BayHawks Trade Donell Taylor to Idaho Stampede for Mike Gansey

The Erie BayHawks have agreed to trade their leading scorer and 2009 1st-round draft pick Donell Taylor to the Idaho Stampede for Mike Gansey. Ironically, Gansey was Erie's top pick in last year's draft, but he opted to play overseas instead.

The trade is a major shakeup for the BayHawks, who have started this season a disappointing 4-9, including a 1-5 record at home.

Taylor currently leads the team in scoring at 18.7 points per game, which is good for 17th in the D-League. Taylor also averges 6.2 rebounds and is second on the team in 3-point percentage. The biggest struggle for Taylor has been ball control as he's averaged just 2.8 assists with 3.5 turnovers per game on the year. Most recently, Taylor was benched for the majority of a game Erie won over Bakersfield, playing less than 10 minutes after getting the start.

As for what Erie is getting in return, Gansey is a different player than Taylor. He's more perimeter-oriented and staked his claim as a 3-point marksman during his college years at West Virginia. This season, however, his numbers are negligibly better than Taylor's from behind the arc. He's shot 14-39 (35.9 percent) from 3 compared to Taylor's 35.7 percent. 5-14

I'm a fan of Gansey, and I called for Erie to draft him again this year. I also understand Erie's desire to bring in a shooter—heck, I've been calling for it for weeks now—but with Gansey converting 3s at a rate no better than Taylor, I don't totally understand the thinking behind this deal, unless there's something more to it. Gansey is a good player, but there's a reason he went in the sixth round to Idaho whereas Taylor went in the first round to Erie. Gansey has started just one game for the Stampede; Taylor has started all 13 for the BayHawks.

But it's official. This is a straight-up one-for-one swap. It's definitely a gamble on Erie's side, but at 4-9, I guess they felt they needed to take a chance and mix things up a bit. If Gansey can be the hot hand from outside that they've lacked much of this season (save for Ivan Harris' 5-10 performance on Tuesday), maybe it'll be the spark they've lacked.

The other angle on this trade is the idea that maybe the BayHawks are looking at the possibility of addition by subtraction? Taylor is the leading scorer on the team, but that comes at a price. He's taken 227 shots this season. Jackie Manuel is next on the list at 166 FGA. While Taylor is talented, he's also got something to do with some of Erie's bad offensive habits, namely the contested, pull-up jumpshot from just inside the 3-point line.

Just as the addition of Cliff Clinkscales has helped facilitate ball movement for the Erie offense, the subtraction of Taylor may do the same. He's a skilled scorer, but at what cost? There's no stats to back it up, but just from watching the team, I can see that the ball does tend to stick when he's in there. If Erie can find a way to replace his scoring—and I don't expect that it'll come from Gansey alone—perhaps a new, fluid offense will develop. If not, well, they were only 4-9 with him anyway.

Erie won't play the Stampede until March 13 when they travel to Idaho. In the meantime, good luck to Taylor and welcome Mike Gansey. I'm skeptical of this trade for sure, but I understand why Erie felt compelled to shake things up on the final day of 2009. Here's hoping 2010 has brighter days ahead for the BayHawks.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 91, Bakersfield Jam 78

The Erie BayHawks came through on their win guarantee and won their first home game of the season, defeating the Bakersfield Jam 91-78. They did it with uncharacteristically good outside shooting, unusual player rotations from Coach John Treloar, and uninspired play from the Jam.



But let's start with those unusual player rotations. Starters Alade Aminu and Donell Taylor, who second on the team in minutes per game, played less than 10 minutes apiece. Jackie Manuel, who averages a team-high 43 minutes per game saw less than 29 minutes of action. Unusual, atypical, weird. Whatever you want to say about the lineups and player usage tonight, the bottom line is that it worked, at least for this night.

John Bryant led the team in minutes played with 42, and for good reason. This was by far Bryant's best home outing of the season. He shot 7-13 from the floor, routinely hitting the 15-18 foot jumper off the pick-and-pop, primarily run with Cedric Jackson. He also pulled down a team-high 16 rebounds, all on the defensive end.

Someone must have said something to Ivan Harris about his affection for the long two-point jumpshot. On this night, he limited his college 3-point attempts and hit consistently (5-10) from NBA 3-point range for 15 of his team-high 19 points on the night.

But the player of the game, in my opinion, was backup point guard Cedric Jackson. Cliff Clinkscales got the start on the basis of his hot recent play, but the two point guards split time evenly tonight, and Jackson played well enough that he was the man that closed the game out for the BayHawks. Jackson had 17 points on 6-9 shooting, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers. Clinkscales had a quiet night, going 0-2 from the field with just 4 assists.

Jackson was the closer tonight that Erie has lacked this season. There was a moment in the 4th quarter when the BayHawks appeared to be headed toward yet another late-game collapse. What had been a 19-point lead at one point was trimmed to 75-67 early in the 4th. That's when Jackson turned out the lights. He made a driving/floating layup to push the lead back to 10. Following another Bakersfield basket, Jackson found Jackie Manuel for an assist, again pushing the lead to 10. Then, following a Jarvis Gunter block, Jackson found Manuel again, this time on an alley-oop. Finally, Jackson got a steal and finished on the other end with a layup that made it 83-69 Erie. That sequence was when this game was put on ice, and most of the credit goes to Cedric Jackson as the catalyst. Credit him for stepping up in a big way in the wake of Clinkscales' recent success.

Bakersfield falls to 2-12 with the loss. Erie improves to 4-9 (1-5 at home) with the win. Unfortunately, this is the only time they'll play the Jam this season.

Up next for the BayHawks is a New Year's Day date in Maine where they'll meet a Red Claws team that is 3-0 against them, beating the BayHawks by an average of 17 points per game. This season has not started as well as many had hoped, but they ended it with a win at home. If they can start 2010 with a win on the road in Maine, maybe there's hope for this season to turn around yet.

Game Preview: Bakersfield Jam (2-11) at Erie BayHawks (3-9)

Tonight the Erie BayHawks, in search of their first home victory, welcome the 2-11 Bakersfield Jam to town as part of a doubleheader. The BayHawks game follows a local high school game between Cathedral Prep and Warren.

The BayHawks' organization is so disappointed after blowing a 30-point lead Sunday against the Iowa Energy that they've issued a win guarantee to their fans, which states that if the BayHawks lose, all fans in attendance tonight can take their ticket stub to the box office and redeem it for a free ticket to an upcoming game.

More importantly than any box office issues, however, the BayHawks need to be concerned about what's going wrong on the court, especially at home, where they are now 0-5 to start this season.

Game 12 Preview: Bakersfield Jam (2-11) at Erie BayHawks (3-9)

Bakersfield coming in: After starting the season 0-9, Bakersfield has won two of its last four games, including a 115-98 win on the road against Maine on Sunday. Maine is the same team that swept the BayHawks in three games in Erie earlier this month. Bakersfield guard Jeremy Wise led the way in that win over Maine with 24 points, but he had the help of a balanced attack that included three bench players scoring in double figures. The fact that they were able to upset the Red Claws—by 17 points—tells me that the Jam may be more dangerous to the BayHawks than their 2-11 record suggests.

Erie coming in: Disappointing doesn't begin to describe the feeling surrounding this team right now. They blew halftime leads in back-to-back home games against the D-League's top team, Iowa, over the weekend to drop to 0-5 at home this season and a lowly 3-9 overall. The Sunday loss was particularly disheartening. Even after surrendering most of their 25-point halftime lead, Erie still had a chance to ice the victory in the final seconds up three by making just one of their two free throws, but Martin Zeno missed both, Cartier Martin hit the game-tying 3 at the buzzer to send it into overtime, and the rest is history.

BayHawks' keys to success:

• Remember and forget.
  This one is simply mental. The BayHawks need to put what happened at the end of their last game against the Energy behind them. Yes, blowing a 30-point lead is bad. Really bad. But it's one game. They need to move on and forget about it by the time tonight's game tips off. That said, they also need to remember that they were beating the league's best team handily, up by as many as 30 points at one point late in the first half. Clearly, there's a good deal of talent on this team, but they've been plagued by inconsistency.
  
  
• Play like it's 1979.
  The 1978-79 season was the last year the NBA played without a 3-point line, and that's what the BayHawks need to do. With a quarter of the season already done, it's clear that they are not an outside shooting team (27-100 on 3s this season). So stop shooting them. Check out the box score against Iowa on Sunday. Erie took just two 3-point field goals (missing both), and the no 3s strategy nearly resulted in a win over the league's best team and quite honestly it should have resulted in a win. Stick to what works: lay off the 3-ball.
  
  
• Ride the hot hand.
  Typically that's a saying applied to a shooter, but we've already addressed the fact that shooting is not a BayHawks strong point. In this instance, the hot hand is the ballhandling of newly acquired point guard Cliff Clinkscales. As Steve Weinman over at D-League Digest pointed out, Clinkscales has been on a tear as of late, racking up 35 assists and just 4 turnovers in the past three games. If he can keep distributing the ball at that rate, Clinkscales may make point guard one area of early-season concern that the BayHawks can actually cross off their to-do list.
  

