothes or earning DNP-CDs for the stretch run, players can benefit from playing meaningful minutes in games of increased magnitude during the D-League playoffs.

Whether it’s March Madness, the NBA playoffs, or the D-League playoffs, everyone knows the intensity level goes up a notch when elimination hangs in the balance. That sense of finality affects people in different ways, and it’s a good opportunity for teams to evaluate their young talent under different circumstances.

As we approach the final 10 days of the 2012-13 D-League season, several teams are still jockeying for playoff position. Sioux Falls holds the seventh spot at 23-21, and Fort Wayne is 8th at 23-22. They are closely followed by Erie (23-22) and Maine (24-23). If you’re a fan of one of these teams, one call-up or assignee could be the difference between qualifying for the playoffs or starting the offseason early. It’s all part of the D-League experience.

I’m going to try to change that by doing a weekly piece where I profile a certain D-League player, so they can tell their stories. These stories won’t only be about their on-court experiences but also about the twists and turns these players face. I’m going to start this feature out by profiling Bakersfield Jam guard and D-League All-Star Jerel McNeal.

Early Days and High School

The tale begins on a warm summer day on the first of June in 1987 in the city that was in the process of being taken over by a man simply known by Mike. It was a perfect time for Edward and Merlyn McNeal to bring young Jerel into a city that was obsessed with basketball. From day one, Jerel had a passion for the game after watching those early 90s Bulls teams take over both the city and the sport of basketball. While most of the kids were sticking their tongues out because they wanted to be “Like Mike,” young Jerel patterned his game after Scottie Pippen, who McNeal considered to be the best defensive player to play the game. 

The young Jerel took the skills he learned playing on the playground with his brother Jeremy to Hilchrest High. There he would meet Maurice Acker who would become both a teammate and, more importantly, a best friend until their graduation day at Marquette. Despite the fact that both Acker and McNeal were both top flight prospects, Hilchrest never had any big time success in the world of Illinois high school basketball. The most success the team ever had was during the 2005 tournament (McNeal and Acker’s senior year) where they made it to the 2nd round but were eliminated by Flossmoor High School, who were led by Julian Wrigh, the Illinois Mr. Basketball award winner in that season.

Despite the early exit in the tournament, McNeal was still ranked as the #3 high school prospect in the state trailing only former Duke guard Jon Scheyer and of course Julian Wright. Jerel had a choice between three colleges (Marquette, Dayton and Purdue) but chose Marquette because of his relationship with head coach Tom Crean and a top-10 recruiting class that featured Dwight Burke, Dominic James, Wesley Matthews.

College Years

McNeal arrived at a Marquette school that was in the process of transitioning from the mid-major level in Conference USA to the college basketball powerhouse known as Big East. The Marquette fans were still reveling in their Final Four appearance in 2003 but knew that this new crop of freshmen could bring them back to that promised land. While senior forward Steve Novak was still with the team after being one of those core players in 2003, freshmen guards Dominic James and McNeal quickly made an impact in the starting line-up.

The additions of the new freshmen helped bring the team to their first NCAA tournament appearance since that Dwyane Wade-led Final Four appearance. Despite the fact that they lost in the first round to Alabama and lost Steve Novak to graduation, Marquette fans were still excited about the players that would lead the team into a new era. One of those players was McNeal, who immediately got the starting nod at SG and had a solid season by averaging 10 PPG, 4 RPG and 2 SPG.
The upstart Golden Eagles entered the 2006-07 season as the #19 ranked team in the country with McNeal being regarded as one of the best defensive players in the country. The team started their non-conference season red-hot including a defeat over the #9 ranked Duke Blue Devils. In that game, McNeal had a 17-point, 6-rebound performance while also holding Jon Scheyer to 3 points without making a single field goal.

McNeal’s terrific defense continued throughout the entire season as he helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 16-5 record and the #6 seed in the Big East tournament before breaking his hand in the final regular season game against Pittsburgh. Marquette ended up returning to the NCAA tournament before losing in the first round to Michigan State. Despite the injury, McNeal was named to the All-Big East Second Team and was awarded the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He may have averaged 14 points and 4 rebounds per game but winning that award was special because at the time the conference featured future NBA big-men like Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert and Aaron Gray.

Even though Marquette was bounced out of the first round in the previous season, the team entered the new season with the reputation of being one of the toughest and best teams in the nation. Sure, McNeal was one of the best thieves in the entire country with 2.2 SPG, but they also had a lockdown defender like Wesley Matthews, a post player like Lazar Hayward who was coming into his own in his sophomore season.

McNeal struggled offensively in the early part of the season until a January 4th game against Cincinnati. In that game, McNeal was nearly perfect from the field posting 26 points on 9-10 shooting while also going 7-7 from beyond the arc. He finished the season scoring 14.9 PPG on a 45.6 FG% which ended up being the most efficient shooting season in his college career. Marquette made it back to the NCAA tournament for the 3rd straight season as the #6 seed in the South bracket. The saying that the third time’s the charm was true for this Marquette team as they finally made it out of the first round after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 77-66 behind a 20-point performance by McNeal. The luck ended for the team in the next round as they lost a 82-81 heart-breaker against Stanford despite McNeal scoring 30 points on 13-25 shooting.

McNeal was named to both the Big East’s All-First Team and the AP second team All-American. That wasn’t enough for him as he knew that he only had one more year with Marquette and only one more opportunity to lead the Golden Eagles to the highest point they’d reached since 2003.

The Golden Eagles were in for a change during the 2008-09 as long time coach Tom Crean departed to take the job at Indiana with assistant  Buzz Williams stepping in to become the head coach. Despite the change in coach, things stayed relatively normal for the team as their main core (McNeal, Hayward, Dominic James and Matthews) all remained to finish their final season.

