So Long Curtis Jerrells

This just came down from the Spurs:

SPURS TRADE CURTIS JERRELLS TO NEW ORLEANS

SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have traded Curtis Jerrells to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for a conditional second round draft pick.

Jerrells, a 6-0 guard, was signed by the Spurs on March 24, 2010, but did not see any action with San Antonio during the regular season or playoffs. During the 2010 preseason he appeared in five games with the Spurs, averaging 6.4 points, 2.2 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes.  Jerrells also played on the Spurs 2010 Summer League team in Las Vegas, averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 26.8 minutes in five games.

During the 2009-10 season Jerrells started all 50 games for the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League, averaging 20.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.86 steals in 40.2 minutes. 

What it means is that the Vipers will probably never have to deal with Jerrells again. New Orleans doesn't really assign players to the NBA Development League (which is a shame, since they obviously see the value it had for Jerrells), so don't expect to see Jerrells down with New Mexico anytime soon.

EDIT – I'm ready to eat my words about Jerrells not going to New Mexico. No one's told me he's going to be assigned, but it just occurred to me that Dell Demps, who was the GM of the Toros last year, is the in his first season as GM of the Hornets. Based on that, I fully expect the Hornets to finally start using the NBA Development League to their advantage.

More importantly, it pretty much sealed the deal that Garrett Temple will make the team. Now that I ever had any doubt, but, I have to admit, when Temple hurt is ankle during Summer League and Jerrells got a bigger opportunity to show what he can do, I got a little nervous. But as I've said many times, Temple will never be back in the NBA Development League. He's going to have a nice long NBA career.

Smart Fellas

I'm watching game one of the Giants-Phillies NLCS right now and Joe Buck said that one of the Giants (I think he gave a name, but I missed it) said something along the lines of "we're just a bunch of idiots who might be crazy enough to pull this off." Tim McCarver then mentioned how the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox called themselves a bunch of idiots.

I know it's the players saying this stuff, and not the PR machines, but it made me think about the fact that, in the NBA, WNBA and NBA Development League, we don't give players' hometowns, we give their colleges. Ever look at the program inserts, game notes or roster cards I create for games? Ever look at a basketball team's online roster? We always list the college the player attended.

They do that in football too, not so much in baseball or hockey. And while it would be easy to argue that's because of the popularity of college basketball and football compared to that of baseball and hockey, let's be honest, the NBA and the NFL don't need help marketing their product by relying on the fact these guys played on the national stage in college.

The way I see it? I'm damn proud that these players went to college and to some good ones. Whenever I interview a player I always ask what they studied and what they might one day do with that. I would not be happy if a Vipers player ever referred to the team as a bunch of idiots. It's a poor use of the word. You want to say you're relaxed or free and easy, then say that. But a bunch of idiots? What kind of message does that send to the kids at home?

This is reason #768 that I find Stanley Asumnu to be an inspiration. Did you know he stayed an extra semester at Tennessee after basketball was over? He didn't stay to play football (although he did play). He stayed to finish his degree. He could've easily gone pro right away, maybe entered the NBA D-League sooner or gone overseas for a year. But he realized the importance of a good education and having a degree. This off-season he's been functioning as a member of our front office and doing a great job.

Did you know that Jonathan Wallace has been accepted to Georgetown Law School? He deferred his acceptance to pursue his NBA dream. But if basketball doesn't work out? He'll go right back to school and become a lawyer. He went to Georgetown undergrad too. He walked onto the team, so it's not like he got in because he's good at sports (something that isn't always possible at top schools). He got in because he has a brain.

The list goes on, but I think you get the point. That's why I'm proud to be a Viper. We don't just provide family-affordable entertainment, but we have players who can serve as role models. They're all college graduates. If basketball doesn't work out, none of them will have trouble finding work. They're smart guys. They understand the importance of getting a good education, and hopefully kids in the Valley see that and follow their example.

The Season Approaches

It's amazing how every time you turn around there's something coming up quickly. Last year, after RGV Rocket Launch was over, we had nearly two months until the home opener. This year it's closer to one. Instead of going from October 8-to-December 3 without a game (no counting Vipers exhibitions), we're going from October 6-to-around mid-November without a game. Talk about speeding things up.

I like it, though. I don't like time off, and when the off-season hits, the only thing I want to know is next year's schedule and when we can get back to games. Game nights are my favorites because we get to make something memorable happen every single night.

--

In other news, the draft is approaching. November 1st is Draft Day. My good friend and former assistant Benny Gordon-Goldstein, who is now my counterpart in New Mexico, put together a Mock Draft. It's pretty cool. Check it out.

