Zeke and the NBA Draft

[OZoner]

Ooooh, can we get one of those Taiwanese animations about Zeke?

[Dave in Green]

... Not a good sign when you get beat out by a guy who has already demonstrated he can't cut it in the NBA. ...

No one could reasonably expect an undrafted raw pro rookie to immediately outplay a 25-year-old NBA veteran who was good enough to be drafted and play in NBA games over two seasons. Zeke is a long way from being able to play at even a fringe NBA level. If he really wants it badly enough, he has the physical tools to get there. But the odds of late bloomers making it in the NBA are really long. I'm not optimistic, but I'll continue to track Zeke's efforts as long as he keeps trying.

[LZIp]

Dallas Moyer ‏@ZipsDallas 2m Former @ZipsMBB center Zeke Marshall traded to the @maineredclaws of the NBA D-League. http://on.nba.com/18zwJhR #BackTheZips

[Dave in Green]

Right, Zeke was apparently selected from the D-League player pool by the Reno Bighorns, and then traded to the Maine Redclaws before playing in a game. Assuming that Zeke sticks with the Redclaws, we'll get a chance to see him play in Canton on Monday, Jan. 20, when the Redclaws visit the Canton Charge.

[MDZip]

They seem happy to have him (and have only one listed center on the roster). Glad to see him back in the States.

[akronzips71]

Right, Zeke was apparently selected from the D-League player pool by the Reno Bighorns, and then traded to the Maine Redclaws before playing in a game. Assuming that Zeke sticks with the Redclaws, we'll get a chance to see him play in Canton on Monday, Jan. 20, when the Redclaws visit the Canton Charge.

I am not getting that at all. Why didn't the Claws just take him out of the pool themselves?

[Dave in Green]

@akronzips71, I have no earthly idea how the D-League player pool works. If it works like other professional leagues, I'd expect they'd have rules that don't allow teams to just reach in and grab whatever player they want whenever they want. It may be that the Reno Bighorns had first dibs from the player pool and picked the player they thought they could get the most for in trade. If anyone has a better idea of how the D-League player pool operates, please help educate the rest of us.

[Dave in Green]

Looks as if the Portland Press Herald gives pretty good coverage to the Maine Red Claws, so we should be able to get regular news on Zeke as at the end of this story.

Hopefully we'll get to see Zeke play some tonight as the Red Claws are hosting the Springfield Armor at 7 pm with a live video webcast on the YouTube D-League Channel:

[Dave in Green]

In a pre-game interview, the Red Claws' coach said that they're happy to have a second 7-foot rim protector on their roster, and that Zeke will alternate with their other center. He said they've thrown a lot at Zeke in a short time and that they're pleased with how quickly he's caught on. But he said they won't have unrealistic expectations for Zeke while he's learning all the team plays. The only bad part is that the YouTube video is choppy, with the sound cutting in and out. Don't know if it's their connection that's bad or mine.

[ZachTheZip]

What's his number?

[ZachTheZip]

Never mind. It's #44, of course.

[akronzips71]

In a pre-game interview, the Red Claws' coach said that they're happy to have a second 7-foot rim protector on their roster, and that Zeke will alternate with their other center. He said they've thrown a lot at Zeke in a short time and that they're pleased with how quickly he's caught on. But he said they won't have unrealistic expectations for Zeke while he's learning all the team plays. The only bad part is that the YouTube video is choppy, with the sound cutting in and out. Don't know if it's their connection that's bad or mine.

Zeke looks very comfortable at this level.

IMHO, Zeke needs minutes to perform. He is not an off the bench performer, he needs to be in the flow of the game. But he did alter several shots as well as a block and I think credit for a steal.

[Dave in Green]

For anyone who wants to go back and just watch Zeke in the game video replay, it's pretty simple. He came in at the beginning of the 2nd quarter, played 5:33 and didn't return to the game. They were just giving him a chance to get a taste of game play even though he hasn't had time to become familiar with the team's plays. Looking at the box score, Zeke had mixed results. He missed his only shot -- a point blank layup -- and hit only 1 of 2 free throws. But he had 4 rebounds (2 offensive and 2 defensive) and 2 blocked shots in his brief 5:33. He actually had the third best +/- for the Red Claws with a neutral 0 as one player had a +2, one had a +1 and the rest of the lineup all had negative ratings in an 11-point team loss. It will be interesting to see how quickly his performance improves as he becomes more integrated into the team.

[Zipmeister]

He is leading the team at this point in salary per point scored.

[Dave in Green]

The Red Claws are playing the Armor again tonight, this time in Springfield. Game starts at 7 p.m. and will again be live on YouTube (link below). I'll be at the Zips game but will check it out when I get home to see how Zeke does.

[Zipmeister]

The Red Claws are playing the Armor again tonight, this time in Springfield. Game starts at 7 p.m. and will again be live on YouTube (link below). I'll be at the Zips game but will check it out when I get home to see how Zeke does.

WOW. I thought the "crowd" in Maine the other night was sparse, but Springfield takes the cake.

Maybe Akron should apply for a franchise. I bet more than 100 people would show up for most games.

[phil]

Thanks for the video. I watched Zeke play and it was good seeing him again. He is the backup center and you can tell it is like his freshman year where he is on a learning curve. The offense did not flow through the center so there was not much going to Zeke. The starting center seems a little quicker than Zeke and more athletic. I hope Zeke stays with this team and as he gets more confortable we will see big improvement. Would love to see him make the NBA.

Also, the broadcast indicated there was a snowstorm that evening and that explained the sparce attendance.

[Dave in Green]

Zeke played almost twice as long in his second game as his first -- 9:26 vs. 5:33 -- and the results were mixed. On the one hand he had a perfect shooting performance of 1-1 from the field and 2-2 free throws. But he only had 2 rebounds vs. 4 in his first game, and he also had 4 turnovers and picked up 4 fouls. Zeke has a steep learning curve ahead of him. The D-League is full of hungry, talented players on the fringe of the NBA fighting hard to get a shot at a big contract.