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I've skipped linking to all of the various "local player gets drafted by a D-League team" stories, mostly because they're all pretty similar and also because some of those players may get cut over the next week and a half.  There are still some interesting links to hit you with, as you'll see.

• SLAM Online has a nice profile of Latavious Williams and the process he and his agent Tony Dutt went through to decide on joining the D-League.  There is no relation between my linking this article and the fact that it and Dutt make a lot of the same points (he'll get to play against better competition, with better coaching) that I always make.
• Quincy Douby just got cut by the Raptors, and the Erie BayHawks have first dibs if he comes back to the D-League.  I'd bet he goes to Europe instead, but maybe he wants to be on hand for another 10-day.
• Okay, so one exception to the kind of story I mentioned above: Robert Swift, who's trying to come back with Bakersfield.  I'm a little skeptical that he can stay injury-free, but as the article notes, Swift has bulked up a little bit so perhaps his body will be a little more stable.
• Ronald Dupree is playing in Germany this year, and Bonn's General-Anzeiger Online has an interview with him about being cut by the Jazz and his decision to play overseas.  It's in German, of course, so you may need to use your translation website of choice, but here's a choice quote, roughly translated: "For me it was no longer meaningful to return there. It's okay if you're young and coming out of college, but I had come to a point in my career where I had to take the step to play in Europe.
• I don't put much stock in "power rankings" as a general rule, for any sport or other thing that you can rank power-ly, but in the interest of full bulleting, D-League.com has released their preseason power rankings.  I think Maine might be a little high and Idaho a bit low, but otherwise it mostly tracks with my own thoughts.
• Jeff Potter has been posting his thoughts on how Fort Wayne's Mad Ants practices have been going, but the most interesting one to me is the idea that Sean Sonderleiter has slimmed down a bit over the summer.  I doubt it's made him a whole lot quicker, but he was always active and a solid rebounder, so if he's a little leaner (he was never as bad as a Nate Jawai or a Kentrell Gransberry, but his conditioning could've been better) then he should be a very good backup for the Mad Ants this season.

The Springfield Armor apparently still don't have a name for their mascot which, if you recall, looks like this:

The team held a naming contest which ended this past Sunday.  Why didn't Ridiculous Upside write about it before then, so that you, our readers could participate?  Well you see, the thing about that is...[runs away]

Sorry about that.  Here are the REAL, NOT JOKE names that the team put up for a vote, which I must again emphasize are the REAL options, and are NOT A JOKE:

• Ax
• Lance
• Link
• Sabre
• Steal

Personally, I will continue to call the team's mascot Moltar, but I'll discuss each of the team-derived options after the jump.

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More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Welcome back, Dontell Jefferson. I hope we don't see you for very long. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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I tried finding a picture of the Professor and Mary Ann from the Gilligan's Island credits to go with the headline, but Google Images has failed me.  With apologies to all of these teams for not giving them individual treatment either through a story or fanshot, I just don't think I can finish covering all of the teams plus write about other stuff by tomorrow's draft.  There's too many of them.  So consider this a roundup of the notable (but not all) returning and allocated players that D-League teams will be enjoying, at least in the beginning of the season.  Except for Maine, Dakota, Bakersfield and Fort Wayne.  Oh, and I'm also not including Springfield, since their most notable players at this point are Marcus Taylor and Kentrell Gransberry, and we covered those guys around the expansion draft.  All of the players listed fall into the "returning" category unless otherwise noted.

Even without those four teams this is pretty long (surprise!  I wrote something that's too long), so you can read it all after the jump.

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Chris Hunter, among others, will be back in Fort Wayne this season.

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It's not just the Dakota Wizards that are returning a strong core from last season.  The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are bringing back Chris Hunter, Ron Howard, Anthony Kent, DeWitt Scott and Sean Sonderleiter.  (And other teams have returning players as well, but we're going one at a time, here.)  The Mad Ants didn't do particularly well last season, finishing 19-31, but it wasn't for lack of talent and but they have a new (good) coaching staff this year in Joey Meyers and Mike Sanders that should get the team on track.

