Sims’ Triumphant Return

On December 29, inDsports reported, “Courtney Sims officially in CSKA Moscow.” We can now change that to “Courtney Sims officially [lasted 12 minutes] in CSKA Moscow.” USBasket reports:

The reigning NBA D-League Most Valuable Player, Courtney Sims (6’11”-C-83, college: Michigan), has returned to the Iowa Energy. The 6-11 Sims returns to the D-league after an unsuccessful stint with Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow. The former Michigan big man appeared in only one Euroleague game with CSKA, scoring six points in 12 minutes and was in fact replaced earlier this month with former D-League star Pops Mensah-Bonsu (6’9”-F-83, college: George Washington). Last year with the Energy, Sims appeared in 32 games and was fifth in the league in scoring (22.8ppg), third in rebounding (11.0rpg) to go along with 1.5 assists and 2.0 blocks all while leading the league in field goal percentage (60.5%). In addition to being named MVP, Sims was also Co-MVP of the D-League All-Star Game along with Blake Ahearn (6’2”-G-84, college: Missouri St.). Sims is in his third professional season and will make his 2009-10 D-league season debut on Saturday night as the Energy take on the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants at 11pm EST on a nationally broadcast game on Versus.

It’s a shame that Mad Ants star Ron Howard will be missing as he is still recovering from an injury. The Mad Ants certainly miss his 22.4 PPG. This could still be a fun game to watch anyway. Sims should be playing with a chip on his shoulder after all those wasted frequent flier miles. If you are one of the few people who actually have access to Versus, watch it!

Update 1/25/10:

Sims was 7-9 with 17 points and 9 rebounds in only 23 minutes in his return game with the Iowa Energy in their 120-97  win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Saturday. (Recap/Box)

Izzo benches his point guard?

USBasket’s Kevin Cochran reports,

Michigan St. was picked as high as #2 in the preseason polls. The Spartans are now at #11 after a 9-3 start, and coach Tom Izzo feels the need to send a message to his club. Tuesday, Izzo benched point guard Kalin Lucas, the team’s floor leader, with the hope of sending a message to his club.

Izzo says Lucas needs to take more responsibility and spend time thinking about his leadership role on the team. Lucas led the Spartans to the championship game last season, where they fell to North Carolina.

Lucas is averaging almost 16 points per game, and is not being suspended. His status for tomorrow’s game with Texas-Arlington is unknown.

Is benching your point guard, your team leader, an affective strategy for recovering a talented by struggling team? It will be interesting to see how Izzo’s strategy works out.

As for how it will affect play, I wouldn’t worry too much. Izzo has recruited and developed an exceptionally deep squad at MSU.

Update (12/30/09):

Lucas played 29 minutes and scored 16 points today against Texas-Arlington. These stats are right at his season average.

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Courtney Sims officially in CSKA Moscow

EuroBasket reports that Courtney Sims, former Michigan Wolverine and Pacer, Sun, and Knick in the NBA, has signed with CSKA Moscow.

CSKA Vice President Natalia Furvaeva said in the announcement that CSKA had been needing help at the center position. Sims has not played in two months and was an easy player to pick up in the middle of the year.

Sims bounced around the NBA, playing small minutes for three teams and spending some time in the Development League as well. He put up 6 points and 6 rebounds in 24 minutes in the 5 games he played in the NBA. Playing for the Iowa Energy, he was the 2009 NBDL MVP, having put up 22.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocked shots in 32 games. He was cut from the Atlanta Hawks in the 2009 preseason.

CSKA could be a good breakout opportunity for Sims. Sitting atop the A Superleague standings at 8-0, they are one of the top international programs. I will keep an eye on the Sport-Scene.net tracker, where you can occasionally download and watch a televised CSKA game. I will also track EuroBasket’s Russia news for updates on his performance there.

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Update, 01/23/2010:

Courtney Sims officially [lasted 12 minutes] in CSKA Moscow! USBasket reports:

The reigning NBA D-League Most Valuable Player, Courtney Sims (6’11”-C-83, college: Michigan), has returned to the Iowa Energy. The 6-11 Sims returns to the D-league after an unsuccessful stint with Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow. The former Michigan big man appeared in only one Euroleague game with CSKA, scoring six points in 12 minutes and was in fact replaced earlier this month with former D-League star Pops Mensah-Bonsu (6’9”-F-83, college: George Washington). Last year with the Energy, Sims appeared in 32 games and was fifth in the league in scoring (22.8ppg), third in rebounding (11.0rpg) to go along with 1.5 assists and 2.0 blocks all while leading the league in field goal percentage (60.5%). In addition to being named MVP, Sims was also Co-MVP of the D-League All-Star Game along with Blake Ahearn (6’2”-G-84, college: Missouri St.). Sims is in his third professional season and will make his 2009-10 D-league season debut on Saturday night as the Energy take on the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants at 11pm EST on a nationally broadcast game on Versus.

It’s a shame that Mad Ants star Ron Howard will be missing as he is still recovering from an injury. The Mad Ants certainly miss his 22.4 PPG. This could still be a fun game to watch anyway. Sims should be playing with a chip on his shoulder after all those wasted frequent flier miles. If you are one of the few people who actually have access to Versus, watch it!