The Sky Force are the NBDL affiliate of both the Detroit Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Here's your Sioux Falls Sky Force...


Skyforce Roster

NUM PLAYER POS HT WT FROM
4 Andre Brown F 6-9 245 De Paul '05
29 Joe Dabbert C 6-10 255 Creighton '04
7 DeSean Hadley G 6-3 190 Eastern Michigan '01
25 Jared Reiner C 6-11 255 Iowa '05
34 Antwayne Robinson F 6-8 220 Temple '06
9 Chris Rodgers G 6-4 190 Arizona '06
91 Jeff Varem F 6-6 240 Washington State '05
24 Luke Whitehead F 6-6 220 Louisville '04
30 Frank Williams G 6-3 215 Illinois '02
32 Joseph Works F 6-7 215 Tarleton State '05

HEAD COACH Morris McHone
ASSISTANT COACHES Nate Tibbetts
ATHLETIC TRAINER Dustin Schramm


:mccosky:
The NBA's developmental league opened its season Friday. The Pistons' affiliate is the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce.

The team is coached by former Pistons assistant Mo McHone , and features former NBA guard Frank Williams , Jared Reiner (Iowa), who played with the Pistons' summer-league team, and guard Andre Brown (DePaul).

Eventually, Pistons rookie Will Blalock and perhaps Amir Johnson are expected to join the team.



D-League begins

The NBA Development League began its season Friday, and there were some very interesting names in the box scores.

• Eddie Robinson, the silky small forward who disappeared from professional basketball for two years after playing five NBA seasons, resurfaced with the Idaho Stampede. Robinson, 30, scored 24 points Saturday night.

• Frank Williams, the former University of Illinois point guard who did little in three seasons with the Knicks and Bulls after being a 2002 first-round pick in 2002, scored 32 points in his first game for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

• Troy Bell, another former first-round pick who has made headlines recently for his fledgling professional boxing career, had 18 points and eight assists for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in a win Saturday.

• Will Conroy, the former University of Washington point guard who played with current NBA players Nate Robinson (New York), Brandon Roy (Portland) and Bobby Jones (Philadelphia) in college, is again showing he is one of the top point guards outside the NBA.

Conroy is averaging 17 points and eight assists through two games for the Tulsa 66ers. With Charlotte, Memphis, Miami and Philadelphia among the teams needing help at point guard, Conroy, who will turn 24 in two weeks, could be the answer.

Nov Opponent Box Score W-L High Pts High Reb

Fri 24 Dakota L 104 - 114 0-1 F. Williams 32 J. Reiner 15
Sat 25 @ Dakota L 32 - 41 1-1 A. Brown 6 F. Williams 6 A. Brown 5
Nov Thu 30 Idaho 7:00pm
Dec Fri 1 Idaho 7:00pm
Sun 3 @ Bakersfield 6:00pm
Mon 4 @ Los Angeles 5:30pm
Wed 6 @ Los Angeles 5:30pm
Thu 14 Arkansas 7:00pm
Fri 15 Arkansas 7:00pm
Sun 17 @ Austin 3:00pm
Tue 19 @ Fort Worth 8:00pm
Fri 22 Austin 7:00pm
Sat 23 @ Dakota 7:00pm
Mon 25 Colorado 7:00pm
Thu 28 @ Austin 7:00pm
Fri 29 Albuquerque 7:00pm
Jan Fri 5 @ Tulsa 7:00pm
Sat 6 Tulsa 7:00pm
Fri 12 Arkansas 7:00pm
Sat 13 @ Idaho 8:00pm
Mon 15 @ Austin Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls, SD
Wed 17 Fort Worth
Fri 19 @ Arkansas 7:00pm
Sat 20 @ Arkansas 7:00pm
Fri 26 @ Tulsa 7:00pm
Sat 27 @ Tulsa 7:00pm
Feb Fri 2 Anaheim 7:00pm
Sat 3 Anaheim 7:00pm
Fri 9 Los Angeles 7:00pm
Sat 10 Los Angeles 7:00pm
Tue 13 Austin 7:00pm
Sun 25 Fort Worth 7:00pm
Tue 27 Fort Worth 7:00pm
Mar Thu 1 Dakota 7:00pm
Sat 3 Bakersfield 7:00pm
Sun 4 @ Colorado 7:00pm
Thu 8 @ Albuquerque 9:00pm
Fri 9 @ Albuquerque 8:00pm
Sun 11 @ Bakersfield 6:00pm
Tue 13 @ Anaheim 9:00pm
Sun 18 Austin 7:00pm
Fri 23 Tulsa 7:00pm
Sat 24 Tulsa 7:00pm
Fri 30 Dakota 7:00pm
Sat 31 Colorado 7:00pm
Apr Tue 3 @ Idaho 8:00pm
Fri 6 @ Arkansas 7:00pm
Sat 7 @ Dakota 7:00pm
Fri 13 @ Fort Worth 7:00pm
Sat 14 @ Fort Worth 7:30pm