Chris Hunter was called up by the New York Knicks at the end of last season and lasted until this year's preseason.  He's a power forward/center who can shoot from the midrange and rebound pretty well.  He was the team's leading scorer and made the all-D-League second team last season, so getting him back was key.  I don't know how long he'll be around, as he could do well in the NBA and still could be in the Knicks' radar if one of their big guys goes down, butu he's a Mad Ant for now.

Ron Howard was another Knicks training camp/preseason guy, and while he played a fair amount in Summer League it took him some time to get comfortable.  Howard's main asset is his defense, and he played a lot of small forward last season even though he's 6'5".  He's an inconsistent rebounder, and although he increased his scoring output last season it came with a lower field goal percentage.

Anthony Kent was almost a nonentity for the first four months of last season, talented but unable to translate it into playing well.  He started to show flashes of what he could really do around late February, and what he can do is rebound and score inside.  By March and April he was putting up lines of 18 points on 10 shots and 10 rebounds, 11 points and 22 rebounds, and 18 points and 15 rebounds.  He's an athletic power forward/center who the Mad Ants hope can develop into a night in-night out double-double guy alongside Hunter.  Fouls and turnovers are still issues, but as I mentioned up top, Fort Wayne have a really solid coaching staff now, and if they can get Kent on track the team should definitely do better than 19-31.

DeWitt Scott is a good three-point shooter, making almost 38 percent of his outside shots last year.  He doesn't turn the ball over much or get into foul trouble, but he also doesn't really rebound or distribute either.  He's a bit streaky as a shooter, but his hot streaks are pretty good.  Sean Sonderleiter was a backup big man last year, and likely will be this year.  Is it possible to bring energy without athleticism?  Because if so then Sonderleiter probably does that.  He has good size for a center and rebounds pretty well, but he's not what you'd call "quick."

All in all this is a pretty good core for the Mad Ants, with some outside shooting, defense and rebounding all present.  As that article mentioned Walker Russell is playing overseas this season, meaning there's no point guard (and Russell was one of the D-League's best last year, if not the best), so look for them to target that position in tomorrow's draft.

The return of Renaldo Major and others should help the Dakota Wizards get off to a good start this season.

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(I shouldn't have to do this, but just to be on the safe side I'll say that while former RU writer Ridiculous Scott has moved on and now has a job with the Wizards, he had nothing to do with the writing of this piece.  I saw a news article and needed something to post today other than a fanshot about some college player I'm unfamiliar with.)

It's early, of course, but the Dakota Wizards look like they'll have a pretty good squad early on this season.  That's because they're returning at least five players from last year's playoff team.  Maurice Baker, Romel Beck, Renaldo Major, David Bell and Carlos English are all coming back to the Wizards, and David Monds may or may not be joining them (if coach Rory White is to be believed, anyway).  It's possible but doubtful that all of those guys will finish the season with the team - Beck and Monds are both call-up candidates, plus there are trades, injuries, what have you - but that experience and talent should help the team get off to a good start.

Baker returns as the starting point guard, though those duties were split somewhat with Blake Ahearn.  Baker doesn't rack up a ton of assists, averaging a little over five per 36 minutes last season, but he's a very good rebounder for his position (over six per 36), especially when you consider that he's 6'1".  Bottom, he's a solid veteran.

Beck can be a scoring machine, as long as he doesn't try to go 1-on-5, which unfortunately he does quite a bit.  He was a late cut by the Rockets this preseason, and he's been pegged for an eventual NBA call-up for a while, but injuries and that isolationist tendency have kept it from happening thus far.  He's 27 years old, so this should be the year when he finally "gets it" - should be.

David Bell could slide into the starting lineup with Blake Ahearn playing overseas this year.  He's a catch-and-shoot player, and a pretty good one.  Baker shot 40.7 percent on three-pointers, so he should be able to replace Ahearn in that area.  He also handed out three and a half assists per 36 minutes last season, so he can chip in there as well.