Jerel McNeal ended up having the best season of his college career averaging nearly 20 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 2.0 SPG, but something just felt off about this season. The team entered the season as the #18 in the country, but they hit a road block early in the season as they lost to a Dayton Flyers team that featured future D-Leaguers like forward Chris Wright and guard Chris Johnson. That wasn’t the worst part of the season as they went on a four game stretch in late February/early March where they faced #2 ranked UConn, #6 Louisville, #3 Pittsburgh and #25 Syracuse.

The team stumbled into the NCAA Tournament as the #6 seed and barely pulled a 58-57 victory over the underdog Utah State Aggies. McNeal’s college career ended on a sad note after losing a hard fought game against a Missouri Tigers team that featured stand-out college players like Leo Lyons, Kim English and DeMarre Carroll. The loss might have brought an end to the college careers of all these talented players, but it also meant that they’d each be going their separate ways as professional athletes. Dominic James would be making his way to Europe, Matthews would be undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft but would later be signed by the Jazz where he would make a name for himself as one of the finer role players in the NBA with the Trail Blazers.

Professional Career

After his graduation day at Marquette, McNeal was uncertain about his future as a professional athlete. He was projected to go in the mid-2nd round to teams like Charlotte at the #54 pick, Miami at #43, and San Antonio at #53. Despite those projections, McNeal joined former teammate Wesley Matthews as players who weren’t drafted in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Despite not being picked in the draft, McNeal was still optimistic about his chances to join the NBA after the Sacramento Kings offered him a spot on their Summer League team. That opportunity helped give him a training camp invite from the Los Angeles Clippers. He was impressive with the Clippers but was one of their last cuts because the team already had shooting guards like rookie Eric Gordon and veterans Ricky Davis and Cuttino Mobley.

After being cut from the Clippers, McNeal headed overseas to Belgium to play with the Dexia Mons-Hainaut of Basketball League Belgium. McNeal was an extremely solid player for Dexia while averaging 15.3 PPG but was released on March 10th after being suspended because of a positive marijuana test. According to McNeal, that positive test was a “killer” and made him focus more both on and off the court.

McNeal returned to the U.S in the summer of the 2010 to join the Bobcats in the Summer League. This led to an opportunity with the Houston Rockets’ training camp roster. McNeal was cut from the Rockets, but his NBA dreams stayed alive when he was signed by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers who are affiliated with the Rockets. While with the Vipers, McNeal had a successful season averaging 20 PPG and 1.3 SPG. Those great numbers led to accolades like being named to both the D-League All-Star game and All D-League 2nd team.

During the 2011-12 offseason, various NBA teams had interest in signing McNeal to a contract,but he decided to go back to Europe because of worries about the NBA lockout situation. McNeal struggled with Montegranaro of the Italian league by only averaging 10.7 PPG on 38% shooting.

In the past offseason, McNeal was once again was invited to a training camp roster, this time with the Toronto Raptors. McNeal actually played long enough to be inserted into a pre-season game but was yet again one of the last cuts from the team.

Immediately after being cut from Toronto, McNeal was acquired Bakersfield Jam before the start of the season. He’s had an extremely solid season so far with the team averaging 17 PPG while shooting 45% from the field. He’s become an all-around scoring threat while remaining the defensive threat he was back at Marquette.

McNeal’s journey to the NBA is still work in progress but he’s closer than ever with a recent invite to the D-League All-Star game as one of the star players on a 21-9 Bakersfield team. He may not be like MJ or Pippen but Jerel is a different kind of player who would fit in well on most NBA teams.

While a good portion of the players selected to an NBA All-Star game will look at their selection as another accomplishment, the D-League All-Stars will use this game to show off to those NBA scouts. For example, Gerald Green was trying to make a comeback to the NBA while playing for the D-Fenders last season before landing a spot in the D-League All-Star game. Green put up 28 points on 10-17, which helped land him the All-Star Game MVP and more importantly a 10 day contract with the New Jersey Nets where he turned into a productive role player with the team.

While it’s unsure if any of these selections will take the path of Gerald Green, this group of players is definitely the most talented group of players the All-Star game has ever seen. From NBA players like Jeremy Lamb and Shelvin Mack all the way to an unsung hero like rookie Tim Ohlbrecht who’s made a big impact with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers since coming over from Germany in the fall. Actually, Ohlbrecht might be the least well-known name of the group, but he definitely has one of the more interesting stories because of his journey. The journey has been rough for a majority of these players, but a good showing in this All-Star game could help them reach that goal of the NBA.

 Futures All-Stars

This squad will be led by the Maine Red Claws coaching staff featuring head coach Mike Taylor who has led the team to one of the top records in the league in his first season at the helm. Unlike in the NBA where the All-Star game rosters are separated between the two conferences, the D-League basically mixes up all of the top players in two separate teams. For example, D-Fenders guard Courtney Fortson is a member of this team, but he’s joined by players from the other side of the country like in Maine, Fort Wayne or Canton. Speaking of Maine, four of their players (Micah Downs, Chris Wright, DaJuan Summers and Shelvin Mack) will once again join their coach in battle for this game. Both Micah Downs and Chris Wright are similar players because they’re both high-motor players with the ability to create some high flying basketball with their athleticism.

While those two have been leading the team since the start of the season, former Piston DaJuan Summers has been quickly making waves as perhaps the best overall forward in the D-League. After starting the season as the 6th man, he’s quickly transformed into the star player by outshining both Wright and Downs with his near double double stats of 19.5 PPG on 45% shooting while pulling down 8.6 boards per game. His game has turned but not like former Red Claws teammate Shelvin Mack who’s currently in the middle of his second 10-day contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. Mack was definitely one of the best, if not the best point guard, in the league with his 20.9 PPG and 7.8 APG, but he still hasn’t been as productive in the NBA, so it appears likely that Shelvin will be back with Maine when this current contract is over.

While the Celtics affiliate will be highly represented in the game, the L.A. D-Fenders (owned by the Lakers) will only feature the number one overall prospect, Courtney Fortson. Fortson has most likely claimed the title of the most electrifying player in all of the Development League with his speed and the ability to do anything on the court. He’s an inch below 6-foot but yet still averages more than 5 RPG. Fortson always tries attack the rim either on offense or defense. Fortson drives to the basket to either kick it off to a teammate (6.5 APG) or to score.

