Top Ten NBA D-League Stories Of The 2008-09 Season
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Ron Turenne/Getty Images/NBAE |
by Matthew Brennan, D-League.com
March 9, 2008: The 2008-09 NBA D-League season has seen many exciting developments, both in the league itself and in the exploits of its many alumni who populate all 30 NBA rosters. Here are ten of the most exciting on-court storylines to come out of the league this season.
Pops Leads The GATORADE Call-Up Charge
For a few weeks in February, Austin's Pops Mensah-Bonsu was the most dominant player in the D-League. After joining the Austin Toros, the former Dallas Maverick assignee averaged 26.6 points and 13.0 rebounds in an eight-game stretch, shooting an outstanding .608 (76-125) from the field. Mensah-Bonsu's talent was evident, so his NBA D-League stint did not last long before NBA teams came calling.
He was signed to a GATORADE Call-Up by the San Antonio Spurs and made an immediate impact, scoring 11 points in only his second game. After falling victim to a numbers game with the Spurs, Pops was a free agent for only a few days before singing with the Toronto Raptors. Mensah-Bonsu has racked up a total of 17 rebounds in his first two games and is signed with Toronto for the rest of the season. The MVP of the first D-League All-Star Game, he is averaging 3.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in the NBA so far this year. Other GATORADE Call-Ups who have maken the jump from the D-League to a season-long contract in the NBA include Charlotte's Cartier Martin, who was signed from the Iowa Energy, and Golden State's Jermareo Davidson, a January call-up from the Idaho Stampede. As of March 10 there have been a total of 14 GATORADE Call-Ups of 11 different players during the 2008-09 season.
- Watch video of Mensah-Bonsu in action for the Spurs
The Continued Rise Of Ramon Sessions
Ramon Sessions already made history when he won Rookie of the Month for April 2007, become the first former D-League player to win an NBA monthly award, but his 2008-09 season has proved that it was no fluke. Sessions faced some competition for the Bucks' starting point guard spot at the beginning of the season, but injuries and trades, as well as his own stellar play, have left Sessions as the main man in Milwaukee's backcourt. This season the former Nevada star continued to make his mark as one of the best second round picks of recent vintage as well as the prime example of how a D-League assignment can benefit a young player's career. Sessions is averaging 12.3 points and 5.0 assists in 63 games for Milwaukee, making 23 starts. He set a new record for points scored in a game by a D-League alum when he posted 44 against the Detroit Pistons on February 7.
- Watch video on Sessions' NBA journey
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One of the most exciting players to ever play in the NBA D-League, Anaheim's James White put his stamp on the 2008-09 season culminating in a spectacular show at the Slam Dunk Contest in Phoenix. White threw down several jams that brought the crowd to their feet and lifted him to the win over Tulsa's Keith Clark. More than just a dunker, White also put on a show every night on the court as one of the D-League's top players. He challenged for the league lead with 25.9 points per game and put on the best scoring performance of the season so far when he went off for 47 points against Rio Grande Valley on January 20. White has capped off his outstanding season with a GATORADE Call-Up from the Houston Rockets.
- Watch video of White talking slam dunks
NBA Veterans Head To The D-League
This season, the NBA D-League continued its trend of being the place to be for basketball veterans looking to work on their games and earn another shot from an NBA team. The latest example is the recent arrival of Shaun Livingston, the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Livingston, who suffered a devastating knee injury two years ago that threatened to end his career, joined the Tulsa 66ers over the weekend and will use the NBA D-League as the next step of his comeback.
Another young player who was an NBA first-round pick that has headed to the NBA D-League is former Rutgers star Quincy Douby. The 19th overall selection by Sacramento in the 2007 NBA Draft, Douby was recently released by the Kings and has joined the Erie BayHawks. One of the best pure scorers to come out of the BIG EAST in the past few years, Douby will try to help the BayHawks make a playoff run in their first season.
Livingston is the second highest drafted player to play in the D-League, but he is not alone when it comes to former NBA veterans adding to the talent level this season. Other veteran players with NBA experience that you can find on a D-League court this season include Reno's Richie Frahm, Utah's Ronald Dupree, Colorado's Josh Davis and John Lucas, Austin's Dermarr Johnson, Sioux Falls' Frank Williams, and Idaho's Luke Jackson.
