First, I implore you to talk to me today if you read Ridiculous Upside. I've met a lot of people over the past couple of days that read RU and either love it or hate it, but they read it. After meeting one guy tonight, the great Alex Del Barrio, via RGV, sarcastically quipped wow, so you have more than four people that read Riculous Uspide!? I'm looking to prove him wrong.
So, if you read this blog and you're out here watching basketball in lovely Boise, Idaho, let's meet up and chat today, or tweet up, or gchat (RidiculousScott@gmail.com), or something. I'll be the semi-good-looking dude sitting between the king of D-League.com, Mr. Matthew Brennan, and D-League Digest's Steve Weinman, the man of 1,000 interviews (Seriously, dude is working his butt off. I think he interviewed the popcorn sellers yesterday afternoon - All of them). I need to prove to ADB that people are reading RU and it's not just my mom at home clicking the 'refresh' button all day.
Anyway, on to the previews.
Reno Bighorns vs Erie Bayhawks - 11am MST - Watch it live on NBATV!
What to watch for: Both of these teams feel to me like they're in a bit of disarray. Reno has talent, but no cohesiveness; I haven't watched enough of Erie to know what their problem is. It could be a good game, it could be a bad game, it will be a close game.
Player to watch? Rod Benson. You know the drill. His numbers (14.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.2 spg, 1.8 bpg) are down lately due to a recent knee injury, but I'm hoping he's 100% today. He recently retired from blogging so there shouldn't be anything else holding him back. Unless the four-off-the-ball-foul-calling Ben Taylor is officiating, I expect him to use his athleticism against Big John Bryant this morning.
Other Players You've Heard Of: John Bryant, Desmon Farmer, Russell Robinson, Cezary Trybanski, Mike Gansey, Jackie Manuel
Bakersfield Jam vs Rio Grande Valley Vipers - 1:45pm MST - Watch it live on NBATV!
What to watch for: Bakersfield is quietly improving themselves as of late, and if they make the trade I'm hearing they plan to make, they'll be a semi-dangerous team and quite a bit better than they currently are. RGV is coming off of a difficult loss to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in the first game of the Showcase, so this will be a chance to show if that was due to them being tired due to travel the night before or if it is, in fact, due to the Will Conroy Corrolary.
Player To Watch? Antonio Anderson. After struggling Monday, I'm really hoping to see what he brings to the table today. The 6'6" combo-guard/forward is known for drawing the opposing teams best wing player because of his excellent defense - tough to tell, but I'll go with former first round pick Reece Gaines. With a good showcase, he would've shot up pretty high on a lot of radars, but a poor showing in both games, like it or not, could severely limit his opportunities.
Other Players You've Heard Of: Amary Sy, Brian Butch, Reece Gaines, Joey Dorsey, Will Conroy, Garrett Temple, Jonathan Wallace
Sioux Falls Skyforce vs Austin Toros - 4:30pm MST - Watch it Live on Futurecast!
What to Watch for: Austin came out severely flat and lost by about 93 points yesterday to the Iowa Energy, so they should be looking to rebound in a big way (that's not a Dwayne Jones joke). The Skyforce, some of which were in attendance, will have to make sure to come out and play hard, because if they take Austin lightly based on their last game, they're in trouble.
Player to watch? Alonzo Gee. After Sioux Falls' Reggie Williams shut down Billy Thomas yesterday, it'll be interesting to see if he draws Austin's best offensive weapon, Alonzo Gee. Gee doesn't have much of a jumpshot, but he's pretty solid as far as the rest of his game is concerned. Yesterday he had 19 points in 30 minutes, being rested a bit due to the blowout. On the season, Gee is averaging 20.9 points and over six boards per game, shooting 52% from the field. He does shoot an atrocious 29% from deep, however.
Other Players You've Heard Of: Dwayne Jones, Curtis Jerrells, Eddie Basden, Chris McCray, Reggie Williams
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