The Detroit Pistons announced in a press release that they have re-assigned rookie center Cheikh Samb to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Tuesday.  Sabm?s re-assignment marks the 36th assignment of the season.  

Samb, 7-1, 245-pounds, has appeared in two games for Detroit this season and is averaging 1.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 10.5 minutes per game.  In six preseason games for the Pistons, Samb averaged 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 17.8 minutes.

Ramon Sessions of the Tulsa 66ers was named D-League.com Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Jan. 21 on Monday.  

Sessions averaged 29.6 points, 12.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds leading the 66ers to a 3-0 record.  

Sessions becomes the first D-League player to earn Performer of the Week honors twice during the 2007-08 season, having garnered the award for the week of Nov. 26.

On Monday, the San Antonio Spurs recalled Ian Mahinmi from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.

In 24 games with the Toros, Mahinmi averaged 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.20 blocks in 30.4 minutes. He is leading the D-League in field goal percentage, shooting .644 (154-239) from the field.  He set career-highs with 32 points and 17 rebounds in a 90-79 win at Utah on 12/21.  Mahinmi tied his points-high with 32 points at Tulsa on 1/27.

In 23 total minutes with the Spurs this season, Mahinmi has a per 40 FIC of 23.7.

With the NBA season halfway in the books, the standings are starting to settle, and teams are beginning to pinpoint the minor tweaks that they will need to make for a playoff push.  The trade deadline will come and go on February 22, 2008, and after that there will be many teams who failed to pull the trigger to acquire the talent they needed to give them an added advantage.  This is when teams will begin to use the NBDL as a source for untapped talent.  

These young stars are currently competing night in and night out to fulfill their dreams of reaching the NBA.  Since they play fewer games in the Development League and end their season earlier, they will likely be fully charged to handle the rigors of the NBA's grueling postseason.  It was our job to analyze piles of NBDL game-tape and identify ten glaring NBDL names to keep an eye on when teams begin to call upon the D-League for help.

Here are the ten most exciting players we here at RealGM hope to see make an extended appearance on the big stage this season:

1. Carlos Powell ? Dakota Wizards

The former South Carolina Gamecock standout has been on a tear this year for the Wizards.  The second overall pick in this year?s NBDL Draft has averaged a healthy 22.2 points per game which puts him fifth in the league in scoring.  The former NIT Tournament MVP has demonstrated a powerful combo forward game, with the power and repertoire to put the ball in the hoop from any spot on the floor.  The confidence he radiates in his ability to be a go-to guy will surely grant him a chance to prove himself in the NBA.

2. Stephane Lasme ? L.A. D-Fenders

Lasme was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the forty-sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.  He has played only one game for the Warriors this season but has been given ample time to display his skills for the L.A. D-Fenders.  He is currently helping the team with 10.5 points and 6.8 rebounds, while leading the NBDL with 2.71 blocks per game.  His tenacity on the defensive side will be a welcomed addition to the Warriors come stretch time.

3. Ramon Sessions ? Tulsa 66ers

Ramon Sessions was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round (56th overall) of the 2007 NBA Draft.  The 21-year old point guard has been a stud thus far in the NBDL, averaging 19.9 points (12th in the league), 7.0 assists (5th in the league), along with 6.3 rebounds per game.  Sessions has kept his team in the hunt for a playoff berth and could be exactly what the Bucks need with Maurice Williams battling injuries.

4. Brent Petway ? Idaho Stampede

The former University of Michigan sparkplug was not selected in last year?s draft but has been making waves in the D-League thus far.  Despite his underwhelming numbers (6.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game), he has generated plenty of energy and excitement off the bench.  He is best known for his nickname of ?Air Georgia,? which was coined by his constant onslaught of high-flying dunks and vicious rejections.

