RRONDO
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 3, 2010
- 55,727
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hayo maneno yake kwenye red sijui mnayaonaje wenzangu?je ndio anatuonyesha mentality na ambition zake?
Hasheem Thabeet's Journey In The NBA
Hasheem Thabeet's Journey In The NBA
- Thread starter Ab-Titchaz
- Start date
hayo maneno yake kwenye red sijui mnayaonaje wenzangu?je ndio anatuonyesha mentality na ambition zake?
Rev. Kishoka
JF-Expert Member
- Mar 7, 2006
- 4,526
- 1,540
Talk about arrogance! What a pity a young man like him hhe should be humbled and not sound cocky!
Abdulhalim
Platinum Member
- Jul 20, 2007
- 17,215
- 3,076
Hii inanikumbusha case ya Adebayor kwenye EPL. Washabiki wanayo blank cheque ya kusema lolote dhidi ya mchezaji,ila yeye hana hata ruksa ya kushangilia apendavyo..
Mi nadhani sote ni binadamu na tuna feelings, hivo kama watu walianza mipasho na yeye anaijua ati.
Go Hasheem!
Nyani Ngabu
Platinum Member
- May 15, 2006
- 94,296
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Nyinyi wivu tu unawasumbua......
Pretty
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- Mar 19, 2009
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.........Hasheem kashawaita haters baadhi ya watu, kazi kweli kweli.
Lucchese DeCavalcante
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- Jan 10, 2009
- 5,471
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Video ya Debut game yake D-ligue hii hapa
http://theuconnhuskies.blogspot.com/2010/02/thabeet.html
http://theuconnhuskies.blogspot.com/2010/02/thabeet.html
..ninavyoelewa mimi ni kwamba amekuwa de-activated na timu yake na wamempeleka D-League.
..wakati wowote ule anaweza kuitwa tena, au kuwa activated, na kucheza mechi ktk NBA League.
..kuna mfano wa Jordan Farmar wa Lakers ambaye alicheza mechi ya D-League na siku hiyo hiyo Lakers wakamu-activate na akacheza ktk mechi ya NBA!!
..moja ya tatizo la Thabeet ni kwamba Memphis tayari wanaye Center wao, Marc Gasol, ambaye anacheza vizuri. katika mazingira hayo Memphis hawana muda wa ku-experiment na huyu bwana mdogo mpaka atakapoweza kuwa effective.
..vilevile Thabeet naye inabidi approve kwamba he is worthy to his time ili aweze kupata muda mwingi zaidi wa kucheza. kufanikisha hilo anapaswa kujituma kwelikweli ktk mazoezi na zaidi huo muda mchache anaopewa kucheza autumie vizuri kuisaidia timu yake kupata ushindi.
NB:
..Thabeet alikuwa 2nd draft pick, sasa hebu mlinganisheni na Dikembe Mutombo ambaye ni 4th draft pick. there was a lot of expectations on this kid.
..wakati wowote ule anaweza kuitwa tena, au kuwa activated, na kucheza mechi ktk NBA League.
..kuna mfano wa Jordan Farmar wa Lakers ambaye alicheza mechi ya D-League na siku hiyo hiyo Lakers wakamu-activate na akacheza ktk mechi ya NBA!!
..moja ya tatizo la Thabeet ni kwamba Memphis tayari wanaye Center wao, Marc Gasol, ambaye anacheza vizuri. katika mazingira hayo Memphis hawana muda wa ku-experiment na huyu bwana mdogo mpaka atakapoweza kuwa effective.
..vilevile Thabeet naye inabidi approve kwamba he is worthy to his time ili aweze kupata muda mwingi zaidi wa kucheza. kufanikisha hilo anapaswa kujituma kwelikweli ktk mazoezi na zaidi huo muda mchache anaopewa kucheza autumie vizuri kuisaidia timu yake kupata ushindi.
NB:
..Thabeet alikuwa 2nd draft pick, sasa hebu mlinganisheni na Dikembe Mutombo ambaye ni 4th draft pick. there was a lot of expectations on this kid.
Nyani Ngabu
Platinum Member
- May 15, 2006
- 94,296
- 122,540
Jordan mwenyewe hakuwa number 1 au 2! Alikuwa number 3. This kid is a bust. Worse than Michael Olowokandi. Kibaya zaidi hata attitude yake mbaya.
