Murphy: Allred keeps an even keel as Showcase comes to Boise
The numbers, including five consecutive double-doubles, suggest he is ready and his coach believes he will be called up to the NBA soon. But Idaho Stampede center Lance Allred constantly fights the urge to look ahead.”I’m hearing a lot of things, but I’m trying not to count my eggs before they hatch,” Allred said. “You just keep an even keel or else you could go crazy - you really could.”Allred and the rest of the players in the NBA Development League will find it a little tougher to stay calm when the league’s annual Showcase begins Monday at Qwest Arena.Representatives of all 30 NBA teams and most foreign leagues will be in attendance during the four-day, 14-game event. Each D-League team plays twice.That’s two opportunities to impress the scouts and become the 102nd call-up from the D-League, which began in 2001. Ten players have gotten the call this season, including Idaho’s Luke Jackson, who signed with the Miami Heat.”It lets you know the system is working, and you’re in the right system for if you want to get to the NBA,” said the 6-foot-11 Allred, who is averaging a team-high 18.8 points and 10.6 rebounds.Those kinds of numbers will get him noticed by scouts, who likely already have the 26-year-old on their radar.”I’m not expecting Lance to be here all season,” Stampede coach Bryan Gates said.The Showcase, which is expected to attract NBA general managers, could give Allred the final push. Last year, Golden State - which, ironically, was the only team not there - called up Renaldo Major during the event. Several players could have a similar story this week.Even if it’s not an NBA team that calls, players can earn a lucrative living from one of the foreign leagues.Allred, however, tried to downplay the significance of the Showcase to his NBA dreams, pointing out that he plays just as hard in every game.”If you’re playing any harder in a Showcase game than you are in a regular game, shame on you,” he said. “You can’t treat it any different. You just got to go and play basketball.”Part of that is Allred’s demeanor. Part is trying to stay on that even keel.And part of it is untrue.”Every Showcase I’ve witnessed, the games are at a playoff intensity. The games are all competitive and the players definitely seem to go a little harder,” said Chris Alpert, the league’s vice president of basketball operations and director of player personnel.Alpert is a key liaison between the NBA and the D-League, often alerting needy NBA teams to specific players in the D-League. It is a zero-sum game. In order for a D-League player to get the call, there must be an opening in the NBA.That’s why Allred keeps an NBA transactions Web site bookmarked on his computer. Allred, who went to training camp with the Boston Celtics, is eligible to sign with any of the 30 NBA teams.”You don’t want to be a bad guy and say, ‘Oh yeah, injured. Go down. Go down,’ ” Allred said. “But every man’s misfortune is another guy’s opportunity. You wait for your chance to come up.”That’s what they’re all doing. Not just the players, but the coaches, the referees, the front-office personnel. All hoping for an opportunity to make their move to the NBA.And stick there.Coaches know the game.Gates’ double-double center could soon be gone. His veteran point guard and the league’s MVP last season, Randy Livingston, is also likely to be moving up before the end of the season.But Gates couldn’t be happier. His greatest satisfaction comes not from wins, but from seeing players make that jump.”Our teams, they understand what our league is about,” Alpert said. “Ultimately, you’re going to lose your top players.”It can’t happen soon enough for Allred, or the rest of the league’s players in Boise this week.All aiming to be No. 102.All aiming to keep their sanity.Brian Murphy: 377-6444
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