Shoals points us to a pair of videos released by the D today, with Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett stating their support for the D-League.

Shoals points out that it's a bad move to have these two stars support the D, given their automatic arrival in the league as premier players. It certainly does seem like a condescending sentiment coming from two players who needed no development and immediately impacted the league. And while the league doubtless had no such considerations for the spot, they only thought "Hey, let's get two of the biggest stars in the league to support the league on video," there is a certain amount of greater sense to this selection, if you choose to think about it.

For starters, these two players illustrate the two sides of good and bad development through their careers. Not with them, but their teammates. Kobe for example, has benefited tremendously from the Lakers long-term development decisions. Drafting Bynum and slowly integrating him. Sending Farmer to the D-League and then calling him up, bringing him in slowly. The Lakers are in win-now mode. Believe me when I say, though, that when the lights go down on this particular Showtime team, this franchise will lean heavily on the D-Fenders who they own.

Garnett, on the other hand, is a perfect example of how the old way of thinking can ruin you. Instead of building a foundation and developing players, the Timberwolves instead tried to just fill in holes with veterans through free agency and drafts. They didn't go out and acquire good players to develop, though the D was in its infancy then, regardless. And while Garnett's championship has come on the backs of massive superstar trades, there's still a heavy emphasis on youth development with the Celtics, and you'll continue to see that with the Celtics when they work with the new Portland, ME franchise that should be announced within the next two months.

The other reason this makes sense is a little more ethereal. The fact is, not every player is going to be Kobe and Garnett. Most are going to be average to below average players. Otherwise Kobe wouldn't be Kobe and Garnett wouldn't be KG. They are who they are precisely because they're better than everyone else. But you need guys who can work around them, and sometimes you need young guys to incubate for call-up duty. Kobe has Farmar. And the Celtics have been developing Pruitt. They'll develop Giddens.

It would be better to have Azubuike and Sessions on these commercials, but if you're going to have them, might as well build a case by contrast with two players who needed no development. Because with a little development, some of the greatest busts of all time might not have turned out so bad, and their comparison to Kobe and KG wouldn't hurt so much.

Okay folks, here's the action.

LIke we called it to start.

1. Tulsa 66ers: Chris Richard- Best overall prospect

2. Colorado 14ers: James Mays-

3. Idaho Stampede: Jamario Davidson

4. Sioux Falls Skyforce: Gary Forbes

5. Bakersfield Jam: Derrick Byars:

6. Fort Wayne Mad Ants: Coleman Collins

7. Erie Bayhawks: Erik Daniels: 6-8, PF, Kentucky.

8. Anaheim Arsenal: Tierre Brown

9. Utah Flash: Denham Brown

10. Reno Bighorns: Antonio Meeking: Listed at 250. LIE! 280.

11. Dakota Wizards: Marcus Hubbard

12. Rio Grande Valley: Smush Parker

13. Los Angeles Defenders: Jasper Johnson

14. Albuquerque Thunderbirds: David Noel: Albuquerque has the best backcourt in the league. Do they have enough bigs?

15. Iowa Energy: Cartier Martin

16. Austin Toros: Robert McKiver

17. Austin Toros: Muahmmad Akubar

18. Albuquerque Thunderbirds: David Monds

19. D-Fenders: Keith Butler: Can't coach size.

David Noel is plummeting. STILL PLUMMETING

via www.nba.com

Woohoo! After tonight we'll actually have rosters to discuss! Hurrah!

By the way, if you want to watch, the whole thing is on NBATV tonight starting at 7PM EST. They'll be streaming Rounds 2-10 online at D-League.com as well.

Talked to 66ers Basketball operations manager Brandon Barnett last night, and they were still waiting for the final list to decide. IF we hear anything, you'll be the first to know.

Also, spoke to Colorado Head Coach Bob MacKinnon. Again, you're not going to get the actual pick out of them, but he did give me his top players and they included Chris Richard, David Noel, Smush Parker, and James Mays.

