truebluefan

D-League daily developments 12/15

Today
Tulsa at Fort Worth, 7 p.m. CT
Arkansas at Sioux Falls, 7 p.m. CT
Austin at Dakota, 7 p.m. CT
Colorado at Albuquerque, 7 p.m. MT
Idaho at Los Angeles, 3:30 p.m. PT

TODAY'S SERIES INFO
- Tulsa at Fort Worth: First meeting this season. Tulsa leads overall series 5-3.
- Arkansas at Sioux Falls: Skyforce leads 1-0 after snapping Rockers 5-game win streak on Thursday.
- Austin at Dakota: Eastern Division leaders, Wizards lead series 1-0. Toros still looking for first win of season.
- Colorado at Albuquerque: First meeting. Battle for top spot in Western Division.
- Idaho at Los Angeles: First meeting. Final game of six-game road swing for Idaho.

Thursday's Results
Dakota 93, Austin 79
Sioux Falls 105, Arkansas 93
Idaho 105, Anaheim 93

CHECK THE BOX: Click on the links below to check out the box scores from Thursday's games.
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/200.../boxscore.html
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/200.../boxscore.html
http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/200.../boxscore.html

MIXED BAG DEBUT: Former Duke All-American and 2002 college player of the year Jay Williams made his D-League debut by scoring 14 points and dishing out nine assists for Austin at Dakota on Thursday. The second player taken in the 2002 NBA Draft hit 5-of-16 FGA and committed 11 turnovers.

THEY SAID IT: "He really brought a lot of energy...He's one of those guys that you could wake up at three o'clock in the morning and say let's go play 48 minutes and he could do it." ... Sioux Falls coach Mo McHone said after newly-allocated guard Vincent Grier scored 21 points in his first game with the Skyforce on Thursday.

READING TIMEOUT ... links to a sampling of the latest news from the NBA D-League
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/artic...cal/125542.txt
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/9869394
http://www.tulsaworld.com/SportsStor...3_Ex66e10668_1
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2006/dec...ketball-busin/
http://www.statesman.com/sports/cont...orosnotes.html
http://www.abqjournal.com/sports/521...ts12-15-06.htm

THURSDAY'S TOP PERFORMERS
- Andre Brown of Sioux Falls recorded his 5th double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds against Arkansas.
- Dakota's Justin Williams kept pace with Brown, notching 16 points and 10 boards for his 5th double-double.
- Ronnell Taylor scored 24 and collected 13 rebounds in Idaho's win at Anaheim.
- Arkansas guard Clay Tucker scored 24, had 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a losing cause at Sioux Falls.
- Jerome Beasley came off the Dakota bench to hit 10-of-13 FGA and score 22.
- Corsley Edwards, the top pick in the 2006 D-League Draft, had 24 points and 13 boards for Anaheim.

NEW TIMES: Following are tip off time changes for upcoming D-League games.
GAME DATE OLD TIME (local) NEW TIME (local)
Anaheim @ Bakersfield Dec. 16 7:30 PM 8:00 PM
Albuquerque @ Bakersfield Jan. 27 7:30 PM 8:00 PM

THURSDAY MOVES: Dakota acquired forward Awvee Storey and waived forward Kevin Lyde.

truebluefan

LAS VEGAS, Dec. 14, 2006 - Balloting for the NBA Development League All-Star Game is underway at D-LEAGUE.com. The ballot gives fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite players as starters for the inaugural D-League All-Star Game, which will be played on February 17, 2007 on Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT.

The 2007 D-League All-Star Game will air live on NBA TV. During the 2006-07 D-League season, the network will air 60 regular season games as well as playoff games. NBA TV is available to 72 million U.S. households through several of the nation's top cable and satellite companies, including Comcast; Time Warner; Cox; Cablevision; Bright House; DIRECTV; and DISH Network. NBA TV can be seen in 65 other countries, including France, Russia, Spain, Israel, the Philippines and Uruguay, as well as in Hong Kong and throughout the Middle East. The D-League All-Star Game is part of NBA All-Star 2007, a week-long celebration that enables fans to experience the thrill of the world's greatest athletes playing the game they love and features a full slate of community-enhancing activities and fan festivals such as Jam Session, the World's largest interactive basketball theme park.

On-line voting continues through January 21, 2007. Rosters will be selected by a combination of fan voting and voting of D-League coaches. Coaches from the teams with the best records in each division following games of February 3, 2007 will serve as head coaches for the two All-Star Teams.

A total of 122 players are currently on the ballot -- including players on assignment from NBA teams - 62 each from the Eastern Division and 60 from the Western Division. Voters select two guards, two forwards and one center from each division. Since D-League rosters are often fluid, fans may also cast a write-in vote with a pull down menu located at the bottom of the ballot.