LOL@losing 41-32 and having your leading scorers end up with 6 points each.

Why does the affiliate change every year?

Fayetteville folded

Oops

That 41-32 scores wrong, I saw that the other day. It's the first half score. If you read the recap, it was 89-87, Andre Brown had 23-10 and Frank Williams had 17.

I always liked Brown when he was on bad DePaul teams, he's a likely candidate to get some ten day offers. Rebounds well, gets to the rack.

Must be nice:


The Lakers' new team in the NBA's Development League, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, made its Staples Center debut before the regular game and beat the Bakersfield Jam 96-92. "I think it's going to become a valuable asset to the club," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "The fact that they're playing here and the system they run is similar to what we do, those things are important. And the ability to move young players back and forth between our roster and the D-League team and hopefully get those players some experience is going to be of value." ... All of the D-Fenders' home games will precede Lakers games, so only fans with Lakers tickets on those nights will be allowed in. The D-Fenders' head coach, Dan Panaggio, spent last season in Milwaukee as an assistant at Marquette.

Who the hell names these teams? Skyforce? D-Fenders? I'm looking forward to next year's Walla Walla Ground Assault and Cement City Brick-Layers.

P.S. "Walla Walla Ground Assault" sounds like a bad underground industrial band.

<<<Reminds self to change band name in shame.

Yikes:



Bulls say Andriuskevicius recovering from minor skull fractureDecember 23, 2006

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Martynas Andriuskevicius (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3970/), assigned to the NBA Development League's Dakota Wizards by the Chicago Bulls (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/chi/), was recovering from a minor skull fracture and a concussion Saturday, two days after he was punched by a teammate.
Police said the 7-foot-2 Andriuskevicius was knocked unconscious with a blow to the head during a fight in practice Thursday. The Wizards announced that Awvee Storey (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3903/) was suspended indefinitely and that the D- League was investigating. The NBA also is looking into it.
"Right now we do not know all of the details concerning this incident in which Martynas was hurt," Bulls general manager John Paxson said in a statement. "I have been assured by Stu Jackson that there is an ongoing investigation into this matter by the NBA and the D-League."
Paxson said Andriuskevicius will return to Chicago as soon as he is given medical clearance to travel.
Wizards spokesman Mike Offerdahl said the club would have no comment on Storey's suspension until the D-League investigation is finished.
"I wouldn't think that would be anytime soon," Offerdahl said.
Police Lt. Dan Donlin said Andriuskevicius did not want to file formal charges in the incident. Storey, 29, appeared in three games for the Wizards, averaging nine points and six rebounds off the bench.

Daaaaaamn. The Bulls center didnt file anything on him yet

Daaaaaamn. The Bulls center didnt file anything on him yet

Fuck - I'd try and lock that guy in PMITA prison till the dust of the dust of his bones got ground into ass lube.

But I'm not a fan of almost dying.

Sioux Falls on NBATV NOW. See Amir play against scrubs.

