A Fan’s Perspective: 09-10 Wish List
We want to approach the upcoming season from all angles here on EnergyHoopla, so we asked for the very unique perspective of one of our season ticket holders.
Ed Bull has been an Energy season ticket holder since day one. In addition to being a regular in floor seats behind the Energy bench, he is also an attorney in Des Moines. Look for his fresh perspective all season long right here on EnergyHoopla.com
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As we approach another NBA-D season, I have been asked to blog about my wish list for our upcoming season. Like most fans my wish is simple: I want to win a championship.
At first glance, as I examine the players that could potentially be drafted into our league, I would want Nick, Nate and Chris to choose the absolute best talent. Guys that I could say to my son as we watch them play in the NBA, “Do you remember when we saw player x score 30 over the Skyforce?”
However, as I looked back over the last few years I noticed a recurring theme among succesful teams. Teams that are successful in the NBA D league don’t have young NBA superstar talent on them; but rather are a consistent team with quality basketball players that are able to play as a team for an extended period of time.
In the 2008-2009 season the Iowa Energy had seven Gatorade call-ups, by comparision the Colorado 14ers (the D League champs) had only 1.
On opening night last year, we started C. Martin, P. Sanders, C. Sims, C. Stinson, and L. Ayuso.
Against Dakota in the first round of the playoffs, Stinson was the only starter still on the roster. Now, don’t get me wrong, Sims and Jeffers played huge roles and an arguement could be made that they were the two best all around players in the D League last year.
That’s great and they brought many nights of enjoyment at the Well, but at the end of the year they weren’t around to stop us from getting destroyed in the second quarter aganist Dakota.
My point being I would rather have us draft and sign players whose career aspirations are to dominate the D-League, not play in Europe (Anthony Toliiver I’m talking about you) or decide that they can’t help their stock any more by playing for Iowa despite the fact I was cut the day before by the Knicks (Sims that’s you).
I want guys with great motors, and love for the game, C. Stinson, M. Phillips, B. Evans would be my returning players.
I would love to see us add via the draft, Rodney Alexander, a swing man from Oklahoma City, Russell Hicks (from Florida International, as he is the only true big man in the draft) T. Parham who reminds me a lot of D. Thomas, and Jeremy Wise, an outstanding point guard out of S. Mississippi.
I realize that in the next week a number of guys who were just cut from the NBA will sign contracts with the Dleague, thus making them eligible for the draft. And although they will be better talents than perhaps the guys I have named, Im not sure that having Lionton Johnson the third, or Mike Harris makes it more likely that we will win the Championship. Their goals may be to show themselves as a great individual talent (Shannon Brown, JamesOn Curry, thats you) but not help the team.
At the end of day, I trust that Nick can evaluate talent a lot better than I can, and whoever we sign, will fit his system well. But If I can only have one wish it would be this: that we don’t lose a game this year, on a last second inbounds play, to an inferior team on our home court.
-Ed Bull
3 Responses to “A Fan’s Perspective: 09-10 Wish List”
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thats cool that the energy is letting fans blog on their new site. you should start ur own blog sorta like i do with the utah flash. fanaticflashfan.blogspot.com
Thanks Ed for your thoughts. They are great! I think I agree with you. But I also like seeing some of those big guys too. Similar to the Iowa Cubs when Kerry Woods would be down here throwing for a couple starts. Brings a whole new excitement to some of the games.
Is the T.Parham u are talking about Tim parham??? If so thats great!! I saw him play at ellsworth community college in Iowa Falls and saw this man evolve! Walking Double Double. Would be good to see Timmy back in Iowa