Posted Mar 1 2010 12:42PM
Dribbles
Chris Wallace knows what it looks like, sending the second overall pick in the NBA Draft to Bismarck, N.D., because he hasn't shown much of anything with the big club.
Bill Duffy knows what it looks like, one of his bigger (literally) clients swinging and missing as a rookie center in the NBA, and having to be sent down to the minor leagues.
Bustbustbustbustbustbustbustbust.
But the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and the agent who is as big as any in the game today found that when it came to Hasheem Thabeet, they both agreed. Send him to the Dakota Wizards. Now.
"Practice is important, lifting weights are important, but you learn by playing," Wallace said on the phone Friday afternoon. "You learn what you can get away with, what you can't. Players want to play. Players need to play. Most teams are carrying 14 or 15, and you can't play all of those players all the time."
thabeet300.jpg
Hasheem Thabeet needed his D-League stint.
Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
"He's gotta play," Duffy said by phone Friday night. "I'm less concerned with how it looks. This will give Hasheem a chance to show everybody what he can do. We were a proponent of it. No issues."
Well, that's what they told me, anyway.
There's no question that both sides have an incentive to spin this. Thabeet is the highest draftee to ever be sent to an NBA D-League team. His struggles as a rookie in Memphis have been unending and public. He has shown next to no offensive capabilities in the league, averaging just 2.5 points a game. And he's also failed to shine at what was supposed to be his strength coming out of Connecticut: shot-blocking and post defense. He was beaten out, fair and square, by Hamed Haddadi as Marc Gasol's backup, and coach Lionel Hollins informed Thabeet what Memphis' plans were on Wednesday.
But what are the Grizzlies supposed to do?
The alternative would be letting him sit on the bench in Memphis the rest of the season and calcify, losing what little confidence he has left, falling further behind other rookies that get regular burn. And isn't this exactly what the D-League is for; allowing young players who need to develop to get an opportunity to play, every night, to learn on and off the court what it means to be a pro? That Thabeet is a high-profile example of this doesn't mean the example is wrong. For a young man who has been playing organized basketball -- it must be stressed again -- for only six years, minutes are crucial to his development.
The Wizards (the D-League affiliate of Memphis and Washington) began a schedule last Friday of six games in nine days, including Sunday's, in which Thabeet totalled 19 points, 16 boards and six blocks in 38 minutes (the folks at Ridiculous Upside have a summary here). After that, Dakota has a week off.
The plan is for Thabeet to play those half-dozen games, then practice for a few days. After that, the Grizzlies will re-evaluate. Until then, the Wizards' coach, former Clipper forward Rory White, has been instructed to give Thabeet time and touches. A Memphis staffer is with him in Bismarck for the entire stint. Wallace will go there to see him on Wednesday.
"You look at other leagues that have had minor leagues for a much longer time than the NBA," Wallace said. "Baseball has guys going back and forth all the time. We look at this another piece in our toolbox ... any time you have young guys that are in that two-year window, you have to look at the D-League very carefully, because you have to get those guys some (playing) time."
Duffy says he's reached similar conclusions with some of his other clients, including Cavaliers rookie Danny Green, who was sent down to Cleveland's D-League affiliate in Erie this week along with second-year forward Darnell Jackson (though Cleveland recalled Green on Sunday). Duffy is in the process of discussing with the Suns whether their first-round pick, Earl Clark, should go to Phoenix's D-League team in Iowa now that Amar'e Stoudemire is sticking around for the rest of the season and frontcourt minutes are likely to dry up.
Wallace insists the Grizzlies have in no way given up on Thabeet. But he would not give a blanket commitment that Thabeet will be a cornerstone of Memphis' future, either, when asked if he could guarantee the team wouldn't look to move Thabeet after the season.
"Any player can be traded," Wallace said. "I never guarantee any player that that they can't be traded. You look at the league, a guy like Shaq (O'Neal) was traded. Allen Iverson was traded. Other than the young guys on a team that you're taking a look at, if you look at a game, most of the guys out there have been somewhere else ... Anything can happen. But we're not looking to 'dump him' at this point"...
• The new month begins with a week-long league-wide fundraising program for my friends over at Hoops for St. Jude, which raises money year long for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, one of the largest pediatric cancer centers in the world. Families who bring their kids to St. Jude's for treatment receive it, regardless of their ability to pay.