First Cuts in Houston

The Rockets waived center Jordan Egleseder and power forward Patrick Sullivan before the game today.

With 14 players under contract, there is one open spot. The assumption now is there are four players competing for that one spot (though the Rockets carried 14 last year):

Mike Harris
Antonio Anderson
Ishmael Smith
Alexander Johnson

Three D-Leaguers (two Vipers, one Skyforce) and one rookie.

What the waivings tell you is that Jordan Hill is going to see big minutes this year. Yao's limited, Brad Miller is currently dealing with an ankle injury (should be healthy by regular season), so that means Hill is going to have be the #2.5 center on the team. So, if you were holding out hope of Hill getting assigned to the Vipers at some point this season... It doesn't seem likely based on the current composure of the roster (an Erick Dampier signing could change that, but it's tough to say at this point).

We Have Lift Off!

RGV Rocket Launch 2010 officially lifted off today. Many thanks to all of the fans who showed up to make it fun. It was a relatively light day for the Rockets. The coaching staff decided to cancel their regular practice session, meaning it was all about the open practice and autograph session. In fact, the coaches didn't even show up (thank goodness. Mike Harris didn't have his best day on the court during the two scrimmages and that wasn't the performance we want the coaches to see).

Here were some of the highlights:

•Kevin Martin got a look at the Vipers ball boys wearing our Yao is Back t-shirts and asked for a couple. He, Chuck Hayes and Aaron Brooks all wore them during open practice. Brooks changed his a little to say:
Yao + Mike
Is Are
Back

Referring, of course, to Mike Harris. I was wondering if Harris might be the one to unseat Brooks as the most popular former-Viper on the Rockets (or just in the NBA in general). It was tough to say. The top three biggest ovations were for Brooks, Yao and Harris. I'm not sure which was the biggest. There were some chants of M-V-P for Harris, although no where near the magnitude of Game 3 of the NBADL Quarterfinals (granted, that was a significantly larger crowd).

Honestly, over the last week, I think I've had just as many, if not more, people ask me if Mike was coming as if Yao was coming down. The answer to both questions – yes.

Mike was right at home. Everyone wanted to talk to him. He's such a nice guy. I don't know if he fits into what the Rockets need right now (although I certainly don't see why not). Maybe if he can hit some corner threes (he was actually quite serviceable from behind the arc for the Vipers) and defend a little better on the perimeter he can make it. But, no matter what, I will always root for him. He's a good person with a lot of basketball talent.

•Chuck Hayes and Yao Ming had a half-court shooting contest. There were some near misses, but they both got schooled by Rockets Hall of Fame Mascot Clutch the Bear.

•Kyle Lowry and Jordan Hill in a dance contest, was, well, um... entertaining.

•Before the fans came in, I ran an impromptu skit with Clutch in front of our Jr. Broadcaster participants.

Which of course brings me to the Jr. Broadcaster competition. Many thanks to Clay Williams of Action 4 Sports for helping to facilitate this. We had a whopping seven high school students from across the Valley participate getting an opportunity to interview Rockets players with Clay's help and shoot stand-ups as well. The winner's piece will be shown on Action 4 News at 6:00 p.m. on Monday and on the State Farm Arena video board during Tuesday's game. We had some great kids out there. It was fun.

Rules Changes

Rules were made to be broken, right? Or in some cases... changed.

I am a big fan of the new goal tending rule. I despise goal tending and basket interference in most forms. My opinion is, if the ball goes through the hoops, it means points. If it doesn't, no points. So simple, right? This rule is a step in the right direction. If the ball isn't yet in the rim, the defender should be allowed to take a swipe at it. Now he can.

While I like the change, it is going to have a dramatic impact on the way teams play defense and how players learn to play defense, which can be really bad for those trying to make it to the NBA. It's great for guys with international experience/aspirations, but if the goal of the league is to develop players to play in the NBA, then isn't this rule change somewhat counterproductive? Maybe in the short run. However, in the long run, if the change works in the NBA Development League, it'll likely be changed in the NBA as well, making it a productive switch.

Shortening overtime from five minutes to three minutes is a great move. I never understood why overtime was five minutes. That means it was 41.67% of the length of a regular quarter. Who wakes up one day and says, man, we need to figure out how to resolve ties, so let's have the teams play part of a quarter, but half a quarter is too long... How about 41.67%? Perhaps they were looking at it in game terms. Well, a game is 48 minutes, so five minutes is 10.4167%. This theory is a little more justifiable (maybe they wanted to do 10%, but since that's not a round number, they rounded to the closest minute).

