Oliver Lafayette Released

Sad news, and I am not sure how it affects us. Oliver Lafayette was released by the Celtics this weekend despite a great end of year with them and a very good summer league. In the end, I think O could probably see the writing on the wall, as the Cs are clearly loading up with veterans (Delonte West, Shaq, etc.) to make a final charge for the finals. I hope he doesn't take that as a slight, because I am sure another NBA team will jump at him, because he is a great player. The timing is not that great for him, however, because it may be tough for him to hop on with another team with training camps starting tomorrow.

As for how this affects the Ants, I am not sure. Let me shock everyone by saying we want him back here in Fort Wayne should things not work with an NBA team. It is obviously good for us because we will have one of the top players in the league on our team, but it is also good for him. He is not a Euro guy -- he is an NBA player, and I really hope he won't run overseas for a quick money grab and give up on his NBA pursuit. He has really only been in the NBA picture for the last four or five months, and it is probably going to take a few ups and downs before he is able to determine whether or not the NBA will fit.

The Weekend

So, what can I tell ya...

It was a glorious day this past Saturday morning as four of the Mad Ants staff took to the streets of Fort Wayne to run the third annual Fort 4 Fitness Half Marathon. We got started on the run at about 8 am, and we were all pretty bunched up in the 9 mile a minute section. Kyle Thoms and I stayed pretty much even for much of the race until Kyle really kicked it into high gear about mile 10. I run with walk breaks (as proscribed by the great marathoner Jeff Galloway -- check him out at http://www.jeffgalloway.com/), which means I run 5 minutes and walk 1 minute. The overall effect is that you are fresher in the long run because it breaks the run up and allows your body a break. I have run half marathons running the whole time and with walk breaks, and I run much faster and feel much better with the walk breaks. If you are a runner, I highly recommend them.

Anywho, Kyle and I were going back and forth with each other. I would break out ahead of him and he would run back in the lead as I hit my walk breaks, but in mile ten, he took off and I couldn't catch up even while running faster in my running portions. Garrett Martz was keeping up with us for some part of the run, but he fell a bit off, and I am not sure where Sarah Wladecki was.

As we all got to the finish, Kyle finished at 2:00.02, I finished at 2:00.56, Garrett finished at 2:05 and change (a great run for him and 10 minutes faster than last year), and Sarah finished at 2:07. For my part, I was really happy with my run. I think I was about 5 minutes faster, and I think I can probably go faster. More importantly, I think I am ready to get dive into marathons. I have wanted to try one out for some time, and I think I am going to sign up for Chicago next year. It is a marathon that I watched over and over when I lived there, and I am really intrigued by the opportunity to do that. I feel like it is the one great physical challenge that I am not sure I could do due to my height and weight, but maybe that is what I need to keep me motivated. Anyway, it was a great run and congrats to our staff for being such hard chargers!

NBA D-League Draft

We had the draw for the D-League draft last night, and we ended up with the tenth pick in the draft. Not the best spot, but we will make it work. I guess the good news is that it is a serpentine draft, so we will have an earlier second round pick. To be honest, I don't get the D-League draft. Why they wouldn't just do a normal draft based on record like every other league is beyond me, but I suppose they have their reasons. Reno and new coach Eric Musselman get the first pick in the draft, and I am sure they will do well with that. From everything I hear, he is a very good coach and will know (like a John Treloar) what talent works for him.

Speaking of Treloar, congrats to him for his call up to the Suns. I have been able to get to know him a bit because we play Erie so often, and I really liked and respected him. His teams were always well coached and tough to beat, and I admired his ability to spot talent that worked for him and his system. I think he will do very well in Phoenix, and I hope he calls up lots of D-League guys. With he and Dell Demps moving to front office spots, I hope we will see those two teams use D-League talent where other teams may not.

In other news, the Hoff was kicked off Dancing with the Stars last night and I am upset. His dance to Sex Bomb with the very hot Kym Johnson was nothing short of spectacular. America has made a very grave mistake.