Iowa Energy 100, Erie BayHawks 95 (OT)

Note: This was the first home game I was unable to attend, so I'm going with a straight reprint of the press release that was sent to me.



The Erie BayHawks (3-9) continued to struggle at home losing to the division leading Iowa Energy (10-1) 100 – 95 in overtime at the Tullio Arena.

Erie led by as many as 30 points before being outscored in the third quarter 29 – 13. The Energy were led by Cartier Martin with 25 points. Martin hit a game tying three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in the game to knot the score at 92. Curtis Stinson chipped in 23 and Earl Barron added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The BayHawks scoring was led by Donell Taylor with 25 points and 10 rebounds to mark a double-double. John Bryant added his sixth double-double performance of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The BayHawks take on the Bakersfield Jam Tuesday night in a 7 PM tipoff at the Tullio Arena. The game will feature the first in a series of High School Hoops Showcase games, with Cathedral Prep taking on Warren High School in a 5 PM tipoff. Tickets for the game are good for admission to the double header.

Game Review: Iowa Energy 99, Erie BayHawks 90

The result was almost identical the last time these two teams met. A week ago, Erie lost 95-88 and 99-89 in Iowa. The BayHawks hoped a change of scenery would equal a change of outcome, but he Energy bounced back from a 50-47 halftime deficit to win 99-90 and improve to 9-1 on the year. The BayHawks dropped to 3-8 on the season, including 0-4 at home.



There was a lot to write about from this game. But this is the Internet, it's after 10 p.m., so I'm going with a bullets review for this one, breaking it down into three sections: Erie, Iowa, and General Observations.

Erie

• How do you follow up an 11-assist, 1 turnover game? Cliff Clinkscales followed it with a 11 assists in the first half against the Energy. He finished the game with 16 assists and just 2 turnovers. Surprisingly he also went 7-13 from the field. I say surprising because he has arguably the ugliest jumper on the team. What's important is that he doesn't force many jumpshots, and he finds other ways to score.
• As per @DLeagueDigest's tweet, the BayHawks missed a plethora of layups/tip-ins, even a dunk attempt by Jackie Manuel. Maybe you can excuse that kind of sloppiness in high school. You have to make those shots if you're going to win at this level.
• I tweeted about this repeatedly during the game, but Ivan Harris has an uncanny tendency to hit every shot he takes from 20-21 feet out—or just inside 3-point range. As the box score shows he was 1-5 from 3-point range and 7-8 from elsewhere, and I swear at least seven of those eight shots were launched from a spot somewhere between the college 3-point line and the NBA line. That said, Harris gave them a huge spark with 21 points off the bench. It's just frustrating because he could have had 28 if he'd been a foot deeper on each of his attempts.
• This was not a good night for the Jackie "Marathon" Manuel. He leads the league in minutes per game and played a team-high 41 again tonight, but he was just 4-17 from the field with 3 turnovers.
• John Bryant's first game back in Erie since being benched against Maine was hit and miss. He started hot, scoring 4 of Erie's first 6 points, but he struggled defending Earl Barron all night, eventually fouling out in just under 22 minutes with 8 points and 5 rebounds.
• Donnell Taylor is too good off the dribble to settle for his jumpshot as much as he does.
• Alade Aminu had the highlight of the night for Erie with a thunderous dunk on a would-be Energy defender late in the first half that punctuated a second quarter that saw the BayHawks outscore the Energy 29-16.
  

Iowa

• Earl Barron became the second NBA-experienced big man to give BayHawks center John Bryant fits on the defensive end. Barron scored 25 on 10-17 shooting and added 15 rebounds, including a huge offensive board down the stretch to seal the BayHawks' fate.
• Iowa's switch to a zone defense to start the second half paid off in a big way. Unfortunately, FutureCast archives are unavailable, but assuming the other teams have other means to access the game footage, they'll no doubt look to replicate what Iowa did to stifle Erie's offense, which scored just 13 points on 6-20 shooting with 6 turnovers in the 3rd quarter.
• Curtis Stinson was one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double when he was T'd up twice and ejected for arguing with the ref. The 10-9-9 is a pretty solid line for a point guard, but it loses a little luster when you factor in the 5 turnovers.
• The Energy were held to just 5-17 from 3-point range.
  

General Observations

• The biggest ovations at the BayHawks games consistently go to free T-shirts, the halftime dance team, BayHawks #1 Fan Bubba's dance routine with the BayHawks Dance Team, and free T-shirts again. Look, I love free stuff as much as the next guy, but aside from Bubba, who rocks the house every night, it would be nice to hear a peep during the pre-game warm-ups, when the other team is shooting free throws, and maybe even during game action! C'mon, Erie, get loud!
• Things got a little chippy in this one. A lot of whistles led to two players fouling out for the BayHawks and one player being ejected for the Energy.
• Erie has two more shots at breaking through with a home victory before the new year: tomorrow at 2 p.m. in a rematch with Iowa and then Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the Bakersfield Jam.
  

Weekend Games Preview: Iowa Energy (8-1) vs. Erie BayHawks (3-7)

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas. Now it's time to dig into some holiday hoops with the BayHawks, who host the D-League's top team Iowa in back-to-back games tonight and tomorrow. Erie dropped a pair of games in Iowa last weekend, 95-88 and 99-89.

Games 10-11 Preview: Iowa Energy (8-1) vs. Erie BayHawks (3-7)

Erie coming in: The BayHawks snapped a five-game losing streak with a convincing 108-94 on the road against Springfield on Wednesday. Four players scored 19 points or more and Erie's point guards had a combined 24-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. More importantly, Erie limited its 3-point attempts to 9, converting 4 of them, and instead focused on pushing the ball in transition and working it into the paint in halfcourt sets.

Iowa coming in: The Energy sit atop the D-League standings with just one loss so far this season. They haven't played since defeating Erie twice last weekend. Prior to that, they suffered their first lost of the sesaon, a 109-99 defeat on the road in Sioux Falls. The Energy are probably the most balanced team in the league. They have seven players that average between 9 and 17 points per game. But speaking of coming in, the Energy had some trouble coming into Erie. According to Iowa's Twitter account, they ended up flying into Cleveland this morning and busing to Erie.

BayHawks keys to success:

• Push and post
  Whether it's forcing turnovers or dominating the defensive glass (or preferably both), the BayHawks need to push the ball whenever the opportunity is there to get some early offense in transition. When those opportunities are not there, they need to be patient and dump the ball inside to John Bryant and Alade Aminu. This may sound familiar as it's basically keys one and two from the last game, but it worked to perfection in that one, and I think it's a key ingredient in the BayHawk's recipe for success this season.
  
  
• Contain Curtis Stinson
  The Energy point guard controlled both games against the BayHawks last weekend, recording a double-double on consecutive nights, averaging 20.5 points and 11 assists. The pressure is on Cedric Jackson and Cliff Clinkscales on the defensive end to limit Stinson's penetration and limit his impact on the game.
  
  
• Give the crowd something to cheer about
  Erie has only led at the end of the first quarter one time in its first three home games. A fast start would be a big boost for the team and help energize a fanbase that has had little to cheer about so far this season. The BayHawks didn't do themselves any favors winning over new fans with an 0-3 opening homestand against Maine. Iowa won't be any easier, but the BayHawks need to find a way to break through. After this weekend, there is just one home game left this calendar year, and they certainly don't want to extend their home losing streak into 2010.
  

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Blog Talk(Holiday)BayHawk!

Vote for the D-League All-Stars

The D-League All-Star voting is your chance to give the best players in the D-League the recognition you deserve. Fans can fill out a ballot once every 24 hours if you so choose. So vote early, vote often, and if you think they're worthy, vote BayHawks!

Click here to fill out your official ballot. You'll need an NBA user account, which is free to sign up for if you don't already have one.

The Erie BayHawks on the ballot are as follows:

Center
John Bryant

Forwards
Alade Aminu
Kyle Goldcamp
Jarvis Gunter
Ivan Harris

*Guards
Cedric Jackson
Jackie Manuel
Donell Taylor
Martin Zeno

*Zach Sowers is also on the ballot, but he was recently waived by the BayHawks and replaced on the roster by Cliff Clinkscales.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 108, Springfield Armor 94

I don't know if the BayHawks were trying to get off of Santa's naughty list or what, but they played with an energy and efficiency unseen thus far this season in a convincing 14-point win over the Armor. Erie scored the game's first basket on a layup by Jackie Manuel, raced out to a 10-2 start and never looked back. The BayHawks never trailed in the game and led by as many as 23.

Erie was extremely effective in two of the three areas I highlighted as keys to success in my preview earlier today: getting out in transition and scoring points in the paint. Unfortunately, I don't have any numbers on fast break points and points in the paint, but having watched the game on FutureCast, I can attest to the fact that Erie ran early and often and made a point to drop it in low when they were forced to operate in the halfcourt setting.

The one area where Erie struggled was the lone bright spot for Springfield. Morris Almond scored 37 of Springfield's 94 points, shooting 14-22 from the field, 2-4 from 3, and 7-7 from the free throw line. JamesOn Curry was the only other Armor in double figures with 14 points on 6-9 from the field.