From today through next Sunday, NBA players and coaches will take part in fundraising activities. Schools around the country will also have fundraisers, with students taking part in a special basketball fundamentals curriculum designed by Nuggets coach George Karl to raise awareness of the need for greater physical activity among students. Karl, who has already donated $20,000 to St. Jude's, is continuing with his part in the program despite his diagnosis of throat and neck cancer last month. NBA coaches will wear "Hoops for St. Jude's" lapel pins all week in support of Karl.
The Lakers' Pau Gasol, the Grizzlies' Rudy Gay, the Rockets' Shane Battier, the Clippers' Steve Blake, the Pacers' Danny Granger and the Timberwolves' Kevin Love are each taking part in season-long donations per point for St. Jude's, and have each committed at least a $20,000 donation by the end of the season. Thirty NBA stars, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal, have donated autographed items that can be bid on during an on-line nationwide auction lasting through next Sunday at www.hoopsforstjude.org. Fans can also make per-point donations for the remainder of the season in support of their favorite players on the website and receive the Hoops for St. Jude's pins with a $20 donation.
Kaza buti dogo achana na facebook is an addict na kijiwe cha wasio na kazi na usisikilize maneno ya watu hutaendelea maana wanapenda kuangalia mapungufu ya watu ya kwao yamewashinda. Pambana dogo ndio uanaume usibishane na waandishi wala watanzania hutafanikiwa na achana nao na wala usiwaite watu majina mabaya yatakurudia wewe songa mbele!!!!
Dribbles
Chris Wallace knows what it looks like, sending the second overall pick in the NBA Draft to Bismarck, N.D., because he hasn't shown much of anything with the big club.
Bill Duffy knows what it looks like, one of his bigger (literally) clients swinging and missing as a rookie center in the NBA, and having to be sent down to the minor leagues.
Bustbustbustbustbustbustbustbust.
But the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and the agent who is as big as any in the game today found that when it came to Hasheem Thabeet, they both agreed. Send him to the Dakota Wizards. Now.
"Practice is important, lifting weights are important, but you learn by playing," Wallace said on the phone Friday afternoon. "You learn what you can get away with, what you can't. Players want to play. Players need to play. Most teams are carrying 14 or 15, and you can't play all of those players all the time."
thabeet300.jpg
Hasheem Thabeet needed his D-League stint.
Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images
"He's gotta play," Duffy said by phone Friday night. "I'm less concerned with how it looks. This will give Hasheem a chance to show everybody what he can do. We were a proponent of it. No issues."
Well, that's what they told me, anyway.
There's no question that both sides have an incentive to spin this. Thabeet is the highest draftee to ever be sent to an NBA D-League team. His struggles as a rookie in Memphis have been unending and public. He has shown next to no offensive capabilities in the league, averaging just 2.5 points a game. And he's also failed to shine at what was supposed to be his strength coming out of Connecticut: shot-blocking and post defense. He was beaten out, fair and square, by Hamed Haddadi as Marc Gasol's backup, and coach Lionel Hollins informed Thabeet what Memphis' plans were on Wednesday.
But what are the Grizzlies supposed to do?
The alternative would be letting him sit on the bench in Memphis the rest of the season and calcify, losing what little confidence he has left, falling further behind other rookies that get regular burn. And isn't this exactly what the D-League is for; allowing young players who need to develop to get an opportunity to play, every night, to learn on and off the court what it means to be a pro? That Thabeet is a high-profile example of this doesn't mean the example is wrong. For a young man who has been playing organized basketball -- it must be stressed again -- for only six years, minutes are crucial to his development.
The Wizards (the D-League affiliate of Memphis and Washington) began a schedule last Friday of six games in nine days, including Sunday's, in which Thabeet totalled 19 points, 16 boards and six blocks in 38 minutes (the folks at Ridiculous Upside have a summary here). After that, Dakota has a week off.
The plan is for Thabeet to play those half-dozen games, then practice for a few days. After that, the Grizzlies will re-evaluate. Until then, the Wizards' coach, former Clipper forward Rory White, has been instructed to give Thabeet time and touches. A Memphis staffer is with him in Bismarck for the entire stint. Wallace will go there to see him on Wednesday.
"You look at other leagues that have had minor leagues for a much longer time than the NBA," Wallace said. "Baseball has guys going back and forth all the time. We look at this another piece in our toolbox ... any time you have young guys that are in that two-year window, you have to look at the D-League very carefully, because you have to get those guys some (playing) time."
