I like this Toros Team

[biba]

Capital City Dancers :downspin:


http://www.nba.com/media/dleague/austin/danceteam0708_580.jpg

Capital City Dancers perform at all Austin Toros home games and help support Toros community programs.



Tonight: 8:00pm ET vs. Colorado

[biba]

Colorado pops Toros from long range

14ers sink 12 three-pointers
http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/toros/01/24/0124toros.html


Thursday, January 24, 2008

The Colorado 14ers made 12 three-pointers Wednesday night to cruise past the host Austin Toros 118-104 in an NBA Development League game.

The 14ers (14-9) made 11 threes in the first three quarters, opening a 96-74 lead.Elton Brown scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Colorado. Five 14ers scored in double figures as Colorado shot 51.4 percent for the game.

Guard Keith Langford scored a game-high 24 points for the Toros (15-7).
Center Ian Mahinmi added 18 points.

The two teams play again tonight at the Austin Convention Center.


Austin — Langford 9-19 4-6 24, Gadson 4-7 1-2 10, Mahinmi 7-11 7-11 21, Williams 5-7 1-2 13, Lang 4-7 1-1 9, D. Johnson 9-15 2-2 25, Reed 4-13 3-4 11

Iowa — Manuel 2-6 0-0 5, Horner 8-12 2-2 22, Mitchell 0-3 3-10 3, Thomas 9-12 3-7 21, Tolliver 8-12 3-5 20, Efevberha 7-17 1-1 15, Vay 4-7 0-0 11, Lewis 5-11 0-0 10


Halftime score: Austin: 58, Iowa: 43. Rebounds: Austin: 37 (Lang 9) Iowa: 34 (Tolliver 11) Assists: Austin: 27 (Langford 8, Gadson 8) Iowa: 25 (Horner 9) Blocks: Austin: 2 (Williams, Lang) Iowa: 3 (Tolliver 2, Efevberha) Steals: Austin: 8 (Mahinmi 4) Iowa: 10 (Tolliver 3) 3-Pointers: Austin: 10-17 (Langford 2-5, Gadson 1-1, Williams 2-2, D. Johnson 5-8, C. Johnson 0-1) Iowa: 9-21 (Manuel 1-1, Horner 4-6, Tolliver 1-4, Efevberha 0-2, Vay 3-5, Lewis 0-3) Fouled out: Austin: None Iowa: None Total fouls: Austin: 18 Iowa: 21


01/23/2008 Austin Convention Center, Austin, TX Time of Game: 3:36.33
Officials: #34 Kevin Cutler , #12 Scott Bolnick , #41 Kevin Sparrock Attendance: 1090
VISITOR: Colorado 14ers
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Billy Thomas 40:44 7-15 4-9 2-2 1 1 2 1 2 5 3 0 20
Eddie Gill 33:47 3-7 1-2 11-11 2 5 7 6 1 0 1 0 18
Kaniel Dickens 30:35 7-11 4-7 4-8 0 2 2 2 4 0 3 0 22
Terrence Crawford 17:16 2-3 0-0 4-4 2 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 8
Elton Brown 38:07 8-14 0-1 7-7 5 7 12 3 3 1 4 2 23
Brian Greene 27:52 5-8 2-4 1-2 1 8 9 2 4 0 1 0 13
Roderick Riley 20:55 3-5 0-0 1-2 1 2 3 1 2 0 0 0 7
Eric Osmundson 17:12 2-6 1-4 0-0 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 5
Justin Cage 08:11 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 1 0 0 1 0 2
Damien Lolar 05:21 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 240 38-74 12-27 30-36 14 29 43 19 20 6 13 2 118
51.4% 44.4% 83.3% Team Rebs: 5 Total TO: 13


HOME: Austin Toros
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Justin Reed 35:45 8-14 0-0 1-5 3 5 8 0 1 1 2 0 17
Cheyne Gadson14:45 0-3 0-0 1-2 1 0 1 2 2 0 1 0 1
Marcus Williams 20:41 2-7 0-1 0-0 1 2 3 0 4 1 2 0 4
DerMarr Johnson35:20 4-12 4-7 3-5 0 7 7 1 3 1 1 0 15
Ian Mahinmi 31:01 5-8 0-0 8-8 5 4 9 0 4 0 5 2 18
Keith Langford 41:56 11-18 3-6 1-1 0 2 2 1 2 1 1 0 26
Justin Bowen 26:41 5-9 0-2 0-2 3 2 5 2 2 4 1 1 10
Carldell Johnson 23:56 4-6 2-3 1-2 0 2 2 4 5 1 0 0 11
Anthony Fuqua 09:55 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2
Eric Dawson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kris Lang 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 240 40-79 9-19 15-25 14 24 38 10 24 9 14 3 104
50.6% 47.4% 60.0% Team Rebs: 5 Total TO: 14


SCORE BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 FINAL
14ers 36 24 36 22 118
Toros 27 19 28 30 104


What about Williams minutes (21)?