The NBA Development League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Anaheim Arsenal (Calif.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Los Angeles D-Fenders (Calif.), Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the D-League also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. For additional information on the NBA Development League, visit D-LEAGUE.com.

EAST FORWARDS (26)
Mustafa Al-Sayyad, Tulsa
Jerome Beasley, Dakota
Rod Benson, Austin
Justin Bowen, Austin
Andre Brown, Sioux Falls
Brad Buckman, Austin
Kris Clack, Austin
Joe Dabbert, Sioux Falls
Chris Ellis, Tulsa
Quemont Greer, Dakota
Mike Hall, Tulsa
Matt Haryasz, Arkansas
Brian Jackson, Arkansas
Kevin Lyde, Dakota
Anthony McHenry, Fort Worth
Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Fort Worth
Jonathan Moore, Arkansas
Jeremy Richardson, Fort Worth
Antywane Robinson, Sioux Falls
Jamar Smith, Austin
Jason Smith, Arkansas
Anthony Terrell, Fort Worth
Terrance Thomas, Fort Worth
Jeff Varem, Sioux Falls
Luke Whitehead, Sioux Falls
Justin Williams, Dakota

EAST GUARDS (25)
Myron Allen, Arkansas
Brandon Armstrong, Dakota
Kelenna Azubuike, Fort Worth
Maurice Baker, Dakota
Denham Brown, Tulsa
Kevin Burleson, Fort Worth
Will Conroy, Tulsa
Brandon Dean, Arkansas
B.J. Elder, Austin
Olu Famutimi, Arkansas
Jean Felix, Tulsa
Cheyne Gadson, Tulsa
Brock Gillespie, Austin
Vincent Grier, Sioux Falls
DeSean Hadley, Sioux Falls
Dontell Jefferson, Dakota
David Logan, Fort Worth
Renaldo Major, Dakota
James Maye, Dakota
Elton Nesbitt, Sioux Falls
Corey Santee, Fort Worth
Marcus Taylor, Tulsa
Clay Tucker, Arkansas
Frank Williams, Sioux Falls
J.T. Williams, Austin

EAST CENTERS (11)
Deji Akindele, Fort Worth
Martynas Andriuskevicius, Dakota
Chad Bell, Arkansas
Marcus Campbell, Arkansas
Anthony Fuqua, Austin
Ryan Hollins, Fort Worth
Scott Merritt, Austin
Jared Reiner, Sioux Falls
Luke Schenscher, Fort Worth
Frans Steyn, Tulsa
Cezary Trybanski, Tulsa

NBA D-LEAGUE ALL-STAR 2007 WESTERN DIVISION BALLOT

WEST FORWARDS (28)
Akin Akingbala, Los Angeles
Louis Amundson, Colorado
Aloysius Anagonye, Los Angeles
Jermaine Blackburn, Idaho
Brandon Bowman, Bakersfield
Elton Brown, Colorado
Greg Clausen, Anaheim
Anthony Coleman, Bakersfield
Terrance Crawford, Colorado
TJ Cummings, Los Angeles
Shawn Daniels, Bakersfield
Jerry Dupree, Anaheim
Corsley Edwards, Anaheim
Jeff Graves, Idaho
Josh Gross, Los Angeles
Mike Harris, Colorado
Bakari Hendrix, Colorado
Butter Johnson, Los Angeles
Bryson McKenzie, Anaheim
Andre Patterson, Los Angeles
Kevinn Pinkney, Bakersfield
Brandon Robinson, Albuquerque
Eddie Robinson, Idaho
Ricky Sanchez, Idaho
Tyler Smith, Anaheim
Jamaal Thomas, Albuquerque
Dijon Thompson, Albuquerque
Jawad Williams, Anaheim

WEST GUARDS (24)
Steven Barber, Albuquerque
Tim Barnes, Idaho
Troy Bell, Albuquerque
Tony Bland, Albuquerque
Brian Chase, Los Angeles
Milone Clark, Anaheim
Brian Collins, Bakersfield
Mike Dean, Bakersfield
Majic Dorsey, Anaheim
Devin Green, Los Angeles
Julius Hodge, Colorado
Antoine Hood, Colorado
David Jackson, Idaho
Pooh Jeter, Colorado
Randy Livingston, Idaho
Jackie Manuel, Los Angeles
Chet Mason, Los Angeles
Andre McCollum, Bakersfield
Eric Osmundson, Colorado
Andre Owens, Anaheim
Yuta Tabuse, Bakersfield
Ronell Taylor, Idaho
Von Wafer, Colorado
Davin White, Anaheim

WEST CENTERS (8)
Lance Allred, Idaho
Marcus Douthit, Albuquerque
John Edwards, Albuquerque
Eddy Fobbs, Albuquerque
Manual Narvaez, Albuquerque
Peter John Ramos, Idaho
Rick Rickert, Colorado
Roderick Riley, Bakersfield

truebluefan

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Dec. 14 - Sioux Falls newest addition Vincent Grier tallied 21 points to help Sioux Falls put an emphatic end to Arkansas' five-game win streak with a 105-93 victory tonight at the Sioux Falls Arena.

