Austin Toros Sign DerMarr Johnson [Archive]

Darkwaters

11-29-2007, 06:54 PM

Wow...I like this a lot. I wouldn't mind letting Johnson and Bowen2 fight it out on the Toros for a callup to the big show.

My only thought is this...what does the DerMarr signing mean for Marcus Williams?

Edit: I hope Johnson isn't just the next James White(!). They're both super athletic wings from Cincinatti...

NuGGeTs-FaN

11-29-2007, 06:58 PM

Another ex-nugget is going to lead the Spurs to a title :lol

Darkwaters

11-29-2007, 06:59 PM

D-League's Toros Sign DerMarr Johnson
November 29, 2007 - 6:46 pm
RealGM Staff Report -
The San Antonio Spurs have assigned rookie guard Darius Washington to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Austin Toros. Johnson is the 13th NBA player assigned to a D-League affiliate this season.

The Toros also announced the acquisition of guard DerMarr Johnson, a former NBA lottery selection, from the available player pool and waived guard Patrick Fields. Johnson and Washington are expected to be available for Friday night’s game against Sioux Falls.

http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/49465/20071129/d_leagues_toros_sign_dermarr_johnson/

timvp

11-29-2007, 07:00 PM

http://spurstalk.com/dermarr.jpg

Age: 27
Position: Small Forward
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 210

Scouting Report
A bit of a head case who has good athletic ability and range on his jumper. Suffered a neck injury earlier in his career that still affects him to this day. However, he has good size for a small forward and at times has been a decent defender.

HighLowLobForBig-50

11-29-2007, 07:10 PM

so a couple months ago, i had started two different threads about sightings at the resturant. first was dermarr johnson. anyone remember who the second was?

Greg Ostertag. Yup looks like he's next.

Bruno

11-29-2007, 07:11 PM

Johnson has signed in Italy this year but he has been waived because he was a huge ball hog.
Let's hope that he will play in Austin with another mentality.

NuGGeTs-FaN

11-29-2007, 07:17 PM

Blame GK for ruining his confidence. Typical Karl :drunk

DJ was the Nugget who shut AI down when the teams met before the trade. After the trade it was stated that DJ was regularly guarding AI in practice coz he shut him down :lol

Bruno

11-29-2007, 07:27 PM

Some infos about the D-League :
http://www.draftexpress.com/blog/NBD-bLog/

Available Player Pool Filling with Talent

A number of talented players with NBA experience have finally decided to join the D-League as of late. Will Blalock has re-joined the league, after starting this season with Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli League. DerMarr Johnson has also joined the D-League, after starting this season with Benetton Treviso in Italy. John Lucas started his career in the D-League, and has joined the league again after failing to make out of training camp with the Houston Rockets. Other players, including center Kris Lang, have also considered the D-League and may decide to sign a general contract shortly.

Kris Lang in Austin ?

ChumpDumper

11-29-2007, 07:49 PM

Wow...I like this a lot. I wouldn't mind letting Johnson and Bowen2 fight it out on the Toros for a callup to the big show.

My only thought is this...what does the DerMarr signing mean for Marcus Williams?If Eric Dawson is healthy, Tim Bush could be waived and Williams could be picked up. That seems like a likely scenario, as Justin Bowen is playing a lot of minutes at power forward anyway.
Kris Lang in Austin ?Not a fan of that idea.

ShoogarBear

11-29-2007, 07:56 PM

There isn't an "experience limit" to playing in the D-Leeague? I.e., as long as you're a free agent, you can play there no matter how many years you've played in the NBA?

ChumpDumper

11-29-2007, 08:17 PM

There isn't an "experience limit" to playing in the D-Leeague? I.e., as long as you're a free agent, you can play there no matter how many years you've played in the NBA?No limit that I've seen. Randy Livingston played 11 years in the NBA and he's back in Idaho.

ShoogarBear

11-29-2007, 08:18 PM

Randy Livingston? Holy crap. That was the original Sebastian Telfair.