Of the seven BayHawks that saw more than 10 minutes of playing time, all seven had positive contributions. Here's the lowdown on each of them:

• Donell Taylor really made an effort to get to the rack and it paid off as he scored a team-high 24 points on 11-19 shooting. He played a good all-around game, adding 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals with 3 turnovers.
• John Bryant looked like a different player from the one that struggled against Maine last week. Springfield had no answer from him inside. He took a few too many jumpers for my liking, but he was on target most of the night. His final numbers: 19 points on 9-17 shooting, 13 rebounds, 2 turnovers, and 1 blocked shot.
• Jackie Manuel continues to be the iron man for the BayHawks, playing a team-high 44:39. He had his struggles defending Mo Almond, but that's nothing to hang your head about. On the flipside, he had another good offensive game, which is becoming more and more what is expected from him. He had 20 points on 9-16 shooting to go along with 9 rebounds (4 offensive), 3 assists, 2 steals, and just 1 turnover.
  
• Alade Aminu got the start tonight at the power forward spot and made it work. He scored 22 points on 10-17 shooting, including a series of emphatic dunks. Although he had a team-high 5 turnovers, he atoned with 5 steals of his own and 8 rebounds.
• Ivan Harris played just 17 minutes, and although he struggled shooting overall at 4-14, he did convert a team-high 3-7 from 3-point range, accounting for all but two of Erie's 3-point attempts in the game.
• And finally, the point guards. If not for a botched lob pass by Cliff Clinkscales in the final seconds of a game that was all but decided, Erie's point guard tandem would've played a full game of mistake-free ball. As it stands, Clinkscales and Cedric Jackson still combined for an astounding 24 assists and just the one lone turnover. Jackson's 13 assists are even more impressive considering he did his damage in less than 20 minutes of game time.

Erie improves to 3-7 with the victory, snapping their five-game losing streak. Springfield falls to 1-8. The BayHawks next return home, where they are 0-3 on the year, to host back-to-back games against the Iowa Energy on Saturday, Dec. 26, and Sunday, Dec. 27. The Energy defeated the BayHawks twice this past weekend and currently sit atop the D-League standings at 8-1.

Christmas-Style Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (2-7) at Springfield Armor (1-7)

'Twas two nights before Christmas, when two teams would meet
with little common between them, except for defeats.
Their heads were hung low in disgust and despair,
hoping that a victory soon would be there.
The players were struggling, all feeling mislead,
while the coaches were scheming new plays in their heads.
And the fans in the stands and on FutureCast streams,
had just about decided to cheer for new teams.
When out on the court there arose such a cheering,
I sprang from the chair to see who was appearing.
Away to the corner, I flew like a BayHawk,
Turned off the TV and opened my laptop.
The glow of the lights on the scoreboard did show,
Erie was winning, two minutes to go!
Then, what to my wondering eyes should I witness,
But a defensive stop and a made 3 from Harris!
With a little more hustle, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment that this lead would stick.
More rapid than eagles, the Armor fou1ght back,
But Erie finally had an offensive attack!
Now Taylor! Now Bryant! Now Jackson and Harris!
On Jackie! On Cedric! On, Martin and Jarvis!
To the final whistle! To the final buzzer sounds!
Play offense, play defense, grab the rebounds!
As the final ticks ticked off the clock on this night,
the players were playing together just right.
So down on the sideline, Coach Treloar knew,
the five-game losing streak was finally through.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on TV
Erie BayHawks 91, Springfield Armor 83.
As I heard the score, I was jumping around,
blogging and Tweeting the good news I'd found.
The BayHawks had won, with strong offense and D,
and the victory meant their holiday'd be a bit more merry.
In a few days, to the court they'd be back,
and playing a team that won't cut them any slack.
But the Iowa Energy, they're a post-Christmas problem.
For now, the Armor's the team in need of solving.
The game likely won't have this rhythm or even a rhyme,
but it's less than four hours until tipoff time.
So, I'll cut off this poem a few lines short of a copy,
with hopes Erie wins, whether clean blowout or sloppy.

Game 10 Preview: Erie BayHawks (2-7) at Springfield Armor (1-7)

Springfield coming in: The Armor are the only team with a worse record than Erie in the East Conference, but that could change if they win tonight. They have lost all but two of their games by double digits. However, they are coming in after notching their first win of the season, a 112-107 victory over Fort Wayne on Friday. The Armor's JamesOn Curry led the team with 31 points in that game. Morris Almond has also been a force for Springfield, averaging a team-high 28.3 points in his three appearances with the Armor.

Erie coming in: The BayHawks enter the game carrying the burden of a five-game losing streak. The team has yet to demonstrate consistent play, and Coach Treloar has had a difficult time finding a group of five players with the sustained energy and output he needs and wants. The team has used several different starting lineups already this season and the roster tinkering isn't likely to stop as long as the losses continue to pile up.

BayHawks keys to success:

1. Get out in transition.
   This may sound like a broken record, but Erie is terrible from 3-point range. They've now been outscored 201-63 from beyond the arc this season, and that stat isn't going to get better with their current roster makeup. So, if they're not going to score from 3, Erie has to find other areas to make up for that weakness. One potential area is getting some easy baskets in transition by running an efficient fastbreak offense. Cedric Jackson is very capable of pushing the ball, and this may be a way for him to seize control of this team at the point guard postition.
   
   
2. Score in the paint.
   John Bryant seemed to respond well after being benched, going for 28 points and 17 rebounds over the two-game series on the road against Iowa. But points in the paint is not limited to Bryant—nor fellow big men Alade Aminu, Jarvis Gunter, and Kyle Goldcamp. Points in the paint is also about penetration from the guards. This is where Donell Taylor has to make things happen. He's not consistent enough from outside to be settling for as many jump shots as he's taking. As a team, Erie needs to be more aggressive. Force the issue, drive the ball inside, and score or get to the free throw line.
   
   
3. Limit Springfield's stars.
   Morris Almond and JamesOn Curry account for the bulk of the offense for Springfield. I assume Jackie Manuel will take responsibility for one of them. If that is the case, whoever is matched up on the other one is going to need to pay extra attention to detail on the defensive end. Help defense is also going to be very important defending against this dangerous combination. Like Erie, the Armor are desperate for wins at this point, so there's no doubt that their top stars will be gunning for a team that's won just two games. If Erie can limit the production of Almond and Curry, I don't think the Armor will have enough firepower to match buckets with the BayHawks.
   

BayHawks' Losing Streak Grows to Five Games

Over the weekend, the Erie BayHawks lost two games against the Iowa Energy. They lost 95-88 on Saturday and 99-89 on Sunday. Erie has now lost five in a row to fall to 2-7, which puts them in sixth place (out of seven teams) in East conference. Iowa is now 8-1, which is the best record in the league.



Ivan Harris had his best game of the season on Saturday, scoring a team-high 28 points on 12-22 shooting (2-6 from 3) and Jackie Manuel added 10 points and 10 rebounds. But it was not enough

Then on Sunday, Donell Taylor responded with 21 points on 8-16 shooting, and John Bryant added 16 points on 7-10 shooting to go with 9 rebounds. But again, it was not enough to win.

The trend that is quickly becoming a fatal flaw was once again the 3-point line. For the two-game trip to Iowa, Erie shot 3-15 from 3 while Iowa converted on 16-37 from beyond the arc. That's 48-9 in favor of Iowa for points scored off of 3-point attempts. It's been the Achille's heel for Erie through seven games, and there are no signs that it's going to change unless they make some more roster moves.

Game Review: Maine Red Claws 96, Erie BayHawks 75

The third time was definitely not the charm for the Erie BayHawks, who dropped their third straight game against the Maine Red Claws last night by a final score of 96-75. The 75 points were a season low for the BayHawks, breaking the mark they set just one night earlier. Now 2-5 (0-3 at home), the BayHawks have a lot of questions to answer as they try to bounce back from a disappointing opening homestand. I'll try to answer five of the most pertinent ones.



Are the BayHawks done with Maine yet?
The good news is the fans of Erie won't have to see the Red Claws anymore after Maine spoiled each of the home fans' first three experiences in Erie. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the players. They've got a lot of unfinished business with the Red Claws. Erie has four separate trips to Maine left on the schedule, starting with a game on New Year's Day. It's unlikely that Maine will still have all three of its NBA assigned players the rest of the season, but the Red Claws are loaded with NBA experience and will be a tough matchup for anyone this season. Trey Gilder is one of the smoothest players in the D-League, and he's coming off their bench right now!

Things don't get any easier for the BayHawks either. Up next they play two games against the 6-1 Iowa Energy on the road.

Does our team have an offensive identity?
No. If they did, they lost it against Maine. I expected Erie to rely on their size and run the offense through the post via John Bryant and Alade Aminu, but neither player looked capable of being a featured player in these last three games. Add to that the team's poor perimeter shooting (27.3% from 3) and the offense becomes very limited. They had some success with pick and roll, but for the most part, their offense was stagnant with a lot of isolation consisting of excessive dribbling and contested two-point jumpshots. That might work if you're Kobe Bryant and you make difficult shots look routine. Otherwise, that is not a formula for success (see: 3-game losing streak).

