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Happy Monday everyone. As you've probably noticed it's been a bit of a slow week here at the blog with the Wizards on the road for an extended trip. High school state tournaments are quickly approaching so some of our time has been dedicated towards preparing for that, but we should be back on track with our coverage starting today. 

This week's edition of Wizards Watch was a solo endeavor but there was still plenty to discuss so click and enjoy!
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NBC North Dakota Sports has confirmed initial reports from Ridiculous Upside's Scott Schroeder, that the Dakota Wizards have claimed former Milwaukee Buck Darington Hobson off waivers. A second-round selection in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Bucks, Hobson appeared in just five games in the NBA this season, averaging less than one point and just over one assist in eight minutes. He did however appear in eight games with Milwaukee's D-League affiliate the Forth Wayne Mad Ants, where he posted averages of nearly 11 points and five rebounds. 

Immediately following his acquisition, the Wizards then waived the former Lobo standout due to personal reasons. This move gives Dakota Hobson's rights, but allows them time to make a decision before finalizing any roster moves at the present time.

At 6-foot-7 and capable of playing the shooting guard or small forward positions, Hobson gives the Wizards another versatile scorer and playmaker, much in the same mold as All-Star Edwin Ubiles, though with a little more explosive athleticism. Furthermore, don't be surprised to see him at the point a little bit as well. During his tenure with Fort Wayne, Hobson did spend some time running the offense in hopes of grooming him for that role in the NBA. This is a great addition for the roster following the loss of rookie forward Chris Wright who was recalled by the Golden State Warriors after a brief stint in the D-League. Hobson is technically classified as a rookie this season after missing all of last year due to a hip injury that required surgery. 

In his senior season at New Mexico, Hobson posted averages of 
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As you can tell it's been pretty quiet here for the last several days - but there's good reason. Wizards center Tommy Smith is one of the best feel good stories in the D-League, overcoming a troubled past to return to pro basketball and make the most of his second chance. His story is a tremendously interesting one and Smith was extremely open and candid in telling in. This originally aired last night on KFYR-TV, but you can watch it below.
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The Jump Off
In a 50-game season it's probably fool hardy to label a seven-game stretch that coincides with the midway point of the schedule as potentially the defining stretch for a team - but something about the road trip the Wizards are about to embark on has that feel to it. Part of it has to do with Dakota's current standing: one game below .500 and one game out of the playoff picture. More of it unquestionably has to do with the current look of the roster with the recent additions of Chris Wright, Stef Hannah and Taylor Griffin that yielded a 20-point win over Iowa on Saturday. 

In reality, this road trip likely doesn't end up defining the season unless the Wizards go 7-0 or 0-7 over the next three weeks, but the looming potential for a major statement to the rest of the league is tangible. Was Saturday a preview or an aberration? We'll know in less than 12 hours.

Tale Of The Tape
Dakota Wizards: 11-12
Offensive Efficiency: 105.2
Defensive Efficiency: 103.9

Iowa Energy: 17-7
Offensive Efficiency: 105.8
Defensive Efficiency: 102.2  
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Happy Monday everyone. With the Wizards back in Bismarck briefly, Nate Bjorkgren returned to the studio for his first appearance on the show in a few weeks. The arrival of Golden State Warriors rookie Chris Wright was a major topic of discussion, as was Dakota's dominating win over East Conference-leading Iowa and the Wizards impending three-week road trip that begins on Friday. Enjoy!
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Don't be fooled by the title of this post - the Wizards aren't exactly in dire need of upgrades across the board, more a clean bill of health. With that said, no one is going to confuse the additions of Chris Wright, Taylor Griffin and Stefhon Hannah as a bad thing.

Wright gives the Wizards a level of athleticism that is unmatched by anyone else on the roster, plus along with Griffin, provides Dakota with a pair of versatile forwards that will bolster the frontcourt. Hannah adds another dimension to the offense in that he can be a solid back-up to Mo Baker at the point guard spot and spell the veteran for longer stretches. Not to take away from the job rookie Justin Johnson has done, but frankly he is more of an undersized shooting guard at this point than a pure playmkers. Hannah isn't a true point either, but is certainly moreso than the youngster and as Nate Bjorkgren said at practice on Thursday, he provides "90 feet of defense".

All three make their Civic Center debuts tonight as the Wizards host Iowa - a team they fell to 110-106 a little over a week ago. Here are a few thoughts prior to tonight's tip.

 - Generally speaking Iowa was pretty balanced in their offensive play-type breakdown in the first meeting between these two clubs, but not surprisingly the pick-and-roll was the most prevalent set in their attack. There may not be a better pick-and-roll facilitator in the history of the D-League than Curtis Stinson and the Wizards have to contain him here. Overall, the Energy ran this set 21 times, shooting a respectable 7-of-18 overall. On a positive note, Dakota limited Iowa to just 1-of-3 from the perimeter on pick-and-roll sets.

 - On a less upbeat note, the Wizards got eaten alive inside. Overall, Iowa scored 62 points in the paint, shooting 10-of-14 on post touches. The additions of Wright and Griffin give Dakota a little more muscle and explosiveness around the rim - so their presence should hopefully prevent another ridiculously efficient night on the blocks for Iowa.

