Kinda sad, especially the coaching staff.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/roster/

I like the "Join the invasion" slogan, though.

Opening night tonight vs. Daniel Horton and the Albuquerque Firebirds.

AF also has Darvin Ham and are coached by Jeff Ruland.

Got OGT?

To have an OGT, don't you usually need people who are going to watch the game?

http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/unbranded/r/unbranded-ron-howard-autograph.jpg

I'm sorry, we play Albuquerque tomorrow.

Last night's game was against Tulsa.

We lost 88-80: http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20071123/TULFWN/boxscore.html

LOL@Keith Closs

Mejia was injured, which is why he didn't play.

I didn't even know he was on the team, since he's not our property anymore and he's not listed on the roster.

clarification: I realize that none of these other guys are our property, either

http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071123/SPORTS06/711230306/-1/SPORTS


DePaul guard Sammy Mejia, who is not on the opening-day roster because of an injury but is allowed to be retained by the Mad Ants, was less than two months away from being the 56th overall pick of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA draft.

Good lookin' out

Uncle Mxy is the new WTF Mad Ants insider

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/ftwayne_071124_pt1.html?rss=true

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/ftwayne_071124_pt1.html?rss=true

Ah, a fellow RSS user.

We got destroyed by Albuquerque yesterday in front of nearly 5,000 fans (not bad): http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20071125/ABQFWN/boxscore.html

Revenge is sweet for Darvin Ham.

(Horton, DNP)

I use the NBA Scoreboard extension for Firefox, which has the RSS stuff for the teams baked in.

Darvin Ham got some play for Albuquerque... cool I guess. I love the team name, but I have a hard time getting enthused with no particular Pistons prospects playing there.

:mccosky:


Don't know if you caught this, but Sammy Mejia was cut from the D-League Fort Wayne team. Kind of a shocker. The late second-round pick was the last guy cut by the Pistons and one of the first cut by a D-League team. Problem was, apparently, Mejia's ankle hasn't gotten right since he hurt it in August. They don't carry any extra bodies in the D-League, so if you can't play, you are out. The Pistons think Mejia will hook on with somebody overseas, probably in China.

HELLO, FT. WAYNE: A move that was bound to happen became official before Sunday's win when the Pistons announced they've assigned rookie Cheikh Samb to the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants, the team's NBA Development League affiliate.

The 7-1, 245-pound Samb averaged 1.5 points, two rebounds and a block in two games.

Samb got injured. Fuck fuck fuck!

http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071215/SPORTS0603/712150319/-1/SPORTS


Ants center Cheikh Samb, who had 15 points and eight rebounds, missed the entire fourth quarter when, according to Davison, he got his front teeth knocked out. “And he was called for a foul on that play,” Davison said.

http://fwweb.sv.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/SE/20071215/SPORTS/712150305/-1/SPORTS


Seconds after Mad Ants center Cheikh Samb took an elbow to the mouth Friday night, he walked calmly to the bench.

Then he spit his two front teeth into his hand.

This was not the sort of toughening the Detroit Pistons had in mind when they sent Samb to Fort Wayne to work on his pro basketball skills.

“(It happened) on a play when he got a foul called on him,” Ants coach Kent Davison said. “Go figure.”

Samb’s teeth, which came out at the roots, were immediately placed in a saline-based “tooth saver,” Ants athletic trainer Pam Kutella said. He was taken to a local dentist to have the teeth reset in his mouth. He also suffered a probable upper jawbone fracture, Kutella said.

“At minimum, he’ll be out two weeks to replace the teeth,” she said, emphasizing that she didn’t have an official diagnosis Friday night. “At maximum, if he needs surgery, he’ll probably be out two months.”

Samb, who’d scored 15 points and eight rebounds prior to his injury, was in only his second NBA Development League game with the Ants. Fort Wayne lost 119-111 to the Dakota Wizards at Memorial Coliseum.

Samb’s injury occurred when Dakota guard Dontell Jefferson drove inside the paint and led with his arm to avoid a blocked shot.

It was one in a game-long series of high-contact plays. The teams combined for 60 fouls and each team shot 46 free throws.

He apparently suffered a possible fractured jaw and lost two teeth taking an elbow to the mouth tonight. Great . . .

http://www.fortwayne.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/SE/20071215/SPORTS/712150305

As much as this sucks, at least its not 2 starters. It's Rodney Stuckey and Samb.

As much as this sucks, at least its not 2 starters. It's Rodney Stuckey and Samb.

Unfortunately, the starters could probably use a nice month off mid-season. The rookies need to be working out the kinks right now if they're going to help the team in the playoffs. Losing Stuckey (and Samb... kind of) isn't going to hurt our regular season record as much as losing a starter, but it probably hurts the team more in the long run.

Ants lose game, center's front teeth

LMAO, what a headline...

Who the hell named the team the "Mad Ants"...?

That individual needs to be crucified.

IIRC, there was a contest or vote or somesuch and "Mad Ants" won. The other choices were more traditional team names. I'm still sick and uninclined to exercise Google-fu at the moment, so I don't have specifics.

I think the name is pretty cool. There's lots of cool iconography. It beats "Mighty Ducks", that's for sure.

