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)

Grizzlies sign “Done Ruthless”

Inside Hoops reports,

The Memphis Grizzlies claimed Memphis native Lester Hudson off waivers, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced Friday (January 8). Hudson was available after being waived by the Boston Celtics on Jan. 6.

“We are excited to acquire Lester Hudson off waivers,” Wallace said. “Lester is a player we thought of highly in the pre-draft process. He earned favorable reviews for his performance during his brief time with the Celtics. He is an athletic, tough combo guard who was one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball over his two years at the University of Tennessee at Martin. It is a wonderful day for the Grizzlies to be able to bring this Memphian back home to continue his NBA career.”

The 6-3, 190-pound rookie guard averaged 1.4 points and 0.5 assists in 4.4 minutes in 16 appearances this season with the Celtics, who selected him in the second round (58th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. Boston also assigned Hudson to two different stints with their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, where the 25-year-old posted 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 28.0 minutes in five games.

One of the most explosive scorers in the NCAA in recent years, Hudson ranked second in the nation in scoring in 2008-09 behind current Golden State Warriors rookie Stephen Curry, averaging 27.5 points as well as 7.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.34 steals in his senior season with the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks. In his junior year, Hudson became the first men’s player in Division I history to record a quadruple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals on Nov. 13, 2007 vs. Central Baptist College.

The native Memphian transferred to UT-Martin after playing his first two seasons at Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis.

The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 14 players.

inDsports has been tracking the progress of Hudson’s progress in the NBA and D-League after his impressive college career at UT-Martin earned him the nickname “Done Ruthless.”

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!

Celtics re-assign Lester Hudson to D-Leagueor

InsideHoops.com reports,

The Boston Celtics announced today that guard Lester Hudson has been reassigned to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League. This is Hudson’s second assignment to the Red Claws this season.

Hudson, a 6’3” guard, appeared in three games for the Red Claws earlier in the season and averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 34.0 minutes per game.

Lester Hudson, nicknamed “Done Ruthless” by fans at The Mid-Majority, is in his rookie year in the NBA. In his senior year at Tennessee-Martin, Hudson scored 27.5 PPG and led his team to a 22-10 record, including their first-ever OVC Championship and an appearance in the NIT Postseason Tournament.

Hudson was the 58th overall pick in the NBA draft. He played some impressive minutes early in the season, but has not been given playing time in recent games leading up to his move to D-league.

Hudson’s stats for the Celtics:

G: 14 Min: 3.8 PTS: 1.1 FG: 4-14, .286 3PT: 2-4, .500 FT: 5-6, .833

RB: 0.4 AST: 0.4 TO: 0.36 STL: 0.21 BLK: 0.14 PF: 0.43

No doubt, mid-major fans and those of us here at inDsports will be tracking his progress for the Red Claws and looking forward to his return to the NBA soon.

Update (12/28/09):

In his first game returning to the Red Claws, “Done Ruthless” played 24 minutes and shot 7-14 from the field, scoring 21 points. He added five rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

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