The BayHawks must contend with Albuquerque's Keith McLeod, who has averaged 31.1 points in his last six games.

Erie BayHawks (15-25) at Albuquerque Thunderbirds (18-22)

Saturday, 9 p.m., Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, N.M.

On the air: WJET-AM 1400, www.nba.com/dleague (live stream).

Players to watch, Erie:

SF Jackie Manuel (Expected to play tonight after missing Tuesday’s win against Sioux Falls with a stomach virus.). … SG Blake Ahearn (Averaging 21.6 points in his three games with Erie since being traded from Bakersfield for D-League All-Star rookie power forward Alade Aminu). … SF Ivan Harris (Scored 21 points Tuesday after not scoring in Erie’s previous game against Iowa).

Players to watch, Albuquerque:

G Keith McLeod (After not scoring in an Feb. 25 loss at Idaho, McLeod has averaged 31.1 points in his last six games. He went for 44 in a March 3 loss at Dakota). … G Antonio Agudio (Averaging 15.4 points and shooting 42.8 percent from 3-point range). … SF Trey Gilder (Traded to Albuquerque from Maine for center Kurt Looby on March 5, Gilder is averaging 13.9 points this season.

Fast facts: Erie — The BayHawks are without rookie point guard Cedric Jackson, who signed a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs this week. … Shooting guard Mike Gansey has averaged 26 points and shot 13-of-23 from 3-point range in his last three games. … Erie has won its last two games.

Fast facts: Albuquerque — The Thunderbirds’ leading scorer, Carlos Powell, is now overseas playing in China. The top pick in the 2009 D-League Draft, Powell averaged 22.1 points in 33 games for them. … Albuquerque snapped a seven-game losing skid in Wednesday’s win against Fort Wayne.

 BayHawks up next: at Idaho (Saturday, 9 p.m.), at Utah (Monday, 9 p.m.).

— Duane Rankin

“A lot of fans are always on Curtis. Curtis is a very fiery player. Plays with a lot of intensity. He’s just like me. I hate losing, but Curtis will talk more than me. I won’t talk. I just go out there and play, but Curtis, he’ll speak his mind.” – Earl Barron speaking about his outspoken Iowa teammate, point guard Curtis Stinson.

Curtis Stinson (with headband) doesn't mind talking with the fans when in their home arena.

“You’re about to lose.”

Iowa All-Star point guard Curtis Stinson had to say it Friday night.

After all, a small, but vocal group of Erie fans in the front row behind the Iowa bench had been riding him all night at Tullio Arena.

Their BayHawks had come back from a 16-point, first-half deficit to take an eight-point, fourth-quarter lead.

“You really can’t say nothing,” Stinson said. “You can’t get personal. Then you get mad. You just have fun with it because they’re there enjoying it. It’s all basketball, but when you’re losing, they’re coming at you. They chanting my name, ‘Cur-tis! Cur-tis!’”

Then Iowa came back to take a 110-108 lead 64 seconds left on Mark Tyndale’s putback bucket.

With a big smile, Stinson began walking back to the Iowa bench. As he got closer, he took a look at the Erie fans who had been on his case and said it.

“You about to lose.”

Stinson was right. Iowa 116, Erie 111.

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In 22 games this season, Othyus Jeffers is averaging 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and shooting 51 percent from the field.

The LeBron Act didn’t stop the Utah Jazz from giving Othyus Jeffers a chance in the NBA.

A month ago, Jeffers told me NBA teams weren’t signing D-League players because they’re saving money to sign LeBron James and other top free agents this summer.

“There are a lot of things going on right now in 2010 with the ‘LeBron Act’ so they didn’t want to spend money this year,” Jeffers said.

On Wednesday, the Jazz signed the Iowa Energy shooting guard. Jeffers is the 20th NBA call-up from the D-League this season.

In fact, since Jeffers’ comments, seven D-League players have signed 10-day contracts with NBA teams.

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Next season, No. 6 will replace the No. 23 LeBron James has worn since his high school days in Akron.

Well, 2 times 3 is 6.

LeBron James has multiplied his No. 23 to come up with his new number for next season – 6. Actually, I don’t know how he came up with No. 6 for his new number, but James did wear it in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The change is in part with him believing the NBA should league-wide retire the No. 23 worn by who most consider the greatest basketball player ever – Michael Jordan.

Got to give James credit on this one. I’ve talked to people about this for a long time, but for a megastar athlete to change his number is big.

Considering his idol was Jordan, the change is even more impressive. It will go into effect next season.

One last thing. Wonder how many No. 6 James jerseys will get sold the first week they hit the shelves especially if he’s with a new team?