Word has it there's a deal in the works to send Utah's pick to Dakota for Dontell Jefferson. Again, we'll keep you updated.

Consider this an open thread for any questions or comments.

We almost have rosters!

UPDATE 3:41EST: Couple of trade rumors out there. Utah is shopping their first round pick to Dakota for Dontell Jefferson. And the 66ers are asking for the Thunderbirds' second rounder for Keith Closs. Neither deal is done at this time.

Update: 4:28PM EST: Things are getting crazy. We hear Idaho and the 66ers, with the number one pick, are looking to trade. Sioux Falls should make a bid, as should Dakota. This might turn into the Chris Richard arms race.

Additionally, here's our preliminary mock of the top of the draft.

1.  Tulsa 66ers: James Mays: We can't believe it ourselves, but this is what we're hearing was last reported. 1 and 2 are almost locks, consider them the Beasley-Rose of the D-League Draft. (Update: We're hearing rumors that Tulsa is looking to trade their first rounder. Dakota's got the most assets, but there are a few others that could do so as well.)

2. Colorado Chris Richard: D-League vet. Everyone loves him. Almost made Minnesota's roster. Huge talent but also likely to be gone in a call-up.

3. Idaho Stampede: David Noel: This guy could go high as 1, low as 6. Consider him the OJ Mayo of the draft. 

4.Sioux Falls Skyforce: Jamareo Davidson- We here this is a lock.

5. Bakersfield: If Noel or Mays make it this far, this is where they're going.If not, look for Derrick Byars. Experience, experience, experience to complement Justin Reed, nursing a foot injury.

6. Fort Wayne Mad Ants: Smush Parker- It's Smush, but top point guards are hard to find. It'll be interesting to see if the Mad Ants try and replace Samb with another big.

Here's some other general observations. 

Big men are in short supply.

Here's the final draft list:

I'm big on nicknames. I think it's one of the funnest parts of being a fan. And so we have this kid, this young, raw kid that will probably amount to nothing but for a brief time today, looked like a real NFL Quarterback. He is awkward. He is young. And we do not have a cohesive name for him.

It's up to us to resolve this. I hear many being tossed around. Bones, of course, is my personal favorite. Why? It's ridiculous. It's based off this picture. He's a skinny guy. Every single snap is a gamble with him. Again, it's ridiculous. Those are the best nicknames. The downside? Subtle, vague, inside joke. Upside? Completely awesome.

You have Thiggy. Okay, I have a personal vendetta against this one. I'm an NBA fan, and this reminds me of Andre Iguodala, who was nicknamed Iggy and then said he didn't want to be called Iggy. Screw him, I'm still calling him Iggy. Tyler is not Thiggy. But we'll see if people want it. The downside? Simple, unrefined, simple play on words. The upside? Thiggy Thiggy Thiggy, can't you see, sometimes your throws just hypnotize me.

Then there's Pigpen. Quite possibly the worst nickname we could possible devise. Based off of a comic strip that hasn't run in 8 years. Based off a dirty character, when Tyler is squeaky clean. Downside: completely lame, and should only be used by people wearing bellbottoms. Upside: Um... it's easy? Haha, he's dirty...?

But what say you, Arrowhead Pride? Tyler could be gone next week, forever lost in Chiefs trivia history, so we should make this count.

Last week when Damon "Chicken-Wing" Huard went on IR, there was woe. Woe upon our franchise. The starter was announced as Tyler Thigpen, the young, unproven quarterback out of Coastal Carolina who put up "terrible numbers" against bad competition. The words came forth like water from the fountains of KC.

"NOT AN NFL QUARTERBACK."

"PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A QB"

"TERRIBLE."

"WILL NEVER DEVELOP THE ACCURACY TO BE AN NFL QUARTERBACK"

"WILL HAVE FOUR PICKS"

Everyone bagged on him. The media, and us. Especially us.