Mad Ants Men's League Update

The Mad Ants Men's League Team head into our game this Wednesday with a perfect 3-0 record after beating a younger, more athletic team last week. They were indeed a good team, but Steve Gansey was on fire from three and carried us to a big win. What did your humble D-League president do? Only 32 and about 20 boards. Watch out D-League bigs -- I am on the comeback trail. In fact, let's get a little video tape of what our marketing of the comeback might look like:

Overseas Updates

Our boys Sondy, Coleman, and Jamelle Cornley continue to do great work overseas. For Ulm, Sondy and Coleman leave the weekend with a 7-2 record in the preseason and a great win over French DI team Strasbourg. Sondy keeps putting up double double type numbers and Coleman has what looks to be some explosive games. Those two got along very well when they played here, and I think that will continue for Ulm.

Down in my old stomping grounds of Uruguay, Jamelle Cornley continues to demonstrate that he is over the knee issues he suffered last season. He is averaging about 30 a game after another 36 point game last night. Who did he outscore? Former Mad Ant Carl Elliot, who scored a team leading 34. In the end, Carl and Hebraica beat Jamelle and Cader. Cader is now 1-6, which is tough for him, but he is playing so well, I don't think the team would do anything stupid and get rid of him. Then again, dumber things have happened overseas!

I have tried to get updates on Ron Howard in Israel, Rob Kurz in Spain, and Ryan Ayers in Finland, but no luck to this point. I will have something more for you later on those guys when I find it.

Finally, I saw a blurb on twitter that Chris Hunter is trying out this week for the Cavs to make their training camp. If he doesn't make it, that will likely mean he is sitting out an NBA training camp (as unfathomable as that is to me), and it could mean he comes back to the Fort. With he and AK as our bigs, that would be a great start. If it did happen, let's hope he could make it to our first game before a call up!

Did You See This Yet?

Yes, that is exactly what we do in this office. I think I should get a lot of credit for my spot on Ultimate Warrior imitation!

Why are Basketball Workouts Always Late?

I'm sitting here currently waiting for a workout to start that is already 15 minutes late. Why is it always the case that workouts start late? I was a frequent offender of this when I played, and I sense it is the players chance to rebel and be loose of the consequences of the season.

In other news, I have been following some of our guys overseas, and their are three Mad Ants really standing out -- Coleman Collins, Sean Sonderleiter, and Jamelle Cornley. Coleman and Sondy are in the preseason, and their chemistry seems to be picking up where it left off. They are both putting up great numbers over there in Germany, and I am really happy for both of them.

Mad Ants fans may not remember Jamelle due to him being injured the entire season, but we thought he was going to have a big season for us last season. He seems to have recovered from his knee injury and is doing work in Uruguay right now. In his first two games, he has scored 26 and 31. I'm very happy for him, because I know he was frustrated not playing last season. Now I'm the one frustrated, because I was hoping to have him back this season. In any event, all the best to these three players.

Tomorrow I am off to Tennessee to see the Vols- Ducks game. I will try to tweet, blog, and all that while gone.


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Where Did He Find That Picture?

I just pulled up the D-League site I always go to -- www.ridiculousupside.com -- to see what clearly must be some type of mass murderer. No, it isn't a criminal, it is me in my favorite 70's night get up. I think this is evidence that I will do anything and everything to help my franchise in any way. I am sad to say that the chest hair is not me -- although I wish it was! Here is the most important question -- how did this pic get out there for public consumption? Who am I kidding -- I love it!

I had a very nice weekend this weekend doing absolutely nothing. Zoo, pool, grocery store, blah, blah, blah. I was hoping that we could fit in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but I wasn't sure we had the time (think Old School). I feel on the weekends I am merely trying to find things that will take a couple of hours out of my kids day to keep them busy and not asking for The Fresh Beat Band. By the way, I am shocked to admit that Twist is favorite. In all the ads, I thought he was going to be the most annoying.

The best part of the weekend was watching my son, Alex, walking all over the house. He is this little barrel chested stud that knocks down anything that gets in his way. Which leads me to a moral dilemma. At Sydney's gymnastics practice the other day, Alex was playing with an Etch a Sketch when another young baby came up and showed some interest in the toy. Alex promptly looked at him, took his left hand, and threw the little kid to the ground by his face. Now, obviously, I have to scold him, but I couldn't help buy feel proud of my little man. No little crawler was going to come and take my man's Etch a Sketch away, and he stood his ground. Alex, I hope you understood what all my winking meant when I was scolding you in front of the mortified mom -- continue to be tough!

