Season Ticket Review – All About Location
There’s a great article on Amir Johnson, the Skyforce’s NBA savior, in the Argus Leader today. While he’s left unused on a championship-contending Pistons bench, he has become our go to guy in Sioux Falls. And there’s a reason for that – he’s good and has a rare desire to play, whatever it takes and wherever it takes.
Game 22: March 24th, 2007
Tulsa 66ers (17-23) at Sioux Falls Skyforce (26-16)
Many young NBA rookies and sophomores see the D-League as an insult – a downgrade. Sure, there’s no glamour when you’re going from Sioux Falls to Tulsa to Bismarck. But others take the chance they get to play real minutes against real players and run with it. Case in point: Amir Johnson, second-round pick of the Detroit Pistons and recent D-League assignee.
Amir wanted something more than bench duty in Detroit. He wanted to play. So he asked to come back to Sioux Falls – to get some minutes and hopefully help the team succeed in their late-season surge. And we’re glad to have him.
Last night was another inkling of proof that Johnson, like Andre Brown before him, could become Sioux Falls’ true to life low post power. 20 points, 19 rebounds, lots of monstrous dunks and an immeasurable presence all around the court. We like what we see in Amir, obviously. It’s too bad we can’t count on him being around next season. Hell, in the D-League, you can’t count on anyone being around next season.
Regardless, we still left early. A blinding headache couldn’t wait for me to get home, so I appeased the pain and left about five minutes before the end. We were comfortably ahead. We swept the 66ers for the weekend. We left happy, knowing that we’ve done as well as we could over the past seven game win streak.
Two more home games. That’s it for the season. Then five on the road and, hopefully, some playoff games in Sioux Falls.
That means two more times to see Amir Johnson tear opposing teams apart, limb from limb, shot for shot, rejecting and throwing down and obliterating any chance the opposing team has to win.
As a misplaced Pacers fan, I enjoy the comparisons to Jermaine O’Neal’s early years, and I hope he does well in the NBA. I appreciate his willingness to slum around in Sioux Falls. It’s meant a lot to the team, I’ll tell you that.