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Nice write-up, but you forgot Sports Journalism rule #0: what was the score?
T-Bird 102 Toros 94
Ok, maybe the press is just trying to be nice to our new team.
Here's the NBA.com headline: “Thunderbirds Rally to Top Toros.”
Well, that's half the story.
The Statesman showed the other half -- “Toros blow 18-Point Lead and Lose” -- but even that proves to be a distinct understatement considering just how that lead was blown.
The Toros led by 18 after three quarters, capping off a 33-point period that built on a 30-point second stanza, illustrating just how potent their offense can be when everything is clicking. They provided no clue as to what was to come next.
The Toros' offense ground to a crushing halt, due in no small part to the defense of the Thunderbirds – they are after all coached by defensive legend Michael Cooper. However, the Austin team's biggest enemy was the complacency brought about by the big lead itself and the relative ease with which it was achieved. In short, the Toros tried to coast, and that is something that can't be done against a team of hungry players -- and what D-League team isn't full of hungry players?
The 18-point lead was erased in a matter of six minutes. Six. I kept writing the gap on my notepad as it closed, so I could say how close the T-Birds got before Austin got it together and pulled away -- “4pt @ 7:30”...”2pt @ 6:52”...”1 @ 6:00”.... Shortly thereafter, Toro low post star Marcus Fizer ensured he would fail to close out his second straight game, this time collecting three personal fouls in the course of a few ref-baiting minutes to leave the debacle with six. He had been frustrated by Cooper's swarming and doubling schemes, but was productive when he did get the ball, finishing with 15 points on 5-8 shooting.
The Thunderbirds were beating to Toros to nearly every lose ball. TJ mings, who can only be called an undersized hustle player at this point in his career, scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth – that 14 equaled the fourth-quarter output of the entire Toro squad. The Toros didn't help themselves by turning the ball over 22 times, many of those turnovers being unforced.
The Toros lack of a true shot blocker hurt them as well. T-Birds' leading scorer Joe Shipp (26 points on 9-17 shooting) and diminutive backup point Yuta Tabuse (14 points on 5-8 shooting) wreaked havoc with their dribble penetration. That often led to free throws, which the T-Birds converted to the tune of 87% (26-30). A similar effort from the Toros might have made a real difference in this game, but they could only manage a paltry 15-25 from the stripe.
Their miscues spoiled otherwise solid offensive outings for individual Toro players. Only two of eight players who put the ball up shot less than 50 percent, and season highs were reached by forward Andre Emmett (22 points on 10-17 shooting) and center Scott Merritt (16 on 7-11 ). The Toros next games are Saturday and Sunday in the Austin Convention Center against the Florida Flame, which includes a rogues gallery of Spurs' summer league/training camp vets and current timvp heartthrob, Theron Smith.
BOX SCORE
GAME NOTES:
None of the individual performances scored terribly high on the call-up-o-meter (flows better when pronounced like thermometer but looks better with the dashes) the way Erik Daniels' did during the last home game. Everyone looks like this is where they belong for now, which made the report of Chuck Hayes' being the first free-agent call up of the 05-06 season a bit of a surprise. The Rockets could use some rebounding, so the Malik Rose-like Hayes could be of help if they can find some athleticism for the perimeter as well.
Thunderbirds:
Yuta Tabuse: the Japanese Junebug is very quick but needs a consistent outside shot to make the show.
TJ mings: Tweener. Bulk up or get some handles and a perimter game. Decent athlete.
Tony Bland: Interesting experiment by Cooper to play the 6'5" Bland at the point for a few stretches, but he showed zero playmeking ability and jacked up shot after shot.
Toros:
Andre Emmett: Can score well when he has the ball, but getting him to give it up is like pulling teeth. His feet are set in cement when he doesn't have the rock.
Derrick Zimmerman: Good decision making -- very efficient scoring off drives. Handling oddly seems to have deteriorated since last season. Needs outside shot.
