Scheyer on the NBADL Vipers

[jimrowe0]

John signs with the d-league; Rio Grande Valley Vipers

http://m.espn.go.com/general/story?storyId=6129620&localId=chi&i=TWT&w=1ad48

[moonpie23]

it won't be long....he will get an nba gig....

go jon !!!

[elvis14]

That's great news. I'm glad to hear that Jon is ready to play. I hope they see all he has to offer because I think/hope this is just the beginning.

[-bdbd]

Good for him! He is really an easy guy to root for. I hope that he knocks it out of the park there. Isn't he joining them mid-season though? Which could make it a little harder breaking into an existing unit, not that JS can't do it of course. I just want to see him hit the deck plates running, so he gets noticed by the league ASAP, and picked up.

[DukieInBrasil]

That's great news. I'm glad to hear that Jon is ready to play. I hope they see all he has to offer because I think/hope this is just the beginning.
I'd love to agree with this, but I'm not sure Jon will make it onto an NBA roster this year. Late season call-up may happen, but I'd be much more willing to bet that he'll make a roster next year. Jon is a great player and has lots of positives to offer, but he's the type of player that it might take a while for him to build some chemistry with teammates to show how valuable he is, rather than the blazing athleticism that tends to get rewarded in the show. I'm not saying that everybody in the NBA is an athletic freak, but with the way talent is evaluated it may take some time for the right pair of eyes to see that he belongs.

[Lord Ash]

Great. I wish only the best for Jon, who is one of the best Dukies we've ever been lucky enough to have.

[JBDuke]

I'd love to agree with this, but I'm not sure Jon will make it onto an NBA roster this year. Late season call-up may happen, but I'd be much more willing to bet that he'll make a roster next year. Jon is a great player and has lots of positives to offer, but he's the type of player that it might take a while for him to build some chemistry with teammates to show how valuable he is, rather than the blazing athleticism that tends to get rewarded in the show. I'm not saying that everybody in the NBA is an athletic freak, but with the way talent is evaluated it may take some time for the right pair of eyes to see that he belongs.

I'm with DiB on this one. I'd be surprised if Jon made an immediate big splash in the D-league. He just doesn't seem to have that sort of game, and he hasn't played with D-league talent before. I always thought Jon's biggest asset was his basketball acumen, rather than some sort of freakish talent. He's gonna need time to learn about his teammates, and to pick up the offensive and defensive schemes of his coach. I suspect he'll surprise some with his defense and how well he takes care of the ball - two skills that he can show early on.

My hope is that he gets enough playing time to get acclimated and start making significant contributions on the court. If that happens, when combined with his rep from his Duke career, I'd hope he'd get interest from several pro teams about playing on their summer squads, and he'd be able to choose a situation that's good for him. After that, maybe a training camp invite. Still, unless a really ideal situation comes around or he makes a bigger splash than I'm expecting, I wouldn't be surprised if Jon struggles to make an opening day roster next year. A full year in the D-league next year, or maybe a year with a good European squad (or Israeli, for that matter), and I could see Jon getting picked up by an NBA squad down the road. If he chooses to go the European route, however, I could really see him having a long and productive career there - similar to Trajan's perhaps.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Does anyone have a picture of Scheyer with eyewear / goggles?

I assume this mathematical formula is accurate: Scheyer Face + Goggles = Awesomeness

[Billy Dat]

This is a great situation for Jon.

First off, the team he is joining, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, is the team affiliated with the Houston Rockets. Houston GM Daryl Morey is considered one of the most astute GMs in the biz and a real MoneyBall style advanced stats wonk. He is famous for finding value where others see little, as well documented in the now famous "No Stats All Star" NY Times magazine profile on Shane a few years back. Morey and the Houston franchise were one of the first NBA teams to really treat their NBADL team as a minor league feeder for the NBA squad. I say all of this to suggest that they are picky about which players they bring in and it is a great organization to be involved with. The team is also, currently, one of the better D League squads.