We need to establish one thing here: Cheikh Samb is fucking hard core.

Yeah, he got jacked in the face and didn't go down or anything. Just waited for the break and spit the teeth out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Wayne

He's the reason we have Ohio. I'm not to keen on the guy.

He's the reason I live in Ohio then. Also not keen on the guy. Ohio sucks.

Okay, what the fuck good does this do?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071221/SPORTS03/71221045/0/SPORTS02


Pistons recall center Cheikh Samb from NBDL
December 21, 2007

The Pistons recalled center Cheikh Samb today from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBDL.

In two games in Fort Wayne, Samb averaged 13.5 points, 9.5 assists and four blocks a game in 31.5 minutes.

The 7-foot-1 center has played two game for Detroit this season, averaging 1.5 points, two rebounds and one block.

And 9.5 assists? Nice reporting, douchebags.

Was it just the teeth and not the jaw then? Either way I don't see much of a point myself.

I saw the recall on NBA TV late last night or something...half asleep...wondering what that was all about too.

I thought they said The Ants released someone too and that player was picked up immediately???

I'm guessing the Pistons save some $ somehow

They had to recall him to avoid sticking the Mad Ants with his medical expenses and eating up their roster slot. They don't have much in the way of an IR list.

Yeah, if you bring him back up to the roster, he's here with your medical staff and you know he's getting the best care possible. Would you rather have a professional NBA team's medical staff working on you or a poor D-League team's medical staff?

Mejia Named D-League Performer Of The Week

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3575158

NEW YORK, Dec. 31, 2007 - Sammy Mejia of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants was today named D-League.com Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Dec. 24. In three games this week, Mejia averaged 31.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 32-of-56 (.571) from the field and 28-of-35 (.800) from the free throw line.

Selected 57th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 NBA Draft, Mejia scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out three assists and collected three blocks against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Friday, Dec. 28. In two other games for the Mad Ants this week, Mejia scored 26 and 28 points, respectively.

A product of DePaul University, the 6-6 guard played his first game for the Mad Ants on Dec. 22 after missing the beginning of the season due to an injury. Mejia played with the Pistons in their training camp, and was one of the last players cut prior to the start of the NBA season. In four D-League games, Mejia is averaging 27.3 points and 7.3 rebounds.

I thought they cut him months ago.

Guys are getting signed out of the D league left and right. If Mejia keeps it up, he'll get a contract from somebody soon.

I actually want Detroit to sign him. I liked him in the preseason and I'd much rather have him than Flip Murray. Then he can develop and dominate the D-league while being the Pistons property.

So trade Flip for a pick then sign him and send him right back down?

So trade Flip for a pick then sign him and send him right back down?

Not exactly. If the guy is really playing that well than he would get a shot to play some garbage minutes and show off more in practice. At least with him you have the option of sending him back down and he definitely has more upside than Flip. Either way, you would be taking a player who you don't need and getting someone with potential.

From what I saw, I thought he sucked. Just me though.

Mejia was hurt the entire preseason. He looked worse than he was.

Ants lose swingman, guard to Italy, Spain

By Steve Warden
The Journal Gazette

When the Mad Ants return to Fort Wayne on Feb. 5 for only their third home game in 37 days, they will have a significantly different look than the last time they were in town.

Leading scorer Sammy Mejia and guard Walker Russell Jr. will be off the team and out of the country.

Mejia, the 6-foot-6 swingman who led the Ants in scoring with 19.5 points per game, and Russell, the 6-1 guard whose jump shot with 1.5 seconds remaining gave the Ants a dramatic 95-93 victory over Los Angeles in their last home game on Jan. 20, left the team to accept offers in Europe – Mejia in Italy and Russell in Spain.

“Fort Wayne wasn’t the problem,” said Mejia, who missed the first 10 games of the NBA D-League season with a leg injury. “It’s hard to be in one spot, and everybody’s goal is not to be there. It’s a different kind of comfort being over there. Nobody who is part of the Mad Ants wants to be in the Mad Ant uniform. I got comfortable in a different kind of way.”

Just as the Ants lose two players, they also gain two.

Cheikh Samb, the 7-foot-1 center who was sent from the Detroit Pistons and played two games in Fort Wayne in mid-December before being sidelined with a broken jaw, is returning to the team.

“We should have Cheikh Samb coming in (Monday),” Ants president and general manager Jeff Potter said. “I just talked to him and he’s in his car and should be here.”

Samb played in back-to-back games Dec. 13 and 14 against Dakota, averaging 13.5 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.

The other acquisition is 5-foot-9 guard Anthony Kyle.

“He played really well in training camp in open tryout,” Potter said. “He can score, he can shoot, he can dribble. He’s a quality player. Instead of going into the (D-League) pool and getting someone off the scrap heap that maybe was cut from other teams, we decided to get a guy who was young and hungry and wanted to make a name for himself.”

Potter said both Samb and Kyle are expected to be with the team when the Ants play back-to-back games in Sioux Falls on Friday and Saturday.

What kind of -car- would a true 7-footer drive these days?

A BMW because I vant the vomen.