Amir had a couple of good plays in the game.

I'm not sure if this was one game but he got 5 fouls in under 30 minutes of play and could work on his turnovers.

However he's playing like a bigman. 4 blocks and is continously in the paint.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20070115/SFLAUS/boxscore.html

What position is he playing there?

What position is he playing there?

The game's being rebroadcast on Wednesday, in the late afternoon I think.

that doesn't help at all. Maybe I can tape it. I get the NFL network on Dish Network, but I don't think I get NBA tv.

highlights on the game on nba broadband.

no need to go to nba broadband for this game, amir with a quiet game.

http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20070117/FTWSFL/boxscore.html

Im beginning to wonder if he has problems with fouls. 5 again:mccosky:

Amir Johnson is having a productive stint in the NBA Development League. Entering play Wednesday, Johnson was averaging 17 points and 7.7 rebounds through three games for the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce. He is expected to rejoin the Pistons on Sunday.

^Why? Does Joe have a deal in place and a need to bring Amir back up by then?

thats what i'm wondering.

Weren't they playing like 7 games in nine days or something? Even if Joe has a deal set, it would have to be a lot larger than we expect to make a hole that Joe would feel Amir was needed. I expect Amir was just sent down to run the court a bit and he'd rather pull Amir back after that stretch as soon as possible so not to have whoever it is that handles that team fucking up his biggest potential project.

How long has Amir been down there now?

After he was sent down recently, I would think 2-4 games.

I'm not sure it would have to be a huge deal. Suppose you deal Flip or Delfino in a package for a PG. Then you are left with one backup swingman (unless you count Dupree). Even a simple deal like the Flip for Hart one would create a need for a backup SF.

But you are probably right...Joe probably just planned on a small stint.

Amir's back, baby!

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/johnson_070122.html

http://www.nba.com/media/pistons/ajohnson_256_070122.jpg

Teen’s time in the D-League turns heads
Amir: A Positive Force

:langlois:
by Keith Langlois

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Ask Amir Johnson how cold it was on the barren plains of South Dakota and his lips start to turn Pistons blue.

“Brrrr,” he says, shaking his head at the memory of stepping off the plane into a driving snowstorm. “It was like negative zero or something.”

And that’s about the only time you’ll here “negative” emanate from those frozen lips of the Pistons’ 19-year-old forward, back with the team after a rousing six-game stint with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. The first impression Amir Johnson gives everyone is that he loves to play basketball – whether it’s back home on the Los Angeles asphalt, before the customary 22,000 at The Palace or in the breezy gymnasiums that dot the NBDL.

The Pistons learned that before they drafted him – one of the reasons they drafted him, by the way – and the latest to learn of Johnson’s thirst for basketball success is Mo McHone, a career coach who served as a Pistons assistant under Alvin Gentry and now coaches at Sioux Falls.

“The number one thing that stands out to me is just how much this kid wants to play,” McHone said this week after Johnson averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.3 blocked shots and 1.7 steals while helping Sioux Falls to a 5-1 record during his 12 days with the Skyforce – numbers that would have been even more impressive if foul trouble hadn’t limited Johnson’s minutes in many of his games.

“He came down to the D-League with such a positive attitude. The NBA life and the D-League life are totally different, and as a coach you worry about whether they’re going to hate that part of it. But he just fit in perfectly. He became one of the guys as quick as I’ve ever seen anybody do it. I just think anytime you have as much talent as he has and you love to play the game that much, there can’t be anything but good things ahead for him.”

The Pistons came across Johnson a few years ago when George David, their director of scouting, got a tip to check him out while he was on the West Coast for the Pac-10 Tournament. David did, then told Joe Dumars, who was headed west to join David at the Pac-10 event, that Johnson was probably a better prospect than anybody he was coming to see. Dumars didn’t get to see Johnson play in person, but he saw a videotape.

“I wasn’t blown away, but I was intrigued,” Dumars recalled. “It was a high school game and he was bigger than everybody else, but I was intrigued enough that we wanted to bring him in for a workout.”