Who is the real John Bryant?
Admittedly, I've only seen Bryant's two worst games as a pro. But they were really bad, bad enough to warrant a one-game benching from Coach Treloar. So, to borrow a phrase from Eminem (how many times have I written that sentence?), will the real John Bryant please stand up. Is it the 2008-09 WCC Player of the Year who started the season as a double-double machine, averaging 17.8 points (on 60.7 percent shooting) and 14.5 rebounds? Or is it the plodding player that looked timid and out of sync against the taller, quicker Alexis Ajinca? His next opponent features only one legitimate big man, Earl Barron. The next few games will say a lot about Bryant and role with the BayHawks the rest of this season.

Will the Cavaliers send us Danny Green for Christmas?
Erie's shooting woes are serious. You can have an off night or a short slump, but when the whole team shoots poorly from the perimeter, game after game—with rare exceptions—it's clear that help is needed. Watching Boston Celtics rookie Lester Hudson hit a clutch 3 Wednesday night to tie the game in the fourth quarter, it donned on me. The BayHawks could really benefit from a Green Christmas. Danny Green to be exact.

The rookie swingman out of North Carolina is currently sitting on the Cavaliers bench. He's played all of 14 minutes this season. His biggest moment of the year so far was serving as LeBron James' dance partner during a recent game against the Chicago Bulls. Green could use the playing time. The BayHawks could use a perimeter player with a shooting touch. It seems like a win-win situation. Is there any reason not to make this move?

Why did we cut Rod Wilmont and Oliver Lafayette?
Of course, one of the biggest reasons we need someone like Green is the decision the team made to cut Rod Wilmont and Oliver Lafayette before the season started. They were the teams top two scorers in the preseason and would have provided Erie with exactly what they are lacking right now—offensive firepower and the ability to stretch the defense with the threat of the outside shot. Credit Fort Wayne for jumping at the opportunity and adding both players to their roster.

In five games with the Mad Ants, both Wilmont and Lafayette are averaging in double figures with Wilmont second on the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game. The duo has also combined to shoot 13-33 from 3-point range. The entire BayHawks team has hit just 18 of 66. There's still a lot of season left, but the decision to cut Wilmont and Lafayette remains the biggest head-scratcher to me.

Game Review: Maine Red Claws 81, Erie BayHawks 77

After a blowout loss Saturday night in their home opener, the Erie BayHawks had a chance at revenge tonight against the Maine Red Claws. As it turned out, they had a great chance at revenge, and they squandered it, losing 81-77 despite leading most of the way. Maine improves to 6-1 while Erie falls to 2-4.



Erie outscored Maine in each of the first three quarters, holding Maine to 16, 20, and 16 points, respectively, before the Red Claws broke through with a 29-point fourth quarter to to win the quarter and the game.

When Bill Walker hit an awkward runner off the glass to give Maine a 77-75 lead with 1:05 to play, he gave Maine their first lead since the score was 19-18 in the opening minutes of the second quarter. Ivan Harris answered back with a long jumpshot to tie it. Then, on the other end of the court, Lester Hudson drew a foul call that looked questionable and sank the two free throws to put Maine back in front by 2. Donell Taylor missed Erie's last best chance to tie. And Will Blalock hit two more free throws to put the game on ice for the Red Claws.

By all accounts, Maine stole this game that belonged to Erie for most of the night. I'd like to see the replay of the foul call that sent Hudson to the line in the final minute, but even if it wasn't a legitimate foul, Erie allowed Maine to hang around and claw (yes, I like using that term for Maine) their way back into this one late.

Lester Hudson played well for Maine, but he wasn't the difference in this one. Poor execution down the stretch was the issue. Erie didn't seem to know what to do or who to turn to when things got tight. Last year they had Erik Daniels as a go-to guy. This year, I don't think anyone's established themselves as a consistent crunch-time performer, and it really cost them tonight.

Erie now sits at 2-4 with another home game against Maine on the schedule tomorrow. With their disappointing record in mind, here's 2 pros and 4 cons that I took away from watching tonight's game.

PROS

1. Jackie Manuel
   Taylor and Bryant garnered early headlines with their numbers, but Manuel is my early pick for BayHawks MVP. He's just a consistent all-around performer. Whenever Manuel makes a key play, the crowd at Tullio Arena is treated to a sound clip of Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "Jackie Blue" (roughly from about :11 to :15 of this clip). Point is, we heard it often tonight. Manuel dominated the third quarter offensively for the BayHawks, scoring the team's first 8 points. For the game, he scored 15 on 7-15 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots. Not surprisingly, he also led the team in minutes played with 46:25. Manuel has led the team in minutes played in all but one game so far this season.
   
   
2. Team defense and rebounding
   The team bounced back in a big way from Saturday night in the areas of defense and rebounding. The numbers speak volumes. Tonight, Maine shot 35 percent from the field (31.3 from 3-point range) compared to 47.7 percent from the field (and 59.3 from 3-point range) on Saturday. Yet even with all those extra missed shots, Maine's offensive rebounds dropped from 17 to 8. Overall, Erie won the rebounding battle tonight 54-39.

CONS

• Shooting woes
  Pick a spot on the floor, the BayHawks have struggled there against Maine. They were 1-8 from 3, 14-23 from the free throw line, and just 31-78 from the field. Needless to say, this was not exactly a pretty game to watch even though it was competitive throughout. Of particular concern is the 3-ball, one of the most dangerous weapons in basketball. It has simply been lacking from Erie's arsenal this season. Including tonight's performance, the team is now just 16-57 from 3 this season (28 percent). Last year's team leader from beyond the arc, Ivan Harris, is struggling as well, converting just 2-13 3s through six games.
  
  
• Shot selection
  Obviously, this ties into the point above, but the fact of the matter is that the BayHawks are wasting two many possessions by finishing them with a long, contested 2-point jumpshot off the dribble. That's not the way to play efficient basketball. And I can't even pinpoint just one guy. Donnell Taylor, Cedric Jackson, Ivan Harris, they're all guilty of it.
  
  
• John Bryant
  In his defense, maybe Maine is just a bad matchup for him. After all, that's the only team I've actually seen him play against in person. But after hearing him touted as a potential all-star and watching him fill out the box score to start the season, I'm concerned. Coach Treloar took my advice (wink) and played Bryant just over 17 minutes tonight with Aminu and Gunter seeing increased roles. To Bryant's credit, he pulled down 10 rebounds while he was in there. But he also looked out of sync on offense (1-5 shooting, 4 turnovers) and overmatched on defense (5 personal fouls).
  
  
• Lack of a closer
  Tonight marked the second time that Erie blew a fourth quarter lead this season. They also blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead against Sioux Falls. They nearly lost another game after leading by 17, needing overtime to secure a victory in another game against Sioux Falls. There are a number of important factors that play into maintaining a lead: limiting turnovers, rebounding to prevent second opportunities for the opponent, not sending the opponent to the free throw line. But the one aspect that stands out to me is that Erie is unsure who to go to on offense.
  
  There is no alpha dog at this point in time. Donell Taylor seems to be the default choice because of his experience. John Bryant had a play run for him late because of his size and post moved, but I'm not sold on anyone as THE MAN on this team just yet, and I don't think the players or coaches are either. The difference was clear tonight. Bill Walker wanted the ball down the stretch and made a play. Same with Lester Hudson. Both of those guys are on assignment from the NBA and it shows. Well, Erie doesn't have any NBA players assignd to its roster right now, so they need to figure out a go-to guy or else these late-game disappointments may becoming a recurring problem.
  

Game Preview: Maine Red Claws (5-1) at Erie BayHawks (2-3)

The scheduling gods have not been kind to the Erie BayHawks so far this season. After starting the season with four games on the road, the team returned to Erie for its home opener where they were met by the red hot Maine Red Claws. Erie hosts Maine again Wednesday and Thursday in back-to-back games at Tullio Arena, and if the result is anything like Saturday, the BayHawks won't be seeing 5,000+ in the stands for long.

Game 6 Preview: Maine Red Claws (5-1) at (2-3) Erie BayHawks

Maine coming in: The expansion franchise can seemingly do no wrong these days. Loaded with a roster featuring seven players with NBA experience, including currently assigned players Bill Walker of the Celtics and Alexis Ajinca of the Bobcats, the Red Claws have won five straight games, including the 116-90 thrashing of the BayHawks on Saturday. Following that game in Erie, they went back to Maine where they hosted Tulsa on Sunday. At one point, Tulsa led by 22 points, but Maine clawed their way back and won it 87-82. Not that they need it, but more help is on the way. According to the Boston Herald, rookie point guard Lester Hudson will join the Red Claws for both games against the BayHawks this week (as well as a game against Fort Wayne).

Erie coming in: The BayHawks have to be disappointed with the result of their home opener. After splitting a pair of games against both Fort Wayne and Sioux Falls on the road, they have experience adjusting to an opponent, but Maine has an offensive arsenal that makes it tough for Erie. Against the Red Claws, John Bryant had his first bad game as a pro. Donell Taylor also struggled mightily shooting the ball. The BayHawks will need better performances from its two top offensive options if they're going to have a shot at enacting revenge Wednesday night.