5. Rod Benson ? Dakota Wizards

Rod Benson was a four-year player at Cal but was robbed of an opportunity to be drafted in the 2006 Draft because of multiple injuries his senior year.  Benson broke into the NBDL with the Austin Toros in the 2006-07 season and is now an anchor for the Wizards in the paint.  He has been a double-double machine (11 in 23 games), leading the NBDL in rebounds with 12.3 per game, to go along with his 13.5 points and 1.52 blocks (sixth in the league) per game.

Click 'Read' to view the final five top D-League players.

Maurice Baker of the Dakota Wizards yesterday was named D-League.com Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Jan. 14.  In four games, Baker averaged 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while leading the Wizards to a 3-1 record.

The 6-1 guard began the week with a career-high 41 points, including 17-of-17 from the free throw line, in a win over the Iowa Energy at the 2008 D-League Showcase in Boise, Idaho.  Baker returned to Showcase action on Wednesday and scored 27 points and grabbed a career-high-tying 15 rebounds in a win against Rio Grande Valley.  For his efforts during the week, Baker earned a spot on the All-D-League Showcase First Team.  For the week, Baker shot 56 percent (31-of-55) from the field and 91 percent (30-of-33) from the free throw line.

Andre Barrett of the Bakersfield Jam today was named D-League.com Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Jan. 7.  In two games, Barrett averaged 29.0 points and 11.0 assists while shooting 22-of-34 (.647) from the field.

The 5-10, 173-pound guard posted 31 points and 14 assists in a 115-125 loss to the Tulsa 66ers on Jan. 9. Barrett finished the week with a 27-point, eight-assist performance against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Jan 11. He is averaging 18.9 points and 9.2 assists on the season.

Terry Stotts, who spent four seasons as an NBA head coach with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, today was named the NBA Development League?s Coaches' Consultant. Stotts? coaching career has also included stints in Europe and the Continental Basketball Association.  In his new role Stotts will evaluate each of the League?s coaches and provide insight into improving their skills in order for them to elevate to the NBA.

?Terry?s experience as a coach at the NBA and minor league level will greatly impact the development of our coaches,? said Chris Alpert the D-League?s Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel. ?We are looking forward to having him work with our coaches to continue to improve the opportunities for growth and development the D-League provides to its coaches and players.?

The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has recalled rookie forward Demetris Nichols from the Iowa Energy of the D-League.  The team also assigned rookie guard JamesOn Curry to the team?s D-League?s affiliate.

Nichols (6-8, 216), claimed by the Bulls on waivers on Dec. 7, appeared in nine games with the Energy and averaged 18.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.00 bpg in 36.9 mpg and shot .414 from the field, .333 from the arc and .800 from the line. Prior to his arrival with the Bulls, he also spent time this season in New York and Cleveland, having appeared in three games with the Cavaliers.

Nichols was originally selected by Portland in the second round (53rd overall) of NBA Draft 2007 after a four-year standout career at Syracuse.

D.J. Strawberry, on assignment from the Phoenix Suns to the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, was today named D-League.com Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Dec. 31.  In two games, Strawberry averaged 34.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 24-of-41 (.585) from the field and 8-of-14 (.571) from three-point range.  

Selected by the Phoenix Suns with the 59th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft, Strawberry finished the week with a 39-point, seven-rebound, six-assist, and two-steal performance in an 89-87 win over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Saturday, Jan. 5.  The night before, Strawberry netted a game-high 29 points in a two-point loss to the Anaheim Arsenal.

The Indiana Pacers' affiliate is in Fort Wayne, where the Mad Ants play at Memorial Coliseum, just a two-hour trip north on I-69 from Indianapolis. The Pacers haven't used the franchise yet but not because team President Larry Bird doesn't believe in the concept.

The Pacers' roster includes two players who toiled in the NBDL last season, Andre Owens and Stephen Graham, and the team's scouting staff makes frequent trips to its games.
"There's a lot of players down there," Bird said of the D-League. "It's very important. If we had some younger players who weren't playing, I'd send them right up there."