They worked Johnson out one day with three other draft prospects – North Carolina senior Jawad Williams, a starter for the reigning national champions; Saginaw native Anthony Roberson, a Florida junior; and another high school prospect, Louis Williams.

“It was 8 in the morning and Amir was out here dunking,” David said, grinning at the memory. “I told Joe, ‘This kid must really love to play basketball.’ ”

By now Dumars was more than intrigued. But the Pistons went into the 2005 draft with two late second-round picks and didn’t think there was any way Johnson, a McDonald’s All-American who had committed to Louisville’s Rick Pitino, would last that long. In fact, they knew of another Eastern Conference team for whom Johnson worked out that very nearly took him in the first round. But they wound up plucking Johnson with the 56th pick, delighted at their luck.

Before the Pistons ever went to training camp in 2005, Johnson accompanied fellow rookie Jason Maxiell back to Maxiell’s alma mater, Cincinnati, for a weekend visit. Andy Kennedy, then a Bearcats assistant and now head coach at Mississippi, called David and told him, “I don’t know how much fun Jason had, because Amir kept dragging him to the gym to play with our guys all weekend.”

So the Pistons weren’t worried about Johnson handling the demotion poorly. In fact, he jumped on the idea when it was broached by Dumars. And he’s ready to go back if the opportunity arises.

“It felt like I was a star out there when they announced my name,” he said. “It was real good. I enjoyed it. I had fun out there.”

Johnson’s knack for scoring around the basket, his ability to run the floor at 6-foot-11 and his shot-blocking skills all opened McHone’s eyes.

“As big as he is, his No. 1 asset is that he’s a well-rounded player,” McHone said. “He’s got such athletic ability, he defended the basket really well for us. In one game he had five blocked shots, and the other coach told me after the game all five were potential layups. That’s 10 points off the board. That’s a huge swing. He really understands how to block shots. That surprised me.

“He did some things I just didn’t expect him to do here. I just didn’t think he would be strong enough to just pick the ball off the floor, go up and score against all these big, strong guys. But two or three times, he did that. I really like him in the high post. We ran a lot of sets off of him there and I didn’t expect him to be quite as good a passer as he was. He can get to the basket from the high post and he really ran the floor well for us.”

It wasn’t just his love of playing the game that struck McHone, it was his desire to win.

“Just playing games and winning,” Johnson says in response to a question of the best thing about his time in Sioux Falls. “I loved winning. We scored like 120 points every game, so I just loved playing games and winning. It just feels good when you play a game and win.”

“He really was into winning,” McHone said. “He didn’t just come down to put up numbers. He really wanted to win the games and I was impressed with that.”


NOTE: So do you think he likes winning? --Glenn

And yet the impressions that will last longest with McHone came before and after the games. How he worked out tirelessly with Ryan Hoover, Pistons director of player development who accompanied him to Sioux Falls. How his teammates said they wanted to win Johnson’s last game for him before returning to Detroit, and Johnson telling them, “I’ll be back.” How when the first-class section of a cramped flight was sold out – NBA players assigned to the D-League are contractually deserving of first-class seats – Johnson marched to coach without complaint, sticking a magazine between his knees and the stiff seatback in front of him to keep it from gouging him.

Resentment and disappointment were “something I was anticipating having to deal with,” McHone said, “but it wasn’t there. From the moment he walked on the floor, he did anything and everything we asked. This kid wants to play so bad, I’m sure whatever the Pistons have him do, he’ll do it.”

Even if it involves a few weeks on the barren winter plains of South Dakota with the thermometer hovering around negative zero.

Too bad that Amir still doesn't get to play. The Pistons just suck as a team to develop it's youngsters. We truly have no idea of what our young guys are capable of.

Speaking of youngsters, did anyone see Daniel Gibson, the Cavs rookie play last night. He had 19 points in 29 minutes, shooting 5-8 and 4-6 from behind the arc. I would love to see what Max and Amir could do with regular minutes but we all know that isn't going to happen. I am getting more and more frustrated with this Pistons team.

