Daily Links: D-League Draft Day Love (and balding men)

by Seth Pollack on Nov 5, 2009 10:42 AM MST in Phoenix Suns: Daily Links

Someday we might have a D-league team in Tucson but for now our affiliation is with the Iowa Energy. They've been a great organization to work with and I look forward to following their season. Here's an update on their current roster going into tonight's draft from Coach Nurse.

Coach Nurse’s Notes: First Pieces of Team- Energy Hoopla – Iowa Energy Basketball Social Site
Matt Trannon (Michigan State)–Two sport star for the Spartans. Played both basketball and football. Has been in several NFL training camps, and played in Australia last year. Very athletic and tough. Plays hard.

This is pretty cool. Matt worked out for the Energy in Phoenix and ran with our boy Dustin. According to the Energy, Matt will be one of 17 players attending training camp. He's described as a big, physical player who has a ton of athleticism.

"If he comes in and does the dirty work that he did at Michigan State......he could have a shot at sticking," said Energy General Manager Chris Makris.

Another player who worked out in Phoenix, Joel Smith, was allocated to the Bakersfield Jam based on "regional allocation" which tries to get local players connected with their "home" D-league team.

Also making the Energy camp roster is Shyron Ely who worked out in Chicago and is the brother of WNBA player Shrya Ely of the Chicago Sky. There were 4 or 5 other players from various Energy try-outs that were recommended for D-league contracts and are available in tonight's draft.

I guess those work-outs weren't just for PR purposes after all so start training now for next year!

And here's a more detailed look at tonight's D-league draft which includes Carlos Powell. Powell, who you might remember was on the Suns preseason roster, was described to me as a likely top 5 pick.

Carlos told me while he was in Phoenix that he had no interest in playing overseas again but on his Facebook page this morning seemed to be thinking through his options, "is thinking VERY hard ...Should i give the D League another chance or should i go back overseas(tax-free $)??"

2009 D-League Draft Preview - Ridiculous Upside
A preview of tonight's D-League draft, looking at some notable players and team needs.

Speaking of the D-league and the WNBA, this is interesting news indeed

NBA.com: Lieberman to become D-League's first female head coach
Nancy Lieberman is set to become the first female head coach of a NBA Development League team. Congrats to Nancy L!

And speaking of balding (future) D-league players, why didn't Taylor Griffin make this list?

Bald Spot-Light: 5 NBA Players Who Need To Cut Their Hair | Complex Blog
Close-cropped Manu Ginobili is setting an example for players whose thinning heads are beginning to resemble basketballs.

Day After Getting Whooped in the First Loss of the Season Links

SUNS: Suns Cant Keep Streak Alive, Lose to Magic
Post-Game Media Availability: A Complete Effort on Both Ends of the Floor - Third Quarter Collapse
Post-game media availability with Stan Van Gundy, Ryan Anderson, and Dwight Howard.
Game to pay attention to: Suns vs. Magic - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
Pay attention. This could be ugly, or it could be fantastic. Gut-check time, in the season's second week. Nice. - It was ugly
Magic 122, Suns 100 -- Magic defeat the undefeated| Valley of the Suns
Dwight Howard and the reigning East champion Orlando Magic showed exactly why they were playing in the NBA Finals last season while the Suns were sitting at home.
Barnes happy with Magic, 'bitter' about Suns
As happy he is for his friends, Barnes admits being "bitter" about the Suns' about-face regarding their style of play. "It's frustrating, very frustrating," Barnes said. "Everybody's talking about this team being old and doesn't have it. It's the same team we had last year, and now they lead the league in scoring, shooting and 3-point percentage. That's what I thought I was going into."