Duffy says he's reached similar conclusions with some of his other clients, including Cavaliers rookie Danny Green, who was sent down to Cleveland's D-League affiliate in Erie this week along with second-year forward Darnell Jackson (though Cleveland recalled Green on Sunday). Duffy is in the process of discussing with the Suns whether their first-round pick, Earl Clark, should go to Phoenix's D-League team in Iowa now that Amar'e Stoudemire is sticking around for the rest of the season and frontcourt minutes are likely to dry up.
Wallace insists the Grizzlies have in no way given up on Thabeet. But he would not give a blanket commitment that Thabeet will be a cornerstone of Memphis' future, either, when asked if he could guarantee the team wouldn't look to move Thabeet after the season.
"Any player can be traded," Wallace said. "I never guarantee any player that that they can't be traded. You look at the league, a guy like Shaq (O'Neal) was traded. Allen Iverson was traded. Other than the young guys on a team that you're taking a look at, if you look at a game, most of the guys out there have been somewhere else ... Anything can happen. But we're not looking to 'dump him' at this point"...
• The new month begins with a week-long league-wide fundraising program for my friends over at Hoops for St. Jude, which raises money year long for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, one of the largest pediatric cancer centers in the world. Families who bring their kids to St. Jude's for treatment receive it, regardless of their ability to pay.
From today through next Sunday, NBA players and coaches will take part in fundraising activities. Schools around the country will also have fundraisers, with students taking part in a special basketball fundamentals curriculum designed by Nuggets coach George Karl to raise awareness of the need for greater physical activity among students. Karl, who has already donated $20,000 to St. Jude's, is continuing with his part in the program despite his diagnosis of throat and neck cancer last month. NBA coaches will wear "Hoops for St. Jude's" lapel pins all week in support of Karl.
The Lakers' Pau Gasol, the Grizzlies' Rudy Gay, the Rockets' Shane Battier, the Clippers' Steve Blake, the Pacers' Danny Granger and the Timberwolves' Kevin Love are each taking part in season-long donations per point for St. Jude's, and have each committed at least a $20,000 donation by the end of the season. Thirty NBA stars, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Shaquille O'Neal, have donated autographed items that can be bid on during an on-line nationwide auction lasting through next Sunday at www.hoopsforstjude.org. Fans can also make per-point donations for the remainder of the season in support of their favorite players on the website and receive the Hoops for St. Jude's pins with a $20 donation.
Kaza buti dogo achana na facebook is an addict na kijiwe cha wasio na kazi na usisikilize maneno ya watu hutaendelea maana wanapenda kuangalia mapungufu ya watu ya kwao yamewashinda. Pambana dogo ndio uanaume usibishane na waandishi wala watanzania hutafanikiwa na achana nao na wala usiwaite watu majina mabaya yatakurudia wewe songa mbele!!!!
Thabeet lives up to expectations in Wizards' defeat of Ants
By Reggie Hayes
of The News-Sentinel
Hasheem Thabeet looked like a lottery pick again, which is what the Memphis Grizzlies had in mind when they sent him down to the D-League.
He had a certain presence – on the court and in the minds of opposing shooters.
"I don't care what you say, you're going to think about him," Mad Ants swingman Ron Howard said. "You're always conscious of where he is and things like that."
Thabeet was everywhere on the Memorial Coliseum court Sunday. In the Dakota Wizards' 94-85 win over the Mad Ants, the 7-foot-3, 265-pound rookie scored 19 points with 16 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Thabeet, the No. 2 pick in last year's NBA Draft out of the University of Connecticut, Thabeet is the highest-drafted player ever sent to the D-League. The Grizzlies want to see some development in his understanding of the pro game.
Mad Ants coach Joey Meyer would probably rather not see him when Thabeet has a better feel for the game.
"He was a monster tonight," Meyer said. "I thought he was the difference in the game.
"You never like to say one player made the difference. He had 19, 16 and six blocks, and you don't add up the ones he altered. That was another six at least. In a sense he almost had a triple double.
"He was certainly a major factor. We try to go to the basket, and he blocked everything or changed everything."
The loss dropped the Mad Ants to 13-21. Dakota is 20-16.
The job of defending Thabeet fell primarily to Mad Ants centers Jared Reiner and Sean Sonderleiter. They had varying degrees of success dealing with him.
Thabeet hit eight of 10 shots from the field, including several dunks off misses or times when Reiner or Sonderleiter helped on Dakota players' drives to the basket.