Renaldo Major is a small forward who can defend well, rebound a little bit, handle the ball a little bit, and give the team some energy when needed.  The article I linked to focused on Baker, but Major may be the key to the Wizards getting off to a good start, as he can help compensate for some of the other guys' weaknesses.  Major made the all-D-League third team last season.

Carlos English didn't play a lot last season, averaging seven minutes game, but he's quick, which he uses to his advantage on both sides of the ball.  He doesn't shoot particularly well (.265 last year), but if he can maintain his per-minute assist numbers while (maybe) playing a larger role he'll be a solid bench contributor.

If David Monds goes back to the Wizards, then their frontcourt won't quite be as decimated as it otherwise would be.  Monds played very well for the Lakers' Summer League team this year, averaging over 13 rebounds per 36 minues, leading the team in per-minute scoring and shooting over 60 percent from the field.  That comes after averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes last year.  Richard Hendrix is playing overseas now, so Monds will be the team's key post player to start the season

This lady loves D-League Refs, and apparently so does the NBA.

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I know I said this story was being over-covered, but let's just pretend that I didn't say that.

According to Chris Sheridan over at TrueHoop, the recent referee labor agreement provides that the NBA may use D-League refs in up to 50 game assignments during the first three months of the season.  And it could have been even more:

The NBA had originally asked that it be allowed to use D-League referees for 100 game assignments, then lowered its request to 75, then 50. The sides were also at odds over issues of pension and severance, and no details have yet emerged regarding whether there was any further compromise on those issues.

100 games is...a lot.  I get that the NBA wants to infuse its referee pool with some new blood, but this has a chance to go really poorly.  It all depends on who gets the assignments.  Not every D-League ref is terrible, and not all of the D-League's worst refs worked the NBA preseason games, and all in all they did pretty well.  Oh, except for that whole 102 foul shot game.  And nearly causing an international incident.  But are either of those all that bad?  We here at Ridiculous Upside know the D-League referees.  We've watched them work.  We know how they think.  So here's what I think the NBA can expect from now until January:

• Players being ejected
• Coaches being ejected
• Trainers being ejected
• Mascots being ejected
• Fans being ejected
• Other referees being ejected
• Scott Roth being ejected for old times' sake
• LeBron James actually being called for a foul
• Games ending in a tie score, somehow
• Marat Kogut making Madison Square Garden disappear
• Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban deciding to stop attending games
• Every single player and coach saying "Both teams played hard" at some point
• Brent Barnaky winning a role on ABC's "The New Fantasy Island

• The NBA having to publicly clarify what a "double dribble" is twice in the same month
• Kevin Martin scoring 50 points in a game without a single field goal
• A tiny green space alien named Ozmodiar that only Scott Twardoski can see

These guys may look douchey, but just wait because the D-League is next.

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Every year in the D-League is a little different.  The stand-out players and studs change from week to week, let alone year to year.  And with every new batch of players comes new attitudes, personalities, and back stories.  One thing that really sets the D-League apart from the NBA is that our players are much more uninhibited in displaying their real personalities and saying/doing crazy things (exceptions: Stephon Marbury and Ron Artest).  When you combine all of the new players coming into the D-League this year, you come up with a general theme, a storyline upon which one can predict the craziness of the upcoming season.  Take last season's theme as an example: 6'9" Left-Handed Chinese Point Guard Dominates D-League. Explosive Athletes Almost Make NBA (here's looking at you Marcus Williams, James White, and Derrick Byars).

I say all of that to come to this point.  This year's theme is becoming abundantly clear: Emo Rock Band.

Emo Rock Bands are well known as the tight-black-clothing wearing, black-fingernail-painted, ugly-swooping-hair styled, whiny-droning-emotive losers who appeal most to girls between the ages of 11-14.  Now my prediction is that certain elements of this style will present themselves in this year's players.  If you think I'm crazy and full of BS, just wait.