Blake Ahearn Dominates All-Star Weekend
Blake Ahearn has had a great two seasons in the NBA D-League, and he added the latest highlight to his tenure with the Dakota Wizards at All-Star Weekend when he won the Three Point Shootout at Dream Factory Friday and then returned on Sunday to earn Co-MVP honors at the All-Star Game. The former Missouri State star has had another succesful year, averaging 23.4 points per game and earning the second GATORADE Call-Up his career early in the season when he signed with the Spurs. Ahearn is hoping for another shot from an NBA team this season, but if that doesn't work out the next addition to his resume could be leading the Dakota Wizards to another D-League title.
- Watch All-Access video from All-Star Weekend
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Melissa Majchrzak/Getty Images/NBAE |
Albuquerque's Will Conroy was one of the league's best point guards in his first two D-League seasons, but in 2008-09 he has taken his offense to the next level. The former Washington star, who earned three GATORADE Call-Ups in 2007-08, has turned in an MVP-caliber season and is leading the league with 26.1 points per game. Conroy, who tied for the league lead in assists in 2006-07, has helped spark a Thunderbirds turnaround that has them in playoff contention after starting the season at 1-8. He has topped 30 points in a game ten times this season and is a prime candidate to recieve the fourth GATORADE Call-Up of his career.
D-League Introduces New Playoff Format
The D-League is the NBA's research and development department for making the game better, so this season the league will experiment with a new playoff format. The three division winners will be able to choose their first-round opponent from among the remaining five teams, which will make the first-round very unique from your average basketball playoffs. Imagine if the Lakers were able to choose their first-round opponent from among the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Hornets, Nuggets, or Mavericks and the debate over what their choice would be. It's going to happen in the NBA D-League this year.
Former Colorado 14ers Excel In The NBA
The 2006-07 Colorado 14ers came up short in their quest to win the D-League title, but two of their players have become fan favorites in the NBA's Western Conference this season. Houston's Von Wafer and Phoenix's Louis Amundson have paid their dues in the NBA over the past two seasons, but have emerged in 2008-09 as valuable members of playoff contending teams. Wafer bounced around after earning first-team All-D-League honors with Colorado, but has found a home with the Rockets. This year he is averaging a career-high 9.5 points for Houston, scored a career-high 23 points on January 9, and had his contract guaranteed for the rest of the season.
Out west in Phoenix, Amundson has picked up a big following among Suns' fans for his all-out energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to help the Suns. After playing very sparingly in Philadelphia for the past two seasons, the 2006-07 D-League Rookie of the Year has played in 57 games for Phoenix this season, averaging 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds. He set a new career-high with 20 points in a game against Toronto on February 27.
Other former D-Leaguers from seasons past who have been important keys to their NBA teams include Golden State's Kelenna Azubuike and C.J. Watson, Denver's Dahntay Jones and Chris Andersen, Houston's Aaron Brooks and Chuck Hayes, and Orlando's Rafer Alston and Anthony Johnson.
- Watch video chronicling Wafer's rise with the Rockets.
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Noah Graham/Getty Images/NBAE |
Mike Taylor made history in June when he became the first D-League player to be drafted by the NBA, and he overcame the odds as a late second-round pick by playing his way into the Clippers' lineup this season. Taylor has appeared in 32 games for a Clippers team that has struggled in 2008-09, but he made highlight reels all over the world with his ridiculous dunk against the Memphis Grizzlies last week. With Los Angeles in rebuilding mode, Taylor has gotten more playing time lately and has posted double-figure scoring in his last four games. His journey has been pretty impressive for someone who was coming off the bench in the D-League for the Idaho Stampede just a year ago.
- Watch video of Mike Taylor's journey to the NBA.
D-League Expands To Maine, Expansion Teams Thrive
The D-League kept growing this season, with the Erie BayHawks and Reno Bighorns giving the league an all-time high 16 teams for the 2008-09 campaign. The growth is already underway for next year as well with a team in Portland, Maine ready to start play in 2009-10 under the leadership of former Celtics assistant coach Jon Jennings. The yet-to-be named team in Maine represents the NBA D-League's first team in the Northeast region of the United States.
On the court, Reno and Erie have both had their moments in their first NBA D-League seasons. The BayHawks are in contention for a Central Division title and a playoff spot, and have currently won 11 of their last 12 games and boast the NBA D-League Co-Performers of the Week in Erik Daniels and Maureece Rice. The Bighorns have won 15 games and boast talented players such as Patrick Ewing Jr. and David Noel in their lineup, and also had the first player ever assigned to the D-League by the Sacramento Kings earlier in the season in Donte Greene.
- Watch video of the Maine press conference.