The lone NBA assignee on this roster is 66ers/Thunder rookie Jeremy Lamb who’s been down in the D-League because of OKC’s abundance of guards. Lamb has only spent half of the season with the 66ers but has made his mark as perhaps the best scorer in the league by averaging 21.1 PPG to go along with 5.5 RPG. Lamb is currently in the NBA with the Thunder but is playing a limited role with the team. Of course the game is taking place during the NBA All-Star weekend, so he should be available for this game. The last guard on this roster is long time Mad Ants guard/forward Ron Howard. I recently wrote how he was having a great season with the team before unfortunately going down with an injury in late January. His 18 PPG on 43% shooting makes him worthy of playing in the game, but he’s still trying to recover from injury even though he returned against the Canton Charge on Monday night.

Forwards Arinze Onuaku (Canton) and Marcus Landry (Reno) both play similar positions but are two totally different players. Onuaku uses his  6’9″, 275-pound frame to pound opponents in the post for rebounds and baskets. Earlier this season, Arinze was the top prospect in all of the D-League, but a left knee contusion in late December put him on the mend, and he’s only recently been coming back to the Charge in the rotation as a bench player. Meanwhile former Wisconsin Badger forward Marcus Landry has made an argument that he’s perhaps the best sharpshooter in the entire league. Landry is shooting around 44% from behind the arc which is really outstanding when you look at the fact that he’s also shot the most from three point land. The knock against Landry is that he’s mainly known as a sharpshooter, but that really isn’t a problem when he’s one of the best at it.

Sticking with the Reno Bighorns, center Jerome Jordan is the one of the lone bright spots among an otherwise weak position. The former New York Knick has been a dominant force against all the challenges the D-League has to offer by averaging a league high 2.9 BPG. Where Jordan really excels would be in the paint where he’s improved his moves around the basket to average nearly 14 PPG on 60% shooting. This is a big improvement over his time last year with Erie when he only shot just 48% from the field. Jordan is one of the top 5 prospects in the league and is definitely worthy of an NBA call-up, he’ll have to prove that on a bigger stage during the All-Star game.

Prospects All-Stars

The Prospect team will be lead by long-time Bakersfield Jam coach Will Voigt who’s taken his team to the top spot in all of the D-League. The team will feature two Jam players (Jerel McNeal and Damion James) who don’t have the most impressive numbers but have been leaders of the team. James, a former 1st round pick by the Hawks (later traded to the Nets) really didn’t flourish after two seasons with the team, but it appears that he has found his niche in the D-League with the Jam. James is the quintessential 6’7″ athletic forward who likes to drive at the rim, which has helped him average nearly 16 PPG on 40% shooting. Sure, the 40% shooting percentage is troubling for a forward, but he’s never really been known as a great shooter. Where he does excel is  the boards with 7.4 RPG.

Fellow Jam member Jerel McNeal on the other hand ranks up there with Marcus Landry and Jeremy Lamb as one of the best sharpshooters in the league. The former Marquette Golden Eagle guard is currently the leader of the ever-changing Jam backcourt with his simple yet smooth jump shot and his 45% field goal percentage. McNeal won’t really impress people with his athletic ability, but his jump shot will abuse more teams than the average high-flyer.

Andrew Goudelock has come a long way since Kobe Bryant himself nicknamed him the “Baby Mamba,” but is still making waves with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He showed promise last season with the Lakers when it came to scoring, and he has made improvements this season by averaging 19.3 on a combined 45% shooting with both Sioux Falls and Rio Grande Valley. He plays a different style of basketball than the original “Black Mamba” but you can kind of see the similarities because they both play a cerebral brand of ball. Goudelock is definitely one of the reasons why the Vipers are the 2nd best team in the D-League, but there has also been a German force who has been as important if not more.

That force is of course Tim Ohlbrecht who has surprised a lot of people around the league with how well he’s played in his debut season in not only the D-League but in the U.S. Tim was quietly having a great season, but his real showcase game was ironically during the D-League Showcase last month against the Mad Ants. His 22-point, 9-rebound performance really wasn’t surprising to people who have been watching him, but this game was on the biggest stage he’s played until now. The All-Star game will now be the game where Ohlbrecht will be able to show off to the world, and I do believe that he’ll have a pretty solid game against Jerome Jordan not because of his 13.5 PPG and 7 RPG but also because he’s used to surprising people.

A man who’ll be trying to give Ohlbrecht some competition for that starting center spot will be Henry Sims. The former Georgetown Hoya big man is one of the driving forces to an Erie Bayhawks team that’s in the thick of the playoff race. Sims’ averages of 16.7 PPG and 9 RPG are actually better than Jerome Jordan. I’ve only had the opportunity to watch a few BayHawks games, but Sims is one of those players that immediately jumps out at you when he see him work in the paint with his multiple post moves and how he just works around the basket better than anyone else in the D-League.

When you speak about a guy who works best around the rim you have to talk about Sims’ teammate D.J Kennedy who’s probably the best when it comes to getting to the free throw line. Kennedy currently averages a league high 6.4 FT attempts per game, a result of his ballhandling ability. His relentless pursuit of the basket reminds me of Corey Maggette.  Now driving to the hoop isn’t the only thing that Kennedy can do thanks to a developing jump shot, but he still makes his living around the rim and on the boards (averaging 8.8 RPG).

Neither Demetris Nichols (Sioux Falls) or James Mays (Springfield) are the youngest players in the world, but they’re finally making an All-Star type impact for both of their teams. Nichols entered the season as an afterthought on a Skyforce team that featured the likes of Jarvis Varnado, Troy Hudson and Andrew Goudelock, but he has slowly become the veteran leader of the team after all three of those players left for different teams or ventures. Nichols and guard Donald Sloan have recently helped keep the Skyforce to a 5th seed, but Nichols has been producing throughout the season with 17.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG. Now those numbers shouldn’t surprise people who’ve been following the D-League for a while because he was that solid with the Iowa Energy from ’07-’09 while with the Bulls, but this is the year where he’s finally getting his praise as a player.