"You try to push him out as hard as you can, but anytime we had a switch, we had a problem," Reiner said. "They did a good job of finding him."
The Ants' offense, meanwhile, disappeared in the third quarter after they had staked a 60-47 lead. Over the next 12 minutes, Dakota outscored Fort Wayne 35-12 as the Ants missed 22 of 27 shots from the field.
There's always a lot of ice in the coliseum, but that was a major frigid stretch.
"We had some shots and we didn't hit them," Meyer said. "We were relegated to jump shots. You shoot better when you get a layup here or there. We didn't get any easy shots."
Blame Thabeet's presence for eliminating the easy shots.
"I know him very well," said guard Ryan Ayers, who played against Thabeet when Ayers was at Notre Dame. "He's just going to change your shot when you get in the lane. The guards will pressure you more too, because if you go by them, there's a 7-3 guy there.
"He can anchor a defense and be a presence, and that's what he did."
The Ants also weren't helped by the absence of all-star forward Rob Kurz, who missed the game with a deep thigh bruise. He is questionable to play against Maine at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the coliseum.
The Ants were led in scoring Sunday by guard Oliver Lafayette with 21 points. Reiner had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Dan Dickau dished out eight assists.
Kaza buti dogo!!!
By Reggie Hayes
of The News-Sentinel
Hasheem Thabeet looked like a lottery pick again, which is what the Memphis Grizzlies had in mind when they sent him down to the D-League.
He had a certain presence – on the court and in the minds of opposing shooters.
"I don't care what you say, you're going to think about him," Mad Ants swingman Ron Howard said. "You're always conscious of where he is and things like that."
Thabeet was everywhere on the Memorial Coliseum court Sunday. In the Dakota Wizards' 94-85 win over the Mad Ants, the 7-foot-3, 265-pound rookie scored 19 points with 16 rebounds and six blocked shots.
Thabeet, the No. 2 pick in last year's NBA Draft out of the University of Connecticut, Thabeet is the highest-drafted player ever sent to the D-League. The Grizzlies want to see some development in his understanding of the pro game.
Mad Ants coach Joey Meyer would probably rather not see him when Thabeet has a better feel for the game.
"He was a monster tonight," Meyer said. "I thought he was the difference in the game.
"You never like to say one player made the difference. He had 19, 16 and six blocks, and you don't add up the ones he altered. That was another six at least. In a sense he almost had a triple double.
"He was certainly a major factor. We try to go to the basket, and he blocked everything or changed everything."
The loss dropped the Mad Ants to 13-21. Dakota is 20-16.
The job of defending Thabeet fell primarily to Mad Ants centers Jared Reiner and Sean Sonderleiter. They had varying degrees of success dealing with him.
Thabeet hit eight of 10 shots from the field, including several dunks off misses or times when Reiner or Sonderleiter helped on Dakota players' drives to the basket.
"You try to push him out as hard as you can, but anytime we had a switch, we had a problem," Reiner said. "They did a good job of finding him."
The Ants' offense, meanwhile, disappeared in the third quarter after they had staked a 60-47 lead. Over the next 12 minutes, Dakota outscored Fort Wayne 35-12 as the Ants missed 22 of 27 shots from the field.
There's always a lot of ice in the coliseum, but that was a major frigid stretch.
"We had some shots and we didn't hit them," Meyer said. "We were relegated to jump shots. You shoot better when you get a layup here or there. We didn't get any easy shots."
Blame Thabeet's presence for eliminating the easy shots.
"I know him very well," said guard Ryan Ayers, who played against Thabeet when Ayers was at Notre Dame. "He's just going to change your shot when you get in the lane. The guards will pressure you more too, because if you go by them, there's a 7-3 guy there.
"He can anchor a defense and be a presence, and that's what he did."
The Ants also weren't helped by the absence of all-star forward Rob Kurz, who missed the game with a deep thigh bruise. He is questionable to play against Maine at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the coliseum.
The Ants were led in scoring Sunday by guard Oliver Lafayette with 21 points. Reiner had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Dan Dickau dished out eight assists.
Kaza buti dogo!!!
babukijana
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 21, 2009
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nawewe wivu unakusumbua?
Kichuguu
Platinum Member
- Oct 11, 2006
- 17,048
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I guess he will be back soon; so far, his performance in the D-League has been splendid. He only needs to effectively use that opportunity to shine again; however, he must learn to accept living under the spotlight and stop calling his critics as haters.