All that said, I am with DiB and JBDuke on this...he's got to crawl before he walks and runs. He'll have some time to get his feet wet against pro-caliber competition and set his strategy for the rest of the year. JBDuke's roadmap for Jon's potential 2011 path is right on the money.

[4decadedukie]

Great. I wish only the best for Jon, who is one of the best Dukies we've ever been lucky enough to have.

I strongly agree, and can only add it is wonderful that his eye injury has apparently been successfully resolved.

[diveonthefloor]

This is a great situation for Jon.

First off, the team he is joining, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, is the team affiliated with the Houston Rockets. Houston GM Daryl Morey is considered one of the most astute GMs in the biz and a real MoneyBall style advanced stats wonk. He is famous for finding value where others see little, as well documented in the now famous "No Stats All Star" NY Times magazine profile on Shane a few years back. Morey and the Houston franchise were one of the first NBA teams to really treat their NBADL team as a minor league feeder for the NBA squad. I say all of this to suggest that they are picky about which players they bring in and it is a great organization to be involved with. The team is also, currently, one of the better D League squads.


All that said, I am with DiB and JBDuke on this...he's got to crawl before he walks and runs. He'll have some time to get his feet wet against pro-caliber competition and set his strategy for the rest of the year. JBDuke's roadmap for Jon's potential 2011 path is right on the money.

Question:
If a player is not currently under an NBA contract and is sent to the D-league for more playing time, he is still tied with his NBA team....But if a player is not under an NBA contract, does the "parent" club really have any say-so with this player's status? I.e., Could be as easily picked up by any NBA team who pays attention to the D-league, not just the Rockets?

[UrinalCake]

Interesting comment from Jon that watching Duke play UNC last week fueled his desire to play, regardless of where. I hope he makes it to the league eventually. Last year's team has to be the only National Champion in recent memory to not have a future NBA player on it.

From what I understand, the D-league is mostly guys trying to pad their own stats so they can get called up. That's not the ideal environment for showcasing what Jon can bring to the table, but hopefully his talent will be recognized.

[cato]

Last year's team has to be the only National Champion in recent memory to not have a future NBA player on it.

Wait, what?

[sagegrouse]

I'm with DiB on this one. I'd be surprised if Jon made an immediate big splash in the D-league. He just doesn't seem to have that sort of game, and he hasn't played with D-league talent before. I always thought Jon's biggest asset was his basketball acumen, rather than some sort of freakish talent. He's gonna need time to learn about his teammates, and to pick up the offensive and defensive schemes of his coach. I suspect he'll surprise some with his defense and how well he takes care of the ball - two skills that he can show early on.


I dunno, JB, but Lance Thomas is scoring in double figures in the D-League. There's a good chance that, if Jon gets the minutes, he'll be highly productive from the "gitgo" (after all, this is the Rio Grande Vipers). I think Jon's "basketball acumen," on which we agree, will show up in the first ten minutes on the court.

sagegrouse

[gus]

Wait, what?

Yeah, that one's a little puzzling. I realize some people are down on Singler because his scoring has slacked off a bit (I disagree), but I don't know anyone who thinks Smith won't be in the league next year.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Yeah, that one's a little puzzling. I realize some people are down on Singler because his scoring has slacked off a bit (I disagree), but I don't know anyone who thinks Smith won't be in the league next year.

I think what UrinalCake meant, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that last year is the only year when a team won the NC without a player on that team immediately playing in the NBA the following year.

[UrinalCake]

I think what UrinalCake meant, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that last year is the only year when a team won the NC without a player on that team immediately playing in the NBA the following year.

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.

[Eternal Outlaw]

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.

When Florida went back to back, I don't think they had NBA player the year after the first one. If they did, I surely don't remember whom it would have been.

[cato]

When Florida went back to back, I don't think they had NBA player the year after the first one. If they did, I surely don't remember whom it would have been.

I believe the same is true for the Devils back in '91. (Here's hoping that history repeats itself).

[PADukeMom]

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.

Oh okay. That's a great save. Good luck Jon.

[theAlaskanBear]

I pay attention to the NCAA
I pay attention to the NBA
With two players, I might have to start checking out NBDL action.