James Mays is the real definition of a well-traveled veteran because he’s played in countries like Australia, China, Turkey and Puerto Rico, but it appears he’s finally made it home with the Springfield Armor. The duo of Mays and guard Ben Uzoh haven’t been enough to take the team out of the cellar of the D-League standings but they’re making an impact on the league, especially Mays, who’s averaging a double-double with 16.8 PPG and 10.8 RPG. While Mays could be categorized as an finesse player because he’s 6’9″ and 235 pounds, he’s still one of the best rebounders at his position and is a threat to anybody who tries to compete with him on the boards.

The last two players on this team are both NBA players (Terrence Jones with Houston/Rio Grande and Cory Joseph with Austin/San Antonio). They’ve each made their biggest impacts this season while being assigned in the D-League. Rockets first round pick Terrence Jones has taken a backseat with the NBA club because of depth at PF which has allowed him to play a majority of the season with the Vipers. Jones has run with that opportunity by looking like an absolute monster with 19.4 PPG and 9.6 RPG. Jones has been compared to players like Al Harrington which makes perfect sense because they both have solid mid-range shots yet can still crash the boards. D-League fans complain about how NBA players like Jones are going to be in the All-Star game, but Jones has had a great season so far and he’s spent most of his time in the D-League.

Joseph is another player who’s mainly in the D-League because his NBA club is just way too deep at his position. Joseph has been stuck to the Spurs bench or in the D-League for his first two seasons because of guys like Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, but he’s making the most of his opportunity this season with the Toros. Cory Joseph is one of those players that you have to see play because he’s just an electrifying player every time he touches the ball. His 19.8 PPG and 5.2 RPG really do tell the story of how good he’s actually been in his time with Austin.

There are some other notable players from the season like Luke Harangody, Donald Sloan and Travis Leslie that won’t be participating, but the rules are that a player needs to play at least half of their teams games to be eligible. Sure Leslie is having a terrific season, but there will always be players snubbed in All-Star games and Leslie is unfortunately one of those players. While I would like to see the game be more represented by actual D-League talent, I’m really not angered by the selections and I can’t wait until the All-Star game tips off.

Ron Howard’s D-League journey started way back in the 2007-08 season with the familiar back-drop of Fort Wayne with the Mad Ants. Like Ron, the Mad Ants were a team wet behind the ears because they were an expansion team that got their unique name from Civil War general General “Mad” Anthony Wayne who was actually the namesake of the city.

The team was awful in that inaugural season, finishing with a record of 17-33 despite a small cameo appearance from future NBA player Dahanty Jones and Walker Russell, who wound end up becoming the long time back-court running mate of Howard. Howard was really a hidden player on that Mad Ants team. He was a starter for most of the season but only averaged 10 PPG despite shooting over 50 percent from the field.

The following season that back-court duo of Russell and Howard really came together despite the team finishing at 19-31. That duo immediately meshed together with Walker Russell feeding the ball to a quick and slashing Howard who made his worth getting to the free throw line time after time. That season Howard averaged nearly 19 points a game without even making a single three point shot. Meanwhile Russell averaged a double-double during the season with 16.1 PPG and a league high 10.6 APG,

Russell played in Europe for the 2009-10 season, and Howard spent some time in Europe and Australia. The duo had been together since Howard’s rookie season. That all ended though on Dec. 27when Russell was sent to Reno for Anthony Richardson and guard Jack McClinton, making Ron Howard into the veteran leader on the Mad Ants. The move also came with a move to point guard for Howard, which was unfamiliar territory for the former Valparaiso Crusader.

Despite it being unfamiliar to him, Howard immediately took the reigns of that veteran leadership role. He was determined to help the younger players on the team. For example, Howard has a great quick first step to the basket that he’s been using to either feed it to new Mad Ant forward Luke Harangody for a score around the basket or finding the likes of Darryl Partin, Tony Mitchell or Sadiel Rojas around the perimeter. Since becoming the starting point guard, his assist totals have skyrocketed to an astounding 8.6 assists per game. That is outstanding when you take a look at the fact that Howard has made his career on his ability to get to the basket.

I believe Rojas said it best in a recent interview with me when he stated that “Ron’s ability to almost score or get fouled at will keeps pressure on the defense at all times even more so now that he has the ball in hands probably 80 percent of the possessions. This makes it easy for players like me to just spot up and wait for the ball because Ron Howard will usually draw at least two defenders.”

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Mad Ants have won six straight games since Howard has become the starting PG on this team. Like Rojas says, Howard is the type of player that can draw two defenders simply because of his skill, and the fact that it seems like he’s always standing at the free throw line. Howard is currently shooting 85.4 percent from the charity stripe after making 105 of his 123 attempts (DJ Kennedy is 2^nd with 87 made free throws.)

Simply put, Howard is that total package both on and off the court. From leading the offensive and defensive charge on the court or being a great husband, teammate and father off of the court. Howard has made that transition from SG to PG that is difficult in the middle of the season, especially after the trade of a long-time teammate. He’s showing his worth as the leader of the hottest team in the D-League and is just an all-around talent on the court when you look at his stats (20.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.8 APG (8.6 since becoming a PG), 1.5 SPG and a great 19.19 player efficiency rating.)

This man deserves a chance in the NBA whether it’s a full guaranteed contract or a 10-day contract. He has remained dedicated to the mission, returning to the D-League and refusing to make more money on a guaranteed contract in Europe. Teammate Sadiel Rojas wants Howard to receive the call as well. He made this plea, “It’s about time they give my brother, my leader Ron Howard aka Mr. Mad Ant a chance to show his worth in NBA.” And I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Wright of Maine played his college ball at Dayton, where the 6’8″ forward established himself as a high-flying star for the Flyers. After graduating and going undrafted in 2011, Wright signed with the Maine Red Claws during the NBA lockout. When the lockout ended, Wright joined the Golden State Warriors. He made the roster, appeared in 24 games, and spent three stints on assignment with the Dakota Wizards. This offseason Wright signed with the Toronto Raptors but failed to make the final roster, which led to his return to the D-League with the Red Claws.

