The Armor broke a six-game losing streak Wednesday, beating the Sioux Falls Skyforce, thanks to big games from Willie Reed and Carleton Scott, their starting forward. Reed and Scott scored 23 each, Reed impressing with two monster put-back slams.
The D-League Showcase takes place this week in Reno, with all 16 development league teams playing four games a day over four days. It's a chance for NBA execs to scout the top prospects in one place. Milton Lee, Armor GM, was interviewed by NBA TV.
Bob MacKinnon took the Armor to the Eastern Conference championship last season and three years ago won it all with Colorado 14ers. This year, the Armor is struggling and he thinks he knows why: His team is very young. They've lost five straight.
The lone bright spot in the Armor loss Thursday was the return of Dennis Horner, the 6'9" PF from Atlantic City and North Carolina State. Horner opened last season with the Nets, was sent down and then called up later. He had been playing in Germany
A bad case of the flu has the Springfield Armor down. James Mays, Springfield's 6'9" center and a call-up candidate, has missed three straight games with the flu, all of the losses. The latest came Monday to the Maine Red Claws, a 105-84 blowout.
Ben Uzoh, the former Net, scored 17 points in the Armor's 88-79 loss to the D-League's best team, the Santa Cruz Warriors, Friday night. Bob McKinnon, Armor coach, seemed to indicate that an NBA team, not the Nets, may be calling Uzoh up soon.
Led by 6'11" Jeremy Tyler, a Golden State power forward, the Santa Cruz Warriors defeated the Armor in California Thursday night. Tyler had 23 and 11 with James Mays of the Armor out with the flu. Carleton Scott hit five three's for the Armor.
Behind solid performances by two Nets training camp invites, the Springfield Armor ended their four-game losing streak Saturday. Carleton Scott finished with a double-double and James Mays, the D-League's leading rebounder had 20 points and 8 boards.
After one game, that produced a triple double for one of them and a 32-point performance by the other, the Nets have recalled Toko Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor from the Springfield Armor. They got a chance to play, the Nets a chance to watch them.
Toko Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor didn't get the win in their Armor debut but they made heads turn in Springfield Friday. Shengelia finished with a triple double and came within two steals and two steals of a 5x5 while Taylor scored 32 points.
