First off, Gerald Green should have never been in the D-League in the first place.

So I’m not even going to make that connection to it, but thank goodness for him he used his time there wisely and played well enough to get a 10-day contract with the New Jersey Nets.

I saw him in his first game in the D-League when the Los Angeles D-Fenders came to Erie to play the BayHawks. He’s come a long way since then. Check out this windmill dunk off a lob pass against the Houston Rockets that would have won this year’s NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Wow.

On Monday, the Erie BayHawks added point guard Tyrone Brazelton, a 6-1, 180-pound point guard who averaged 14.4 in his senior season in helping Western Kentucky reach the Sweet 16 in 2008.

Out of Chicago, Brazelton has played professionally in Poland and Latvia. Brazelton was a college teammate of Courtney Lee, who is the NBA with the Houston Rockets.

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He’s been in the D-League before.

When Jeremy Lin was a rookie with Golden State last season, the Warriors sent him down for 20 games with the Reno Bighorns. He averaged 18 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 31.7 minutes.

Now the 6-3, 200-pound point guard is with the Erie BayHawks after the New York Knicks sent him down earlier today long with 7-footer Jerome Jordan. Lin has five points in five games with the Knicks, who are Erie’s NBA hybrid affiliate, this season.

Lin, who last season became the first Asian-American player since 1947 to play in the NBA, was acquired off waivers by the Knicks after the Houston Rockets released him to make room to sign center Samuel Dalembert.

Golden State released the former Harvard star earlier.

With Lin, the BayHawks have three point guards along with B.J. Jenkins and Mike Gerrity. Loren Stokes, who plays both point and shooting guard, has an injured big toe so Erie may rest him with the addition of Lin.

Lin is expected to practice Wednesday and play for the BayHawks in Friday’s game at Maine. The BayHawks also play at Maine on Sunday.

Gerald Green will make his debut with the Los Angeles D-Fenders in tonight’s D-League game against the Erie BayHawks at 7 at Tullio Arena.

The 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Champion was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers in training camp this month, but joined the D-Fenders through the D-League’s allocation rule which allows D-League teams to acquire up to three players waived from their NBA affiliates.

I talked with Green, 25, after today’s shootaround about being with the D-League, playing for former NBA coach Eric Musselman and what the 6-8, 200-pound forward expects in today’s 7 p.m. game.

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After leading the Iowa Energy to the 2011 D-League title, head coach Nick Nurse headed to the team he beat in the league finals – Rio Grande Valley.

The Vipers open the season tonight (8 p.m.) against the Erie BayHawks at State Farm Arena. Earlier this week, Duane Rankin caught Nurse on the phone and talked to him about why he left Iowa, being part of hybrid partnership and the change in weather.

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This is sad.

Really sad.

This guy had all the makings of a great big man. Could shoot from deep, had post moves, some toughness and fire and was still learning the game.

Yao Ming just couldn’t hold up physically.

So after nine seasons what was spent the majority of the time injured or in pain from an injury for the Houston Rockets, Ming has retired.

I see Greg Oden falling down the same path and I’m sure Bill Walton and Sam Bowie can relate to what Ming has endured.

Here’s what LeBron  James had to say before tonight’s game between the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

This is the second time James has played in Cleveland for the Heat since he decided to leave the Cavaliers last summer to play in Miami. The Heat beat the Cavaliers, 118-90, Dec. 2 and James had 38 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

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Saturday, 2 p.m., Tullio Arena

ON THE AIR: WJET-AM/1400; www.nba.com/dleague
PLAYERS TO WATCH

Erie — PF Ivan Johnson (A 2011 D-League All-Star, Johnson leads the BayHawks in scoring at 20.7 points a game and 7.4 rebounds. Johnson is the only Erie player to play and start in every game this season.) … SF Tasmin Mitchell (In his last eight games, Mitchell has averaged 26.1 points as Erie’s sixth man off the bench.) … SG Garrett Temple (Has played two games with Erie since returning after two 10-day contracts with the Milwaukee Bucks. Had 25 points and 11 rebounds in Friday’s 132-110 win at Texas.)

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Garrett Temple (41) has been with Milwaukee since late last month.

In what may be his last game with the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, Garrett Temple didn’t score, but that may not matter in terms of him sticking with them.

Temple, 24, remembered last year when he didn’t play as well as he thought and still stuck with an NBA team.

“Sometimes you play well and they just don’t need you,” Temple said. ” They just try to save money or sometimes you play as well as you think you could have, but they still want you.”

This season, Temple went from the Erie BayHawks to the Milwaukee Bucks and has signed two 10-day contracts. In nine games with the Bucks, Temple averaged just 1.8 points.

If Milwaukee wants to keep him, it must sign him for the remainder of the season.

Before Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, I talked with Temple about his time in Milwaukee, his experience with 10-day contracts and how the Erie BayHawks have fared without him.

How has your experience been with Milwaukee? “It’s been a great experience. Anytime you get a chance live your dream to be in the NBA, it’s always much appreciated. I just feel very blessed to have this opportunity. I got a lot of great veteran guys here that I’ve actually gotten close to.  Keyon Dooling. Corey Maggette. Earl Boykins. They got a good mix of young guys and old guys. Brandon (Jennings). CDR (Chris Douglas-Roberts), Larry Sanders, (Andrew) Bogut, guys that I can really relate to. I like the group. I like the coaching staff. Wish we could get some more wins and hopefully turn this thing around.”

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Dwight Howard, left, will flex his muscle in State Farm Arena when Orlando plays Houston in an NBA preseason game Oct. 5. The 2010 D-League champs, Rio Grande Valley, play there.

The Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets play a preseason game Oct. 5 at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, TX.

That’s where the defending D-League champions, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, play their home games.

It’s a $20-million facility, folks, so the game isn’t being played in a hole-in-the wall.

This will be Houston’s first preseason game heading into the 2010-11 season.

Hidalgo is 371 miles from Houston. Wonder how the Rockets are going to get there? I suggest taking a caravan and stop at every small town en route and do surprise appearances.

The nearest airport to Hidalgo is McAllen International Airport.

The town has between 100,000 and 200,000 people so you know the airport is rather small, but it actually has a direct flight to and from Orlando.

The airport does take private jets, but if the Magic want to fly commercial and save some coins, it’s $160 round trip. . Just throwing it out there Orlando. And the airport offers a round trip flight for Las Vegas $100 for those who want to pull a Dennis Rodman.

Wonder the Cleveland Cavaliers will play a preseason game at Tullio Arena?

Until it’s renovated, I seriously doubt it.