Wow, day three has already come and gone - as soon as I finish this recap, I'll fall asleep and it'll be the final day of the 2010 D-League Showcase. Yikez.
I'm probably one of the few people saying this, but I really wish this thing was longer. So many great people to talk to and meet out here and so many guys fighting for a chance at making the big leagues - or the big money at least, if overseas is where their interest lies.
Also, I'd like to point something out: I didn't sit where I said I was going to sit on day three because I woke up early enough - Steve Weinman took my spot. I've got to assume that Weinman got a lot of the love you all meant to give me. Or I really do only have four readers like Alex Del Barrio said.
That said, let's get to the Day Three D-League All-Showcase Team
PG: Lanny Smith. Yesterday, I was told that I give Houston's Lanny Smith more credit than he deserves. I agreed, because Lanny's a stand-up dude that seems to be doing things the right way, but promised that I'd try to be more objective. Well, partially due to a crop of poor point guard play today, I had to go ahead and give Smith some credit tonight. With Idaho's starting point guard Sundiata Gaines being called-up yesterday, Smith came in and filled the void nicely. And by nicely, I mean 11 points, 11 assists and just two turnovers. The long-range jump shot wasn't falling, but hey, nobody on Idaho could hit a 3-pointer so I refuse to hold this against him (Smith, Roberto Bergersen and Anthony Tolliver combined to shoot 4-of-21 beyond the arc). I'm not sure Bob MacKinnon's system is the best for Lanny, but he's making it work as he led the Mad Ants to a come-from-behind victory tonight.
SG: Reggie Williams. There weren't many bright spots for the Skyforce in their 127-94 loss to Austin. Actually, there weren't any, aside from Williams' play. In 43 minutes of action, Williams had one of the most efficient games I've witnessed in person. Williams shot 15-of-19 from the field, finishing with a D-League season best of 43 points, including slamming back two athletic tip-dunks on his way to 10 rebounds. He showcased his offense, his defense, his efficiency, his athleticism, his, well, everything the scouts could be looking for at the Showcase. Will it be enough to earn him a call-up?
SF: Alonzo Gee. I tweeted in the first quarter that the 'G' in Alonzo's name must stand for 'good', but was corrected by Matt Brennan of D-League.com that it actually stands for 'Great!' After the game ended, I was ready to agree with Brennan. While he's not the most efficient player, Gee can fill it up with a variety of ways to get to the rack. When he's not getting to the hoop is when he struggles, mostly because his jump shot just isn't there yet. Everything else, however, is because he has great size and he can play defense. He's disappeared in a few games, which is another of the knocks against him, but he certainly showed up in this one, scoring 34 points on 26 shots and grabbing nine boards to boot.
PF: Alade Aminu. As I wrote for Fanhouse: the 22-year old Aminu didn't have an impressive career at Georgia Tech and hasn't been the presence in the D-League many thought he would be up to this point, but he came off the bench to show why he's one of the best long-term prospects at the Showcase. Aminu came out of his shell with an amazing 30-point, 23-rebound game, impressing many in attendance. If he's able to put together a similar game Thursday against the Los Angeles D-Fenders, he'll surely be on the fast track to an NBA call-up.
C: Joey Dorsey. See what I wrote about him here.
I put this after the jump just in case Will reads every morning, right after he wakes up and pisses excellence.
Most interesting thing of the D-League Showcase thus far? Reigning Jason Collier Sportsmanship award winner Will Conroy picked up two technical fouls in his game, but was never ejected. I'm not sure of the rule on this, but apparently since he picked one up on the bench, it didn't count toward an ejection. Still, um, yeah.
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