ShoogarBear

11-29-2007, 08:25 PM

Livingston was the D-League MVP last year?? :lol

exstatic

11-29-2007, 08:31 PM

DerMarr can shoot and defend, but his rebounding is worse than Bowen's and his attitude is for shit. Maybe a stint in the DLeague can cure that.

I :lmao @him in a game last year. He was in Karl's doghouse (again) and was relegated to garbage minutes in a Spurs win. He hit a couple of meaningless treys and was mean muggin' our bench. :lol

LEN BIAS 4EVER

11-29-2007, 08:48 PM

I don't see anything at all to get excited about. I am even surprised they would sign him with his off the court history. Demarr is the perfect example of a player that needed someone close to him to step in and stop him from going pro too early. Yes he went lottery but he wasn't ready and would have had a better career and made more in the long run if he had stayed in school.

JamStone

11-29-2007, 09:04 PM

Hard to believe he was the overall #6 pick in an NBA draft. But, that's how really weak that 2000 draft class was. I watched him live in college and while he was pretty impressive athletically and physically for a guard, he did not look like a sure fire NBA player. He had a jumper with range and he was 6-foot-9 for a shooting guard. Did not have any other outstanding skill other than shooting. Dribbling was average, defense was below average, and overall basketball IQ was average. Then again, Marcus Fizer was selected two spots ahead of him. Like I said, that draft class sucked.

exstatic

11-29-2007, 09:05 PM

ChumpDumper

11-29-2007, 09:11 PM

Hey, if we end up with three long SF projects in Austin I've got no complaints.

JamStone

11-29-2007, 09:13 PM

He was actually doing pretty well until he broke his neck and was in "the halo" for a year.

I don't remember him ever playing "pretty well" for the Hawks, before or after the injury.

Budkin

11-29-2007, 09:59 PM

I remember DerMarr being pretty good when we played te Nuggs in the first round in 2005. Then the next year some people here were talking about potentially signing him as a long 3. Maybe he'll end up a Spur yet.

Mitch Cumsteen

11-29-2007, 10:15 PM

Randy Livingston? Holy crap. That was the original Sebastian Telfair.Yeah.... until he destroyed his knee in college. He was never the same after that.

Holt's Cat

11-29-2007, 10:20 PM

He's always been on the list as a possible 3 for the Spurs, but never seemed to be the type the Spurs would target. Interesting.

Russ

11-29-2007, 10:39 PM

DerMarr can shoot and defend, but his rebounding is worse than Bowen's and his attitude is for shit. Maybe a stint in the DLeague can cure that.
Let him learn humility in Austin. (He'd be the first.)

Darkwaters

11-29-2007, 10:45 PM

How interesting would it be if the Toros went out and got Viktor Sanikidze as well? Still very much a possibility at this point...

We'd have some pretty awesome competition on the wing with Viktor Sanikdize, Marcus Williams, Justin Bowen, Dermarr Johnson and even Keith Langford. Thats 5 potential NBA players all with the capability of playing out on the perimeter.

And that says nothing of Pittsnogle, "Squeaky" Johnson and send-downs Washington and Mahinmi as the Toros other players with potential NBA talent. This looks to be a loaded Austin team.

While talent is not always a good indicator of a winning atmosphere (as with the current Knicks roster) it sure helps. And even if Austin isn't highly competitive in the D-League this year, it still should be fun to watch the futures of many of these guys develop further.

loveforthegame

11-29-2007, 10:45 PM

I like the idea. A look isn't going to hurt at this point. His attitude, like many have mentioned, is my only concern.

ChumpDumper

11-29-2007, 11:02 PM

How interesting would it be if the Toros went out and got Viktor Sanikidze as well? Still very much a possibility at this point...I guess that's just not in the plans at this point What happened to this guy? If no one is calling he should come over here on his and at least get some time in the CBA.

