The Next Big Lin
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The chants in Madison Square Garden started softly and grew slowly. But by the end of the night, the entire stadium was echoing with the name of one man.
No, it wasn’t Carmelo Anthony or Amar’e Stoudemire who stole the show. It was Jeremy Lin, a little-known point guard from Harvard who went from D-League afterthought to MSG hero in a New York minute.
Lin scored a career-high 25 points—the most points ever scored by a Harvard grad in the NBA—to lift the Knicks to a much-needed victory over the Nets on Saturday. The win was punctuated by the chants of “Jer-e-mey, Jer-e-mey, Jer-e-mey,” that grew louder throughout the night, and afterward there was even talk of Lin becoming the new starting point guard in NY until Baron Davis get’s healthy.
Two days later, Lin ups it to 28 points to go along with eight dimes. Two nights after that, you guessed it: another Lin line of 23 points and 10 assists, this time against the top pick in Lin’s draft where he went unnoticed by 30 NBA teams, John Wall. Stop the Linsanity. Sorry, this is New York, where the hype machine began after #17 breathed life into the point guard position that was devoid of life.
It’s hard to imagine that less than a month ago Lin was playing for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA D-League, producing a triple-double in his first and only game for them (28 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds). But after electrifying MSG with his performance, Lin will get a chance to do it again as the newest regular in the Knicks never-ending rotation of point guards.
With Lin’s performance in mind, we wanted to learn a little more about the top players from the NBA D-League. You never know. They could be coming to a city near you and electrifying the crowd like Lin.
Top 5 NBA D-League players
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Blake Ahearn
Reno Big Horns
Ahearn might not be well known around the NBA. But in the NBA D-League, he’s a scoring king. Ahearn, a 6-3 shooting guard, is averaging 24.5 points and 4.9 assists in 38 minutes this year. The Missouri State grad is solid from behind the arc (40 percent) and John Stockton-esque from the charity stripe (96 percent). He’s had two stints in the NBA – in 2008 with the Heat and 2009 with the Spurs—and averaged 5.2 points combined. Ahearn recently broke the NBA D-League career scoring record—producing 3,457 points in 171 games—and could be a great fit for a team looking for instant offense off the bench.
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Da'Sean Butler
Austin Toros
Remember when Butler led West Virginia to the Final Four in 2010 before a horrific injury to his knee (torn ACL and MCL) nearly ended his basketball career? Well he’s back on the hardwood and slowly returning to the form made him a projected first-round draft pick before the injury. Butler, a 6-7 forward, is averaging over 11 points and 6 boards in 29 minutes for the Toros. He was selected by the Heat in the second round of the 2010 draft and also signed with the Spurs before getting assigned to the D-League. He’s never played in the NBA but as his knee continues to get stronger so do his chances of making that happen.
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Jerome Dyson
Tulsa 66ers
You might remember Dyson from his time at UConn. But nowadays, the 6-3 guard is playing for the 66ers and trying to prove that he would be a good call up for a NBA contender after getting cut by the New Orleans Hornets this preseason. Dyson, known as more of a defensive player in his time with the Huskies, is averaging over 19 points and 4 assists for the 66ers this year after averaging 15 and 2 in his rookie campaign last year. He may still be an unfinished player. But he could be a boost for a NBA team looking for a solid defensive guard who can produce on the offensive end.
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Gerald Green
Los Angeles D-Fenders
Green has played for four NBA teams in his career and won the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk contest against Dwight Howard and Nate Robinson, so perhaps you’ve seen him before. But now the high-flying 6-8 forward is back in the NBA D-League, proving once again why he could be a good call up. Green is averaging 17 points and 4 boards a game for the D-Fenders. And let’s not forget, he’s proven he can play in the league—averaging 10.6 points with the Celtics in his second year.
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Chris Wright
Dakota Wizards
Wright has already played in the NBA once this year and is hoping to catch on with another team in his second D-League stint. After averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds in four games with the Maine Red Claws, Wright was signed by Golden State on Dec. 12 and averaged 1 point in 3 minutes with the Warriors. Since being assigned to the Wizards on Jan. 26, Wright picked up where he left off in the D-League, averaging 20 points and 6 boards. The 6-8 forward now just has to hope his second round in the D-League ends like his first: With an NBA contact.