Scott Merritt: Nice all-around game, but does no single thing well enough to get much attention. Does whatever is asked of him.
Announced attendance was a touch over 2,000 which may have been generous by one or two hundred, but it was a fair crowd for a football Sunday afternoon. Note to Toros: I don't drink during the day, so keep that in mind if you want another $15-20 from me.
Last edited by ChumpDumper; 12-07-2005 at 12:31 AM. Reason: I'm not a sports journalist.
Nice write-up, but you forgot Sports Journalism rule #0: what was the score?
I posted the link to the box.
I'm still in denial that I witnessed it.
The Toros next games are Saturday and Sunday in the Austin Convention Center against the Florida Flame, which includes a rogues gallery of Spurs' summer league/training camp vets and current timvp heartthrob, Theron Smith.
Chump, what is the overall game quality in the NBDL like?
Is it a bunch of players being quite selfish because they won't a call up? Is it basically a bunch of scrubs, or is there some real hidden talent there? I'd like to learn more about the D-League.
There is plenty of talent in the D-League. Most games you'll see at least one guy who is playing at a level clearly higher than the others like Devin Brown used to. These guys are pretty much a phone call away from being in the NBA. The Toros have three players who have decent call-up potential this season: Fizer, Emmett and Zimmerman.
You do have to temper your enthusiasm over certain gaudy stat lines, because some of the guys dominating right now barely got off the pine in the NBA like Erik Daniels and Pape Sow. Daniels did show some real versatility that I didn't know he had when I saw him, however, and I can see why Sacramento didn't like letting him go. Either of these players could follow in the footsteps of guys like Devin or Chris Andersen.
The quality of the games can be very uneven, Certain players do seem to have personal agendas. Andre Emmett seems to some to life when he has the ball or is running the break but that's it. It can also be more of a positive agenda; Ezra Williams seems to spend the first half of the game proving he's more than just a scorer, then being a scorer in the second half when so designated by the coach.
The kind of yeoman players who have less of a chance to make the NBA through sheer talent seem to make the best team players. Guys like Scott Merritt will do anything that's asked of them, and I've seen DJ call plays for Scott when Fizer keeps plugging away at the same offensive moves that aren't working at the time.
I can't say that any of these guys are future stars, but there is plenty of potential there. It's tough to say exaclty who is going to be called up, because most of these gusy have worked out or played for teams before and are on their short lists for the next signing. I can say that the NBA is treating the D-League pretty seriously from the amount of money they are pumping into it. Most teams have their own game floor, full games are being televised weekly (although tape delayed), live game stats and webcasts are available online and stats are being recorded in the same manner as for the NBA.
You better right a flattering report on my man Theron.
How did Ken Johnson looked defensively? I've always thought he could have a Tony Massenburg type role on an NBA team.
Ken missed most of a game before this one, so he may have been slowed by an injury of some sort. He was kind of a nonfactor in this one though he did alter a few shots. Merritt did a good job keping him out of the paint so I couldn't tell you if he had improved his post offense. I did see him in an early game against Tulsa on NBAtv where he looked and moved alot better. He's got loads of athleticism -- his block numbers reflect that but his rebounding doesn't. I'd probably compare him more to pre-accident Robertas Javtokas or (a poor man's) Chris Andersen than Massenburg. He could use some more bulk to be a better rebounder and inside defender, but if a guy like Sharrod Ford can get an NBA job, there's really no reason Johnson shouldn't as well.
are there actually any player associated with the Spurs organization on that team?
Not yet. Only Beno is eligible to be sent down.
Hmm. That's an interesting thought.
It seems to me that Beno peaked about midway through last year, and we haven't seen much development since. Of course, he's not getting worse, it's that the rest of the legaue has adapted to what he can and can't do, and he hasn't gotten better.
Would we have a better Beno a year from now if we sent him down to the NBDL rather than continue to give him scant garbage minutes off the bench?
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