Anyway, three minutes makes perfect sense. It's one quarter of one quarter. If basketball is a game this is broken up into four quarters, and they're not going to play full quarter in overtime, why not break-up a quarter into quarters? Sheldon Cooper would be proud.

Houston, We Have Lift Off

Houston Rockets Media Day marks the unofficial start of training camp (the first practice is tomorrow). (Almost) all of the Rockets are there in uniform and available for pretty much anything you need. Brad Miller was not in uniform (sprained ankle), although he was in street clothes with a Cubs hat on. Antonio Anderson didn't yet have a jersey, so he was wearing a t-shirt (he did have shorts).

The Rockets were wearing their new uniforms. I'd heard negative speculator reviews (you know, before anyone had actually seen them). You know what? They were nice. The light really illuminated the red against the white. There were some breathing holes in them. I was impressed.

My favorite thing is that they look just like those replica jerseys you can already buy at the Vipers Pro-Shop. Now they're instead inexpensive authentic jerseys (in effect, anyway).

Aaron Brooks was funny. He was walking around with a walkie talkie (used by the Rockets media relations staff to coordinate things) requesting Gummy Bears and keeping everyone up to date on his movements. At one point, Shane Battier was recording a promo for us when Brooks walked in. He laid down on the couch and Battier deadpanned:

"Aaron Brooks IS the Rio Grande Vipers."

He and some others laughed. Then I chimed in:

"Hey! It's Rio Grande VALLEY Vipers!"

Battier cracked up.

Coach Finch is in Houston, he came down to chat, so we had him do some recordings too. I had him reading a script with Antonio Anderson's name in it. And he read it. "Hi, this is Antonio Anderson of the Houston Rockets." Oops. That produced some laughs.

We had them record some promos for the new 840 Fox Sports Radio. No one pronounced Eighty-Forty correctly (all said either Eighty-Four or Eight-Four). Kyle Lowry felt bad about it, but I assured him he wasn't the only one.

Most of the players came and did their thing. Some of them introduced themselves (usually the younger guys like Jordan Egelseder and Patrick Patterson). The one that really caught me off guard was Chuck Hayes. The man was the starting center last year. Of course we know who he is. Yao doesn't introduce himself. Why would he? We know who he is. Hayes went to everyone and said, "Hi, I'm Chuck."

It was great to see Mike Harris. He came to me to say hello. A classic nice guy. He likes the Valley and is really excited to come down for RGV Rocket Launch 2010.

He and Coach Finch chatted for a little bit. Mike asked when open tryouts are and said he might like to go to watch (although I'm not sure that he can based on timing). He then said something very interesting, and in my mind, telling. "Save a spot for me." At first I thought he was making a joke about the tryout. Given time to think about it, I was wonder if he was saying something more. I hope we don't find out. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have Harris back for another season, but he's earned the chance to play in the NBA, so I am pulling for him to make the team. I like to see good people succeed and reach their goals.

Heading to Rockets Media Day

Should be a fun frenzy on Friday. We'll have chance to visit with several former-Vipers and several other Rockets as well. I'll fill you all in on the festivities Friday evening.

Mr. Anderson Takes the Red Pill

It's just like The Matrix. Always take the red pill, Mr. Anderson. Today, Antonio did just that.

I'm starting to wonder... Should Red Rising be the Rockets' marketing campaign or the Vipers'? Think about it. There are now FOUR Vipers in Rockets Training Camp – Aaron Brooks, Jermaine Taylor, Mike Harris and Antonio Anderson. That's 21% of the roster.

I wonder how much Red will Rise from the Rio Grande Valley this year.

The signing was timed appropriately. Anderson was the Vipers' first round pick last year (12th overall). The Vipers found out yesterday they'll pick seventh. Imagine what the Vipers can do with an even better pick?

Well, hold up a moment. Just because the Vipers pick higher doesn't mean they'll take a different player. I don't know this for sure, but I have a hunch they would've taken Anderson at #7 last year had they had that pick.

You know who was picked #7? Desmon Farmer. I don't think he was on the Vipers' radar...

Between the picks:
#8 Paul Harris
#9 Rashad Anderson
#10 Alade Aminu
#11 Curtis Whithers

The only guy I would've considered over Antonio? Aminu. That's it.

It was an interesting draft last year. Carlos Powell went #1. No surprise. Alonzo Gee was a steal at #6. Other than that? Eh. Antonio was an absolute steal at #12. Tells you about how good the Rockets/Vipers are at eyeing talent.