You are damn right man. Inabidi akuwe sasa na hii nadhani itamjenga kuwa mchezaji mzuri sana. Leo nimesoma NBA wamesema watampa games 10 akiweza kuimprove basi anaweza kucheza fewer games akarudi NBA. Dogo needs only confidence basi mengine yatajiset tu
Nyani Ngabu
Platinum Member
- May 15, 2006
- 94,296
- 122,540
The plush surroundings of all those Ritz Carltons and Four Seasons have disappeared. These days, Hasheem Thabeet(notes) rests his head in a two-star motel in chilly Bismarck, N.D. Gone, too, are the charter flights and all the legroom they afforded.
Eight months ago Thabeet was celebrating his selection as the second overall pick of the NBA draft. He now holds a new distinction: the highest pick ever to be sent to the NBA's Development League. That's not to say
Thabeet has lost all his star power: In honor of his arrival, the Dakota Wizards discounted general-admission tickets for Wednesday's game to $2.
For Thabeet, the D-League is home, at least for a little bit, and he's determined to make the best of it.People in the NBA are "definitely looking at it negatively," Thabeet said. " ‘He's the No. 2 pick. He's not supposed to be there. I can't believe that guy is over there and he's the second pick.' But you got to go and work your way up there. I'm working my way up here, working on my confidence.
"When the time comes, I'll be able to answer the call."
The Memphis Grizzlies decided they couldn't pass on Thabeet's potential to become a shot-blocking giant when they drafted the 7-foot-3 center. A second-team All-America from the University of Connecticut, Thabeet drew comparisons to former NBA defensive great Dikembe Mutombo(notes).
In doing so, however, the Grizzlies passed on more NBA-ready prospects like Tyreke Evans(notes), James Harden(notes), Jonny Flynn(notes) and Stephen Curry(notes).
Thabeet's high draft selection earned him a $4.5 million salary for his rookie season, and he admits to feeling immense pressure to succeed immediately. His contributions, however, were much more modest:
Before being sent to Dakota, he was averaging 2.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and two fouls in 10.3 minutes per game. He's struggled to adjust to the quicker pace of the NBA and his offensive skills still need considerable refining.
"People are expecting a lot from you," Thabeet said. "Your teammates back from high school and college. Your college coaches, everyone that knows you. They're all expecting a lot from me. That's a lot of pressure.
But now I have to look at it as motivation to work even harder. They sent me out here. I got to show them, ‘OK, this is not where I belong.' I just have to keep working hard and my time will come.
"I put myself into this situation. Now I got to deal with it."
Thabeet's rookie season reached a low point when he recently lost his place in the rotation to second-year center Hamed Haddadi(notes). Thabeet's confidence needed a boost, and for that, he needed minutes.
So the Grizzlies decided to send him to the D-League for six games. Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said Haddadi benefited from his stay in the D-League last season, and the hope is that Thabeet will do the same.
"We're looking to give Thabeet playing time and experience," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "We're looking for development."
In Dakota, Thabeet is playing for the league's smallest-market team in a city with frigid temperatures and a black population of .28 percent. After playing two games in Fort Wayne, Ind., the Wizards flew to Detroit and then to Minneapolis on commercial planes before finally reaching Bismarck. Not quite the posh non-stop charter flights Thabeet was accustomed to taking with the Grizzlies. If Thabeet gets bored, he has the Kirkwood Shopping Mall and Dakota Zoo nearby to hang out.
"It's pretty cool, but there is not much really to do," Thabeet said. "I'm just focused on what brought me here. I'm on a mission and I want to show people what I've been working on."
Thabeet's arrival has generated some interest in Bismarck.
About 20 media members showed up for his introductory news conference. Ryan Carlson, the Wizards' director of group sales and media relations, had 40 ticket requests from friends for Thabeet's home debut, which drew a crowd of 2,544, about twice as large as normal. Thabeet didn't disappoint, totaling 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in a 109-81 win over Albuquerque.
Afterward, he was greeted by several fans waiting in line for his autograph. Through three D-League games, Thabeet has averaged 15 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks while shooting 68 percent.
Dakota coach Rory White said Thabeet remains a "work in progress." "Right now, it's all about getting him some confidence, and the only way to do that is to get him some minutes in a real game," White said.
Thabeet hasn't grumbled about his D-League assignment. Born in Tanzania, he hasn't forgotten that he began playing organized basketball just seven years ago. It's not too long ago that he was emailing coaches and schools, begging for an opportunity to play in the United States.