Well, that is it for my first post. I will try to get something up about Sondy's weekend and give you an update on as many different Mad Ants overseas that I can.

Hard Knocks

I know that Tony Dungy was critical of Rex Ryan for his profanity on the HBO Series Hard Knocks, but I think Tony needs to relax. First, in every locker room I have ever been in, that is the language and type of discussion I am used to. Frankly, I would respond much better as a player to a Rex Ryan than a Tony Dungy, who I believe to be a little to mellow for my taste.

No doubt, Rex Ryan is my type of guy. Big personality, great leader, and his guys seem to want to run through a wall for him. He creates a swagger and fun attitude that his entire team seems to follow. The more I watch this show, the less I believe last year is a fluke. I love the way he has created a culture that it means something to play for the Jets. It is a culture of toughness and winning, and I hope we can do something similar with the Mad Ants.

In other news about shows I watch, I highly recommend to all of you this show on Discovery called Surviving The Cut. It shows all the training that the Special Ops, Marine Recons, and Rangers do to join those prestigious groups. I am very much into testing myself physically through running or triathlons or whatever, and I can't help but wonder if I could do some of those tests. I am not sure if could. They do some things I am not sure I could do -- like walk planks fifty feet above an ice cold lake. I think that would be tough for me to do because I am not a fan of heights.

Well, this blog post is sponsored by a very mellow evening of watching TV. Hope you are having a great weekend!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

You Can't Do That!

Maybe you haven't seen the video of the fight in the stands last night at the US Open, but I guess the young guy in this video was being loud and obnoxious, so this older pair take matters in their own hands. The only problem -- they can't do this! I don't care how loud the guy was, she can't slap him and the old man sure can't attack him. The young guy should not have any criminal or civil liability here in my opinion, and I think he showed real restraint on not slapping the lady back or doing real damage to the old man. Don't take my word for it, though -- you be the judge!

Talent Question in the D-League

Yesterday, Kurt Looby of the Maine Red Claws signed with the Greek team Peristeri, and it resulted in a tweet from our favorite D-League blogger Scott Schroeder who asked -- "Kurt Looby signed in Greece. I'm seriously worried about what's going to be left in the D-League this year."

I think that is a fair concern, and it is at least worth a couple of paragraphs. First, there has been quite an exodus overseas for some of top D-League talent from the previous season. Guys like Looby, Malik Hairston, Desmon Farmer, Antoine Aguido, and Mo Almond have left (or taken their talents to -- I'm sure that joke never gets old!) overseas for greener (yes, I mean cash) pastures. Just look at the hit our team has taken -- Rob Kurz, Sean Sonderleiter, Ron Howard, Jared Reiner, Ryan Ayers, Skip Mills, and Jamelle Cornley have all gone overseas. That is obviously a big hit for us, as they could all have really helped us this year. Moreover, I have had conversations with players like Coleman Collins and Earl Calloway who considered coming back, but instead took the money overseas.

With that in mind, you can understand Scott's concern of what we will have left in the D-League. Yet, I think the league will have a very good talent pool and will always have a good talent pool for the following reasons. First, while the names will change, I think we will see a case of the next man up. In other words, while we may lose a great scorer like Farmer to Europe, maybe we will see another player who had decent year last year step up to the next level this year. On our team a good example of that could be Rod Wilmont. We have depended on Ron Howard the past couple of years to be a top notch scorer and defender for us. At the end of last year, Rod looked like he was capable of taking that duty upon himself, and nothing I have seen this summer has disabused me of that notion. Carlos English has gone from a defender who got spot minutes with Dakota, to a bench spark plug for us last season who showed that he could also run a team and contribute on offense (reflected by our 8-1 record with him in the lineup), and I am hoping he is working on his game so he can continue his upward trend on the basketball court. So, while we lose one guy overseas, I think we will always see other players in the league fill that vacuum and thrive once the opportunity is provided that may not have otherwise been there if the Desmon Farmers of the world had returned.

