Talking D-League With Blog Talk BayHawk

Check out the Project Spurs podcast today, featuring yours truly! You may recall I spoke with the guys at Project Spurs months ago when Cedric Jackson was called up to San Antonio. Well, they called me back again last week to talk Austin Toros and D-League matters as they pertain to the Spurs. Much thanks to Jeff Garcia and Michael De Leon for inviting me on for the interview.

Things have been quiet around here lately, and it will stay that way for most of the D-League's offseason, but I'll be back with more regular posts as we draw nearer to the season. I may also write an occasional post regarding NBA Summer League action, particularly if there is noteworthy information about Erie BayHawks players.

In the meantime, you can catch me every Thursday at D-League Digest, where I am maintaining my presence with a weekly posting to supplement the great work Steve Weinman does there on a regular basis. Check out my recent articles with the links below:

• Will Game 7 Be Jordan Farmar’s Last as a Laker?
• Forget Mike, D-Leaguers Should Dream to Be Like Luke
• Oliver Lafayette: NBA Champion?
• Drafting Latavious Williams
• The NBA: Where ShanWOW Happens

2009-10 Players in Review: Michael Sweetney

The addition of Michael Sweetney gave the BayHawks in mid-March provided an interesting stretch run of games. Teamed with the 300-pound John Bryant, Sweetney—listed at a very generous 260—gave Erie another low-post scoring option.

The former NBA lottery pick showed he still has a formidable offensive skill set, including deft footwork in the post and a feathery touch on his 15-18 foot jumper. In 9 games with the BayHawks, Sweetney averaged 13.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game while shooting a team-best 63.6 percent over that stretch.

He scored in double figures in 7 of his 9 appearances and made it clear that he knows how to handle himself on the offensive end. The problem is simply weight and conditioning. He did not look comfortable in his own jersey. It was tough watching him get up and down the court. And defensively, he really struggled to guard anyone outside of the lane, particularly when teams dragged him out in high pick ‘n rolls.

The bottom line for Sweetney is that if he’s serious about his basketball future, he will spend this summer getting into shape. He could come back as is and put up decent stats for a year in the D-League, but in order to get a look from the NBA, he’s going to have to display a serious work ethic to go with his skill set.