And that says nothing of Pittsnogle, "Squeaky" Johnson and send-downs Washington and Mahinmi as the Toros other players with potential NBA talent. This looks to be a loaded Austin team.Pittsnogle and Squeaky haven't really shown me anything to suggest they could move up, but we're only two games in.

While talent is not always a good indicator of a winning atmosphere (as with the current Knicks roster) it sure helps. And even if Austin isn't highly competitive in the D-League this year, it still should be fun to watch the futures of many of these guys develop further.Adding Washington gives them the second scorer they have been missing, and Johnson should improve the defense. The team should be pretty competitive if the send-downs stay awhile.

remingtonbo2001

11-29-2007, 11:06 PM

Yeah.... until he destroyed his knee in college. He was never the same after that.

Didn't that happen to K-Mart also?

Didn't he also attend Cincy?

Darkwaters

11-29-2007, 11:23 PM

Pittsnogle and Squeaky haven't really shown me anything to suggest they could move up, but we're only two games in.

Granted. But still, Pittsnogle has been considered at least a marginable NBA prospect for some time. His draft position should be proof enough of his presumed ability and potential. Now whether he actually fulfills that potential is very questionable, but hes undoubtedly a prospect (if only for that sweet jumper).

Squeaky is much more enigmatic. And his size definitely hurts any future NBA status. But if Washington's play doesn't completely mask Squeaky's contributions he might surprise a bit. But I agree hes fairly borderlined.

Adding Washington gives them the second scorer they have been missing, and Johnson should improve the defense. The team should be pretty competitive if the send-downs stay awhile.

But will the Toros be more prone to work on Washington's playmaking ability or simply let him score? I'm unsure. I can see the Toros trying to make Washington more of a true PG and allow him to feed the dynamic wings they have. But Washington was definitely a scoring guard in college and would be well-served on the d-league level to look to the cup every time he has the ball. But on the big stage he needs a more complete game to be at his best. It should be interesting to see what Austin does with him.

PS: Chump, is there a schedule of all the Toros games that will be broadcast on NBAtv? I couldn't find a good one.

ChumpDumper

11-29-2007, 11:37 PM

Granted. But still, Pittsnogle has been considered at least a marginable NBA prospect for some time. His draft position should be proof enough of his presumed ability and potential. Now whether he actually fulfills that potential is very questionable, but hes undoubtedly a prospect (if only for that sweet jumper).

Squeaky is much more enigmatic. And his size definitely hurts any future NBA status. But if Washington's play doesn't completely mask Squeaky's contributions he might surprise a bit. But I agree hes fairly borderlined.They aren't untalented, they just need a whole lot of work to get to the next level.

But will the Toros be more prone to work on Washington's playmaking ability or simply let him score? I'm unsure. I can see the Toros trying to make Washington more of a true PG and allow him to feed the dynamic wings they have. But Washington was definitely a scoring guard in college and would be well-served on the d-league level to look to the cup every time he has the ball. But on the big stage he needs a more complete game to be at his best. It should be interesting to see what Austin does with him.I'm sure they are going to concentrate on developing his decision and playmaking, bu they will let him lose fairly often while he's playing that many minutes.

PS: Chump, is there a schedule of all the Toros games that will be broadcast on NBAtv? I couldn't find a good one.No. It seems they don't even know what they are going to air until a week before the broadcast.

T Park

11-30-2007, 02:39 AM

I like this.

I always thought him or Rasual Butler would help out big time.

Demarr Johnson = long three

Bruno

11-30-2007, 03:46 AM

It will be interesting to see who will play small ball PF for Austin : Johnson or Bowen ?
If Johnson show the ability to rebound well playing PF in D-League and plays good defense, he could be called up by Spurs in January.

SenorSpur

11-30-2007, 05:12 AM

It seems like Johnson has been "off the NBA radar" for a bit. Where has this guy been? Has this guy regressed since he came into the league or has he simply not developed at all?

LEN BIAS 4EVER

11-30-2007, 07:05 AM

Yea the 2000 draft could go down as the worst one in history.