Second, I think you will see new players come in and shoot right to the top of the ladder and become great players in our league. Two examples come to mind -- Othyus Jeffers and Reggie Williams. Othyus came from a small school in Chicago and became one of the best (and toughest) players in our league. Reggie Williams had a great career at a smaller school, but I think few knew he would become a superstar in our league and develop into a legit rotation player/spot starter on a NBA club in such a short time. It will be fun to watch who steps up this year and fills that role in the league.

Third, I think that our signing period coincides well with when the Euro teams are making their first round of cuts of players. Once the season starts overseas, some teams do poorly, and they react quickly in making changes to players. The D-League is always a good option for someone once they get cut overseas because, while there is less money, there is better stability and better exposure for the player. Curtis Stinson is a great example. Last year, he was an early cut in Greece, and he comes back and is the best point guard in our league. Moreover, if they can have a good year here, it will go a long way to rehabbing their resume, because a cut overseas can be tough on a player and their future ability to get other jobs overseas.

Finally, don't forget all the guys who are going to be cut this year from NBA camps. Guys like Cartier Martin, Othyus Jeffers, Oliver Lafayette, Chris Hunter, and a host of other talented players from the D-League are headed to NBA camps and they won't all make it. Rather than run overseas, I suspect (and hope!) that some of them realize that they are NBA players and, even if it means coming back to the D-League, they stay in the States and wait for the team that will be the right fit (a la Anthony Tolliver). Once players like those find the right spot, they will be in the league for the better part of their careers.

In the end, I suppose the message intended in this rambling jumble of words is don't despair about the talent in the league. It will always at a high level, and it will be fun to watch who steps out of the shadows to become the next D-League darling.

The Mad Ants Rec Team!

What a tremendous debut for the 2010-2011 basketball team the other night. No, not the official team, but the crack Mad Ants men's league team. Investor Glen Reid has decided to show me how to properly put together a winning team and has recruited the likes of VP Jeff Johnson, our graphic artist/marketing guy Jeff Dollens, assistant coach Steve Gansey, heir to the Mr. Mad Ant Throne Rod Wilmont, Glen Reid, Fort Wayne basketball legend Bruce Patterson, former Purdue stud Gary Probst, former Concordia stud and ace Mad Ants sales person Kyle Thoms, and a stiff, uncoordinated player named Jeff Potter.

Sadly for our opponent the other night, we unleashed the hounds and put them through 40 minutes (running clock, thankfully) of hell. We ran on everything and made it a lay up line. When we were up 43 to 10, I figured we had it well in hand, but I really only play for the workout, so I kept myself in just to keep sprinting up and down the court. We ended up winning 97 to 45, which was great, but Jeff Johnson kept us from hitting the 100 point mark and getting the crowd Big Macs. He tried to do something he should never do -- dribble -- and ended up throwing it out of bounds, giving them the ball with 10 seconds left on the clock to dribble the game out. It was not all bad news for Jeff, as he hit a number of threes and played really quite well.

As for me, I chipped in a quick 26 before taking myself out for the last five or six minutes of the game, Wilmont had 19 before I sat him out after the half, and I am sure Dollens and Gansey were somewhere in the 20s if not higher. I suspect it will get tougher from here, but it was a lot of fun and I look forward to the next time we get to go out and play together.

Great Start for Sondy and Coleman in Germany

Not sure if many know this, but Sondy and Coleman actually play for the same team over in Germany (Ratiopharm Ulm). Last night, they had their first pre-season game, and it was a great start for both of them. Sean started off his year with 25 points and 7 rebounds, and Coleman chipped in with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Beyond those two great big men, they also added big John Bryant, who our fans should know as the big man who played in Erie last season. I think any other team in Germany would be hard pressed to match up with that line up of quality bigs. Thanks to their coach, Mike Taylor, for all the great updates. Great to see the guys playing well, although I wish they were in our uniforms this year!

Delonte West Signs for the 15th Roster Spot of the Celtics

What does that mean to any of us? Well, it means that it looks like Oliver Lafayette's run with the Celtics has come to a halt. Now, there are probably ways for him to stay involved with C's, including training camp, but someone will have to be bought out to keep O (maybe Marquis Daniels?). Whatever happens, Oliver is an NBA player in my opinion, and I hope he does not panic and run overseas. Even if meant coming back to the D-League, he should do it, because he will be called up again. He is too good, and I think he will dominate in this league if he comes back. Just a fantastic kid and a fantastic player.