Go Go Toros!

I’m not one to say that I watch NBDL basketball. I certainly don’t. Though that may be due to a lack of available options more than a straight aversion to the product, that’s another issue.

Still, while surfing the world wide web just a little while ago, I came across some interesting information. The Spurs development team, the Austin Toros, are stacked. Plain and simple.

First of all, if you have time, check them out…here’s their schedule.

I find this whole NBDL to be refreshing. I’ve always enjoyed the concept of the minor leagues in baseball, both in that it gives players a chance to develop and that it’s another opportunity for people to play for the love of the game and make a dream come true. Corny? Yes, definitively. But, what else could drive many of these men to spend large portions of their years in third and fourth rate cities like Sioux Falls or Bakersfield?

The best part of the NBDL is that it almost single-handedly replaces the yearly “Where Have They Gone” issue in every magazine. Your favorite college basketball stars of the past few years are all there. The 6′9” centers, 5′11” guards, 195 lb. power forwards. They’re all there.

Take a look at the leader boards. Brandon Bowman from G-Town, JamesOn Curry from OK State, Steve Novak from Marquette, Demetrius Nichols from Syracuse, Alando Tucker from Wisconsin, Gabe Pruitt from USC, Nick Fazekas from Nevada, Stephane Lasme from UMASS (Dude’s had 14 blocks in his last 2 games, btw)….The list goes on, for quite a while.

And where do the Spurs guys fit in? Well, first of all, there are some names to know on this team. For any Big East B-Ball junkies, Kevin Pittsnoggle, the tatted-up, really tall white dude that loved to shoot 3’s, is on this team. Keith Langford (Kansas) is only averaging 25 ppg while shooting over 50%. Ian Mahinimi, while still struggling with foul trouble at times, is dropping in 15 a game. Remember DeMarr Johnson? The dude from Cincy that got into the car crash while with Atlanta, bounced around from Denver and NY. He’s with the Toros now, and he’s putting in over 17 per contest. The rookie from Arizona that never made the team? What was his name? Oh, Marcus Williams. Yeah, he’s playing there too. Last game he bombed for 29 points, not too surprising considering he’s averaging 19 ppg.

And, last but certainly not least, there’s Darius Washington. Now, it’s known to anyone that reads this or listens to the podcast that I think he should be backing up Tony Parker. He is back on the big club, but only because TP is hurt. While down in the D-League, all he did was put up averages of 28.3/8.5/6.2, with a triple-double effort sprinkled in there. Amongst anyone that’s played more than one game in the D-League, Washington leads the league in the statistic of combined points/rebounds/assists at 43 per game. Not too bad.

They aren’t as glamorous, their logos look like they ripped them off from the real team, and they aren’t in any major cities. That being said, they could be playing for your team sometime soon. So, keep an eye on them.