The problem is that both are PF's and how do you play them with Dyess here? In another year it may not be a problem. If Amir could guard SF's that would be ideal because we could really use him to spell Tay for a few minutes a night. I suspect he's no worse than Corliss was against SF's on defense.

The problem is that both are PF's and how do you play them with Dyess here? In another year it may not be a problem. If Amir could guard SF's that would be ideal because we could really use him to spell Tay for a few minutes a night. I suspect he's no worse than Corliss was against SF's on defense.

You have to play him some REGARDLESS. Even if you get Amir in for 3 minutes or so, it helps him get better. Maybe you could even sit Dyess and/or Sheed every 5th game or so. We didn't play Darko and esentially wasted a #2 pick. We know that Maxiell has great potential but he rarely plays. If all these GM's are interested in Amir, that should say something right there. We HAVE to get him some playing time. We want him to like it here and turn into a great player.

Maybe you could even sit Dyess and/or Sheed every 5th game or so.

Sheed is 2 technicals from helping us out with that one himself.

Team player.

Sheed is 2 technicals from helping us out with that one himself.

The question is that when it happens, does Amir see any PT?

I doubt it. Nazr or DD would get the start and split the minutes between them. With those two, Max and Dyess ahead of Amir, I highly doubt he gets any minutes.

I'm not too worried. Webber is a FA, Dyess will be next year, DD will be gone next year too I think. He'll get his chance. I suspect he'll be in Max's current position come next year.

D-League team acquires Mateen Cleaves

The Associated Press

:mateen:

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — Mateen Cleaves, a former first-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons who led Michigan State to the NCAA championship in 2000, has joined the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League.

The Jam acquired guards Cleaves and Brandon Armstrong on Thursday and waived guard Andre McCollum. In addition, swingman Dion Glover left the team.

Cleaves has had two previous stints in the D-League, playing with Huntsville in the 2003-04 season and Fayetteville in the 2005-06 season. He averaged 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 53 games.

Cleaves, the 14th overall pick in the 2000 draft, has played in 167 NBA games with Detroit, Sacramento, Cleveland and Seattle, averaging 3.6 points and 1.9 assists. He most recently played in Russia.

Michigan State retired Cleaves' No.12 jersey during a ceremony Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.

Armstrong is another former first-round NBA draft pick, having been taken with the 23rd overall selection by Houston in 2001 after playing at Pepperdine.

Cleaves and Armstrong are both expected to be in uniform Friday night when the Jam visits Anaheim

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070227/SPORTS03/70227064/1051/SPORTS03


Blalock, Johnson sent to D-League

February 27, 2007
FREE PRESS STAFF

The Pistons sent point guard Will Blalock and forward Amir Johnson down to the NBA Developmental League on Tuesday.

The two will play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Pistons' NBADL affiliate.

Blalock has played in 13 games this season, averaging 1.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 12.5 minutes per game.

This is Johnson's second stint with the Skyforce. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in six games with Sioux Falls. With the Pistons, Johnson played in four games, averaging 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.3 minutes.

Amir lighting it up in his first game back.

6 minutes to go in the 4th, and he's 10-12 from the floor, 24 points/11 rebounds and probably some blocks (stat not shown in th ebox score).

http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20070227/FTWSFL/livestats.html

What really pisses me off is that I don't get NBDL games on TV where I live!
Shit, man, I LOVE the NBDL! It's FAN TASTIC!

Man, I love this kid.

Seriously, this might be a ManCrush.

http://www.keloland.com/sports/newsdetail7981.cfm?Id=0,55052


Johnson Scores 32 Points As Skyforce Grounds Flyers

Amir Johnson, on assignment from the Detroit Pistons, recorded 32 points and collected 13 rebounds to help the Sioux Falls Skyforce post a 114-98 victory over the Fort Worth Flyers Thursday at the Sioux Falls Arena.