[ChumpDumper]

The players got all the minutes they could ever really expect. Lang was out since his wife gave birth and Gadson strained his back early and spent the rest of the game lying down and stretching.

Having three ballhogs in the starting lineup was not a good idea even thought they are the most talented lineup and makes sense on paper. The result was that Langford didn't even get to shoot the ball until the three minute mark in the first quarter. After a couple of players were subbed out, he put up 15 points in nine minutes. Really, who should be taking most of the shots on this team?

Ian had a decent game when he touched the ball as well, but no one seemed to realize Elton Brown got his second foul pretty early in the first half and wasn't really guarding Ian anymore. More chucking. I don't know why he only played 30 minutes since he only had four fouls himself. Maybe the others were left to finish the game so they could get an idea how they really play without him. If that's the case I wish they had sat Langford too.

It was a really frustrating game to watch. Colorado is a well coached team and all the players know and accept their roles. I'm not sure the latter can be sad about the Toros right now.

[objective]

what was up with Mahinmi's hand?

[ChumpDumper]

Don't know. I was hoping someone hearing the radio call might have heard. The only thing it seemed to affect was his grip a couple of times. He didn't get any treatment for it when he sat.

[timvp]

ChumpDumper, who do you blame the recent plummet in chemistry level on? Earlier in the season, the Toros were playing unselfishly. Now it appears to be every man for himself.

It might be traced back to Justin Reed's arrival. If Marcus Williams is whining, that could be part of it as well.

At least it doesn't appear that Mahinmi is part of the problem. In fact, building the team around unselfish players like Mahinmi, Langford and Bowen might make the most sense.

[ChumpDumper]

I think DerMarr likely had that mentality when he first got here, but he was getting plenty of time and open looks from the arc. Reed and Lang seemed to act like they were supposed to take over this team when they arrived. I'm sure Williams chafed at his decreased minutes once everyone was here and healthy.

It's a case of having six players who think they should have a dominant scoring role on this team when only two players are actually capable of doing so. It's ridiculous because once those truly dominant guys get going, the entire game is opened up for everyone. One need look no further than the 14ers tonight. They got the ball into Brown early and often and end up with 12 three pointers. If Ian is in the game, he has to be used offensively and Langford can't be frozen out for multiple ten minute stretches either

I completely believe that Coach Snyder takes orders from above, and it's entirely possible that some of those orders may involve giving some guys more playing time or shots in a given game. From a pure team basketball standpoint though, it's a mess. If the Toros are working with developing Ian and winning games as their real priorities, some changes are going to have to be made.

[tomcat]

ChumpDumper-

Langford did not start..........starting lineup was Williams, Johnson, Reed, Gadson & Mahinmi.

Langford subbed in for Williams who was getting torched by Billy Thomas and/or Kaniel Dickens.

Reed, of course, took the first shot which was an awkward drive from the wing and got fouled making 1/2 freethrows. Who knew he would shoot it on the first pass and nearly run up Ian's back to get to the basket? :rolleyes

Johnson and Mahinmi scored 6 pts each pretty quick then they were frozen out by the "hogs". We were down by 10 when Langford entered the game.

I too have noticed that Ian, Johnson and Langford go stretches where the other players freeze them out. This is becoming a very selfish team.

This team is definitely talented enough with the right pieces (inside, slasher & shooter) to win, but there will be no dleague championship unless there are some personnel changes on this team.

Our problems began of course with the injuries to Ian and Langford where we dropped 3 straight. Then, we acquired Lang and Reed while Johnson and Langford were with the Spurs albeit briefly. Upon returning, Langford was immediately re-inserted into the starting lineup and therein began the rift.

This team is not as fun to watch anymore looking at the body language of some of the players. It is something you have to see in person.

I must say that Ian seems to be oblivious to it all. He seems to just want to play...and win. That is a good demeanor for a veteran Spurs team that he will be joining next year.

BTW, For all his bitching & whining, Williams scored 4 pts (some box scores inadvertently giving him 6).

[ChumpDumper]

Langford did not startRight. That was a silly enough move right there. I said three ballhogs started.