 - Another area where Griffin and Wright should help is with post offense. In one of the more bizarre statistical outlier cases in the D-League this season , the Wizards are the most efficient team in the league finishing at the rim, but are dead last when it comes to low post scoring efficiency. Curtis Withers has issues on the block given his size and lack of explosive leaping ability, while defenses have been making more of an effort to keep Tommy Smith forced out of the lane. Griffin in particular has the muscle to bang on the block and either score himself, or help alleviate some of the pressure on others when the ball is entered inside.

 - As we've mentioned, Stef Hannah's presence should help keep the ball moving on offense, but this last meeting with Iowa was one of the worst this year as far as the Wizards inability to distribute. Dakota mustered just 14 assists on 39 made field goals, but thanks to the hot shooting of Edwin Ubiles and Mo Baker were able to shoot 46% from the floor. The most telling numbers in the Wizards offensive synergy (or lack there of) come when we look at their play-type breakdown. Despite running 21 pick-and-roll sets, not once did Dakota hit the screener out of this set. Furthermore, in isolation sets where the defense committed an additional defender to the ball-handler (meaning someone else on the floor is left unguarded) only three times was the ball passed to someone else. That is a tremedous lack of shot creating for others - something the Wizards can't afford to do tonight.
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So the Wizards have made some moves in the last week - you may have heard. In addition to re-acquiring forward Taylor Griffin and adding veteran guard Stefhon Hannah to the roster, the Golden State Warriors assigned rookie forward Chris Wright as well. We've given you the rundown on each individual, we've broken them down on Wizards Watch, but due to Dakota's recent road swing, we haven't had the chance to speak with the man charged with assimilating these three pieces into the Wizards roster.

We caught up with head coach Nate Bjorkgren yesterday at the Bismarck YMCA during Wizards practice to get his take on all three. There will be plenty more analysis on the way prior to Dakota's Saturday night meeting with Iowa at the Civic Center, but until then, take a listen to how Bjorkgren sees the new trio fitting in.
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The Warriors purchased the Dakota Wizards this summer with the intent of utilizing this one-on-one relationship to develop future talent - this afternoon they took the first true step towards doing that. Golden State announced this afternoon that they are assigning rookie forward Chris Wright to Bismarck. Wright was undrafted by the NBA following a standout career at Dayton, but was the third overall pick in the D-League draft this fall by the Maine Red Claws. He was called up to Warriors training camp in December before making the opening night roster.

His minutes in the NBA have been limited, as Wright appeared in just five games, totaling 16 minutes, five points and four rebounds. During his four games in the D-League however, the hyper athletic forward averaged 17 points and nearly 11 rebounds. Wright is expected to be in uniform for the Wizards next game Saturday night, when they host the Iowa Energy.
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Wizards Chalkboard is a semi-regular series in which we look at the X's and O's of basketball and some of the key sets and plays from recent Wizards games. Today we look back on the Wizards thrilling double-overtime win over the Tulsa 66ers on January 13th - specifically the final play of the first overtime in which Mike Anderson tied the game on a last second jumper with .9 seconds remaining. 

Games like the Wizards 113-109 win over Tulsa a little less than two weeks ago are reasons why I, and so many others, love basketball. Fortunes can change in an instant. It really isn't over until it's over - even with less than a second to play. Mike Anderson's fallaway jumper as time expired at the Civic Center sent the arena into a frenzy, gave Dakota new life and powered the men in purple to a win that stands as the most exciting of the season to date. The play itself was based on the simple principle that so many coaches preach to their defenses: beware the screener. More often than not on any play involving a screen, it's the player setting the screen who is the most open give the attention being given by the defense to the man cutting off of the screen. Let's look at how the play broke down to better illustrate this point.
The Wizards obviously had a lineup of shooters on the floor for this play, in desperate need of a basket to tie or win the game. Shy Ely is the man inbounding on the nearside, with Mo Baker on the opposite wing, Justin Johnson down on the far block, while Mike Anderson and Edwin Ubiles are in a stack at the foul line. As the play begins Baker cuts off of Anderson and Ubiles and rotates down towards the near corner - but only as a decoy. You'll notice on many plays like this one, the first man to move rarely gets the ball, unless absolutely wide open. This initial movement serves to a) hopefully distract the defense from where they want the play to develop and b) force the defense to commit a defender at the risk of leaving a shooter open.
As Baker clears the stack, Anderson sets a quick screen freeing Ubiles to flash to the top of the key. Again, Ubiles is an option here if left totally wide open, but in this case he serves as a decoy. As soon as he clears the screen, Anderson flashes to the ball at the near side elbow and Ely delivers.
Of course we know how the rest plays out: Anderson hits the shot and propels the Wizards to a win. Credit Tulsa though, as you can see the shot is well defended despite a well devised plan by Dakota, Anderson just manages to get the shot off and connect.
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I hope everyone had a good start to their week, and if you didn't, then maybe the latest edition of "Best Of" will help turn things around for you. With the Wizards in Tulsa (a game they lost), Director of Media Relations Scott Woodmansee was out guest again this week in the studio. Among other things, we discuss the return of Taylor Griffin, the impact new acquisition Stefhon Hannah will have on Dakota's offense and dive into some highlights from Saturday's win over Springfield at the Civic Center.
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