It's mildly amusing to me that Deron Washington was taken at #3. Remember, he was the guy guarding Anderson on a size mismatch on that final possession leading up to The Shot Heard 'Round the Valley. Anderson forced Washington inside, then set his own pick while passing to a suddenly wide-open Craig Winder. Washington's the guy who jumped to try to block the shot and came up empty.

Not that Washington's a bad player, nor should he be completely evaluated on one defensive possession. I'm just saying is all.

D-League Will Be Stronger This Year

I was catching up on my Ridiculous Upside (which, btw, Scott, has received a lot of clicks from rgvipers.com... you're welcome ;-)) when I came across this post.

I'll give you a few minutes to read the post and the corresponding posts from elsewhere on that site and on Jeff Potter's blog.

Basically, from what I can gather from some quick skimming (I hate admitting that I'm responding to something I didn't fully read, but I gathered the premise, and I really don't have time to fully read it right now) is that the theory is that the D-League talent level will go down because of players not returning.

I find that to be hogwash.

Here are the names of a hand full of players who were new to the D-League last season:
Jonathan Wallace
Garrett Temple
Antonio Anderson
Kenny Hasbrouck
Terrel Harris
Mickell Gladness
Sean Barnette
Jermaine Taylor
Kenny Dawkins
Kevin Rogers
Louis Graham
Travis Holmes

And here are a few more who were in the D-League last season, had prior D-League experience, but were out of the league the year before:
Mike Harris
Rich Melzer

And a few more who did not start the season in the D-League, but ended up back in the D-League after playing there the previous season:
Craig Winder
Will Conroy
Quin Humphrey

I just managed to named 17 of the 22 players who wore a uniform for the 2009-10 NBA Development League Champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who combined for a total of 10 GATORADE Call-Ups, four NBA assignments, one league MVP Award, one buzzer-beating three-pointer to win the Championship, one pass to lead to said shot, four regular season triple-doubles, one post-season triple-double (game one of the Finals), one half-court half-time buzzer-beater in game one of the Finals...

Need I go on?

It's true, some of the players I listed made minimal contributions, and could be used for my opposition's case. However, the contributions of the other players easily outweigh what those referenced players didn't do.

I've made the argument many times in this blog that talent in the NBA Development League has increased exponentially every year over the last few years. The reason for that isn't because guys stick around for a few years and the great players keep getting better to increase the talent level. That does occasionally happen (see: Will Conroy), but generally, if they're getting better, they're leaving for more money either in the NBA or internationally. The reason the talent level is increasing is because every year, the NBA Development League presents itself as a more legitimate option for non-NBA players. These players are taking notice of the ever-increasing number of call-ups and assignments and of single-affiliation relationships.

Consider Desmon Farmer, for example. After his stint with the Vipers in 2007-08, he ended up with the San Antonio Spurs for Training Camp and the start of the season. He got cut and vowed never to play in the D-League again. Well, that lasted all of one year. Farmer knew his best chance of getting back in the NBA was to return to the D-League. Maybe he regretted not going right back, considering how close he apparently was at the time. Now Farmer is going overseas again. He played another season in the league, scored a million points, and didn't get a sniff from the NBA. So, yeah, he's going to go make some money overseas. Will he back? I doubt it. But the point is he came back last year, just like folks will do this year.

Mike Harris is another prime example. He'd had a stint in the D-Leauge. He'd been in the NBA (albeit it briefly). He was now making money overseas. He saw what the D-League had become since he'd left, so he came back, earned three GATORADE Call-Ups and an invitation to this year's Rockets Training Camp.

It's more than just players coming back, though. It's those undrafted college players. It's those rookies who get cut out of NBA Training Camp. It's guys with a lot of talent who came up just a little short. In the past they might simply go overseas. After all, for every Jose Juan Barrea (Northeastern... Fort Worth Flyers), there was a Taylor Coppenrath and a T.J. Sorrentine (Vermont... both had the opportunity to go to Training Camp with the Celtics but turned it down to go overseas). I see that ratio turning around every year.

If Jordan Eglseder doesn't make the Rockets, where do you think he's going? Two years ago, the answer was probably overseas. These days? I'd think he'd come to the Vipers (please note: there is no inside information here. I have neither spoken to or met Jordan, nor have I spoken to anyone with the Rockets or Vipers regarding him, I am simply using him as an example).

I would be completely stunned if the talent pool in the NBA Development League failed to get better this year. I'd be be even more shocked if it took a step back. There will be plenty of players with Ridiculous Upside this year. No doubt about it.

--

It occurred to me today that we're only two weeks away from Yao Ming and Dwight Howard tipping up the NBA pre-season on top of the Vipers logo at center court of the State Farm Arena court. How cool is that?