The Bulls had the # 8,24,32,33, and 34 picks and ended up with:

Jamal Crawford
Dalibor Dagaric
AJ Guyton
Jake Voskkul
Kalid El-damn I got a big ass Amin

Man, that's about as bad a draft as I have ever seen a team have.

Didn't understand how Micheal Redd and Scoonie Penn were 2nd rounders in such a lousy draft....

remingtonbo2001

11-30-2007, 08:56 AM

When Kwami Brown is your #1 PICK, you know it's gotta be a terrible draft.

Or was he 2001?

JamStone

11-30-2007, 12:01 PM

Kwame was 2001. DeMarr was in the 2000 draft with K-Mart, Darius Miles, Stromile, Marcus Fizer, Mike Miller, Mihm.

JamStone

11-30-2007, 12:02 PM

Darkwaters

11-30-2007, 12:13 PM

I know the fascination of Spurs fans with the long small forward type player. But, honestly, Bruce is not that tall or long. What good is a 6-9 frame with long arms if they aren't very good and can't play fundamentally solid defense?

I don't think we're looking for the next Bowen. We're looking for the long SF. Different player. Bruce Bowen can do things that a long SF can't, but the long SF has abilities that Bowen will never have. We need a guy that can play in the post when called to (something Bowen is incapable of) and a player that is a much improved rebounder than Bowen. We're not seeking a Bowen clone, we're seeking another version of the SF position.

JamStone

11-30-2007, 12:26 PM

That's my point. Don't need a long small forward. Spurs need a quality small forward. As for a small forward that can play in the post and rebound better from that position than Bruce, look at Bonzi Wells at 6-5 and good but probably not exceptional length but he fits that description of being able to post and rebound well. Or someone like Quentin Richardson (although he's sucked this year), he fits that mold without being tall or long for the 3. Or Corey Maggette. Point is there's a fascination with LONG and TALL small forwards when there should be more interest with QUALITY small forwards.

diego

11-30-2007, 01:05 PM

you have a point, but the "long" requirement is in part for two other reasons, the 1st being dirk, and the 2nd being small ball. basically, we're looking for another Sjax.

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 01:10 PM

I am listening to the Toros broadcast right now, and it seems that Marcus Williams is already playing for the Toros.

D-Wash and Ian both have 3 PFs, this officiating is really bad.

Darkwaters

11-30-2007, 01:11 PM

Darkwaters

11-30-2007, 01:12 PM

I am listening to the Toros broadcast right now, and it seems that Marcus Williams is already playing for the Toros.

D-Wash and Ian both have 3 PFs, this officiating is really bad.

Washington has the game high for rebounds though and has made some nice plays from what I can tell. Dermarr Johnson has been playing nicely already as well. Langford is, as usual, leading the way with points.

SenorSpur

11-30-2007, 01:13 PM

Whenever references to the long SF have been made, the name Derrick Mckey is often invoked. Just once, I'd like for someone to reference the name Keon Clark

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 01:15 PM

Washington has the game high for rebounds though and has made some nice plays from what I can tell. Dermarr Johnson has been playing nicely already as well. Langford is, as usual, leading the way with points.

It kind of sucks that both Washington and Ian played only 10 minutes in the 1st half though.

Darkwaters

11-30-2007, 01:15 PM

Whenever references to the long SF have been made, the name Derrick Mckey is often invoked. Just once, I'd like for someone to reference the name Keon Clark

McKey's name is thrown out there because he is the one Pop specifically mentioned.

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 01:15 PM

62-50 Sky Force over Toros, hit the half.

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 01:30 PM

Dell Demps Half-time Interview

Darius Washington:
Really stepped up in training camp
Kind of challenged Jacque Vaughn for the backup spot
An excellent NBA Talent

DeMarr Johnson
A lot of talent
An intriguing guy

Marcus Williams
Broke his hand before training camp, in a pickup game
A good talent, only cleared to play this morning

Ian
Foul trouble, but a lot of it really isn't his fault

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 01:36 PM

Darius Washington with 8 quick points, 12 pts total.

