I must admit, I am counting down the days until February 10th, when the Mad Ants return to Fort Wayne after their month long road trip. I haven’t seen a live basketball game in a good deal of time. Yes, FutureCast is wonderful to have, but I miss actually being at the game. I’ve never been one for television (I don’t even like YouTube – which seems to be the obsession of most people my age), so FutureCast is never my first option. I want to be at the game. And as I live in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I don’t have too many options for D-League viewing other than the home of the Ants at the Memorial Coliseum. The game’s against the Flash, and it should be a good one as I haven’t gotten a good look at Utah this season. I’m counting down the days. Just six now. Just six.
So, the Spurs recalled Malik Hairston and Courtney Sims is back with Iowa. I suppose this is just information I missed, as it all happened on the 31st and the 29th of January, respectively. If Courtney Sims is back in this league there really is no justice in this world. He’s better than most NBA team’s second options at the center. No doubt in my mind about this. As for Hairston, the Toros are going to miss him, but with the addition of Pops Mensah-Bonsu I’m pretty sure they’re going to be alright.
Bonsu was acquired on January 28th and is currently sitting at third in the league in scoring with an average of 24 after just two games and averaging just 33 minutes (not to mention 10 boards). Earlier this year he was with Spain’s DKV Joventut (Ricky Rubio’s team) but was waived after playing just two games because of a shoulder injury (two games in which he averaged 18 points). He played in Italyduring the 2007-2008 season, but is no stranger to the D-League, as he played with the Fort Worth Flyers during the 06-07 season, being sent down by the Dallas Mavericks. And with all this All-Star talk it should be noted he was the All-Star game MVP that season. I’d say he’s goinna have a good year with Austin. Bonsu is a 6-9 PF/C from London. He’s 25 years old and attended George Washington and is well known for his crazy dunks.
Joe Crawford was recently named the D-League Performer of the Week and for good reason. The 58th pick in the 2008 draft by the Lakers has been a force for the recently surging D-Fenders, playing a pivotal role in their two upsets against the Stampede. Another big news item is Trey Johnson’s signing with the Cavs (something I’m sure you’ve all heard about by now). The Jam dropped a winnable one last night without him, but I think they’ll be able to bounce back.
Tonight we have two games, the first being the Stampede heading to Erie to take on the Bayhawks. Erie is beginning to regroup as they’ve once two straight, but Idaho’s going to (again) be looking to redeem the loss against LA this weekend. I think Erie has a good chance to take this once home however. The big game of the night is the Toros in Colorado. Both are 1 and 2 in the Southwest Division. Both have won three straight. Austin is 8-1 on the road. The 14ers are 8-3 at home. Both are in the 7 Loss Club (along with Iowa). This is gonna be the matchup of the year. Make sure you tune in to FutureCast for this one. And if you are lucky enough to live in Colorado, you aren’t going to wanna miss this one.