BayHawks keys to success:

• Defend the pick and roll with Gunter
  The BayHawks will need to be better at defending the pick and roll, especially with Hudson figuring to step in and see significant minutes at the point guard position. The high pick and roll was devastating to Erie on Saturday, leaving John Bryant scrambling and out of position, freeing the paint for the Red Claws to operate. If Ajinca is still on the roster for this game, Coach Treloar may want to think about using Jarvis Gunter more often when Ajinca is on the floor. His speed/quickness matches up better with Ajinca on the defensive end.
  
• Move the ball on offense
  Erie's offensive was painful to watch on Saturday. A lot of standing. Too much purposeless dribbling. Minimal movement of both the players and the ball. They can't become stagnant, and they haven't shown enough consistency to think that they can rely on hitting outside shots, especially jumpers that are forced late in the shot clock. Whether it's a post presence from Bryant or Aminu or penetration from Taylor or Jackson, they need to find a way to get some easy buckets.
  
• Win the hustle battle
  And finally, let's see some hustle. The stat sheet wasn't favorable for Erie in their last matchup but more disappointing was the way they let this game get out of hand in the second half. All teams have off nights. The good teams find ways to stay close by forcing turnovers, getting to the free throw line, or simply finding a way to get all the loose balls and deflections. Those hustle points don't show on the box score, but they make a difference on the scoreboard.

Tipoff for the game is 7 p.m. As always, you can stream the game live online for free at NBA FutureCast. Also, the game will be broadcast on local radio WFNN 1330 AM.

Game Review: Maine Red Claws 116, Erie BayHawks 90

The home opener was not pretty. After an entertaining first quarter that finished with Maine ahead 31-29, the BayHawks became stagnant on offense and watched Maine light them up from downtown on the other end.



Sometimes, numbers really do tell the story. Take, for example, the 3-point shooting numbers from this game. Erie shot 1-6 from distance. Maine was 16-27, including 6 makes from Billy Thomas (he had 5 in the first half alone) and 5 from Tony Bobbitt.

Alexis Ajinca, on assignment from Charlotte, didn't have a major statistical impact, but anyone watching the game saw that his athleticism and quickness left John Bryant out of position time and time again, scrambling to find his man after hedging on the high pick 'n roll. Jarvis Gunter was much more effective defensively against the quicker opposing front line that Maine had.

A 2-point deficit at the end of the first quarter was up to 7 by half and 14 at the end of three. Early in the fourth, the Red Claws put it permanently out of reach with their relentless barrage of 3s. Offensively, the BayHawks struggles seemed to mount as time went on.

Aside from Jackie Manuel and Ivan Harris, no one shot the ball particularly well for Erie. Donell Taylor was a woeful 3-18. Alade Aminu and John Bryant struggled mightily up front as well, combining to shoot just 6-18 from the field. Jarvis Gunter had an efficient 14 points on 6-9 shooting to go along with 6 rebounds in 22 minutes, but it wasn't nearly enough.

Erie couldn't have picked a worse night to suffer their first blowout of the season. More than 5,000 fans were on hand to witness the BayHawks' beatdown at the hands of the expansion Red Claws. The BayHawks will have a chance at revenge on Wednesday when they once again host the Red Claws. But it will take some major adjustments in both the scheme and execution if the next encounter is to finish any differently. In the meantime, the BayHawks have a lot of work to do. With the loss, Erie drops to 2-3 on the year, and Maine improves to 4-1.

Fire at My Apartment

I had planned to spend today writing about the BayHawks' overtime win against Sioux Falls last night. But I was awakened around 3:30 a.m. to the sounds of smoke alarms and screaming. My apartment complex was on fire. I'm happy to report that I made it out safe, and it's my understanding that everyone made it out safely, and that's the most important thing. That said, the damage was extensive, and I don't think much of anything will be salvaged.

With that in mind, I don't know how much blogging I'll be able to do in the immediate future. I just wanted to let everyone know.

Below is a video I took of the flames around 4:15 a.m.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 101, Sioux Falls Skyforce 110

The Erie BayHawks were defeated by the Sioux Falls Skyforce 110-101 last night. With the loss, Erie drops to 1-2 on the season. Sioux Falls improves to 2-1.



The BayHawks have to be disappointed with this performance. They jumped out to a 31-18 first quarter led by as many as 17 points with just 3:49 left in the third. But Sioux Falls dominated down the stretch, outscoring Erie 40-20 in the fourth quarter. To put that into perspective, Erie had only surrendered one 30-point quarter all season up until that eruption by the Skyforce.

On the positive side for the BayHawks, Jackie Manuel had another strong offensive game, scoring 20 points on 8-13 shooting. He also added three steals and a blocked shot on the defensive end. Cedric Jackson also had a fine game. He came off the bench to score 15 points on 7-8 shooting with 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers. Still, there is a lot to fix for the BayHawks with a rematch against Sioux Falls looming tonight.

They can start by improving in the three areas I highlighted as the keys to success in last night's game:

• Slow the pace.
  Heading into this game, Erie was hoping to play it in the 80s or 90s. Sioux Falls is now 2-0 when they eclipse the century mark. That 40-point fourth quarter was an absolute killer. Perhaps the BayHawks wore down as the game went on, considering how Sioux Falls plays a more balanced rotation whereas Erie really had just six players who played significant minutes.
  
  
• Play more efficiently on offense.
  I talked about this being a two-part step. Erie was fairly successful in one aspect, scoring 101 points on 80 shots. In fact, they shot an impressive 52.5 percent from the field. There numbers from 3-point range (3-10) and the free throw line (14-23) were much less impressive. Nonetheless, I'll give them a passing mark for shooting. Their ball control, however, cost them significantly. They had 19 turnovers with just 15 assists. In fact, Cedric Jackson was the only player with an assist-to-turnover ratio greater than 1.
  
  
• Control the boards.
  This was another disappointing area for the BayHawks. Sioux Falls grabbed a whopping 18 offensive rebounds, including 6 from Greg Stiemsma, who also added 6 blocked shots in helping the Skyforce fare much better in the paint than Erie had hoped. John Bryant had 14 boards for the BayHawks, but the next highest total came from point guard Cedric Jackson—good for him, but not good for a team that is built to be overpowering in the paint.

The bad news is that there's a lot of adjustments Erie needs to make to defeat the Skyforce. The good news is that they get the opportunity to bounce back and redeem themselves tonight at 8 p.m. They let last night's contest slip away in the fourth quarter and now sit below .500 for the first time this season, so there's some pressure to even their record up at 2-2 before heading back home for their season opener a week from tonight.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (1-1) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (1-1)

The BayHawks return to action tonight on the road against the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Both teams enter the game 1-1, having lost their last game. Erie split a pair with Fort Wayne. Sioux Falls defeated Maine by 17 and lost to Dakota by 17.

Game 3 Preview: Erie BayHawks (1-1) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (1-1)

Erie coming in: The BayHawks have had almost a week to prepare for Sioux Falls and work out the kinks from a disappointing performance against Fort Wayne on Saturday. This will be Erie's third consecutive road game to start the season. After putting up 106 points in their preseason game, Erie's averaged just 83.5 points per game so far this season. It'll be interesting to see if their offensive attack can get on track tonight after an additional week of practice time.

Sioux Falls coming in: The Skyforce are led by Reggie Williams, a 6'6" forward who leads the team in scoring and assists. They rely heavily on the 3-ball, launching 56 attempts in two games. They shot just 6-27 from 3 in their loss but hit 11-29 in their win. Unlike Erie, Sioux Falls plays all 10 of its players. They balance the minutes pretty evenly with seven players averaging between 18-27 minutes per game, so they could try to wear down the BayHawks, whose starters each average more than 34 minutes per game.

BayHawks keys to success:

• Slow the pace.
  When Erie decided to cut Rod Wilmont and Oliver Lafayette, the top two scorers in their preseason game, it was clear the direction the team was taking. This team is built with size, defense, and rebounding in mind. Along with that comes a mindset to slow the pace of the game. As their first two results showed, Erie may be best-suited to win games in the 80s and low 90s. On the flipside, Sioux Falls won by scoring 112 and lost by scoring 74. Keep this game low-scoring and it should favor Erie.
  
• Play more efficiently on offense.
  One way to keep the game at your pace is not to commit turnovers. In their opening night win, the BayHawks scored pretty efficiently with (85 points on 66 shots), but they had more turnovers (22) than assists (18). Then the BayHawks scored just 82 points on 86 shots in their loss to Fort Wayne, a performance that included a woeful 6-15 from the free throw line. If they can find a way to combine game one's shooting with game two's ballhandling, they'll be in good shape to improve to 2-1.
  
• Control the boards.
  This should be the case in most games this season, but it's important in this matchup because it's another crucial element to controlling the pace. Controlling the offensive glass will limit Sioux Falls' ability to push the pace. Defensively, Erie needs to be able to rebound the long misses bound to come with the Skyforce's 3-point barrage. If BayHawks bigs John Bryant, Alade Aminu, and Jarvis Gunter can rebound well against the likes of Keith Brumbaugh and Greg Stiemsma for Sioux Falls, look for the BayHawks to roll in this one.

The game tips off tonight at 8 p.m. in Sioux Falls. Catch the action live via NBA FutureCast or listen locally on WJET 1400 AM radio.

