Starting today at 12 noon there will be quite a few NBDL games broadcast on NBA TV, NBA Futurecast and AOL FanHouse as part of a 'showcase,' all at one venue (South Padre Island, Texas), where every NBA team will have GMs or other execs on hand to evaluate DL players firsthand (hopefully Donnie's well enough to attend. I think he needs to be there).

Players the Knicks should be looking at right off the bat:

TODAY
6'11" C Courtney Sims, PG Curtis Stinson, PG/SG Orien Greene--->2:45 pm today, Iowa Energy vs. Utah Flash

TOMORROW
6'11" C Chris Johnson--->12 noon, Dakota Wizards vs. Austin Toros

Whether or not we still have a realistic shot at Carmelo Anthony or, if that goes by the wayside, we decide to trade assets for other NBA-ready players is immaterial when it comes to cutting a useless player like Roger Mason Jr and adding a guy from the DL that can help us out right now. This type of move will have no bearing on either one of those eventual scenarios. All it could possibly do is make our current unit stronger while we continue to consider and remain patient on other options..We couldn't possibly implement a better stategy right now..Sims & Johnson are probably the two best big men in the NBDL and two guys I'm very anxious to see for a full game. There are other players we'll be able to get a good look at as well. Here's the rest of the schedule:

http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/showcase_schedule_2011.html

Awesome. Thanks.

Just got done looking at a replay of the Iowa/Utah game. It's a shame really because Courtney Sims has some nice skills down on the low block, he can score with a nice variety of effective moves and he can really pass it well when doubled, but he just doesn't seem to play with enough energy..That's gotta be the main reason he continuely gets overlooked for the NBA..It takes him forever to jog up the court (routinely he was the last Iowa player down court everytime down) and he curiously doesn't play with the amount of enthusiasm and passion you would expect outta someone who should be doing everything possible to get back to the NBA. I honestly don't know if he can play at the tempo D'Antoni expects his guys to play at. We probably wouldn't go with a guy we would have to continuely wait for to get down court (one of the chief reasons MDA never cared for Eddy Curry's game--that and Curry just doesn't care enough and has ZERO heart)...Overall he's more skilled offensively than a Ronny Turiaf but unlike Ronny, he may not be capable of playing NBA-paced basketball. The motor just isn't there..Not the type of guy that'll ever get out on the break and get easy buckets just running the floor. This guy has to work hard for every bucket he gets..It's the damndest thing -- at the end of this contest today he finished with 25 & 12..You would never associate a statline like that with him after watching him play. He goes about his business in such a quiet manner, it was probably the quietest 25 & 12 performance I've ever seen..Hey, he still wouldn't be terrible off the bench for 20 mins or so provided we can't come up with a better option. We could definitely use a backup big man with his offensive skills. Makes much more sense to me to carry (and actually use) a Courtney Sims over Roger Mason Jr. Looking forward to C Chris Johnson play tomorrow at 12.

TMS -- I haven't seen Adrien play this year in the D-League but I remember him well at U-Conn as I'm sure you do as well. Probably not much has changed since then -- he's not the biggest or most skilled guy but he's strong and he plays hard. To be honest I'd prefer we hire a big guy a little taller than 6'7" but hey, Adrien probably could at least help out in the rebounding category..I see a guy that's undersized at 6'7" but has long arms that allow him to compensate, he can rebound and he plays the game hard. He'll also find a way to put the ball in the hole a few times as well..JYD is a pretty good comparison. He could be an undersized tough/hustle type to plug in next to STAT similar to how San Antonio features DeJuan Blair next to Tim Duncan. Blair's probably a little more skilled offensively but there are some similarities between the two. Again, another guy that makes so much more sense for us to be carrying right now instead of Mason Jr.