Wright of Iowa played his college ball at Georgetown where, despite injuries that cost him more than 20 games in his collegiate career, he finished his Hoya career ranked sixth in assists in school history. After going undrafted in 2011, Wright played in Turkey before returning stateside in 2012. He failed to make the New Orleans Hornets roster but was scooped up as an affiliate player by the Energy.

Wright of Maine’s biggest asset is his athleticism. He stuffed the stat sheet in a Dec. 21 win over Fort Wayne with 22 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks, but it’s what he does that doesn’t show up in a box score that will likely be his best chance of getting back to the NBA. He isn’t going to be asked to be a volume scorer in the NBA, but if he can provide energy, hustle, defense, and rebounding on a nightly basis, there may be a spot for him. He’ll have a great chance to showcase his talents tonight when the Red Claws tangle with a tough Tulsa 66ers team that includes Thunder assignment players Perry Jones, Daniel Orton, and Jeremy Lamb. That game takes place tonight at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Wright of Iowa is a true point guard. With the NBA as point guard strong as it is today, it won’t be easy for Wright to break through and earn a call up. However, if he can maintain his assist/turnover ratio, 3/1, which currently ranks him in the top five of D-League guards, Wright will have to be considered at least as an insurance option for teams in need of injury support at the point guard position as the season progresses. He’s currently averaging 15.9 points (on 43.6 percent shooting, 36.8 percent from 3) and 7.5 assists per game. His Energy squad squares off against the L.A. D-Fenders tonight in the nightcap at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Both Wrights will look to make a name for themselves tonight as they continue in their pursuit of an NBA call up.

This past summer the Golden State Warriors–who owned the Dakota Wizards–decided to move the franchise to Santa Cruz and rebrand them as the Santa Cruz Warriors. The main reason they did this is so that the Warriors could be closer and have more accessibility to their D-League franchise. Since Santa Cruz is a little over an hour away from the Golden State arena, the Warriors could easily move their prospects back and forth between the D-League and the NBA which looked to be very intelligent because the Golden State Warriors were filled with young talent with potential. But nobody would’ve guessed the success Golden State would have early on in the 2012-13 NBA season.

Through out the first two months of the season, the Golden State Warriors currently sit at a 20-10 record, making them one of the biggest surprise stories of the season so far. The young core of David Lee, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson has been leading this team into the middle of the Western Conference playoff picture. The one negative aspect of being in the middle of the playoff race is the simple fact that these playoff teams have their core group of 6-9 players that they use to carry them through the season, which sadly makes the rest of the team sit on the bench. This group of mostly young players haven’t had that opportunity or playing time needed to improve their skills.

That group includes the likes of guard Kent Bazemore and the 6’10″ Jeremy Tyler who have both been sent multiple times to the Santa Cruz Warriors to get that opportunity and playing time to improve their skills and show Golden State that they have what it takes to be a part of their rotation. Even though they’ve only played limited minutes in Santa Cruz they both have made a huge impact on this Santa Cruz team. Bazemore is averaging a stunning 24 PPG, 7 RPG and an unbelievable 5 SPG which is up there among the best performances by an NBA player assigned to the D-League. While Jeremy Tyler hasn’t been as outstanding as Bazemore he’s still averaged a near double-double in his few games with Santa Cruz by putting up 14 PPG and 9.7 RPG.

While Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler have produced and made an impact on the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team is still filled with solid players who have taken this team to the top of the entire NBA D-League. When you look at this team you have to start out with former Clipper and Georgia guard Travis Leslie. Right now he’s the #3 prospect in the D-League and for good reason because he’s leading this Warriors team while averaging 16.3 PPG, 8.1 RPG and 1.5 SPG. While it’s great to see Travis lead this Warriors team it’s also bittersweet for Santa Cruz fans. It seems like just a matter of time before he’ll be joining Jarvis Varnado and Chris Douglas Roberts as call-ups to the NBA because you can easily see that Leslie has the skill and, more importantly, the ruthless aggression that NBA teams just drool over.

Another player that scouts could drool over would be guard Stefhon Hannah who’s an absolute force to be reckoned with defensively. Offensively the point guard is averaging 14 PPG on only 38 % shooting, but he makes his worth defensively after winning the D-League defensive player of the year last year and still being a beast with the Warriors this season.

Hannah, Leslie, and Bazemore (when he’s in Santa Cruz) make up a solid back-court for the Warriors. I think this team really shines in their deep front-court. I’ve already talked about Jeremy Tyler who’s been producing in his stints with the Warriors. There are a few others players that are really shining so far this season as well. The first name that comes to mind when I look at this Warriors front-court would be Taylor Griffin who of course is the older brother of Clippers star Blake Griffin and a former 2nd round pick by the Phoenix Suns. One of the first things you notice about Taylor Griffin is how athletic he is for a forward who’s 6’8″. This is a guy who can easily move around the court and is currently being very productive by averaging 12.4 PPG and 7 RPG in 28 MPG after sharing time as a starter and coming off of the bench.

Last. but certainly not least, former Trail Blazer center Chris Johnson has been reduced to a bench spot after being a star member of the Dakota Wizards last year. It appears that he’s turning things around after a superb 24-point performance off of the bench on Thursday, Dec. 27, against the Springfield Armor. While I was watching that game against the Armor, I noticed that he was energetic because he was coming off of the bench, but he also had great footwork and some great post moves for a man who’s 7’0″ and is a current D-League bench player.

