Life on the ‘DL’

MIAMI, March 3 - The high end condos, the fancy hotels, the private plane rides, the hussle-and-bussle of Miami. All those things were taken away from Dorell Wright and Earl Barron – momentarily. For two weeks the two HEAT youngsters got a glimpse at how life would be if they hadn’t made it to the NBA. On January 3, Barron and Wright were assigned to play for the Florida Flame of the National Basketball Developmental League. And for that time, Wright and Barron were just like the thousands of basketball players who are working hard to live out their dreams of reaching the NBA.

Wright appeared in six games for the Flame, averaging 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20.7 minutes per game, while shooting 51.6 percent from the field. He had his best game of his stint when he recorded a team-high 32 points off the bench for the Flame, while shooting 15-for-22 from the field, and grabbed nine rebounds in 32 minutes on January 13 against the Roanoke Dazzle.

Barron also appeared in six games, starting in three contests. He averaged 17.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 29.2 minutes per game, while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. In his last three games, all starts, he recorded consecutive double-doubles, scoring 23 points and grabbing 13 rebounds on January 13 vs. Roanoke, 25 points and 13 rebounds on January 15 vs. the Fayetteville Patriots and 22 points and 11 rebounds on January 16 vs. the Arkansas RimRockers.

But for Wright and Barron, trading the HEAT colors of black and red for the Flame colors of green and white, wasn’t the only transition for the HEAT youngsters. From the minute they exited off I-75 and stepped foot in rural Fort Myers, the two quickly discovered they’re a long way from Miami.

The Initial Reaction
Dorell Wright: “I wasn’t discouraged. I knew it wasn’t the NBA, but I couldn’t look at it as a negative thing. I have to look at everything as a positive. I had to go down there and work hard and do what I needed to do to get back to Miami.”

Earl Barron: “It didn’t discourage me at all. I always told myself that I would take a good attitude and just play hard and I’ll be fine. I would think that (team management) likes me and they’re sending me down for a reason. I just wanted to go down, help the team win and continue to progress a player.”

Fort Myers - A Different World From Miami
DW: “It was a different environment – everything about it. It just wasn’t the same – the whole vibe of the town. I went from fast from (my hometown of) Los Angeles to a little bit slower in Miami to slower in Fort Myers. It was a bad thing, though. The life was like living in a college dorm. I didn’t have a problem with it, but it was just me and Earl. I had a good time. I enjoyed it.

EB: “We had a lot of down time. In Miami there’s always something to do. We just hung out at the apartment and watched movies, watched pro and college games on TV. We just talked and joked around.”

The Transition Game
DW: “I wasn’t for sure how my new teammates were going to accept me. I wasn’t for sure if they were going to agree with me being down there or not. But they accepted me early and we all clicked. We went out there playing like we were on the same team forever. I went there and took care of business so I could get back here as soon as possible.”

EB: “It was great. We started off a little slow, but once we adjusted Dorell and I started fitting in with the team. We played very well. My goal was to get a double-double every game. I came close, but I ended up averaging a double-double.”

Keep It on the ‘DL’ – They Got Game Too
DW: “I didn’t know if the guys down there can play. Earl told me a long time ago that they could play. There were some good players out there. There are a couple of guys there who should be in the league but just haven’t had the opportunity. We had one guy on our team, Theron Smith, who played for the Bobcats last year. He started a couple of games for them and played pretty good against us last year. I had other teammates, Andre Barrett, Bracey Wright and Dwayne Jones, I know they can play. A lot of them have already been in the NBA and I know they can play.”

EB: “I played in Turkey and the Philippines. There was only one American in the Philippines and three on Turkey. The guys overseas can play, but not like everyone over here. Over here, even in the D-League, everybody can jump, shoot and are strong. It’s not one player, it’s almost all. The players in the D-League are just one step away from playing in the NBA and they’re just missing one thing from their game.”

The Blue Collar Approach
DW: “When we went to North Carolina (to play Fayetteville), we took a mini van to the airport and South West Airlines to Orlando. We went on another airplane to North Carolina then we took an hour-and-a-half bus trip to Fayetteville, NC. We had to be at the airport at 4:30 a.m. and Fayetteville between 12:30-1:00 p.m. But that’s how it is. You have to pay your dues to get where you want to be, reach your goal.”

EB: “In the pros you have the whirlpool, weight room and trainers right there when practice ends. But in the minor league, you don’t have all that there. You’re responsible for packing, loading and carrying your own stuff. It’s like a mixture between high school and college. The housing and the travel wasn’t anything for me. Playing in arenas with hardly anyone there, all that stuff I’ve done before. There’s nothing that I haven’t come accustomed to.”

A Lesson Learned

DW: “I really appreciated just getting the opportunity to play the game I love. I haven’t had a chance to play a lot this year. When I came back, I went to Pat Riley and told him how he appreciated it. It was a good thing. I was glad to see how things work. It was an eye opener. I’m not going to take the stuff I have now for granted. Just like I was sent to the D-League, I could be in the NBA one day and out the next. I don’t want to take it for granted. I just want to keep working hard.”

EB: “I played overseas and played in the D-League before, so I really appreciate things what I have now. But a situation like this, playing for the HEAT and then go back to the Developmental League, you appreciate thing a little more. I went down there to prove myself. I wanted to show everyone that I’m with the HEAT and I deserve to play for them. That continues to motivate me and hopefully I can get minutes with the HEAT.”