BayHawks-Mad Ants: Rivalry?

Erie and Fort Wayne have traded players, wins, and more in the early going of this D-League season. For more on the budding rivalry, check out my guest post over at ErieBlogs.com. Here's an excerpt:

Rivalries are hard to form in the D-League. The league hasn’t even been around 10 years, so fan bases don’t have much history to draw on, and player movement from year to year (and even within season) makes it challenging to develop any lasting antipathy for a particular opponent. Besides, Erie and Fort Wayne don’t have the proximity of Chapel Hill and Durham, N.C., nor the decades of championship history of the Lakers and Celtics. But the BayHawks and Mad Ants were pushed on the D-League fans as “regional rivals” to start the 2009-10 season as part of a new scheduling system. Just a week into the season, there are already reasons to believe that—if not a rivalry—a feud is developing between these two teams. CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL POST.

Poll: New Jersey Nets vs. D-League All-Stars

I hate to keep poking fun at the New Jersey Nets, but they just lost their 18th straight to start the season, putting them in the record books for the worst start in NBA history. But now that their start has reached a historic level (I refuse to write "an historic" and hate reading it), I feel that this question is actually relevant.



I know we're only a couple games into the season, so it's a bit difficult to say who the D-League All-Star team would include, but feel free to leave your hypothetical 10-or-12-man roster in the comments section below after you vote.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 82, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 93

The Erie BayHawks lost to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 93-82 Sunday night, falling to 1-1 on the year.



Erie jumped out to a 22-14 first quarter lead, which made it seem like this might be a re-run from Friday night's win, but the Mad Ants stormed back to outscore Erie 56-38 in the second and third quarters to break this one open.

The BayHawks did a much better job taking care of the ball, committing just 12 turnovers (as opposed to 22 on opening night) with 19 assists.

Fort Wayne relied on a three-headed offensive attack. Ron Howard led the way with a much more efficient night 25 points on 13 shots (compared to 19 points on 16 shots Friday). Kyle McAlarney added 22, including four 3s. And Rob Kurz finally took and made a shot—several of them, in fact—on his way to a 16 point, 19 rebound night.

The BayHawks once again won the battle in the paint as John Bryant posted his second straight double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. On the flipside, the Mad Ants had another less-than-stellar shooting night at 40.8 percent from the field, but they made up for it by hitting 9-20 from 3 and 22-26 free throws. Fort Wayne outscored Erie by a count of 49-18 on 3s and free throws alone.

Aside from Bryant, Donell Taylor was the lone standout for the BayHawks. The veteran guard posted a double-double of his own with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Even more impressively, he bounced back from a sloppy opener (2 assists, 6 turnovers) with a much more composed effort (7 assists, 3 turnovers). That's the ratio Erie would love to see on a consistent basis as they try to figure out their backcourt situation.

Jackie Manuel's shooting touch from Game 1 was nowhere to be found in this one and teammate Ivan Harris was no better. The two returning BayHawks combined to shoot just 8-30 from the field, 0-4 from 3-point range.

Coach Treloar played the starting five (Bryant, Harris, Manuel, Taylor, and Cedric Jackson) heavy minutes. Only Martin Zeno played more than 15 minutes off the bench. Kyle Goldcamp received a DNP-Coach's Decision for the second straight game, the only BayHawk yet to see game action this season.

The BayHawks' next two games are on the road against the Sioux Falls Skyforce (1-1) next Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4-5 before returning to Erie to host the Maine Red Claws (1-1) in their home opener Dec. 12.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks (1-0) at Fort Wayne Mad Ants (0-1)

My apologies for originally writing that this game was being played tonight. It is, in fact, being played tomorrow (Sunday). I was working off the original BayHawks pocket calendar (photo here), which shows the game date incorrectly. Unfortunately, that means we have to wait an extra day before the BayHawks are back in action again. But that doesn't mean we can't start looking ahead to tomorrow's rematch of the opener.

Game 2 Preview: Erie BayHawks (1-0) at Fort Wayne Mad Ants (0-1)

Erie passed its first road test of the season last night. In game two Sunday night, they get to face the same opponent, but that doesn't mean the same result will come easily. Having now beaten Fort Wayne twice in eight days (counting the preseason game), the BayHawks need to avoid complacency in a game that figures to play out differently. The Mad Ants surely do not want to start the year 0-2 at home, and it's hard to imagine they'll shoot so poorly (35.7 percent) on consecutive nights.

Erie coming in: After winning a high scoring affair in the preseason, the grind-it-out defensive battle last night should have Erie feeling confident that they can handle whatever the Mad Ants throw at them. They'll need to guard against overconfidence setting in early in the season as Fort Wayne is still adjusting on the fly to the NBA call-up of Chris Hunter.

Fort Wayne coming in: They cannot be happy with last night's offensive production. Everyone who saw the box score questioned how Rob Kurz could play 33 minutes without attempting a shot. Look for Kurz to be more involved in thegame plan and look for the Mad Ants to re-establish the long range attack that worked for them for much of the preseason game against Erie a week ago.

BayHawks keys to success:

1. Limit turnovers.
   The one black eye on last night's box score for the BayHawks was turnovers. Erie had 22 turnovers to go with just 18 assists. More importantly, the bulk of turnovers came from the guys who are going to have the ball in their hands the most this season. Cedric Jackson had 7 and Donell Taylor and Jackie Manuel had 6 turnovers apiece. That's not going to cut it for the BayHawks to be successful over the course of the season.
   
   
2. Get big production from the bigs.
   Fort Wayne is thin up front and Sonderleiter had to play 41 minutes last night. Pound the ball inside to Bryant, Aminu, Gunter, and company. Sonderleiter had 5 fouls last night. If Erie can get him in foul trouble, that will really open up the paint for the BayHawks frontline to score at ease.
   
   
3. Heat up the Microwave.
   Ivan Harris has a tendency to be a streaky shooter, but when he's hot, he's automatic (hence the nickname). As they did much of last year, the BayHawks have him playing the 4, though he shoots more like a small forward. If he can space the floor with his shooting, it'll open up the inside even more for Erie.

The game tips at 5 p.m. Sunday. Watch the action live on NBA FutureCast or listen locally on the radio on WFNN 1330 AM.

Game Review: Erie BayHawks 85, Fort Wayne Mad Ants 77

The Erie BayHawks defeated the Fort Wayne Mad Ants 85-77 last night to open the season 1-0. The two teams will play again *tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 29, at 5 p.m. in Fort Wayne.



The BayHawks seemed to follow my three keys to success (from yesterday's preview post) like gospel:

1. Dominate the paint.
   The BayHawks outrebounded the Mad Ants 47-36 and had strong performances from both John Bryant and Alade Aminu in their D-League debuts. Bryant got the start at center and made good on the opportunity, recording a double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) to go along with 3 blocks and 3 assists. Aminu played about half as long as Bryant but still managed an efficient 9 points and 6 rebounds. Mad Ants center Sean Sonderleiter played pretty well himself, but he didn't have much help on the frontline. Fort Wayne clearly missed the presence of NBA call-up Chris Hunter down low.
   
   
2. Defend against the 3.
   Whether it was a change of defensive strategy from Erie or offensive focus from Fort Wayne, the BayHawks limited the Mad Ants to just 3 of 11 shooting from 3-point range after they shot 8 of 23 in their preseason game a week ago. The attempts went down, and so did the percentage, which was a recipe for failure for Fort Wayne against the size of the BayHawks.
   
   
3. Depend on experience.
   Not surprisingly, returning BayHawks Jackie Manuel and Ivan Harris were one and two in minutes played for Erie last night with Manuel playing all but one minute of the game. Manuel, known as a defensive stopper, led the team with 18 points on 5-9 shooting, including 2-3 from 3-point range. Top draft choice and Erie's number one draft pick Donell Taylor also chipped in with 16 points after a bit of an auspicious start.
   

*The game tips at 5 p.m. tomorrow. Originally, I had mistakenly wrote that it was to be played tonight. Watch the action live on NBA FutureCast or listen locally on the radio on WFNN 1330 AM.

Game Preview: Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Put away those Thanksgiving leftovers, stash away the bags from Black Friday shopping, and tune into FutureCast. The Erie BayHawks tip off the 2009-10 NBA Development League season tonight on the road against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Locally, fans can also listen to the radio broadcast of the game on WFFN 1330 AM.

Erie plays at Fort Wayne again tomorrow night and then travels to play two games against Sioux Falls next weekend before returning to Erie for its home opener Dec. 12.

The BayHawks defeated Fort Wayne last Friday in preseason action, 106-100, so these teams have some familiarity with each other.

Erie BayHawks at Fort Wayne Mad Ants Game Preview

Erie coming in: The BayHawks made two surprising cuts to set its final 10-man roster, waiving guards Rod Wilmont and Oliver Lafayette. Both players had D-League experience and they were first and second on the team in scoring in Erie's preseason win over Fort Wayne. Obviously that begs the question, who's going to pick up the scoring slack for the BayHawks? Ivan Harris is the team's leading returning scorer, having averaged 15.7 points per game last season. Also look for top draft choice Donell Taylor to be heavily involved.

