Nuggets, other teams test talent waters at D-League Showcase

OREM, Utah -- Moving quickly in the aftermath of Carmelo Anthony's broken hand, the Nuggets recalled rookie swingman Sonny Weems from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Colorado 14ers. The Nuggets aren't in a panic mode, though. The team's pool of swingmen -- J.R. Smith, Renaldo Balkman and Dahntay Jones -- helps absorb Anthony's loss in the short term.

That hardly means Denver is done looking for depth with its All-Star forward out for at least three weeks. Denver's scouting contingent on hand here this week at the D-League Showcase proves that. Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien was evaluating 150 or so free agents on display during the four-day event. Player personnel representatives from all 30 NBA teams are in Utah doing the same.

"I'm just looking to continue to evaluate players," Boston general manager Danny Ainge said. "The ages of 20-25 are a time when a lot of players get better and some players don't get better, so it's just a continual evaluation."

Ainge is on hand to track the progress of two Boston rookies -- J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker -- assigned to the Utah Flash. The defending champs are also aware of what else is out there. And finding the right guy for a team's particular needs goes beyond just scanning box scores.

"That's why we're here," Ainge said. "Anybody can pick up a stat sheet. I don't know how many NBA teams are looking at the stat sheet and deciding who they want to take. Most of these guys are not All-Stars.

"Most of these guys are role players in the NBA, somewhere between 9-12 on the bench. It's imperative that these guys not try to put up numbers, but do the little things because that's what everyone is watching."

That's the trick. D-League scoring leader Will Conroy, for instance, isn't going to get 25 shots and clear outs in the NBA if he's called up. Minutes are hardly guaranteed for call-ups. What is expected is a good attitude and a willingness to play hard ... in practice.

As one Western Conference scout said, the evaluation process goes beyond the court. Just as a team does its homework leading up to the Draft, scouts do the same in the D-League. They talk to a prospect's current and former coaches to help gauge his mental makeup.

Projecting players' skills into an NBA setting is another challenge. Seven-footers in the D-League often find themselves matched up against 6-foot-8 centers. Can a 6-foot-2 shooting guard run the point? Does a 25-year-old who can jump out of the gym still have room to improve?

As Ainge said, the intangibles are often singled out.

"It's about efficiency for me," the West scout said. "How efficient can he be while he's out there? If he's going from 20 shots a game to three, can he make two of those three?"

All NBA teams don't use the D-League the same way. One coach who's been on multiple staffs in both the NBA and the D-League noted the differences. He was in an NBA situation that used its affiliate extensively. He's now on a D-League staff that has little contact, if any, with its parent club.

Golden State is at the other end of the spectrum. Jermareo Davidson recently became the sixth player called up by the Warriors, joining C.J. Watson (2007-08), Kelenna Azubuike (2006-07), Renaldo Major (2006-07), Will Bynum (2005-06) and Rusty LaRue (2003-04).

"The D-League has been great for us," Golden State assistant general manager Larry Riley said. "We've used it quite a bit over the years."