[tomcat]

ChumpDumper-

Reread your post :oops . At first I thought you were saying his first shot came 3 minutes INTO the game. My bad.....

[Bruno]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3584407

Langford leads Toros over 14ers
01/24/08

AUSTIN, TX - Keith Langford scored 24 points and Justin Reed added 23 and eight rebounds helping lead the Toros to a 102-93 victory over the Colorado 14ers on Thursday night. Austin snapped a three-game home losing streak and avenged their Wednesday loss to the 14ers.

San Antonio Spurs assignee Ian Mahinmi added 19 points and 12 rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Carldell Johnson dished out a team-high six assists and three steals. The Toros dominated the 14ers in the paint 44-26 and had a 26-11 advantage on fast break points.

Kaniel Dickens scored a team-high 27 points and Eddie Gill added 23. Dickens also led the team in rebounds with 12 and had three steals.

The Toros improved to 17-7 on the season and first in the Southwest Division. Colorado, who have won five of their past six games, fell to 14-11.

Austin travels to Tulsa to take on the 66ers on Saturday and Colorado goes home to take on Dakota on Sunday.

Boxscore (http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20080124/COLAUS/boxscore.html)

[ChumpDumper]

I couldn't go to the game and only saw the first half online. Ball movement looked better as did the defense, though the 14ers missed a bunch of chippies. Marcus can apparently perform off the bench. We'll see if the reduced tension is just a result of the absence of a couple of big-minute players -- though Ian's call-up will help in that regard.

[ChumpDumper]

BTW - "League Closes Loophole Because of Dirty Cheating Spurs" or "Whiny Utah Flash Owner's Blog Gets Results"


Last season the teams with the worst record in the D-League had perpetual first crack at any new players in the pool. The league tried to remedy that season by bumping teams that lost players to NBA call-ups or overseas buyouts to the top of the list.

However, the unexpectedly large number of call-ups early in the season - especially of players who ended up having only short runs in the NBA - tilted the balance too far in the other direction.

Beginning Jan. 14, the priority list was reordered, with teams ranked from worst records to best,and no provision for teams that had players called up or bought out. The list will be revised again in early March.

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2008/01/24/news/sports/local/147270.txt

[Bruno]

BTW - "League Closes Loophole Because of Dirty Cheating Spurs" or "Whiny Utah Flash Owner's Blog Gets Results"


:lol
3 players called up in one week and all back to Austin one week later was a little too obvious.

The problem is that there are other loopholes. If Spurs want to see Toros winning the D-League title, they can decide to call up for a ten days contract the best player of their playoff opponent.
IMO, it will hard to have a league without loopholes as long as its structure is hybrid with only some teams owned by a NBA franchise.

[tomcat]

So does this mean if Langford or Johnson gets called up on a 10-day, when released they cannot go back to the Toros?

[ChumpDumper]

So does this mean if Langford or Johnson gets called up on a 10-day, when released they cannot go back to the Toros?No, they can go back.

[Da Spurs]

If Spurs want to see Toros winning the D-League title, they can decide to call up for a ten days contract the best player of their playoff opponent.

I'm sure Coach P loses a lot of sleep on this one!! He could care less who wins the freaking D League title. :smokin

[AFBlue]

Can any of the insiders (Chump, tomcat) tell me why Williams isn't playing for the Toros tonight? Is he injured, did he get released, is he about to be called up? What's the deal?

[tomcat]

Serious family illness.

Out of respect for his privacy since he has not released this info, that is all I will say.

[AFBlue]

Serious family illness.

Out of respect for his privacy since he has not released this info, that is all I will say.

Thank you. I just wasn't sure if it was basketball-related given the recent posturing by his agent for more minutes....sort of wondered if this was a response to that request.

But again, thanks for clearing that up.

[biba]

66ers take down the Toros

By GLENN HIBDON World Sports Writer
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?articleID=20080127_2_B3_hSess06387


Sessions has triple- double in Tulsa's first win over Austin this season.


Thanks to a couple of buddies from Reno, and a pair of Mike Hall shots, the Tulsa 66ers finally beat Austin.

Nick Fazekas and Ramon Sessions, rookies from the University of Nevada, combined for 47 points, 24 rebounds and 18 assists, powering the Sixers to a 114-107 NBA Development League victory over the Toros on Saturday night in Expo Square Pavilion.

A crowd of 2,000 watched Tulsa record its eighth victory in nine games and beat the Toros for the first time in five games this season.

Sessions finished with his first pro triple-double, scoring 26 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing 14 assists. Fazekas added 21 points with 14 rebounds while Hall got 19 points, including a crucial pair of field goals with the game on the line.

