[This was supposed to go up at 7 am this morning but somehow didn't. So here it is. - JL]
I'm writing this while catching up on three night's of DVR'd "The Sing-Off" so forgive me if this isn't as spot-on as my usual commentary (Whoa! How much did I sound like a young Jeff Potter on that one?). Anyway, back to basketball and not Bea Arthur Whoa(!) montages. Lester Hudson is good. So is Bill Walker. Since they don't need either of these players, I assume the Boston Celtics are good as well (at things other than flagrant fouling Brad Miller... h8u Rondo!)
- Lester Hudson had a succesful debut. 25 points (14 in a pivotal fourth quarter), seven boards, six assists and a game-sealing block with three seconds left in a four point game. With former NBAer Donnell Taylor and Cedric Jackson taking turns watching him pop jump shots or fouling him on the way to the rack, I was happy to notice Hudson's athleticism show through in the ultra-athletic-but-usually-without-the-skills-to-match D-League. Unfortunately, I don't think he used enough of it, often settling for jumper's, but shooting 4-for-9 from deep helps ease this pain. He had a couple mental lapses (four turnovers), but that's to be expected when it's the first day on the job and the chemistry isn't quite there.
- Bill Walker, please learn that your specialty is not the jumper. Last night, you scored 16 points, shooting 7-of-18 from the field, and by my count, your jumper accounted for four of those makes and 10 of your misses. In my opinion, Billy, this is a problem. No turnovers and six boards is a nice little takeaway though, so props on that.
- Trey Gilder is probably a bit upset that he can't get a start in the D-League, even after starting this season with the Memphis Grizzlies (who, despite what you've heard, are not a D-League team). Gilder's long and efficient and getting the mention here because he was the only other Red Claw to score in double-digits, totalling 13 points in 31 minutes off the bench.
And now, since the Bayhawks lost to a team that shot 28 of EIGHTY from the field, they're after the jump. Sorry Bayhawk fans, if you read RU, comment. Maybe we can be friends.
First, a little love for Jackie Manuel from Blog Talk Bayhawk:
[...]Manuel is my early pick for BayHawks MVP. He's just a consistent all-around performer. Whenever Manuel makes a key play, the crowd at Tullio Arena is treated to a sound clip of Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "Jackie Blue." Point is, we heard it often tonight. Manuel dominated the third quarter offensively for the BayHawks, scoring the team's first 8 points. For the game, he scored 15 on 7-15 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots. Not surprisingly, he also led the team in minutes played with 46:25. Manuel has led the team in minutes played in all but one game so far this season.
And now a little (not) love for Big John Bryant from BTB:
That about sums it up, it seems.[...]after hearing him touted as a potential all-star and watching him fill out the box score to start the season, I'm concerned. Coach Treloar took my advice (wink) and played Bryant just over 17 minutes tonight with Aminu and Gunter seeing increased roles. To Bryant's credit, he pulled down 10 rebounds while he was in there. But he also looked out of sync on offense (1-5 shooting, 4 turnovers) and overmatched on defense (5 personal fouls).
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