Fort Wayne coming in: Just prior to the preseason game, the Mad Ants saw Chris Hunter get called up to the Golden State Warriors. With that void up front, Fort Wayne turned to third-year forward Ron Howard to lead the charges, and he did not disappoint. He led all scorers in the preseason game with 24 points. Fort Wayne also boasts a trio of former Fighting Irish in Rob Kurz, Kyle McAlarney, and Ryan Ayers. Kurz, who was traded from Erie to Fort Wayne for Alade Aminu, will no doubt be up for this game after he struggled to find the touch shooting the ball in their preseason meeting.

BayHawks keys to success:

1. Dominate the paint.
   Look for the BayHawks to try to establish a low post game with Alade Aminu and/or John Bryant. This year's BayHawks are considerably bigger than last year's squad and dominating the paint may be their best course of action, especially with some questions at the point guard spot.
   
   
2. Defend against the 3.
   Almost 1/3 of Fort Wayne's shots (23 of their 78 attempts) came from beyond the arc when these teams played last week. The Notre Dame crew was especially lethal from distance as McAlarney and Ayers each hit three from distance. Kurz didn't make a 3, but he launched 5, so he's another long-range gunner to watch.
   
   
3. Depend on experience.
   Before this season is over, Erie will need contributions from everyone, but with five players making their professional debut tonight in a hostile environment, it's a good time to look to players who have been here before like Ivan Harris and Jackie Manuel.
   

The game begins at 7:30 tonight. And if their preseason matchup was any indication of what's to come, this will be a high-intensity, back-and-forth game that will come to down fourth quarter execution and free throw shooting. The season is finally here. Let the games begin!

Thanksgiving for the BayHawks

Happy Thanksgiving from Blog Talk BayHawk!

The roster was set yesterday, and the season begins tomorrow. Today, I've got a guest post over at ErieBlogs.com listing reasons for the new bunch of BayHawks to be thankful this holiday season.

Here's a sampling:

Your three returning players (Jarvis Gunter, Ivan Harris, and Jackie, Manuel) know what’s coming. As for the newcomers, just give it a few weeks. You may never fully warm up to the idea of Erie winters (at age 25, I still haven’t), but once you endure December’s fifth blizzard number, you should develop a sort of reluctant acceptance of the way it is around here. Sure, the games are played indoors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of Erie’s winter climate. Surviving an Erie winter is badge of honor that we natives take for granted. So don’t fight it; embrace it. And when your opponents fly in from Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and Bakersfield, California, take joy in whatever fun twists Mother Nature throws their way. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL POST.

Enjoy the post and enjoy the holiday!

Erie BayHawks 2009-10 Roster, Final Cuts

And then there were 10. The Erie BayHawks waived guards Oliver Lafayette and Rod Wilmont today to set its opening day 10-man roster.

The 2009-10 BayHawks roster is as follows:



Analyzing the cuts
Both of the final cuts came as surprises to me. Lafayette started 23 games for Erie last season and started the BayHawks' only preseason contest Friday against Fort Wayne. He scored 14 points on 3-7 shooting, (1-3 3PT, 7-7 FT), grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists with 2 turnovers in 21 minutes. As one of only four players returning from last season, it seemed like Lafayette would be back, but the coaching staff obviously felt differently.

Equally surprising to me was the decision to waive Wilmont. Not only did Wilmont have D-League experience, playing the full 2007-08 season with Fort Wayne, he also had played under BayHawks coaches John Treloar and Ben McDonald when they were assistants at Indiana University. After Wilmont led Erie to victory with a 23-point performance in the preseason game against his former team, his roster spot seemed secure. Clearly the coaches saw something in practice that overshadowed the lone preseason game.

The only thing that I can figure is that the coaching staff must have felt set in terms of scoring. Lafayette and Wilmont are both scoring guards capable of catching fire in a hurry. However, the coaches may have decided that more backcourt scoring was not necessary. Instead they ruled in favor of guards Zach Sowers and Martin Zeno., who scored a combined 8 points on 3-9 shooting but showed their worth in other ways that may not necessarily show up in a box score.

Analyzing the roster
Now that the final cuts have been made, a few things jump out at me:

• Size
  This year's bunch of BayHawks is significantly bigger than last year's version. Four players are listed at 6'10" or bigger and no one is smaller than 6'3".
  
  
• Youth
  Inexperience is sort of the status quo at this level. After all, it is called the Development League for a reason. Still, by cutting Lafayette and Wilmont, two guys with D-League experience, Erie will start the season with just five players with any pro basketball experience.
  
  
• Diversity
  The BayHawks have players from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, WCC, and the Horizon League as well as NCAA Division II and NAIA Division II. The 10 players hail from nine different states—Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Lousiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
  
  
• Versatility
  The official press release credited only Jackie Manuel with a slash in the position column, but I'd argue that every player is well-suited to play two positions with the exceptions of Cedric Jackson (point guard) and John Bryant (center).
  
  
• Fan Appeal
  BayHawks fans will recognize some familiar faces when Erie hosts its home opener Dec. 12. Jarvis Gunter, Ivan Harris, and Jackie Manuel return from last year's team, and they'll be joined by Gannon University alum Kyle Goldcamp.
  

Looking Forward By Looking Back

The Erie BayHawks must make two more cuts to trim its roster to the league-mandated 10 by Thursday at 5 p.m. Tell me, who is the heartless person that thought it would be nice to make Thanksgiving Day the final cut. I know the season starts Friday, but as Uncle Jesse always said, "Have Mercy, NBA D-League." OK, so he left out the NBA D-League part, but you get the idea.

Anyway, the BayHawks have to make two cuts. And whether that news comes down tonight, tomorrow, or Thanksgiving Day, it will be disappointing to two players who fought through training camp for a shot at a roster spot.

After watching Erie's 106-100 preseason victory over Fort Wayne (the official D-League box score wasn't loading as of this posting, but it's back up now) on Friday, it's my opinion that four men are battling for the BayHawks' final two roster spots.

Erie's starters on Friday included four returning players: Jarvis Gunter, Ivan Harris, Jackie Manuel, and Oliver Lafayette, and this year's first-round draft choice Donell Taylor. I think it's safe to say they're safe. Rod Wilmont led the team in scoring to secure his spot. I believe point guard Cedric Jackson also did enough to earn a spot with his play off the bench as he's probably the team's best ballhandler. Alade Aminu, another first-round pick, showed flashes of why Erie traded for him. That makes eight that are all but locked in.

That leaves big men John Bryant and Kyle Goldcamp as well as guards Martin Zeno and Zach Sowers. My hunch is that Erie will keep one of the bigs and one of the guards. For what it's worth, Sowers and Goldcamp did not see the floor until the second half against Fort Wayne. Bryant saw the most quality action of the foursome and played down the stretch. As I mentioned, I'm unable to view the box score right now, but I believe Bryant saw twice as many minutes as Goldcamp. Judging by that, you'd have to say that Treloar is leaning toward Bryant, but Goldcamp was very active defensively and was part of a key BayHawks surge in the late third quarter.

As for the guards, Sowers' game seemed to be perimeter-oriented. He demonstrated a quick release and did not shy away from the moment. Zeno's game was a bit quieter on Friday, but his Texas Tech resume speaks for itself.

Every spot matters on a 10-man roster, so you can bet that the coaching staff is doing everything it can to evaluate these players before deciding who to keep and who to cut. It won't be an easy decision to let any of them go, but we'll find out in the next 48 hours or so as the BayHawks set their official opening day roster.

Desktop Wallpaper: 2009-10 Erie BayHawks Schedule

In celebration of the NBA Development League season tipping off this week (Friday!), I thought I'd put out a desktop background highlighting the full BayHawks' season schedule.

The thumbnail version is below. Two full size options are avilable: standard (1024x768) and widescreen (1440x900). Download the one that fits your screen today and outfit your computer in style for the upcoming season.

Erie 106, Fort Wayne 100: Video Post-Game Recap

This is a little something different from me, my first venture into the video world with Blog Talk BayHawk. We'll see how it goes, but I'm thinking this may become my mode of communication immediately following the home games I attend because it's a quick and easy way to get my thoughts on the game out there.

With that in mind, here's the first post-game video recap from yesterday's preseason opener from Meadville, Pa., where the BayHawks beat the Mad Ants 106-100.

Prepare For the Preseason

Sure, it's only one game long, but the NBA Development League preseason is here. The Erie BayHawks host the Fort Wayne Mad Ants tonight at Meadville High School in Meadville, Pa. Tipoff is schedule for 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6.

For more on the importance of the game, check out my guest post over at ErieBlogs.com. Here's a sampling:

Some of these players have passed on bigger contracts overseas to pursue their dream of an NBA call-up. Cliché as it sounds, these guys are playing for the love of the game because they don’t get much more than that. They play because basketball is what they know, and they know that the D-League gives them a shot to play in front of NBA scouts on a nightly basis. They play knowing that a shot at the big time is literally just a phone call away. READ THE FULL POST.

