The Suns have assigned rookie forward Earl Clark to the Iowa Energy of the Development League. It is the Suns' second D-League assignment this year following Taylor Griffin's stint. If you're a Phoenix fan hopeful of watching Clark back on the Phoenix bench where he's been for the vast majority of this season, don't get too worked up. If Clark's assignment is what the Suns often do, he'll be back real soon.
The Suns use a popular assignment system that's based on a fixed schedule. As opposed to just tossing a player down and saying "good luck, Sun," the Suns put players on a regular schedule. They'll send their players down for a regularly timed interval, focused mostly on playing time. They've used this practice in the past with Alando Tucker and other rookies to limited success.
For the Energy, this is a blessing and a curse. They get a player with legit NBA-talent to add to the team with the D-League's best record and a lock for the playoffs. But they also have to integrate a new player for a short period of time ho doesn't want to be there but is going to get time on the floor, while trying to a) win games, and b) boost their own standings in the hopes of a callup.
The Suns seem to like the scheduled system and that's what the D-League is for, to help the NBA. But it's also got to be a trip for the teams to adjust on the fly like that.
Life in the D-League.