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 01:59 PM

Toros comeback in a big way with a lineup of

Darius Washington-Kenton Paulino-Marcus Williams-DeMarr Johnson-Ian Mahinmi

Toros down by 1, end of the third.

BeerIsGood!

11-30-2007, 02:04 PM

AFBlue

11-30-2007, 02:09 PM

Toros comeback in a big way with a lineup of

Darius Washington-Kenton Paulino-Marcus Williams-DeMarr Johnson-Ian Mahinmi

Toros down by 1, end of the third.

Are you linking to a page with live game results?

Toros main page is behind...

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 02:11 PM

Are you linking to a page with live game results?

Toros main page is behind...

I'm listening to the radio broadcast.

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 02:21 PM

103-103

D.Wash with 26 pts, 10 boards

AFBlue

11-30-2007, 02:22 PM

103-103

D.Wash with 26 pts, 10 boards

NICE!

Mahinmi still in game?...Fouled out?....Stats?

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 02:24 PM

NICE!

Mahinmi still in game?...Fouled out?....Stats?

Yep,

Washington-Langford-Williams-Bowen-Mahinmi is your lineup

Toros up 108-106 after a Langford 3333333!

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 02:25 PM

Williams SLAM, Canar-Medley answers with a 3. Toros up 110-109

AFBlue

11-30-2007, 02:27 PM

Williams SLAM, Canar-Medley answers with a 3. Toros up 110-109

They don't even have Williams in the box score on the Toros page...

Do you have his stats if possible?

SenorSpur

11-30-2007, 02:28 PM

McKey's name is thrown out there because he is the one Pop specifically mentioned.

I knew that, I was just clowning around :lol

Bruno

11-30-2007, 02:30 PM

They don't even have Williams in the box score on the Toros page...

Do you have his stats if possible?

I guess that Keith Triplett = Marcus Williams. :spin

naico

11-30-2007, 02:30 PM

so triplett is williams?

MoSpur

11-30-2007, 02:30 PM

I like this signing. I have read the story behind this guy and felt bad for him. However, he has been non-existent as of late. It could be because of George Karl or could be his attitude. Who knows? Maybe the idea of him possibly being picked up by the Spurs might change things for him.

AFBlue

11-30-2007, 02:31 PM

game over...overtime?

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 02:31 PM

DARIUS IS EVERYWHERE!

Washington hits 2 FTs, gives him 30 pts and the Toros a 5 pt lead!

naico

11-30-2007, 02:33 PM

DARIUS IS EVERYWHERE!

Washington hits 2 FTs, gives him 30 pts and the Toros a 5 pt lead!

but 8 TO's

FirebatMIV

11-30-2007, 02:38 PM

Toros win!

114-109

The officiating was pretty bad, that really accounted for the high TO totals on both sides, especially the inconsistant calling of traveling.

Darius Washington
30pts-12boards-5assists

Marcus Williams
12pts-2 boards - 5 assists

Ian Mahinmi
9 pts - 5 rebounds - about 15 minutes played, but did not foul out

JamStone

11-30-2007, 02:40 PM

Exactly. While the rebounding and post-playing are high on the list, we're really looking to create mismatches with our long SF (and counter other team's mismatches as well). A player with prototypical size does not create mismatches, he holds the standard. We want somebody outside of the standard that can gain a length and height advantage while not giving up serious speed and quickness to the opponent.

Problem again is that just because a player is longer than most small forwards, it doesn't mean that player possesses the attributes you're looking for. DerMarr Johnson is 6-9 but cannot play the post on offense or defend the post. He is not a mismatch because he's basically a 6-9 shooting guard. Whereas, you get a guy like Bonzi, even though he's only 6-5, he can post up even on bigger players and he is capable of rebounding very well. Mismatches don't only occur by physical statistics but by actual skills a player has.

What good is a player 6-9 for rebounding if he rebounds like he's 6-3?