August 21, 2010

- Kurt Looby - Looby is a late starter and even later bloomer, who did absolutely nothing in college or the pros until he turned 25. Then, pressed into emergency service by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Looby responded with huge rebounding and blocked shot numbers, and is now an established D-League big man presence. Looby is a truly poor offensive player, but his rebounds and blocked shots averages are significant; in 26 games for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds last season, Loobs averaged 6.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 31 minutes per game. If you want a big man who can catch, pass, make foul shots and layups, then Looby is the worst possible candidate. But as a defensive big man, he has a legitimate chance, and could be a training camp invite somewhere.

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June 7, 2010

Kurt Looby - 8 games, 27.4 mpg, 4.4 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 0.8 apg, 2.6 fpg, 1.0 spg, 0.9 bpg, 40% FG, 0% 3PT, 28% FT

Emmett isn't a big man, but he too has done the China/Puerto Rico combo, and has done it to great effect. He led the notoriously high scoring league with a 32.0 points per game average, and set a new CBA single game scoring record with a 71 point effort on March 7th that included 28-34 shooting from two point range. Emmett also averaged 7.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game; if there's a stat that can be put up, he'll explore it. He did much the same in Puerto Rico with his 20/8; however, Emmett played only 7 games before being changed for Kurt Looby. Unlike Emmett, Looby really can't score, as evidenced by his 6.8 ppg in 30 minutes for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in the offense-friendly D-League this year. And this apparently was a problem for Guaynabo, who released Looby after the last 8 games of the regular season in which he scored a point every 6 minutes. He was replaced by journeyman ex-Rockets big man Torraye Braggs, a superior scorer.

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April 7, 2010

- Kurt Looby

Former Iowa centre Kurt Looby exploded onto the scene in the D-League last year. He played little in college, averaging only 3.6ppg and 4.6 rpg as a fifth year senior, but he was thrust into a starting role with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and responded with fine big man numbers: 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in only 24.9 mpg. (I deliberately didn't mention his points.) Looby then averaged 9.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in Puerto Rico, worked out for the Grizzlies, and then went to training camp with the Nuggets. He did not make the team, and nor did he feature in the running during their recent lengthy big man search that included everybody from Aaron Gray to Brian Cook, before finally arriving at Brian Butch. So Looby instead returned to the D-League. He played for three different D-League teams this year - Albuquerque, Rio Grande Valley and Maine - and averaged a combined 5.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game.

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