“What a great performance by Amir,” Sioux Falls coach Mo McHone said. “He really hadn’t been on the floor in three months and we hadn’t had a practice, so I was really pleased with how he played.”

The win pulls the Skyforce (18-15) within one and a half games of second-place Fort Worth (19-13) in the Eastern division.

The battle for playoff standings heated up as Johnson was joined by guard Will Blalock on assignment from the Pistons. Johnson went 13-of-15 from the field and had five blocks while Blalock scored six points and had seven assists.

“When you get two guys like that your coaching skills definitely go up,” McHone said.

Robert Hite added 21 points, including 4-of-7 behind the arc, while Jeff Varem and Damone Brown both had 16. Brown also contributed three blocked shots. The Skyforce led by as many as 23 behind the dominant inside play of Johnson and Brown. Sioux Falls outscored Fort Worth 62-36 in the paint.

“When we play Damone and Amir together it’s going to be hard to get to the basket,” McHone said. “Those guys can flat out block shots and get after it.”

Corey Santee led Fort Worth with 20 points and Ndudi Ebi had a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Terrance Thomas recorded 17 and Jeremy Richardson had 10. Fort Worth shot just 35 percent (35-of-99) from the floor.

The Skyforce continue their home stand with a Thursday 7 p.m. showdown against the rival Dakota Wizards at the Sioux Falls Arena. Fort Worth travels back to the Fort Worth Convention Center to face the Colorado 14ers Friday at 7 p.m.

http://www.keloland.com/ClassLibrary/Page/Images/Data/12276.jpg

Let's not forget Amir's 5 blocks. Oh, Amir felt a little winded before playing that game, because he hadn't in awhile. Here's a little interview with him:

http://www.prairiehousesports.com/audio/skyforce022707amir.mp3

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/blalock_070309.html


Pistons Recall Will Blalock from Sioux Falls Skyforce

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Detroit Pistons announced today that they have recalled Will Blalock from the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA D-League.
In four games, Blalock averaged 7.0 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in 26.5 minutes with the Skyforce. Drafted 60th by the Pistons in the 2006 NBA Draft, Blalock appeared in 13 games with the Pistons this season averaging 1.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 12.5 minutes per game. He scored a season-high five points in 18 minutes at Philadelphia (1/9).

Since the assignment system began for the 2005-06 season, 51 players have been assigned 74 times to D-League teams.

Amir:

24 pts/7 reb/5 blk (10-10 from the line, too)
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20070311/SFLBAK/boxscore.html

:mccosky:


Apparently, Amir Johnson's wrist is OK. He fell hard on it a few games back and had it looked at by Arnie Kander on Saturday. On Sunday, he posted 24 points and seven rebounds, leading Sioux Falls to another D-League win. Flip Saunders said, unless something unexpected happens, Johnson will close out the season with the SkyForce.

We have Amir locked up for next year, right? He can't leave to take less money just for a chance to play?

I'm not certain, but I think he's a restricted free agent, which could present some interesting scenarios if teams throw loads of cash at both he and Chauncey.

Does he qualify for "Gilbert Arenas rule" protection?

I'm pretty sure he's a RFA. All we have to do is extend him I think.

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/3999/amirsa1.jpg

Um, whatcha doin' Amir?

Did it take everyone just as long a time to figure out that was a gun?

Sorry, I thought it was pretty clear.

It did take me about 20 seconds to notice that.

Why is Amir pointing a gun at someone? Did we trade him to the Pacers and no one told me?

Amir = Straight Outta Compton. Fuck Tha Police.

Keep the gun at home Amir, please. We don't need you to be Stephen Jackson.

At the very least, I'd like Joe to make sure this kid has his head on straight before making a long term commitment to him.

Amir may be a gangsta, but he's balling.

http://www.nba.com/media/dleague/siouxfalls/ajohnson_345_070318.jpg


Skyforce Top Toros

Sioux Falls 111, Austin 97

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., March 18 – Amir Johnson racked up 21 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks Sunday night to lead the Sioux Falls Skyforce to a 111-97 victory over the Austin Toros at the Sioux Falls Arena.

