Tornadoes Strike Oklahoma
Oklahoma Senators Face Difficult Options On Disaster Relief
The San Antonio Spurs needed to add a 13th player by Wednesday after releasing Ime Udoka prior to his contract becoming guaranteed on January 5.Saturday night, the Spurs went ahead and made the decision to call-up Larry Owens (photo, with ball) from the NBA D-League's Tulsa 66ers, a source told FanHouse, to once again come in line with the league's mandate of having at least 13 players on each team's roster. Draft Express first reported on Twitter that Owens was a call-up candidate of the Spurs.
"Larry Owens has been a staple for what the 66ers stand for the past two seasons," 66ers head coach Nate Tibbetts said. "He comes to work every day to improve and he is truly a professional. Everyone in Tulsa is excited and proud of him."
Owens, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Oral Roberts, has amassed averages of 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 73 career regular season games in the D-League. His best D-League performance may have come in his eight playoff games last season, however, as he averaged 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks while making 13 of his 28 shots from three-point territory while leading the 66ers to the championship series.
Though Owens' statistics aren't the most gaudy, and his last two games where he scored just eight points on nine shots aren't going to impress most fans, the work Owens has put in over the past two and a half seasons certainly makes him deserving of a call-up -- especially in the Spurs system.
Owens is probably best as a wiry defender that is able to defend both forward positions in the D-League, but he also seems comfortable in every facet of offense as he can both finish strong on the drive or shoot from beyond the arc. He's also become the perfect complementary player on a team that has included three NBA Draft picks this season -- Cole Aldrich, Latavious Williams and Ryan Reid -- as well as Zabian Dowdell, the first call-up of the season.
Most importantly for his call-up chances, however, might be the fact that Owens' 66ers have a league best 17-6 record and continued winning even without Dowdell as they are currently on a nine-game winning streak. As former D-League coach Bob MacKinnon mentioned last year, winning is one of the most important things when NBA teams look to call-up a D-League player.
Since Owens wasn't at the 66ers game Saturday night, he could be in San Antonio in time for the Spurs game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday evening, though that has yet to be confirmed.
PHOTOS: Tornado Aftermath Leaves Trail Of Destruction
WATCH: Tornadoes Rip Through Central U.S.
WATCH: Tornado Victim Finds Dog During CBS Interview
Apple Blasted For Paying Almost No Taxes On $74 Billion In Income
Obama Reportedly Suggests Putting Off Gay Marriage Controversy In Immigration
CBS Reporter's Grave Allegations
Reporter Cries Covering Moore Tornado
Inhofe: Oklahoma Aid Will Be 'Completely Different' From Sandy Aid
Rand Paul Rips Congress For 'Bullying' Apple
Jon Has Had Enough
WATCH: Mom's Emotional Reunion With Son After Tornado
JPMorgan Chase Defeats Anti-Dimon Proposal
PHOTOS: Tornadoes Wreak Havoc On Central U.S.
Texas Passes 'Merry Christmas Bill'
Right-Wing Church Blames Tornado Devastation On Support For Gay Player
Most American's Don't Approve Of DOJ's AP Investigation
Israel, Syria Exchange Fire Over Border
Obama Approval Remains Steady
Court Annuls Rios Montt Genocide Conviction
Gun Sales Soar In Colorado As Gun Control Laws Pass
Bomb Blasts Claim More Lives In Iraq
Did Pope Francis Perform An Exorcism?
Huge Sinkhole Kills Five In Shenzhen
Police END Search For Susan Powell
Sequestration Weakens Government Watchdogs, Making It Harder To Detect Waste And Fraud
Treasury, IRS Reportedly Spoke Multiple Times About How To Handle Scandal
WATCH: Robert Gibbs Takes Swipe At Maureen Dowd
Sarah Palin: 'Global Warming My Gluteus Maximus'