[DukieInBrasil]

I believe the same is true for the Devils back in '91. (Here's hoping that history repeats itself).
While that may be true for the 91 class, the 91 team had Laettner, Hurley and Hill, who all went to the NBA as soon as they were finished at Duke.

[cato]

While that may be true for the 91 class, the 91 team had Laettner, Hurley and Hill, who all went to the NBA as soon as they were finished at Duke.

Exactly. My hope is that the '11 team wins the championship, and then sends two players (although the '92 team only sent 1) direcly to the NBA, with others to follow in due course.

[basket1544]

I was home thinking of what to do during the UK UNC game because I didn't want to watch that mess and remembered that Jon is in town. I went to the Vipers Legends game and enjoyed watching Jon play. His team didn't win, but he did good. He tweaked his ankle a little in the first half but came back out and played on. He's playing a lot of minutes, running the point mostly and managed a beautiful three in the second half. I met up with another Duke fan at the game and we had incredible front row center seats.

[1 24 90]

http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20110420/RGVRNO/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp2041000212

Good luck Jon! Win another title.

[SilkyJ]

Boxscore for game 1 (http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20110424/IWARGV/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp2041000301)

[CDu]

Boxscore for game 1 (http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20110424/IWARGV/gameinfo.html?ls=gt2hp2041000301)

123-106... apparently the D is optional in the D-League?

[Indoor66]

I checked out the Boxscore and saw R. Roby and thought that he must be 50+ years old! LOL

[1 24 90]

http://www.nba.com/dleague/

Good luck Jon!

[Bluedog]

Jon scored 11 points on 4-6 shooting, and also grabbed 8 boards and dished out 4 assists in front of a record D-league crowd of over 14,000 in game two. These are some really high scoring games. 141-122?! The article says the deciding game is Friday night at 7 PM (local or ET?) and will be televised on Versus, but the front page of the D-league site says "The deciding Game Three will air on VERSUS Friday night at 1 a.m. ET." I assume the 1 AM is a mistake, though. Not many people would watch at that time! In any event, glad to see Jon doing well. Hopefully, a team in the NBA will give him a shot in the next couple years.

[1 24 90]

Jon scored 11 points on 4-6 shooting, and also grabbed 8 boards and dished out 4 assists in front of a record D-league crowd of over 14,000 in game two. These are some really high scoring games. 141-122?! The article says the deciding game is Friday night at 7 PM (local or ET?) and will be televised on Versus, but the front page of the D-league site says "The deciding Game Three will air on VERSUS Friday night at 1 a.m. ET." I assume the 1 AM is a mistake, though. Not many people would watch at that time! In any event, glad to see Jon doing well. Hopefully, a team in the NBA will give him a shot in the next couple years.

Unfortunately, Versus has been showing the games on tape delay so I think around 1 a.m. may be accurate. Last night's coverage was supposed to start at 11 p.m. even tho the game was over by then and started around 11:15 due to their hockey coverage which trumps their D-League coverage.

[Bluedog]

Unfortunately, Versus has been showing the games on tape delay so I think around 1 a.m. may be accurate. Last night's coverage was supposed to start at 11 p.m. even tho the game was over by then and started around 11:15 due to their hockey coverage which trumps their D-League coverage.

Right, I thought of that too, but it's not possible that Versus shows the game at 1 AM Friday when the game is at 7 PM later in the day on Friday. Maybe they meant 1 AM Saturday, though....That's possible. I'd imagine that's probably likely since I'd think hockey would be on during primetime tomorrow.

[Duke: A Dynasty]

Anyone heard from Zoubek? He was my favorite player from that class and I have not heard what he is up to or planning on since he got waived by the Nets.

[Bluedog]

Anyone heard from Zoubek? He was my favorite player from that class and I have not heard what he is up to or planning on since he got waived by the Nets.

He lives in Philly. Not sure what he's up to. I recall a Greek team was interested in signing him, but I guess nothing came of that. Maybe Brian didn't want to play overseas.