"He really brought a lot of energy," Sioux Falls Skyforce head coach Mo McHone said. "We didn't know what to expect of him. He's one of those guys that you could wake up at three o'clock in the morning and say let's go play 48 minutes and he could do it."

Forward Andre Brown lead the Skyforce (4-4) with 26 points and 11 rebounds, but it was Grier's play in the second that broke the game open.

"I just tried to come in here and get in a groove," Grier said. "Play off the players that have been playing here already."

After a back-and-forth first quarter, Grier dumped in 10 points in the second. The guard's ability to drive helped the Skyforce amass a 14-point lead in the quarter and take a 60-48 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

"He [Grier] is exactly what we needed," McHone said. "We haven't been very good at attacking the basket and that's what he does great."

The RimRockers (6-3) looked to make a game of it early in the fourth quarter as they cut the lead to three. Guard Clay Tucker heated up in the quarter to finish with 24 points and eight rebounds for Arkansas. However, as he's done all season Brown took over in the fourth quarter. He propelled the Skyforce on a 12-2 run that sealed the victory.

Arkansas didn't do much to help their cause as they shot 42 percent from the floor. That, combined with the Skyforce's 68 points in the paint, doomed the RimRockers to their first loss in five games.

"They are the best shooting team in the league without question," McHone said. "They are unusual for the D-League. They have six guys back from last year and they've been together for a year."

Sioux Falls plays host to Arkansas again tomorrow night.

truebluefan

BISMARCK, ND., Dec. 14 - Coming off the bench, Dakota Wizards forward Jerome Beasley scored a game high 22 points as the Wizards defeated the Austin Toros 93-79 at the Bismarck Civic Center. The Wizards victory continued their success at home, marking their third straight home win of the season (5-1 overall) and kept the Toros winless at 0-7.

The key to the Wizards victory was their defense, forcing Austin into 26 turnovers and limiting them to 37.5% shooting from the field. In addition to their staunch defense, the Wizards dominated the middle outscoring the Toros 54-34 in the paint, led by center Justin Williams' fourth straight double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to go with his five blocks.

"It was a good win against a good team;" said Wizards coach Dave Joerger. "Our guys played well together and got the win."

Austin received a strong debut by former NBA first-round pick Jason Williams whose first game in the D-League ended with 14 points and nine assists. Although Williams was pleased with his performance, he admitted he was a little rusty committing 11 turnovers on the evening.

" I thought I played OK," said Williams after the game. "It's getting back into the grove of the game that is going to take me a bit, but I'm ready for it."

Wizards forward Renaldo Major, who entered the game tied for the league lead in steals added 5 more to his total, bringing his average up to 2.7 steals per game. Major also added 11 points, which means he has scored in double figures in all six Wizards games this season.

Tonight also marked the Bismarck debut of center Martynas Andriuskevicius, who was assigned to the Wizards earlier in the week from their NBA affiliate, the Chicago Bulls. Andriuskevicius played 17 minutes in his first appearance in with the Wizards pulling down three rebounds and scoring four points on the evening.

The Toros were lead in scoring by guard BJ Elder who scored 17 on the night and Jamar Smith who added 15.

The Wizards will host the Toros again tomorrow evening at the Bismarck Civic Center, tip off is at 7:05.

truebluefan

ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 14, 2006 - The Idaho Stampede overcame an early 16 point deficit to defeat the Anaheim Arsenal by the score of 105-93, to earn their second win this season. Ronell Taylor led the Stampede with a dominant performance, recording his first double-double of the season, as he finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

After jumping out to a 33-17 advantage in the first half, the Arsenal struggled from the field as they shot just 29 percent in the final two quarters and 21 percent in the final frame (4-19). The Stampede took advantage of the struggling Arsenal as they outscored their opponent by 25 points in the final three quarters.

"After having the week off we expected to start off sluggish," said Stampede head coach Bryan Gates. "(Ronell) Taylor let his hair down and played the way he is capable, it is good to see his hard work paying off."

Corsley Edwards remained hot for the Arsenal, recording his second straight double-double, as he poured in a season high 24 points, complimented by his 13 rebounds. Andre Owens also turned in another fine performance for the Arsenal, scoring a season best, 22 points.

"We continue to struggle on defense," said Arsenal head coach Larry Smith. "We are having a tough time playing consistent and finishing ball games."

The Arsenal (3-7) will look to end its current five-game skid on Saturday as they head to Bakersfield to take on the Jam. The Stampede (2-6) will try to keep things rolling as they take on the D-Fenders on Friday in Los Angeles.