Try plenty.

Rob Kurz (shooting) and Alade Aminu were traded for each other on draft day. Both played in the All-Star game.

Erie made its third trade this season in shipping D-League All-Star rookie power forward Alade Aminu to Bakersfield for shooting guard Blake Ahearn, a 2009 league All-Star.

Here’s a look at how players in the two previous trades have fared this season.

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With center Shaquille O'Neal being out an estimated eight weeks to recover from thumb surgery, reigning MVP LeBron James will really have to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers through the rest of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

Wow.

The good news for Cleveland is the surgery on Shaquille O’Neal’s right thumb was successful.

The bad news for Cleveland is he’s expected to be out eight weeks. So he’s going to be out the remainder of the regular season, which for the Cavaliers ends April 14, and possibly the first round of the playoffs.

Yeah. Wow.

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Hasheem Thabeet looked more like a baller than a bust in his second D-League game with the Dakota Wizards.

David Bell saw it coming.

When I asked him about how Hasheem Thabeet did in his D-League debut for Dakota at Erie last week, the point guard was happy with the Memphis rookie’s effort.

Even though Thabeet scored just eight points and had only one block, Bell took into consideration that the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft had just got off the plane hours before playing against the BayHawks.

Bell was certain Thabeet would be better in his next game.

19 points, 16 rebounds and 6 blocks is better.

Much better.

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The Diesel scheduled to have surgery today.

Shaquille O’Neal is going under the knife today.

The Cleveland Cavaliers center is scheduled to have surgery on his injured right thumb. From there, the team will figure out how long O’Neal will be out.

What does that mean for the Erie BayHawks?

Well, they won’t see Cleveland second-year power forward Darnell Jackson anytime soon.

When O’Neal got hurt Thursday at Boston, Jackson was en route to scoring 34 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for the BayHawks. The Cavaliers had sent Jackson down for two games against Dakota.

O’Neal’s injury cut that trip short as the Cavaliers recalled Jackson for Friday’s game at Toronto. So with O’Neal out for who knows how long and Cleveland stiill waiting to get a chance to resign Zydrunas Ilguaskas later this month, the Cavaliers need big men.

So don’t look for Jackson to make a return to Erie anytime soon.

The Erie BayHawks are now 0-6 against the Maine Red Claws after losing to the D-League expansion team, 102-95, Sunday evening.

By losing to Maine (22-14), Erie (13-24) will not be able to match last seasons’ record when it finished 27-23 as an expansion team.

When Erie and Reno entered the league last season, they picked from a pool of players the other teams didn’t want in the expansion draft. When Maine and Springfield joined the league this season, they picked players from defunct  Colorado and Anaheim.

Now the 14ers won the 2009 D-League title, but the Arsenal were awful last season. So how is Maine so good and Springfield has the D-League’s worst record at 5-26 when they picked from the same teams?

One thing is certain. The Red Claws are playoff bound and Erie needs a miracle to make a second consecutive playoff appearance.

“I truthfully don’t listen to that. The team drafted me there. They saw what I have and that’s why they drafted me. Again, I’m out here getting better for myself and my team and that’s it,” – Hasheem Thabeet on hearing negative talk of him being the second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and getting sent down to play in the D-League.

The Memphis Grizzlies sent down their 7-foot-3 rookie Hasheem Thabeet, to the D-League's Dakota Wizards.

One block.

Some would say that number should have read 11 or more, but Hasheem Thabeet was only credited for one block in his D-League debut Friday night for the Dakota Wizards against the Erie BayHawks at Tullio Arena in Erie. The Wizards won, 108-103.

Personally, I thought he got two, but he finished the game with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, two rebounds, two turnovers and four fouls in 17 minutes and 51 seconds of play.

The Memphis Grizzlies sent Thabeet down to the Wizards on Thursday and he played his first of scheduled six games with Dakota.

The second overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft out of Connecticut is scheduled to return to Memphis on March 8, Dakota coach Rory White said. The Grizzlies and Washington Wizards are Dakota’s NBA affiliates. An NBA team can send down first or second-year players up to three times a season.

Playing just 17 minutes and 51 seconds, Thabeet also had his shot blocked from behind by Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Danny Green, who at 6-foot-6 is much shorter than the 7-3 center.

Green was returning the favor as Thabeet blocked his shot within 25 seconds of him entering the game for the first time in the first quarter. An NBA affiliate for Erie, The Cavalier sent Green down to play for the BayHawks.

A rookie out of North Carolina, Green finished with a game-high 36 points Friday.

After the game, I interviewed Thabeet, who arrived in Erie hours before the 7 p.m. game.

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