Coby Karl Called-Up To The Golden State Warriors

Typically, I'm the first to break D-League call-up news.

Last night I teased it two hours before the story broke, but decided to post it in the morning because who's reading Ridiculous Upside at 11:45 on a Friday night.  Hell, who's writing about D-League call-up's at that time?

Apparently the immortal Marc Stein because he put together a great post on the story over at TrueHoop:

With Cartier Martin's second 10-day contract coming to an end Saturday, Golden State has to sign Martin for the rest of the season if it wants to keep him. Yet that would require waiving someone on the Warriors' roster with a guaranteed contract, since league rules prevent players with fully guaranteed contracts from occupying temporary roster spots created by injury hardship.

The Warriors are thus letting Martin go and plan to bring in a new player on a 10-day contract, according to sources close to the situation.

That player, sources said, is expected to be guard Coby Karl, who sat out Friday night's game with the Idaho Stampede in anticipation of joining the Warriors.

Karl played just five games in the D-League, but averaged 27.2 points, 7.8 boards and 4.2 assists.  Still, he was decidedly not the best wing prospect in the D-League according to the Randy Livingston Memorial On The Edge Call-Up Rankings.

I really don't think this is the best the Warriors could do.  I like Coby well enough, and his stats in the D-League were great, but I would've rather seen a guy like Carlos Powell or Reggie Williams get a chance.

I really don't have anything else to add to the story so instead I'll tell you how great Bob MacKinnon and Joel Abelson have been developing talent and getting their players called-up to the NBA or good opportunities overseas.

Karl marks their third call-up of the season, joining fellow former-Stampede players Sundiata Gaines and Anthony Tolliver in the big show.  They also have helped Patty Mills recover from injury and recently lost Cedric Simmons when he went for bigger dollars in China.  Had he stuck around the D-League, he also had a chance to get called-up.

Even with all of that turnover (along with losing starting point guard Lanny Smith to season-ending surgery), the Stampede have a winning record with almost a complete roster turnover.

I don't know whether to credit their skills regarding the development of players or their scouting/acquiring of NBA talent, but the Stampede coaches are obviously doing something right.