Notice TRAIL BLAZERS ASSIGN CLIFF ALEXANDER AND LUIS MONTERO TO D-LEAGUE’S SANTA CRUZ WARRIORS

Montero tries a McCollum scooby-doo scoop looping his arm under the basket and misses by 5 feet. But it was a McCollum move, so he's ambitious. 50-41, we're down. I'm good luck. We were down 2 a minute ago when I started watching and Montero came in..

 

Montero steals the ball on a bad pass, then while passing downcourt collides with an opponent. Clear path foul, Montero will shoot free throws. Makes both, has 10 points.

 

Montero receives a pass under the basket on the fast break, manages to foul without getting off a shot.

 

Jabari Brown makes his free throws. Then Montero gets his 3rd foul. It was almost on Alexander. Now Montero tips it in later. Alexander looks beefy out there and gets a rebound.

 

Pendergraph gets fouled, slams the ball on the floor. He's playing emotionally. His maiden name is Ayres but then he got married.

 

It's 3 minutes left in the 2nd quarter and we're down 3, 57-54. The Los Angeles D-Fenders wear uniforms identical to the Lakers, to intimidate their parent team. The Lakers don't want to play them. It would be ugly.

 

Ayres is taller than Alex (my abbreviation for Cliff Alexander) and tips the rebound over Alex. Gomes plays for the L.A. D-Fenders--is that the old Gomes we waived a couple of years ago or is the new young Gomes? I can't keep track of all the Gomes in this world.

 

We have a player named Udolpia whose name is constantly said by commentators and I keep thinking of Utopia. Someone on our team named Kraft is prominent, too, and at the last second of the half, he put one in and tied it at halftime! I can hold my head high! We had been way behind.

 

Here in Surf City, the handsome thin assistant coach James Andrisevic looks about 22 years old. They did a quick halftime interview and he couldn't be bothered to stand still for long. Surf's calling.

 

Alexander is height-challenged. This will be a problem throughout his 15-year NBA career.

 

Montero starts, opening the 2nd half. He immediately gets fouled while simply dribbling downcourt. Good pro-level action. These guys are no high schoolers.

 

1:08 into the half and he gets fouled again on a quick stepback move. He has learned some tricks. Gomes later stops him from shooting, steals it while I'm typing. Gomes is indeed the old one that we once had. He anticipated Montero's path.

Alex alley oops! Successfully, I mean! He didn't miss it!

 

Jones assists to an Alex 8-footer! The guy is a long range shooter too. Now he's butterfingers and it goes through his hands.

 

After an 8-2 run we are 3 up 70-67. Montero sure dribbles downcourt a lot. Oh yeah I forgot he's a tall guard.

 

Coach is putting it into Montero's hands a lot to feature him. The coach has Alex prominent under the basket in position to rebound every time. Half the time, Montero is passing to Alex, looking for him, probably again by the coach's design. It's his job to give players sent down more prominence than they earn.

 

Now we're down 5. Hell if I know what happened while I was typing. I'm still trying to figure out who Gomes is. I just got a look at his face and this is not the Gomes Olshey received in a trade and then immediately waived. This guy is younger. But the commentators have said how experienced he is, and he's played in Europe for the last couple of years and is giving the NBA one last shot by being in the D-League. Gomes makes smooth experienced plays, tripping Montero of the ball while M dribbles.

 

My non-wireless headphones have a wire to my monitor. When I move my head back the wire jerks my head. I am simply in heaven, watching a D-League game and missing a playoff-important game, the Blazers vs. Orlando. By the way, only the right side of the headphones give sound. The left part doesn't work. I grew up before stereo so this is no problem for my tough AM rock and roll radio ears. I also grew up when my head was jerked forward every time I moved while missing an important Blazer game so hey, no problem, man.

 

Montero got his GED at Westchester Community College, which was doctoring transcripts to make players eligible for NCAA ball. The New York Attorney General investigated but Montero "was not involved." Per the commentator. I knew that except for the state Attorney General part, so I type it as new information.

 

Commentator gave a long version of the movie-like "The Luis Montero Story," which I condensed above, then said Montero's on the bench listening. Said M wants him to go on and on. Might have been joking. M might want it kept quiet. Or maybe M wants any underdog publicity he can get.

 

Typing: Alexander became Alex and now I'll just type A. Montero just became M. 78-76 2:48 left in the 3rd, we're down.

In past years, when Blazer players return to the Blazers from short D-League stints, they get to show their stuff in the next couple of big league games. But these 2 guys are too raw to play.