Today Cheikh Samb is headed 216 miles southwest of the Palace to the Piston’s NBDL affiliate team in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, the Mad Ants, which the Pistons share with the Pacers. There’s no time table for how long Cheikh will be with the D-League Mad Ants.
Cheikh’s first game will come on Thursday Vs. the Dakota Wizards. Dakota is the affiliate to the Washington Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies, who the Pistons will playing on Tuesday. Ironically enough Thursday the 13th will be also be “Pistons Night” in Ft. Wayne where, among other things, the players will be wearing Pistons uniforms.
Cheikh surprised the Pistons coaching staff and fans alike when he got some unlikely minutes Vs. the Lakers back on November 16th because of various injuries to Piston big men. Cheikh appeared to be ahead of everyone’s perceived learning curb for him displaying a shot blocker’s timing and a real center’s presence in the paint that had me envisioning him and Amir Johnson being the fearsome front court of the future.
This move is in no way a demotion as Samb never figured to be in the rotation in the first place. The Pistons are hoping that the extended minutes will do for Samb’s confidence what it did for Amir Johnson’s last season when he was assigned to the then Pistons’ affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Flip Saunders (via: Detroit News)
“It’s an opportunity for him to play and develop,” Saunders said. ” I’m anxious to see him playing a lot down there, with extended minutes. I think he’s got an opportunity to improve everything — offense, defense, shooting.”
ON A SIDE NOTE…
It looks as David Stern’s baby, the synthetic ball, has resurfaced in the D-League. I wonder if it’s some sort of contractual thing with Spalding that kept it around and how do the D-Leaguers like it? You notice the seems are like a light blue-ish color. That’s kinda cool, I guess?