"I know his game because we played together three years in college," Sessions said of Fazekas. "I know what he likes to do and I get him the ball in those spots.

"I had been flirting with it (a triple-double) the last five games or so, but I couldn't have gotten it without my teammates. . . . Now we've got to do it again tomorrow. It's going to be tough."

Assigned to the 66ers by the Milwaukee Bucks, Sessions was told by the parent club to work on his turnovers. He only had one against Austin, and that was a main ingredient to the victory. David Noel, also assigned by the Bucks, came off the bench to score 16 points with Adam Harrington getting 15 and Jason Fontenet 12 as the Sixers shot 52 percent.

"It was a heck of a win. We're finding ways to win," said Tulsa coach Joey Meyer. "That was a good team we beat. We're playing hard and we're playing together. They had 10 3s and we still beat them. That's amazing.

"Mike Hall hit a couple of big threes and Keith Closs blocked five shots in 16 minutes. We've got to keep battling and see what happens tomorrow."

Tulsa led by 12 early in the second half, then saw Austin use a 14-1 run to take its first lead of the game midway in the third period. There were nine lead changes until Hall nailed a trey with 1:03 left to give the Sixers a 108-104 lead.

The Toros' DerMarr Johnson missed a jumper from the elbow with 16 seconds to go and Sessions rebounded. He cashed four free throws in the final ticks to seal the verdict.

Tulsa and Austin meet again Sunday at 3 p.m.


REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Keith Langford 42:55 8-17 4-5 5-7 0 7 7 4 1 3 2 0 25
Carldell Johnson29:40 4-6 2-3 0-0 0 2 2 8 2 0 4 0 10
Justin Reed 40:52 12-19 0-0 3-5 2 4 6 1 0 0 1 0 27
DerMarr Johnson0:25 5-16 4-9 3-4 0 3 3 2 2 0 1 0 17
Ian Mahinmi 25:58 5-8 0-0 4-6 3 6 9 1 6 1 2 0 14
Justin Bowen 22:46 4-6 0-1 0-0 3 4 7 0 4 0 1 2 8
Anthony Fuqua 19:04 2-3 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0 4 0 2 1 4
Cheyne Gadson 18:20 1-6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 7 4 0 1 0 2
Eric Dawson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Kris Lang 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Marcus Williams 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 240 41-81 10-18 15-22 9 27 36 23 23 4 14 3 107
50.6% 55.6% 68.2% Team Rebs: 8 Total TO: 15


HOME: Tulsa 66ers
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-A 3GM-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST PF ST TO BS PTS
Adam Harrington 34:33 7-13 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 15
Ramon Sessions 42:12 6-11 0-1 14-16 3 7 10 14 2 1 1 0 26
Mike Hall 45:00 7-15 3-5 2-2 1 4 5 1 0 0 1 0 19
Nick Fazekas 33:06 7-11 0-0 7-10 5 9 14 4 4 0 4 2 21
Scott Merritt 11:41 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 1 2 0 3 0 0
David Noel 38:27 7-13 1-3 1-2 1 2 3 1 2 2 1 2 16
Keith Closs 16:30 1-2 1-1 2-2 0 3 3 0 2 0 1 5 5
Jason Fontenet 15:31 3-6 0-1 6-6 0 2 2 1 0 1 1 0 12
Chris Ellis 03:00 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0
Glen McGowan 00:13 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jeremy Kelly 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Dwight Brewington 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 240 38-73 6-13 32-38 11 28 39 23 18 4 12 9 114
52.1% 46.2% 84.2% Team Rebs: 5 Total TO: 12


SCORE BY PERIOD 1 2 3 4 FINAL
Toros 27 23 35 22 107
66ers 32 28 24 30 114

http://www.nba.com/aroundtheassociation/080126.html

D-LEAGUE STAR OF THE NIGHT
Ramon Sessions seems to be residing in this spot of late. He was at it again in a big way Saturday with 26 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in leading the Tulsa 66ers to a seven-point home win over the Austin Toros. That performance followed his 35 points and 11 assists in Thursday’s win over the Wizards. Other than Morris Almond, arguably no player in the league deserves a starting spot in next month’s D-League All-Star Game more than Sessions, the Bucks’ 2008 second-round draft pick out of Nevada. The game will be played Saturday, Feb. 16 in New Orleans.

[ChumpDumper]

It's about time the 66ers started playing up to their potential. A team with three former NBA players and now three current NBA players should be rolling.