The win helps Sioux Falls (25-16) keep pace with the Forth Worth Flyers and Dakota Wizards in the battle for the Eastern division playoffs. The Skyforce entered the night just a half game behind the Wizards for first place. Austin falls to 16-21 on the year.

Is that the synthetic ball in his hand? Isn't it kind of weird for them to use that ball in the NBDL.

D-league budgets are tight.

The NBA is going to go back to a synthetic ball, maybe even next year, but it's just a matter of time.

One of the main benefits of the NBDL to the league is that they can use it to test things, which is what should have been done with the synthetic ball in the first place instead of just mandating it for the NBA before this season.

However, IMO, it's hard to reconcile that these kids are supposed to be learning how to play the NBA game, and then you hand them a completely different ball to play with.

http://www.battingcages.com/photos/Bats.jpg

Minor league baseball uses wooden bats.

Didn't they just change to those though? Or was that college?

College uses aluminum still.

They claim that it's because the schools can't afford to pay for wooden bats as they break, so it the long run, aluminum is cheaper, but I still think some pitcher is going to be killed someday by a batted ball off one of those.

I'm sure Vinny knows more about the rationale than this.

So it is the minor that just changed to wood, like 2 months ago?

So it is the minor that just changed to wood, like 2 months ago?

They had wood bats at the Mud Hens game I went to about a year or 2 ago. i think they've been that way.

College uses metal, minor leagues wooden.

The minors have used wood all along. I think one college league just switched to wooden but I can't remember. The problem isn't so much the cost to college programs as it is the cost to high school and little league programs, especially in inner cities, where funds are often drastically in short supply to begin with.

The problem with colleges is more along the lines of a competition factor. If an individual program or league got rid of aluminum, they'd be at a distinct disadvantage against any other programs that still use aluminum. That means that any lasting change would have to come at the wide-spread NCAA level rather than the individual program level. Since the NCAA is trying to market its product, and the offense that comes from aluminum bats sells, change has been slow to come.

This just happened recently:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/wires/03/14/2080.ap.bbh.new.york.city.bat.ban.1st.ld.writethru .0618/

Also, there are many that argue that advancements in wooden bat production techniques have led us to a point where wooden bats should no longer break and need to be replaced as often, and thus the whole cost argument should be moot. Thus, alot of the problem comes from parents, etc: Who's going to tell that dad over there who thinks his son's the next Albert Pujols that his kid can't use the $500 bat he just bought?

:mccosky:


Will Blalock was sent back to the D-league on Saturday. Chauncey Billups is healthy and Lindsey Hunter is back -- so they sent Blalock to Sioux Falls to get some playing time in.

The legend of Amir Johnson is building
Posted by Justin Rogers April 6, 2007 11:10
Full Court Press Index Print | Email

People in South Dakota can't stop singing the praises of Amir Johnson.

April 6, Argus Leader: "The only thing that makes me nervous about all this is that Amir's just so good," McHone said of Skyforce forward Amir Johnson, who is on assignment from the Detroit Pistons, supposedly, for the remainder of the season. "I just don't see how he's not putting in minutes up there. I think he's one of the best fullcourt big men I've seen play. I mean, I love him. I love Detroit to death for leaving him here because he is fun to watch. He's fun to be around."

How good is he?

"He's got to be one of the best players to have ever been on this team," McHone said, who coached arguably the franchise's best team to a mark of 47-9 in 1997, if not the best to set foot in the Arena, longtime Skyforce owner Greg Heineman added, presumably for a minor league game, that is.

...

Sure, the numbers are great - the 6-foot-9 Johnson is averaging 19.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks and the team is 16-4 with him in the line up - but every game he makes at least one play that leaves you speaking in tongues.