Does this Warriors team have what it takes to make it all the way to the D-League finals? Absolutely. At 8-2, they currently have the best record in the D-League. However, they some uncertainties because Travis Leslie could be packing his bags tomorrow to be a member of the NBA and nobody really has a clue about how many games the likes of Bazemore and Tyler will play because they’ll be moving up and down for the rest of the season between the NBA and the D-League. This team is exciting and fun to watch, but having a fun and exciting D-League team could end up hurting you because those exciting players will eventually make their way to the NBA. So I personally advise you to go to the D-League website or YouTube and watch this Warriors team play now before the joyride comes to an end.

By 2005 the D-League was only in their 4th year so they were still wet behind the ears. You would think it would take a while for NBA teams to really get used to the idea that they could assign their young prospects down to the Developmental League. Even though it took most teams awhile to really grasp on to the D-League, the Portland Trail Blazers immediately grasped onto the new rules by sending their #6 pick Martell Webster down to the Fort Wayne Flyers. Many other teams put their toes in the D-League water including the Grizzlies sending down Hasheem Thabeet in the 2009-10 season when was he was drafted with the 2nd pick just a few months earlier in the 2009 draft. While I talked about some major prospects being sent down to the D-League, the teams really didn’t take advantage of that opportunity until the 2011-12 season because a rule that was apart of the NBA’s Collective Barganing Agreement that stated that the NBA franchises could assign veteran players with their consent. A team that immediately took advantage of that was the Dallas Mavericks when they sent the struggling Lamar Odom and Yi Jianlian down to work on their games.

In that season the amount of NBA call-ups increased from 32 in the 2010-11 season to a record-breaking 67 assignments in the strike-shortened 2011-12 season. After the record-breaking season, the D-League and the NBA made another move that would help out both the young players and the league after they ruled that players in the first three years of their NBA careers could be assigned to the D-League any amount of times. A prime example of that would be the Thunder who have already assigned and brought back both Daniel Orton and lottery pick Jeremy Lamb to the Tulsa 66ers three times in the span of less than a month. Another great example would be the Portland Trail Blazers who just sent Victor Claver to Idaho after the Blazers had him in the starting line-up the previous night against San Antonio. You just have to look around the D-League to see what kind of impact that these NBA prospects are making.

For example, the likes of Tyler Honeycutt (Sacramento), Kevin Murphy and Tony Wroten (Utah) have been members of the Reno Bighorns since the start of the D-League season. While the Bighorns are struggling with a 2-5 record, the assigned players have been productive with the team. A better example would be Lakers guard Darius Johnson-Odom who has been a great player with the D-Fenders and helped form probably the best backcourt duo in the entire D-League right now with Courtney Fortson.

DJO currently is averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game while energizing an L.A. team that has been a little disappointing sitting at 4-4 when you take a look at the talent level that they currently have. We’re less than a month into the D-League season (writing this article on Dec. 16), and there’s already been 34 players assigned to the D-League, which is over half the amount of the amount of assignments that shattered the all-time record. The league has its strongest class of players in league, enabling NBA assignees to compete against more talented players, which of course helps these NBA players progress their games. Players like Fab Melo and Kendall Marshall who were both 1st round picks in June have both struggled in their D-League stints because these D-League players work hard, especially when they’re matched up against an NBA player. They want to prove to the NBA scouts that they have what it takes to make it in the NBA. The stats of these assignees are not going to be as impressive because the overall skill level of the D-League has drastically improved this year but the lessons and the battles the NBA players have or the lessons they learn will help them when they make their way back to an NBA rotation.

I really do believe that these NBA executives understand this because of the way they now work the D-League around the schedules of these kids, offering them as much time on the court as possible even if they play on an NBA court one night and then get shipped off the next night to play with their D-League affiliate. The relationship between the NBA and the D-League is as strong as ever, but I still think there’s one way to make it perfect. To steal from Major League Baseball, I think the D-League could be used to “rehab” an NBA player coming back from injury. For example, Steve Nash will be making his way back to the NBA court soon, but why would the Lakers actually have to wait to see if he can play when they can just send him to the D-Fenders and let him get his feet wet before sending him back to the NBA. In fact, earlier today, the New York Knicks assigned an injured Amare Stoudemire to the Erie BayHawks.

I know it sounds a bit insane but it really doesn’t hurt either the D-League or the NBA to have their players play a few games with their affiliate until they’re 100 percent ready to come back and also allow these small town fans to get to see the best of the NBA play a game or two in their own hometowns. With all that said, as both an NBA and a D-League fan I get excited when I see a tweet or a Google alert about a certain NBA player going to the D-League because I get this weird feeling that I get to watch these prospects play in the Developmental League before they go back to the NBA and become these heralded stars and I think it’s pretty spectacular.

Nichols is a Forward with a strong, wiry frame. He is a solid D-League starter with NBA experience, but lacks a true position. Nichols is primarily a wing man with an inconsistent jump shot from the elbow and wing area. He struggles with shot selection and drifts at times when shooting. He is very aggressive looking for his shot, with many shots coming on isolation plays or off one dribble. Nichols has no “go to” move in the post or post presence. Defensively, he needs work defending the post. He doesn’t fight hard through screens or establish early position in the post while defending. Nichols is athletic and an aggressive rebounder at times. Nichols would have to be a volume scorer to be able to overcome his weaknesses on the defensive end. He is a solid D-League starter, but doesn’t have a true NBA position based on his strengths and weaknesses.

Dan Coleman F 6’9” 225 2-13-85 (27) Minnesota

Coleman is a post player who physically resembles Alaa Abdelnaby or a shorter Tyson Chandler. He had a solid four-year career at Minnesota as a shot blocker and made the Skyforce club out of an open tryout. Coleman’s “go to” move is a hook shot in the paint with both the right and left hand. He gets good position at times in the paint; at other times he gets pushed out of position. He is at his strength when he initiates contact in the post. Coleman will also catch/turn/face/drive or catch off a curl at elbow, although he had little success with either one when I saw him. He is a solid defensive rebounder and has some shot-blocking skills. Coleman is just short of a 10-day contract guy, but a solid D-League guy. He needs to improve his ability to finish in the paint and establish good position on a consistent basis.

