Alabi struggling to find playing time in D-League for the Erie BayHawks.

The Toronto Raptors sent Solomon Alabi down for a third time to play because he wasn’t doing that with them, but he isn’t seeing much action in Erie, either.

Since returning to the BayHawks, the 7-foot, 1-inch rookie center out of Florida State has played fewer than 14 minutes in five of Erie’s last nine games. The BayHawks are 4-5 in those games and that includes the win they got today against Iowa, 138-118, in Tullio Arena.

Alabi had a point, two rebounds, two personal and attempted just one shot from the field in 5 minutes, three seconds of play today.

Erie is 11-9 with Alabi, 19-9 without him. He’s averaging seven points and five rebounds.

Alabi has started 15 games for Erie, but has been coming off the bench recently. Having 6-8 Erik Daniels gives the BayHawks more flexibility up front because he can score from all over and pass so Alabi is kind of the odd man out in terms of starting.

As for when he does get in the game, it’s tough for Alabi to blend in. Erie doesn’t really guards who get into the thick the defense and dish to big men.

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Toronto 7-foot-1 rookie center Solomon Alabi has played in just one game for the Raptors this season.

The guy is certainly thin, but Solomon Alabi showed some athleticism and quickness in his first practice with the Erie BayHawks earlier this afternoon at Gannon University’s Hammermill Center.

The Toronto Raptors sent Alabi, 22, down to play for the BayHawks, who open the season Friday night against the Springfield Armor at Tullio Arena.

Now granted it was just drills and he wasn’t going up against anyone in a 5-on-5 situation, but Alabi showed some explosiveness on one particular drill in which the player picks the ball off the ground, take a dribble and finishes at the rim.

Now Alabi will have a tough act to follow in terms of players from Erie’s NBA affiliates who have been sent down to play for the BayHawks in the previous two seasons.

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While North Carolina sophomore power forward Ed Davis is expected to play right away for the Toronto Raptors, 7-footer Solomon Alabi may see action with the Erie BayHawks in the D-League.

 The Raptors, an NBA affiliate of the BayHawks, acquired Alabi in a trade with the Dallas Mavericks, who picked Alabi in the second round with the 50th overall pick. NBA teams can send down their first or seecond-year players up to three times in a season.