No matter how you slice it, Erik Daniels was undoubtedly the MVP of the 2008-09 Erie BayHawks. The former Kentucky Wildcat led the team in minutes played, scoring and rebounding plus he was second in assists.
Most impressively, Daniels averaged a double-double (21.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game) while playing all 50 games. Only three other NBDL players accomplished that feat (minimum of 25 games played). To really put into perspective how impressive it is to average a double-double for a full season, only six NBA players accomplished that feat this year. Players that came close but DID NOT make that list: Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Antawn Jamison, David West, Shaquille O’Neal, Dirk Nowitski and Lamar Odom.
Daniels was Erie’s lone representative in the D-League all-star game, and he was recently named as an All-NBDL 1st team selection. With all of his success this season, it’s hard to envision Daniels back in Erie next season.
As one of the top players in the NBDL, he’ll likely get an invite to an NBA camp or wind up overseas next season.
While I’m sure coach Treloar would love to have the luxury of building a team around Daniels next year, the nature of the D-League is such that the best players don’t hang around for long. After all, the goal is to get from the D-League to THE league.
Whether Daniels, at age 27, can make that jump is to be determined. But he gave Erie fans plenty to cheer about in the team’s first season, and he’ll go down as the leader of the first bunch of BayHawks to ever lace ‘em up in Erie.
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