For those looking for even more analysis of the game, check out these links:

• Ridiculous Upside's Jon L has a brief preview of tonight's preseason action in the D-League.
• At GoErie.com, Duane Rankin writes about BayHawk guard Rod Wilmont facing his former team tonight and blogs about the projected starting five for tonight's game: Jarvis Gunter, Ivan Harris, Jackie Manuel, Oliver Lafayette, and Donell Taylor.
• Want to read up on the competition? There are two Mad Ants blogs out there: the cleverly titled Martz Madness, run by account executive, and the (how can I put this nicely?) not-so-cleverly titled Potter's New Blog, run by team president Jeff Potter. Both provide good information on the team and take great pride in trying to one-up the other's blogging efforts.
  
• And as always, don't forget to follow me on Twitter, where I often post links, breaking news, and some quick thoughts that don't always warrant a full blog post. You can also see my five-latest tweets streamed in the far right-hand column of the blog.

Poll: Which of the first five training camp cuts was the most surprising?

BayHawks Release Joe Jones, Trimming Roster to 12

The news just came out that the Erie BayHawks made the final cut needed to trim the roster to the league-mandated size of 12 by 5 p.m. today. Joe Jones, a 6'3" guard from Edinboro University.

A native of Erie and graduate of nearby Edinboro, Jones had a lot of local support in his effort to secure a spot on this year's team. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for him. The he biggest knock against Jones is his size and strength. At 180 pounds, he was the lightest player left in camp, and a little added bulk would go a long way toward defending the guards Erie is likely to see in D-League competition this season.

That said, Jones is a talented young player, and I wouldn't be surprised if he explored his options and found an opportunity to play professionally in some other capacity. He's got a good first step, a quick-release on his jumper that allows him to get his shot off against any defender, and he's also shown himself capable of being a feisty defender.

It's too bad that the Erie dream won't come true, but Jones deserves a great deal of credit and respect for making it down to the final 13. As someone who played with and against Jones back when he was in high school, I can't say enough about how impressed I am with the way he's developed his game over the years. He won't be a BayHawk to start this season, but Jones' emergence at Edinboro and run at a roster spot with the BayHawks proves he's made himself into one of the best players in Erie basketball's recent history. Blog Talk BayHawk wishes him best of luck wherever his future path leads him.

Implications of the Initial Roster Cuts

If you missed it, the BayHawks announced they had cut cut their training camp roster from 17 to 13 last night. Gone are Raheem Moss, Derrick Mercer, Jeff Skemp, and Ryan Troutman. One more player must be cut to get the roster down to the D-League mandated 12 by tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5 p.m. The final 10-man roster must be set by Nov. 26.

Skemp and Troutman were the BayHawks' fifth and sixth round picks from Wisconsin-Platteville and Tusculm, respectively. Moss was a late training camp roster addition from Cleveland State, who also happened to be the last man cut in training camp last year. Mercer, a point guard from American, was Erie's fourth-round selection.

Speculation alert! No roster spots are guaranteed for the BayHawks, but I'm going to suggest it would be surprising if the BayHawks cut any of their four returning players. After talking with Coach Treloar on media day, I'd also be surprised if the team cut either of its first-round draft acquisitions, Donell Taylor and Alade Aminu. Assuming those six are safe, which is not guaranteed but likely, that leaves seven players battling for just four open spots.

I've groupedt he players into one of three categories: backcourt (point guards/shooting guards), wings (small forwards, shooting guards), and frontcourt (power forwards/centers).

Backcourt
Likely in: Oliver Lafayette

Still in contention: Cedric Jackson, Joe Jones, Martin Zeno, Zach Sowers, Rod Wilmont

Analysis: With the departure of Maureece Rice, there's a lot of scoring to be replaced at the guard spot. But perhaps more importantly, the BayHawks need to find themselves a point guard. Of the six players listed here (including Lafayette) are each listed between 6'2" and 6'5". Jackson is really the only true point guard of the bunch, which may give him a leg up on the competition. The other small guards would do well to show the coaching staff they can distribute and defend from the point guard position. My gut tells me it's one of the five guards above that gets the axe tomorrow. In terms of the final roster, I expect two or three of the guards listed above to make it along with Lafayette.

Wings
Likely in: Ivan Harris, Jackie Manuel, Donell Taylor

Still in contention: N/A

Analysis: You could easily make a case that some of the shooting guards listed in the backcourt section are better suited for a wing classification, but I chose to lump them together because a lot of the minutes at small forward and shooting guard figure to go to returnees Harris and Manuel and newcomer/number one pick Taylor.

Frontcourt
Likely in: Alade Aminu, Jarvis Gunter

Still in contention: John Bryant, Kyle Goldcamp

Analysis: It wouldn't surprise me if all four of these players make the final roster, giving Erie four viable big man options. It's also possible that Bryant and Goldcamp, who have similar games based on work ethic and sound fundamentals in the post, are battling each other for a spot. But I'd expect them to both remain on the roster through at least the preseason game on Friday before that decision is made.

Catching Up With Coach Treloar

Of all the conversations I had during BayHawks media day, the quote that stood out the most came from BayHawks coach John Treloar, who said, "I believe this team can become the premiere D-League franchise."

It's a lofty goal, but one I was glad to here coming from the head coach. He's on board with the organization in Erie and wants to see it succeed on and off the court. He made a point to say that the basketball following in Erie is great, especially the support of the local Division II colleges. "We're not in direct competition with them," Treloar said, and the BayHawks don't want to be. Instead, they offer local fans something different. "Fans who come to our games are going to see more size, more athleticism, just a higher level of basketball," Treloar said.

That high level of basketball comes thanks to the hard work of Treloar and assistant coach Ben McDonald, who helped lead Erie to the playoffs last season as an expansion franchise. After a busy offseason, they're back and ready to try to build upon their first year success.

While Treloar says that every season is a new beginning, he does have four returning players in training camp that should ease the transition from season one to season two. Nonetheless, there are several holes to fill in the roster, most notably the spots of Erik Daniels and Maureece Rice, Erie's top two scorers from a season ago. Treloar spoke highly of both players, but feels good about the players Erie has in camp.

Some of Daniels' experience will be replaced by Donell Taylor, Erie's number one draft pick in the D-League draft, who has played two seasons in the NBA. As for Daniels' position on the floor, Treloar is hoping to find a more traditional low-post center this season. "We wanted to be able to have five or six big guys in camp," he said. Between returning Jarvis Gunter, allocating Kyle Goldcamp, trading for Alade Aminu, and drafting John Bryant and Jeff Skemp, the BayHawks accomplished that goal and brought six players listed at 6'10" or taller into camp.

There's no telling just yet how many of those big men will make the final cut, but one thing is clear. As the BayHawks enter their second season, coach Treloar is very satisfied with the relationship he and the organization has with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Danny Ferry and Mike Brown have been great putting this together," Treloar said. "Their vision of the relationship between the Cavs and Erie has developed into a great situation." Treloar has taken part in the Cavaliers' mini-camp and training camp and even sat in on meetings leading up to the draft.

But Cleveland is only one of two NBA affiliates for Erie. After a one-year partnership with the Philadelphia 76ers that involved very little interaction, the BayHawks are excited about their new affiliate, the Toronto Raptors. Despite being in a foreign country, Toronto is actually closer than interstate city Philadelphia, and the BayHawks believe the manageable travel distance will encourage more work between the two organizations. "The situation with the Raptors is new but has the potential to develop. Bryan Colangelo has really welcomed us in," Treloar said.

Treloar has some very difficult decisions to make over the next 10 days as he trims the roster from 17 down to 10 by the start of the season. But having been through this process once with success, Treloar is confident heading into the season. And he's not the only one, as the first D-League power rankings have Erie projected as the fourth best team in the league.

Guest-Blogging at ErieBlogs.com

I recently was asked if I'd be interested in guest-posting for the popular regional blog ErieBlogs.com, and I accepted without hesitation. Don't worry, Blog Talk BayHawk isn't going anywhere, but this is a great opportunity for me to spread the word about the BayHawks to a new, larger, and (appropriately) local-based audience.

I'm honored that they asked me to chip in and look forward to contributing to the great content that they provide there on a regular basis. I don't have a set schedule per se, but my plan is to post once a week every Friday, but that schedule is subject to change.

I'll post an excerpt of the column here, and if you like what you read, you can click on over to read the full post at ErieBlogs. And as always, you can follow me on Twitter to find all of my postings as well as other links, thoughts, and insights of varying degrees of relevancy.

Happy start of the D-League season. And now without further ado, here's a snippet from my first post over at ErieBlogs titled "Golden Knights and Fighting Scots as BayHawks, Oh My!"

The start of a new season is always an exciting time, but this year’s Erie BayHawks training camp has an extra bit of sizzle for the local following. Center Kyle Goldcamp (Gannon) and guard Joe Jones (Edinboro) spent the past few seasons dazzling fans of their respective schools. Starting today, they are among an elite group of 17 players being considered for one of just 10 spots on the 2009-10 Erie BayHawks, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors.

Both Goldcamp and Jones earned invites to Erie’s training camp via free agent tryouts, meaning they’ve already made strong first impressions on the BayHawks’ coaching staff. Still, both Goldcamp and Jones know that making the jump from DII to the D-League won’t be an easy one.

CHECK OUT THE FULL POST HERE