Last I heard, the kid don't even want to come up...he's having too much fun beating up the competition there

thanks for the update, Wizzle.

i really hope that Amir works on his fundamentals down there. i imagine that the game isn't nearly as organized as the NBA game, so there's probably lots of fastbreaks and not much half court execution. Amir's physical abilities might bode well in a fast break, rec-center type game, but that just makes him a glorified Desmond Mason. hopefully, he's working on his outside shot and ball handling skills. regardless, it's exciting to read blurbs like that.

btw, Amir's 6'9"? what happened to all the talk of him being nearly as tall as Sheed at 6'11"?

amir aint 6ft 9in. he's no shorter than 6ft 10in imo.

thanks for the update, Wizzle.

i really hope that Amir works on his fundamentals down there. i imagine that the game isn't nearly as organized as the NBA game, so there's probably lots of fastbreaks and not much half court execution. Amir's physical abilities might bode well in a fast break, rec-center type game, but that just makes him a glorified Desmond Mason. hopefully, he's working on his outside shot and ball handling skills. regardless, it's exciting to read blurbs like that.

btw, Amir's 6'9"? what happened to all the talk of him being nearly as tall as Sheed at 6'11"?

I'll take a 6' 10" Desmond Mason though. Sure, I'd like more, but that is good return on that pick either way.

desmond mason isnt half as good a rebounder or help out SHOT BLOCKER. dude plays like a pf and has 3pt range. anyone stuck on his hops is missing out on his overall game. again if he can bulk or improve his dribbling, then sky's the limit. in fact i prefer for him to go to a bosh/kg mold of mildly bulking up and working more on his athletic agility to make plays.

I agree they are not the same player. I'm just saying that a 6 10 Mason with a second round pick is pretty darn good. Most 2nd rounders don't end up in a regular rotation anyway.

They know he's too good.

http://www.keloland.com/Sports/NewsDetail7981.cfm?Id=0,56408


D-League Denies Amir Johnson

Amir Johnson, who was re-called by the Detroit Pistons late last week, will not be allowed to return to the Skyforce this season.

League rules state that any player not listed on a team's postseason roster as of 2-PM last Sunday are not allowed to participate in the playoffs. It's a mandate that leaves the Skyforce unexpectedly short-handed.

When the Pistons brought Amir Johnson back to Detroit for the end of the regular season, they had every intention of sending him back to Sioux Falls.

Skyforce head coach Mo McHone said, "It had been overlooked before, and because the rule had been overlooked before [Pistons] were trying to get them to do it again. They felt it was very important for Amir to come in and play in a high-pressure playoff game. They thought it would be great experience for him."

The Skyforce are not alone in their frustration. Colorado and Idaho have also been directly effected by this decision.

"That rule was overlooked by everyone," explains McHone. "Somebody brought it to their attention, and when somebody brought it to their attention it cost a lot of guys an opportunity. I mean, not only Amir Johnson but Von Wafer...a lot of guys got caught up in it."

But complaining will get you nowhere. And this team still has a job to do.

Skyforce guard Stephen Graham said, "Of course we're a little upset about it. I think we really need Amir for this next couple of games. But our cards have been dealt, and we've just got to be able to deal with them and play with them."

Minus Johnson in round one, the Skyforce pummeled Fort Worth. A sign that life without number-21 isn't all that bad.

"I think we have a good enough team that we can win with him and we can win without him," adds Graham. "We've got a talented group of guys. The next big thing for us, coming into these next couple games, is going to be our mental focus. Physically I think we're there, it's just being mentally focused and ready to play."

Between Delfino's ankle sprain and this, I think it's fated that Amir will be on our playoff roster.

I'd rather have him than Dupree right now, and probably Nazr (since Shaq won't make it past Chicago and DD can play D on him anyway).

Yeah, seeing him play was freaking awesome, this kid has tons of athleticism, court-smarts, and personality. The D-League can get F'ed.

Not to mention he is a great kid off the court. I actually had a short convo with him after again once while I was working, really a great guy to talk to and be around.