And you know what he did? He came out and did his job. He crossed the mark I've been waiting all season for. 200 yards. He ends with 280 yards, 69% completion rating (that's better than 50% by the way), 2 TDs, and he would have had more if not for some bad calls and terrible conservative play calls in the fourth quarter that didn't give him a chance.

Bones is mobile, he's got an arm, he has a connection with Bowe (WHICH IS HUGE), and most of all, the kid's a playmaker. We have none. This kid could have come out and folded, just tried not to get hurt, just tried to make the little small save throws (sound familiar?), and gotten out alive. Tyler did everything he could to help this team win, and who knows what would have happened if he'd been given a better chance on the second to last drive.

All this means is that Bones had one good game. That's it. But it also showed he's improved. And that he has some of the things we're looking for. We can bring in Culpepper if people think we should, but we have Gray if Tyler goes back to his old ways.

But for one day, even though we lost, Tyler Thigpen AKA Bones proved all the doubters wrong.

Go get 'em, kid.

HATERS! STEP UP!

Canis Hoopus is pleased that the Wolves ditched Ahearn for Ollie, even though Ollie had a higher turnover rate. He's just got that feeling, you know? There's just something about him!

Guys, that's just you getting woozy from the formaldehyde.

But don't worry, Ollie's going to help you out off the bench in all those tense playoff games where you need veterans. In 2011. When he's 38.

Golf clap, Wolves fans. Golf clap.

Via Ball Don't Lie

Oh, Samb. Buddy.

Man, there have been a lot of words written about Nick The Freak in the last day or so.

Nick gets cut by the Nuggets, because, you know, Nene is the only backup they need for KMart, really, and because George Karl has gotten to the point where he can't coach his way out of a box. 

Dave Berri of Wages of Wins is kind of like "Um...guys? No really, ... guys?!"

The Reno Gazette spoke with Bighorns owner David Kahn who says he's talked with Fazekas about coming on.

I'm beginning to wonder if the entire problem with Fazekas is that he just doesn't practice well. Because if you put him in the game, 5 out of 8 times you're going to get production. Which is about 3 more times than your average bench player. So I figure he just has to suck horribly in practice.

It's weird because the numbers add up for him. And the fans like him. And the pundits like him. And the scouts like him. But no one will sign him. Meanwhile, the Clippers are paying Paul Davis and Tim Thomas lots and lots of money. Got it.

It's days like today that are pretty disappointing. When all the hard work that goes into slumping through Bismarck and Rio Grande Valley, all goes for nothing because some coach or GM decides that the other guy is better because he's been in the league longer. Even if he's done nothing with that time that warrants the job. Because "veteran leadership" is so important, even for teams whose entire direction is geared towards youth and the future.

I'm disappointed for the D, I'm disappointed for the players, but mostly, I'm disappointed in the lack of vision.

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Let's play a game. You're probably familiar with it.

Player A is 35 years old, turning 36 years old in December. He's had numerous chances throughout his 11 year career to make an impact (at one time even averaging a whole 8 points a game!) and has failed to do so. He is competing for a job with a team that has no playoff aspirations, no need veterans to help them through clutch playoff moments, no need for anything but capability, talent, and youth.

In the preseason he averages 3.5 points per game, 14.4 points per 40 minutes, 1.2 assists per game (9.2 per 40 minutes) and shoots 38% from the floor. He does not attempt a single three-pointer.

Player B is 24 years old. He has never been put in an optimal situation to develop with an NBA team, but has succeeded at every other level with the right opportunity. He provides energy, coachability, determination, and perimeter scoring to a team that kind of/sort of sucks at it.

In the preseason he averages 7.8 points per game, 26.4 points per 40 minutes (!), 1.2 assists (4.1 per 40 minutes), shoots 52% from the floor (!) and 50% from the arc (!).

Of course you have to look at turnovers in a situation like this. After all, these players are being brought in to manage the game and the veteran is obviously going to have fewer turnovers...

Player A has 3.08 turnovers per 40 minutes. Player B has 2.7.