To Thabeet, this is just another stop in his long, unusual journey.
"This is my job," Thabeet said. "I just got to come out here and do what they want me to do – my job. I got to continue to work on my weaknesses and get better on them.
"I'm excited and I can't wait to go back up there."
From Yahoo sports
Eight months ago Thabeet was celebrating his selection as the second overall pick of the NBA draft. He now holds a new distinction: the highest pick ever to be sent to the NBA's Development League. That's not to say
Thabeet has lost all his star power: In honor of his arrival, the Dakota Wizards discounted general-admission tickets for Wednesday's game to $2.
For Thabeet, the D-League is home, at least for a little bit, and he's determined to make the best of it.People in the NBA are "definitely looking at it negatively," Thabeet said. " ‘He's the No. 2 pick. He's not supposed to be there. I can't believe that guy is over there and he's the second pick.' But you got to go and work your way up there. I'm working my way up here, working on my confidence.
"When the time comes, I'll be able to answer the call."
The Memphis Grizzlies decided they couldn't pass on Thabeet's potential to become a shot-blocking giant when they drafted the 7-foot-3 center. A second-team All-America from the University of Connecticut, Thabeet drew comparisons to former NBA defensive great Dikembe Mutombo(notes).
In doing so, however, the Grizzlies passed on more NBA-ready prospects like Tyreke Evans(notes), James Harden(notes), Jonny Flynn(notes) and Stephen Curry(notes).
Thabeet's high draft selection earned him a $4.5 million salary for his rookie season, and he admits to feeling immense pressure to succeed immediately. His contributions, however, were much more modest:
Before being sent to Dakota, he was averaging 2.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and two fouls in 10.3 minutes per game. He's struggled to adjust to the quicker pace of the NBA and his offensive skills still need considerable refining.
"People are expecting a lot from you," Thabeet said. "Your teammates back from high school and college. Your college coaches, everyone that knows you. They're all expecting a lot from me. That's a lot of pressure.
But now I have to look at it as motivation to work even harder. They sent me out here. I got to show them, ‘OK, this is not where I belong.' I just have to keep working hard and my time will come.
"I put myself into this situation. Now I got to deal with it."
Thabeet's rookie season reached a low point when he recently lost his place in the rotation to second-year center Hamed Haddadi(notes). Thabeet's confidence needed a boost, and for that, he needed minutes.
So the Grizzlies decided to send him to the D-League for six games. Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said Haddadi benefited from his stay in the D-League last season, and the hope is that Thabeet will do the same.
"We're looking to give Thabeet playing time and experience," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "We're looking for development."
In Dakota, Thabeet is playing for the league's smallest-market team in a city with frigid temperatures and a black population of .28 percent. After playing two games in Fort Wayne, Ind., the Wizards flew to Detroit and then to Minneapolis on commercial planes before finally reaching Bismarck. Not quite the posh non-stop charter flights Thabeet was accustomed to taking with the Grizzlies. If Thabeet gets bored, he has the Kirkwood Shopping Mall and Dakota Zoo nearby to hang out.
"It's pretty cool, but there is not much really to do," Thabeet said. "I'm just focused on what brought me here. I'm on a mission and I want to show people what I've been working on."
Thabeet's arrival has generated some interest in Bismarck.
About 20 media members showed up for his introductory news conference. Ryan Carlson, the Wizards' director of group sales and media relations, had 40 ticket requests from friends for Thabeet's home debut, which drew a crowd of 2,544, about twice as large as normal. Thabeet didn't disappoint, totaling 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in a 109-81 win over Albuquerque.
Afterward, he was greeted by several fans waiting in line for his autograph. Through three D-League games, Thabeet has averaged 15 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks while shooting 68 percent.
Dakota coach Rory White said Thabeet remains a "work in progress." "Right now, it's all about getting him some confidence, and the only way to do that is to get him some minutes in a real game," White said.
Thabeet hasn't grumbled about his D-League assignment. Born in Tanzania, he hasn't forgotten that he began playing organized basketball just seven years ago. It's not too long ago that he was emailing coaches and schools, begging for an opportunity to play in the United States.
To Thabeet, this is just another stop in his long, unusual journey.
"This is my job," Thabeet said. "I just got to come out here and do what they want me to do – my job. I got to continue to work on my weaknesses and get better on them.
"I'm excited and I can't wait to go back up there."
From Yahoo sports