Jarvis Varnado F 6’10” 225 3-1-88 (24) Mississippi St.

Varnado is a post player who physically resembles the body type of Walter McCarty. He is an athletic shot blocker with raw offensive skills. Varnado was a second-round pick by Miami in 2010 and was waived by the Heat in training camp this fall. He doesn’t have a “go to” move and has little idea what to do with the ball in the post. Varnado did show some ability with his back to the basket of feeling the defense and spinning accordingly. He put up 21 points, 8 rebounds, and blocked 8 shot the night I saw him. Varnado needs to work harder to defend the post, fight for position and bump the receiver out of his comfort zone. Despite this, he is a solid offensive rebounder. Varnado is an energy player with shot blocking abilities but needs refinement of his offensive skills. I can see him getting NBA minutes down the road with improvement.

Andrew Goudelock G 6’3” 200 12-7-88 (24) Charleston

Goudelock is a shooting guard who physically resembles a taller Dana Barros. He’s a second-round pick from 2011 with the Lakers and a volume scorer. Goudelock is confident, shoots a lot, and is fundamentally sound. He showed some explosiveness in the open floor, which reminded me of Kerry Kittles. Goudelock also uses a floater in the paint successfully, similar to Sherman Douglas. He anticipates well on defense and works hard. Goudelock is a scorer who has a place in the NBA. He is better than a 10-day guy right now; should get a shot by someone early season.

Troy Hudson G 6’1” 178 3-13-76 (36) So. Illinois

Hudson is a veteran point guard with 11 years of NBA experience under him. He is a ball-control PG, facilitating the offense and serving as a real solid floor leader. Hudson showed the ability to hit a mid-range jumper and creates separation well to create his own shot. He also shot the three well, although it often came when plays broke down. Defensively, he does a solid job containing the ball and funneling the offense to one side of the floor. Hudson is a veteran who could fill a short-term need in the NBA, if needed.

Will Foster C 7’5” 260 3-7-88 (24) Gonzaga

Foster is a long Center with a light, wiry frame. He is a strong offensive rebounder with little offensive skills. Foster played 13 minutes the night I saw him. He struggled with the ball in the post – not sure what to do with the ball; showed no “go to” move. Foster got banged around a bit defending the post on the other side of the floor. He is active around the basket and someone who is in the right place at the right time … resulting in four offensive rebounds for offensive put-backs. I feel Foster is well worth following. He needs to add some bulk and develop his offensive game though.

Mike Davis G 6’9” 225 10-21-88 (24) Illinois

Davis is a small forward and a solid D-League role player. His “go to” move is a step-back move from the right block. Davis’ mid-range game is inconsistent in general though. He struggles defending the post against true post players, but held his own defending wing players. Davis has solid basketball instincts and moves well without the ball. Davis is a D-League role player and should be able to develop into a starter at some point.

While many people fail to realize the importance of the D-League you have to realize that there’s hundreds of basketball players out there that want to make that dream come true, and the D-League is that one stepping stone to make it a reality. One of those hundreds of players out there is Brent Jennings, a 6’4″ guard who’s been clawing for an opportunity ever since he was a young high schooler in Atlanta, Georgia. Unlike many players who go through the AAU system at a young age, Brent didn’t start playing in organized ball until his junior year in high school at South Cobb High. A year later Jennings transferred to Frederick Douglas High in Maryland. There he became a varsity captain and helped lead the team deep into the Maryland State playoffs.

Of course Jennings didn’t get many looks by major college coaches because he really only played one full season of high school ball, so he accepted a full scholarship to attend Faulkner University, a private Christian college in the Atlanta, Georgia area. In 2007 Jennings became an active member of Faulkner after being red-shirted his freshman year, but made the decision to transfer at the end of the season. Jennings received offers from two Division II teams (Jackson State in Mississippi and West Georgia), but during that process he experienced a tragedy as his cousin Kyle Jennings was murdered. Following the tragedy, Jennings decided to attend Southern Poly State in Marietta, Georgia, which is a suburb of his hometown Atlanta to stay close to his family.

After sitting out the 2008-09 season due to eligibility issues with grades and transcript, he went on to become 1 of 3 people to average 16 PPG and became the team’s leading rebounder with 9 RPG which is not bad for a 6’4 player who’s playing out of position as a post player.

After his college career came to an end, Jennings faced a dilemma because he knew he had to change his position because there was absolutely no way he could make it as a 6’4″ post player. With that said, Jennings had trouble finding a pro team because he had no film or really any experience playing the guard position so he started working in Detroit with basketball trainer Tony Leonard where he worked on some of the basics of being a true guard like footwork, spacing, and how to lead a team without shooting.

The first real post-college opportunity that Jennings had was being one of the members of the 2011 Reno Bighorns training camp roster where he reportedly ended up becoming the 11th man on the 10 man roster. “It was all a numbers game,” Jennings told me in an interview. “They liked my game but they really had no idea about me when I came in for a try-out, and it’s really hard for somebody like that to make a D-League roster when the team has all those obligations to their NBA teams.”

After that set back, Jennings made his rounds around the country playing in the WBA (World Basketball League) with the Atlanta Blaze and in the UBA (Ultimate Basketball League) with the Atlanta Assault. Jennings looked like an absolute man against boys while in both semi-pro leagues where he averaged 28 PPG and 5 boards while with the Blaze and 19.2 PPG and 7.4 RPG with the Assault.

With that success in the semi-pros behind him, Jennings went to Idaho in October to try to make his second attempt at making a D-League roster but this time with the Idaho Stampede. Jennings had another solid performance in training camp that even allowed Justin Harper to state that Jennings was a great player/teammate and hard worker who will without a doubt make a team happy. To Jennings’ disarray that team was not the Stampede as he was one of the final cuts which felt way too familiar.

The story of Brent Jennings is all too familiar for players all over the country who work their hearts out to even make it to the D-League because they still believe in that dream that they’ll make it to the NBA. Jennings knows that it’s him against the world right now but also he realizes that that one single word “opportunity” is what he strives for to make that dream of becoming a member of the D-League and the NBA a reality.

