Saturday morning, a group of professional basketball hopefuls gathered at PNY Center for the Springfield Armor open tryouts. WIth Milton Lee, Bob MacKinnon and Chris Carrawell watching, more than 100 players went through conditioning drills and more.
Bob MacKinnon took the Springfield Armor from the D-League's worst record to the Eastern Conference championship before losing to the Canton Charge in the first round, but while the Armor's season is over, his is not. MacKinnon, a leading candidate for Coach of the Year, is serving as assistant coach with the Nets this week.
Despite having its four best scorers in NBA training camps --three with the Nets and one with the Trail Blazers-- the Armor won their fourth straight. It was the first time the Armor has ever won four straight in its two-plus years of existence. They are also 5-1 and lead the D-League's Eastern Division.
The day has been filled with bad news, but if you're looking for some hope, Gary Sussman and the D-League staff have a bit to offer: the inside story of how the Springfield Armor got their man, 6'10" Chris Taft, in the D-League Draft.
The Armor will have six returning players from last year's team and have seven picks in the D-League Draft Thursday night, starting with #17 overall. Their other picks are numbers 46, 47, 78, 79, 100 and 101.
Among the 46 prospects (in some cases a generous description) who tried out for the Armor yesterday was Jay King, a reporter for the Springfield Republican, who last played for Skidmore College Thoroughbreds. Jay King probably didn't make the cut, but he didn't "toss any cookies" and was treated kindly.
n their two years of existence, the Springfield Armor have won 20 out of 100 games and until this year had no NBA parent with more than a passing interest. Now, with the hybrid affiliation, the Armor is hoping everything changes.
Scott Schroeder of SB Nation's Ridiculous Upside reports that the Nets have chosen Bob MacKinnon Jr. head coach of the Springfield Armor, an appointment that will be made official Wednesday in Massachusetts. MacKinnon already has a D-League championship to his credit winning with the Colorado 14ers in 2009.
Adrian Wojnarowski is tweeting that the Nets have hired Bob MacKinnon Jr., who led the Colorado 14ers to a D-League championship in 2009, as coach the Springfield Armor. As Armor coach, MacKinnon will be a Nets employee. MacKinnon's father was head coach and general manager of the Nets in the 1980's.
