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Skyforce lose Brown to NBA

By Staff Reports
Argus Leader

PUBLISHED: January 6, 2007

The Sioux Falls Skyforce have at least temporarily lost forward Andre Brown, their leading scorer and rebounder, to the NBA.

But if coach Mo McHone has his way, Brown will be replaced - in the short term - by an NBA player.

Brown, tops in the NBA D-League in scoring (22.8 points per game) and second in rebounding (10.8 per game), signed a 10-day contract with the Seattle Sonics on Friday. The 6-foot-9 former DePaul standout, Sioux Falls' first pick in the 2006 D-League draft, was expected to be in uniform for a Friday night game against the New York Knicks.

According to McHone, Seattle has indicated that it will likely keep Brown for 20 days before deciding whether to sign him for the rest of the season or let him return to Sioux Falls.

Because the Skyforce are scheduled to play six games in nine days beginning Jan. 12, McHone has contacted the Detroit Pistsons - one of the team's NBA affiliates - about the possibility of receiving an assignment player during that span.

"I told Detroit if they're ever going to send Amir Johnson down, this would be the perfect time to do it," McHone said while preparing for Friday's game in Tulsa, Okla.

The 19-year-old Johnson, a second-year forward, has appeared in only three games with Detroit this season.

As for losing Brown, McHone said he expected it would happen. He's less sure, however, if the Skyforce will get the consistent and entertaining 25-year-old back.

"If he gets to Seattle and they use him to his strengths, then, no, I don't think we'll get him back," McHone said of Brown, Sioux Falls' 52nd NBA call-up. "But I think the hardest position to get called-up and really get time is the four and five. But I also feel like if he goes there and doesn't stick, he'll get called up again."

Amir got some PT tonight vs. the Bulls.

yeah i know it was garbage time but i wish someone would give him the ball once in a while. he pretty much had no touches on the offensive end. but i love his length and athleticism out there.

i'm just imagining what he COULD be if he matures and his game does too.

I'd love to see what Amir can do, but I'd rather bring him along slow anyway. He is so young, and doesn't have the pressure that Darko did (because of his pick status). If he can be ready to contribute when Dyess leaves us that would be ideal (similar to Max providing something when Ben left).

He does want to get minutes, though, and he's shown enough that we might have to overpay if we want to develop him slowly. Do we match if someone offers him, say, half the MLE for three years? What about the full MLE?

Gotta love Amir's attitude


The Pistons give Amir Johnson all the coaching, attention and tender loving care possible, but the one thing they can’t give him is playing time. That’s the only reason Johnson left town Monday afternoon en route to Sioux Falls, S.D., where he’s on an open-ended assignment with the NBDL’s Skyforce. “We’re extremely happy with Amir,” Pistons vice president John Hammond said after the decision was finalized Monday. “This is not a demotion. And the best thing about it is that Amir does not look at it as a demotion. He looks at it as an opportunity. That’s what makes us feel so good about him getting this chance. If he went down with a different attitude, the experience would not be the same. But he had this experience once last year and it was nothing but a positive.”

The timing of the move is convenient both for Johnson and the Skyforce, who play six games in the 10-day span that starts Friday and ends Jan. 20. It’s possible the Pistons could recall Johnson to Detroit at that time - or sooner, if injuries necessitate it, Hammond said.

Sioux Falls recently saw 6-foot-9 Andre Brown, averaging 24 points a game, called up to Seattle of the NBA and can offer Johnson immediate and ample playing time. The Skyforce, coached by former Pistons assistant Mo McHone, are 10-8 in the D-League’s East Division.

Johnson, who has grown to 6-foot-11 after being 6-9 when drafted by the Pistons with the 56th pick of the 2005 draft, averaged 17.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in a 17-game stint with Fayetteville (N.C.) in last season’s D-League stint. He made great strides over the summer and into the preseason with his ability to face the basket after playing with his back to the basket in high school and he’s flashed an uncanny knack for putting the ball in the basket. The Pistons think he can be a hybrid forward who has a chance to thrive in the 21st century up-tempo NBA.

“This is a great opportunity for Amir to get playing experience,” Hammond said. “He’s going to play for a very good coach in Mo McHone, a coach who has won championships at the minor-league level. He’s working on everything here. We can give him everything he needs here, but the only thing we can’t give him is playing time.”

from pistons.com

So amir has grown 2 inches...sweet!

Can you order an authentic Amir Johnson Sioux Falls Skyforce jersey?