Besides one minor exception (the Texas vs. Tulsa game that I’ll talk about later on) each of these games were offensive shootouts that weren’t the best games technically but certainly were exciting match-ups from the opening tip to the final whistle. With that said, let’s take a trip back to last night and take a look at all four games.

 Canton Charge Vs. Maine Red Claws

If you were following me last night on twitter (@Dakota_Schmidt), you would’ve noticed me live tweeting the game and showing my displeasure in the way Celtics forward Fab Melo was playing. Now I’m not really attacking Danny Ainge and the rest of the Celtics front-office because they’ve worked miracles for the Celtics, but I’m already wondering if the drafting of Fab Melo was a mistake. Normally when an NBA player gets called down to the D-League they flourish, but Melo was an exception as he played poorly in last night’s game against Canton. Melo looked disinterested last night and was lazy both on the offensive and defensive ends last night, finishing with just 2 points and 1 rebound in 20 minutes. There were times when Canton’s guards Kyle Gibson and Kevin Anderson drove to the hole last night with Melo just watching as they made easy layups.

The Maine Red Claws did show spirit and resilience last night as they came back from a 17-point deficit to win the game 123-115 thanks to Celtics assignment Kris Joseph and former Warrior Chris Wright who put the Red Claws on their back in the second half to lead the team to victory. Those two players combined for 52 points (Joseph with 28 and Wright with 24) but were also helped out by a bunch of great performances by Shelvin Mack (16 points), Chris Ayer (14 points) and Micah Downs, Xavier Silas and Champ Oguchi who all posted 13 points.

Despite losing the game I think the player of the game had to be former West Virginia Mountaineer and current Charge PF Kevin Jones who posted an impressive 26 points and 14 rebounds while also showing a decent shot from about 18 feet, which really wasn’t talked about that much in the lead-up to last June’s NBA draft. Besides Jones, some other notable performances for Canton included Antoine Agudio putting up 20 points while making three shots from behind the line. The aforementioned backcourt of Gibson and Anderson both had solid statistical games, but both fell silent when the Red Claws were making their third quarter run.

Erie BayHawks Vs. Fort Wayne Mad Ants

If there’s a single duo that could make the biggest splash in the D-League this year I would have to go with the combination of DJ Kennedy and Nick Covington for the Erie BayHawks. Like the Mad Ants announcers stated during the game, Kennedy has the speed of a 6’0″ guard but the long arms of a power forward all combined in a 6’6″ and 215-pound frame. Kennedy looked smooth last night, posting a 21-point, 10-rebound performance. It would be surprising if he doesn’t get a shot in the NBA this season because he could be a contributing player this season. While Kennedy is one of those players that could do anything around the court, Covington’s main strength is shooting 3s, and it’s safe to say that he lit up the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum last night by making 5 shots from beyond the arc. Covington lead the team with 27 points and at times looked absolutely unstoppable against Fort Wayne in a 109-100 victory.

While those two players shined, former Pepperdine forward Mychel Thompson had an extremely solid game himself going for 16 points, 7 boards, 5 assists and 5 steals.

While Fort Wayne may have lost last night, you can not overlook how great Mad Ants veteran Ron Howard looked. He was everywhere on the court last night with 27 points and 7 rebounds on 7-13 shooting. The Pacers brought down Miles Plumlee and Orlando Johnson for the two weekend games, and they both produced against Erie. Plumlee had a rough night offensively shooting 2-9 from the field but caught 12 rebounds. Like Plumlee, Johnson had a rough day from the field shooting 5-16 but ended up with 16 points. Former Piston Walker Russell also looked fantastic by going for 17 points and 6 assists while putting up some crazy circus shots that are highlights you should look out for if you’re planning on watching the replay of the game on YouTube.

Texas Legends Vs. Tulsa 66ers

Is it too early to nickname the Texas Legends “The Roberts Bros and Co.”? If your name didn’t have Chris and/or Roberts in it then you didn’t do a thing in last night’s contest against the 66ers. Former NBA role player Chris Douglas Roberts had a spectacular opening-night game by notching up 31 points with 11 of those coming from the charity stripe. Meanwhile the other Chris Roberts, a former Bradley Braves guard, posted 22 points on 8-17 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds. Former NBA players Melvin Ely, Christian Eyenga, and Sean Singletary combined for only 10 points on 5-19 from the field (Eyenga was 2-10).

While CDR lit up the scoreboard for the Legends, Thunder assignee DeAndre Liggins messed around and got a triple double for the 66ers with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Daniel Orton, the other Thunder player on assignment, had a great game posting 10 points and 11 rebounds. Some other notable players in last night’s 66ers 83-76 victory included Dominique Sutton (13 points and 6 rebounds) and former Knick guard Andy Rautins who laced up 11 points thanks to making three shots from behind the line.

Bakersfield Jam Vs. Rio Grande Valley Vipers

The final game on the docket was an offensive showcase between two teams that appear to be loaded with depth after last night’s game. For Rio Grande Valley, the two Rockets that were called down were both productive in a 115-113 defeat, including a fantastic 31-point and 8-rebound performance by center Donatas Motiejunas. The other Rocket Scott Machado almost posted a double-double with 20 points and 8 assists. Former Warrior Jeff Adrian had a fantastic game with 17 points and 11 boards.

Bakersfield really didn’t have a star performer like Motiejunas but just had solid performers all over the roster. Former Badger center Brian Butch lead the charge with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Sticking with alumni from Wisconsin colleges, former Marquette Golden Eagle Jerel McNeal had 13 points with 6 assists. The Jam really won this game because of their work at the charity stripe making 10 more free throws than the Vipers all thanks to forward Renaldo Major who put up 20 points and 6 boards but also was perfect from the free-throw line making all 8 of his shots. Some notable bench performances include Stephen Dennis who laced up 13 points, Isma’il Muhammad with 10 points and James Nunnally with 14.