Check out Erie BayHawks guard/forward D.J. Kennedy as he prepares for the 2012-13 D-League season with hopes of returning to the NBA
After averaging 15.7 points in 44 regular-season games as a rookie last season with the BayHawks, Kennedy spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies.
Spots look slim right now. We’ve got a lot of situations going on. It’s hard to call it. People have to come ready to play.” — Tirrell Baines before training camp.
On my pre-snap look at the Erie BayHawks’ training camp roster before their first practice Saturday, I saw more than 17 players competing for 10 spots.
With the way the training roster was put together, you could pencil in certain guys to make the final 10-man roster for their season opener Nov. 23 at Fort Wayne.
Erie BayHawks general manager Allan Houston has a program called “Father Knows Best” that uses basketball to help teach the importance of fatherhood and mentoring.
Also an assistant general manager for Erie’s NBA hybrid affiliate, the New York Knicks, Houston is bringing the program to Erie, Pa., Saturday, Nov. 10, at East High School from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here’s a quick look at who the Erie BayHawks picked in Friday’s 2012 D-League Draft. The BayHawks drafted Brandon Bowdry and LaMarcus Lowe in the third round. The BayHawks start training camp Nov. 10.
Third round — Brandon Bowdry (6-6, 230, F, Eastern Michigan)
Date of birth: April 25, 1988
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Background: Played overseas in Turkey after his senior year at Eastern Michigan in 2010-11. In college, Bowdry averaged a double-double his junior year (16.3 ppg., 10 rebs) and a career-high 19.9 points his senior year. He worked out with the Detroit Pistons before the 2011 NBA Draft.
Here’s a quick look at who the Erie BayHawks picked in Friday’s 2012 D-League Draft. The BayHawks drafted Jack McClinton III in the first round. The BayHawks start training camp Nov. 10.
First round — Jack McClinton III (6-1, 185, SG, Miami)
Date of birth: Jan. 19, 1985
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
Background: Has played overseas the last three years. Averaged 19.3 points his senior year at Miami. McClinton was a second-round pick of the San Antonio Spurs in 2009. Was released on the eve of training camp. Worked out for the defending NBA champion Miami Heat this season.
With his first ring finally tucked away, LeBron James is back to earn another one.AP Photo.
This might be the most anticipated NBA season since Michael Jordan played his first full season with the Chicago Bulls after playing baseball.
So many storylines.
So many players.
So let’s get it on.
Fab 5 (Favorites to win it all)
1. Miami Heat. LeBron James finally got his ring last season in leading the Heat to an NBA title. With Dwyane Wade being healthier than ever and Chris Bosh finally learning how to play with the two superstars, Miami is poised to win a second straight title in 2012-13.
Then rookie D.J. Kennedy sparked Erie to the D-League playoffs last season./Erie Times-News
The D-League is the testing board for the NBA.
Whether it’s bringing in the international goaltending rule, a 3-minute overtime or having top four seeds pick their first-round playoff opponents, the D-League has always experimented.
However, D-League has gone traditional for its upcoming draft next month – sort of.
Instead of having a lottery to determine a draft order, the league is basing it on last year’s records, meaning the playoff teams will pick after the teams that didn’t make the playoffs.
Eight of the 16 teams make the playoffs.
Now the NBA has a draft lottery, but it’s for the teams that don’t make the playoffs. What the D-League did in the past was have a lottery for every team regardless.
I understood the theory of it, though.
Since the rosters can drastically change from year to year, it gave everyone a fair shot to get the top picks in the draft.
On the other hand, it’s more logical to let the worst team from a season ago pick first.
That’s how the NFL does it.
Former Erie BayHawks star forward Ivan Johnson appears on course to return to Atlanta after the Hawks extended him a qualifying offer last month./AP.
Nearly a month ago, the Atlanta Hawks extended a qualifying offer to Ivan Johnson, who starred for the Erie BayHawks in the 2010-11 season.
The deal is for one year and nearly a million dollars guaranteed. Not bad for someone who didn’t make $30,000 in the D-League with the BayHawks.
Basically, the Hawks can match any offer sheet Johnson signs as a restricted free agent. The reserve power forward averaged 6.4 points and four boards in 56 games for Atlanta in the shortened 2011-12 season.
With no news of any other team offering Johnson a deal, it appears Johnson will be back in Atlanta if he chooses to sign with the Hawks. The deal expires Oct. 1, but the Hawks could extend the date.
Johnson came into the NBA with his share of issues I saw first hand while he was with the BayHawks, but he also arrived hungry and determined to stick.
The latter shined brighter even though his pocket was $25,000 lighter after getting fined for flipping off fans after the Boston Celtics eliminated the Hawks in Game 6 of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.
The key for Johnson, who turned 28 in April, is to stay hungry and find that unique balance of playing hard, spirited, but not reckless. Johnson has to walk that line to maximize his full ability.
If he plays passive, he’s not effective.
If he plays too fiery, he loses control.
If he plays better than he did last year, Johnson will get more than a qualifying offer after the 2012-13 season.
The Erie BayHawks will almost certainly not see him in 2012-13, but Kostas Papanikolaou looks like he has some talent.
The New York Knicks, Erie’s hybrid affiliate, drafted Papanikolaou in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Since he’s under contract for two more years overseas, Papanikolaou isn’t expected to play for the Knicks in 2012-13, meaning he won’t be available for the BayHawks.
This season, NBA teams can send down 1st through 3rd-year players as many times as they want to their NBA affiliates. In the past, they could only send 1st and 2nd-year players down up to three times a season.
Erie resident Marcia Hooks celebrated her cousin, Tony Wroten, Jr., getting drafted tonight./AP Photo.
It was 10:48 p.m. and the party was still going strong at the house of Marcia Hooks in Erie, Pa.
Thirty or so people came to her house to watch the NBA Draft to see her relative – Tony Wroten Jr. – get drafted. The Memphis Grizzlies used the 25th pick in tonight’s draft to pick Wroten Jr., who Hooks said is related to her.
“We jumped for joy,” Hooks said on the phone with the sound of people having fun in the background. “Jumping for joy. They’re still having a grand time.”
Hooks, 55, said Wroten Jr’s great grandfather and her mom were brother and sister. Hooks said she hadn’t talk to Wroten Jr. yet about the draft, but planned to call her mom, Shirley, later.
“I was trying to give her a chance to get all her calls in because I figure everyone else was trying to give her a call,” Hooks said.
