Full Court Press: Off The Bench - Week 3

Stephen Jackson and the rest of the Bar Brawlers were the latest team to fall to the expansion Rebels, who sit near the top of the standings, along with five other non-playoff teams from a year ago. Now Jackson and Dublin face off against defending champs Allen Iverson and the Montreal Death Piggys in Week 3, the same team that kicked them out of the playoffs a season ago. It's early in the season, but are the first two weeks of the season an aberration or a sign of what's to come?



Off The Bench - Week 3
By: Courtney Hysocs

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Expansion Contention

The EHBA is off to a fast start, with a few surprise teams starting off hot, including both expansion teams, both of whom sit in the top three of the EHBA standings after the first two weeks of the season. South Carolina has had to go through two playoff teams (Las Vegas and Dublin), while Bridgewater faced off against a low ranked Fitch in week 1, but then had to travel to Rakeville to face the 2007/08 runner up.

"As a new team we had something to prove. We went into Rakeville knowing we had to win in order to put this franchise on the map," said Phenom starting shooting guard Kobe Bryant.

The cities of Bridgewater and Rakeville have long owned one of the countries most fierce rivalries, stemming from the EHCC where the Rockets and Weasels have fought it out for 8 years now.

"When you have two teams in such close proximity you're bound to have some conflicts," stated a fan who chose to stick with the Rockets, and all other Rakeville-based teams, when the Weasels moved from Bellingham to Bridgewater in 2003, "...they [Weasels] just couldn't handle the heat so they fled. I can't root for a franchise like that."

The Phenoms, Bellinghams' second pro-team, are now 12-6 in their first season in the EHBA, winning their first two games.

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Surprise! Surprise!

Not only are there a few surprises on top of the EHBA standings, but a few players have stood out in the league that were less than ideal draft picks this year. After just two weeks, here's a few players that have given their new teams high reward so far this season, even if it they were thought to be a risky pick at the time:

R6P7 - Senser Hawes (TKO)
Hawes has seen increased laying time due to the suspension to starter Brad Miller, and Tokyo is reaping all the benefits. Hawes has put up better numbers so far this season than any other layer eligible at Center besides Amare Stoudemire. Hawes laying time, and thus his production, should dwindle in the coming days and weeks however, with Miller's pending return. Still, thus far, great reward for Tokyo with a low round pick.

R6P1 - Tayshawn Prince (COL)
Colorado knew what they had when they picked up Prince at the beginning of the 6th round. Though Tayshawn isn't putting up exceptional numbers in any one category, his overall game is balanced and above average. He has helped the Bears in just about every category, and does not turn the ball over. Seems like a great late round pick thus far.

R2P7 - Ben Gordon (LV)
Gordon wasn't a low round pick, but he's producing like a top 3 keeper on any roster after the first two weeks. He currently sits tied for 2nd in the league in 3TM and tied for 8th in total points. Gordon should continue his production from behind the arc for the Lizards, who drafted him for just that and little else.

R2P12 - Zydrunas Ilgauskas (MTL)
Another not-so-late round pick, Ilgauskas has produced well enough to convince Montreal brass they made the right choice between him and center Chris Kaman at the end of the second round. Ilgauskas doesn't excel in the typical categories expected out of a center such as rebounds and blocks, but he also doesn't hurt in the typical categories expected out of the position such as FG%, FT%, and Turnovers.

R3P1 - Chris Kaman (FIT)
As far as "leftovers" go, Kaman hasn't been too disappointing thus far. He's top three in the EHBA in rebounds, and to 5 in blocks. He's keeping his FG% over .500 so far, and has been a pleasent surprise for the Foo Fighters thus far this season. Fitch was "stuck" picking Kaman after Montreal selected a more well-rounded Igauskas the pick prior. It seems both teams should be happy with their selections.

Honorable Mention
R5P4 - Chris Duhon (TKO) - Tokyo got what they wanted out of Duhon thus far - Assists. Duhon is in the to 10 in the category int he EHBA, but is adding little else to the Vegans' offense.

R6P4 - Travis Outlaw (MTL) - Montreal did get one late round gem, at least based on his performance in the first two weeks of the season. Outlaw has been a great all around layer for the defending champs off their bench.

R4P5 - Luis Scola (TIJ) - Scola has a perfect FT% threw the first two weeks of play, not so typical for a big man.

R7P5 - Grant Hill (LV) - The veteran returned to Las Vegas and is helping mold some of their young talent by giving them a defensive standard to reach and surpass on the court. Hill currently ranks second only to Chris Paul on the Lizards with 11 steals.

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Week 3 In The Key Matchups

South Carolina @ Colorado
Dwight Howard returns to Denver to face off against his former team. The Bears currently sit in last lace int he EHBA, but that can be accredited to injuries more than poor play. Look for the expansion team to make it three in a row at Colorado's expense.

Dublin @ Montreal
Last year Montreal kicked the Brawlers out of the playoffs on their way to an EHBA championship. Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett should help propel Montreal back to the to half of the standings after this matchup is over.

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Expectations

Rakeville over Las Vegas (5-4)
Montreal over Dublin (7-2)
South Carolina over Colorado (6-3)
Tokyo over Tijuana (7-2)
Peoria over Fitch (6-3)
Bridgewater over Weymouth (7-2)

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