Mychel Thompson "Rains" Supreme, DFenders Fall

       Mychel Thompson was on fire Sunday night in El Segundo, particularly in the third period of play when he went back-to-back threes in a matter of 30 seconds and scored an additional two-point bucket to score 8 points in about a minute-and-a-half of play.  Bingo Bango... BooYa!  Perhaps MT was inspired by the "alleged" comments of DFenders' Coach Phil Hubbard when he remarked that there were "no shooters" on the floor.  Meanwhile, MT WAS ON THE FLOOR.. it was the third period.. he scored 16 of his game-high 30 on 12-16 shooting from the floor, 5-8 from three, three steals, 4 boards, 4 assists, and, uh.. err... ONE-for-FIVE FTs ?! C'Mon MT! J/K The "FTs" were the only flaw in his game as the young Thompson was simply nails all over the floor and he was hitting deep balls with tremendous lift on his jumper.  Strong Game from the SoCal-er Gone NoCal, Indeed.

Everyone watched as MT drained Threes from Deep

D-Fenders Win THIRD in a row, set single game scoring record with 175 !

The DFenders set a single-game scoring record with 175 Points in win over the Reno BigHorns Saturday Night (12-20-14).  In the D-Fenders previous game, the starting guards (3) combined for 65.  In this record-breaking contest the three starting guards combined for 87! Manny Harris went for 39/10/13 on the trip dub, Vander Blue had another NICE game with 26 pts., and Keith Appling gets that "high efficiency" award from Blue with 22 points on 8-10 FG, 3-4 3FG, and 3-4 FT.  Jabari Brown came off the bench for 28 pts to make the 4 guards go for 115 of the team's 175 (66% of the pt total). #Ridic

I take Vander ALL DAY

Vander Blue is playing ball at a high level right now and the D-Fenders are winning games.  Coincidence?  Blue follows up last game's "high efficiency" of 22 points on 9-11 FG, 1-1 3pt, 3-3 FT, with: 26 points on 10-16 FG, 1-2 3pt, 5-6 FT, 4 Bds, led the team with 12 Assists and had only 3 Turnovers.  Blue needs to be productive for this team to succeed.  He has been of late but he, and the team, struggled through the first handful of games.  Blue was one of the best all-around guards last season in "the D," and this year is no different.  His current stats (13.9, 4.5, 3.8) may not tell the complete story as the season is still young, but it does speak to his all-around game.  The team is on a nice little win-streak (3) and Vander has scored 73 points during this stretch.  Currently not listed in the NBA D-League's "Top 30 prospects," Vander is sure to land on this list soon enough if he keeps up his level of play.  Meanwhile, Brady Heslip, #9 on the "Prospect Watch" list with a 28.3 ppg avg went 8-22 FG, 7-19 3 pt and 1-2 FT.  That stat line tells "his" story.  CLEARLY a specialist.  Teams need that.  But, if you are looking for all-around game I take Vander ALL day.  Of course, I have bias.. #GoDFenders

Twin Towers? The DFenders new Big Man Ater Majok activated

Welcome, Mr. Majok

Ater Majok is now officially a Los Angeles DFender. 

 The former second-round pick (#58 in 2011) of the Los Angeles Lakers should be good-to-go.

CLICK HERE for PRESS RELEASE.

Like Eloy Vargas, also newly acquired this season , Mr. Majok has had to wait for clearance regarding international visa issues.  He is ready to go now, but will he play 

tonight vs the Idaho Stampede (tip-off 6:30 pm in El Segundo)? 

The DFenders are desperate for a win.  While the Varsity squad is coming off a nice victory vs the San Antonio Spurs in Overtime (112-110), the JV squad lost to the Toros, San Antonio's D-League team, Thursday night (12-11-14) 121-106. OUCH!

The Stampede bring with them seven guys averaging double figures in points.  One of those players is leading scorer Kevin Murphy ( 23.7 ppg, 4.6 RPG, 4.4 APG ) who is a familiar face to the Lakers organization.  Murphy, one of "the D's" top prospects last season, was invited to the Lakers NBA Summer League squad.  He had some nice moments, but overall just didn't show enough to make an impact.  Let's hope THAT doesn't play a motivating factor in the game tonight that might end up being Ater Majok's  debut in a DFenders' uniform.

Speaking of motivation:

Is motivation lacking for this Talented NBA D-League roster?

Will the addition of Mr. Majok spark the DFenders?

He SHOULD spark something as he is another 7-footer (listed at 6-10) that is hungry for "the League" and is moving and hustling with extreme determination.

It seems this "team" is missing something.  Most of  "us" Laker Fans, even the most loyal and myopic, realize by now that the Lakers' Roster just does not measure up to the top half of the league.

This is NOT true for the DFenders who at 2-10 are losing games with large margin.  They are giving up way too many buckets in transition, suffer tremendously with a key fundamental in blocking out their opponents, and the opposition seems to glide to the rim with ease and most times score at will.

Where is the D-Fense?

Travis Hyman and Eloy Vargas are mobile bigs that can block shots.  Enter Ater Majok.  He is too.  At some point, now with THREE 7-footers, Coach Phil Hubbard will be forced to play ball with his "twin towers."

Eloy wants to stretch.  Let him stretch.  Use a high-low game with triangle offense application and allow Manny his space as well.  Employ a new defense? Where is the zone or zone-trap extended?

Something needs to happen for this team for not only tonight's game vs the Stampede, but going forward.  They are too talented with at least 4 "cusp (NBA) players" (Manny Harris, Vander Blue, Roscoe Smith, Eloy Vargas) and a couple others (Jabari Brown, Josiah Turner) not far behind. 

They have the speed. 

They have the talent.

They have "the Towers.."

Welcome,

   Mr. Majok...

Let's start D-Fending the RIM !! 

Someone NEEDS to and tonight's contest will be a nice test.  The Stampede, in spite of the 3-6 record bring the D's 4th highest point per game total at 116.4.  WHO will step up for the DFenders and put their "STAMP" on this game?  OR, will Idaho bring a true STAMPede?

We shall see...