SHOCKING.

I am, of course, referring to Kevin Ollie and Blake Ahearn. Tonight Kevin Ollie, despite doing less for the Timberwolves in the camp and in the games, despite having no upside nor potential, despite being nothing more than a 35 year old ballboy is going to sleep in his hotel, safe in the knowledge that his inevitable end to a pedestrian career has been delayed for a few more weeks. Blake Ahearn is in a hotel, trying to figure out what D-League or European team to schlepp to as he keeps trying, just as he always does. He has no contract, despite having outplayed Ollie, being a link to solid market in Bismarck, and being a workaholic. But none of that matters because the same management team that wasted Kevin Garnett's career, that wasted the opportunity to return value for Kevin Garnett, that succeeded in helping the Sixers get Elton Brand,and that generally has proven to be inept at every phase of management, decided it would rather grant the minimum contract to a player that brings absolutely nothing they need to the table.

Bravo, Kevin McHale. Bravo.

Let's be clear. There are NBA D-League players I pull for because they're good guys and because I want to see them get a chance to redeem themselves. There are players that aren't especially good guys but who legitimately have the ability to play. I pull for Ahearn not because of some nostalgic preference or underdog sensibility, nor for his Missouri roots that I identify with. I pull for Ahearn because he was the first D-League player that made me sit back and go "Wow. This kid has talent." And he's shown that with coaching and the right opportunity, he can at least be good, if not great. Yet this archaic, backward sentiment that Ollie will better protect the ball (even though the numbers say otherwise) wins out.

Frustrating.

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I really thought Hodge was going to make it. I thought with the impact he made on the coaches with his attitude, with the shooting training, with the roster space the Nets have, I thought he'd make it.

I thought wrong.

Hodge struggled to see the floor. This happened to a lot of the D-Leaguers. Instead of resting their starters or splitting games into solid rotations versus back end bench games, most coaches elected to just throw out the weakest lineups they could find that only used the middle of the rotation in an attempt to force them to gel. It was not succesful.

New Jersey went 2-4. Thing was, Hodge was showing stuff, on and off the court. Just last night, even though he was held to five minutes, he got 2 points and 4 rebounds. 4 boards in five minutes from a backup guard. On Monday he had his best game of the preseason, scoring 8 points with 3 boards and 3 assists in only 11 minutes.

But no.

Likely the injury to Josh Boone and Yi Jianlian (AGAIN) were contributing factors, but it doesn't make it suck any less. Hodge has proven he can play at this level, finally has his head on, and has put the time in.

Frustrating.

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Yup, Chicago's just fine. No need for Elton Brown! No, not with Joakim Noah averaging 7.4 points per 40 minutes and Drew Gooden popping 15 foot baseline jumpers. Yup, everything's just great in ol' Chicago.

I blame Brown as much as the Bulls for this, though. You knew the Bulls weren't going to let him see the court. They had to get Rose used to playing with Thomas and Noah. They weren't going to experiment. Back to Europe,I would guess, for Brown.

Frustrating.

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The rest were predictable. Chris Alexander lacks polish, and Sam Presti isn't looking for raw right now. Fazekas still doesn't have the upper body strength he needs and Denver's too tight right now to try anything new.

Mike Taylor is the obvious good story for the D-League out of camp. In LA he's solidified a backup role with the Clippers and could even end up as a primary backup at point. Not bad for the first rookie ever drafted out of the D.

The only real hope left for a non-drafted D-Leaguer is in San Antonio, where Desmon Farmer and Tolliver are still battling it out. Farmer's been solid, been coachable, and has earned praise. Popovich understands the D-League system and didn't just shut him out of minutes because he wasn't an "NBA player." If Farmer catches on, it'll be amusing to see him light up teams that ignored him simply because he played in the D. But still, people will fail to recognize that slowly, but surely, the D is producing NBA talent more and more. It will go unseen, and these players as blips on the screen.

Frustrating.