Monday, December 27, 2010

D League Notes: Erie Bayhawks vs. Dakota Wizards

In this contest, I review the top standouts in today's D League contest. Erie maintained a lead throughout, but Dakota did mount a comeback towards the end of the third quarter. However, Erie pulled away in the fourth, on a 13-2 run led by Ivan Johnson. Later in this period, Erie extended its lead and eventually, Dakota faced its largest deficit of the game.

-Demarre Carroll was able to hit some shots inside, but he struggled shooting off the dribble early on. He also played out of control when he attempted to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. Carroll was able to score inside against the Bayhawks, but struggled to create his own shot. He must work on this in order to receive more minutes in the NBA. He has made some strides since his days at Missouri, but he is still fairly turnover prone when he puts the ball on the floor. He also got in foul trouble early, and was thus limited for stretches in this contest.

-Renaldo Major hit some jump shots from the field. He was fairly dynamic attacking the basket as well.

-Tasmin Mitchell hit some shots from beyond the arc and played aggressively in the paint. Mitchell has slimmed down considerably since summer league, and is looking to make a transition to NBA wing. He has quick hands and was able to pick the pocket of some offensive players. He was efficient from the floor and never forced the action.

-Jeff Adrien turned the ball over early, throwing wild outlet passes down court.

-Chris Johnson was aggressive inside and was able to score some easy buckets inside. Johnson demonstrated a soft touch off the dribble and was able to display his nice shooting form. Late in the game, Johnson threw down some thundering dunks off of alley oop passes.

-Dawan Robinson hit some three point shots and distributed the ball. He attacked the basket on occasion as well, and is a complete player on the offensive end. Additionally, Robinson moved well without the ball and had a very good understanding of spacing.

-Christian Eyenga aggressively attacked the basket, demonstrating his remarkable athleticism in the process. Eyenga must improve upon his decision making, particularly in transition if he hopes to be an NBA player one day.

-Vernon Hamilton has quick hands and is a relatively efficient shooter from beyond the arc. In this contest, he drew contact by penetrating through the Erie defense. Hamilton generally played under control in this contest and looked to attack the basket whenever an opportunity presented itself.

-Ivan Johnson was a willing passer in this contest and hit open shots. He needs to improve his three point shot in order to keep defenses honest. Johnson demonstrated his athleticism and was pivotal on both ends of the floor. On the defensive end, Johnson was able to play solid post position defense, drawing a charge late in the game.

-Samardo Samuels was effective drawing contact inside and playing positional post defense. Samuels hustled in his D League debut, and was able to get out and beat his man down the floor in transition. Samuels must continue to extend his range and play aggressively inside.

-Nate Linehart emerged in the fourth quarter and hit several shots from the field to extend the Bayhawks' lead.

-Cedric Jackson got in the lane and drew contact and/or distributed the ball. He must improve his free throw shooting though.

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