Hit the Jump for Proof

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More photos » by Darren Abate - AP

Marcus Williams and Russell Robinson have some decisions to make this week. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

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(Updated to reflect the fact that I spaced on the whole "returning player" system when I wrote this last night.)

Well, the NBA teams have made their decisions, and there's now a week until the D-League draft.  So what's happening in the interim?  I won't pretend to offer any kind of behind-the-scenes insight, but the short answer is that a lot of people have a lot of work to do and a lot of decisions to make (see what I mean about behind-the-scenes insight?).  The long answer is:

Players

The biggest decision, of course, is whether to play overseas for a higher salary or to stay in the U.S. and give the D-League a shot, to get more exposure and increase the odds of an NBA call-up.  Jack McClinton, Shaun Pruitt and Dontaye Draper are just a few of the players who went with the overseas option after being waived.  But at this point, it's not as simple as money vs. exposure.  Many, if not all, of European and Asian teams already have started their seasons.  While I'm sure those teams would be willing to add some top-notch American talent, they now would have to waive another player to do so and would then have to integrate that player into the team's system on the fly.  That's a (typically) long-winded way of saying that European offers may not be as forthcoming as they were two months ago.

Going to the D-League has it's own variables.  Players who either finished the season with a D-League team, or who left the D-League without being cut by their teams (such as an NBA call-up in the case of Marcus Williams, or going to play in Europe) are eligible to be considered "returning players," and, should they sign another D-League contract, have a chance to rejoin their old team.  Players who were cut from their D-League teams last season or who are playing in the D-League for the first time typically enter the draft pool.  Exceptions to this are players who could be considered "local," that is are from or played basketball in the same state as the D-League team, or who signed their first NBA contract with a team affiliated with that D-League team.  Think Curtis Jerrells in the former case (he's from Austin and played at Baylor, so he'd be local for the Toros) and Garrett Temple in the latter (who's from Louisiana and played at LSU, but whose Rockets deal makes him local for the Vipers).  So many players who decide to enter the D-League must engage (or their agents must, anyway) in conversations with teams to gauge their interest and decide whether to enter the draft or not.

And that's just the players who played in the NBA preseason.  Players who didn't get that opportunity generally fall into two categories: those who know they're being brought back, and those participating in local tryouts.

Teams

Picking up from that last thought, D-League teams have been holding tryouts for the past month, usually in multiple locations.  NBA affiliates such as the Toros or 66ers have an advantage in that they don't need to travel all over the place looking for "local" players, but at the same time they have a smaller pool of tryout-ees (which is a word, so don't bother looking it up).  Teams like the Bighorns, on the other hand, have to fly around and hold tryouts not just in Reno, but in Orlando and Sacramento as well.  Then, of course, they have to sit down and evaluate who they saw, and who they might want to try and snag for their local allocations.  (While Flash-centric, this is a pretty good overview of what the process is like for D-League teams.)  And remember, that's on top of their normal player evaluations for guys who are in the draft.  NBA affiliates also are likely in discussion with their, uh, affiliated NBA teams about which players to aim for or try to sign outside of the draft (such as Williams, or perhaps the Red Claws with Mike Sweetney, whom the Celtics seem to have a crush on).  D-League teams must submit their lists of local and returning players to the league, usually at the end of a season (but I would imagine that could fluctuate given who signs overseas during the offseason), and a few days before the draft each team gets to select anywhere from 6-9 total returning/local players (which includes guys from local tryouts).  In this instance teams are likely scrambling to nail down who will be signing D-League contracts and who from their lists will actually be available to them.

Ridiculous Upside

As you can imagine (hopefully helped out by what I've written above), this last week before the draft is a busy time for the league.  There's a lot of activity (I didn't even mention having to set up all the local draft parties!), and we here at RU will try to keep you informed as much as possible.  So make sure to check back with us between now and November 5 to follow along with us.