Thabeet to the Wizards...

...Dakota Wizards that is. ESPN just broke the news that Memphis Grizzlies' No. 2 overall draft pick Hasheem Thabeet is soon to become the highest drafted player ever to serve a sentence in the NBA D-League. Thabeet who has averaged 2.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 1.2 BPG this season through the first 57 games has not quite made the impact Coach Hollins and the Grizzlies' front office were expecting from the 7'3" Center.

"Hasheem the Dream" (his Twitter alias) has produced many memorable "altered shots" so far this season, prompting a contingent of Grizzlifers to keep track of his electrifying, jumping jacks that have successfully prevented a bucket, in a new statistical category: ASPG (Altered Shots Per Game). He leads the NBA this season in ASPG. *He is the only player currently being monitored.

One thing is for sure, Thabeet lives the Grizz Life. We wish him the best in this seeming hurdle in his blossoming career. Hopefully, his upcoming journey to the hinterlands of North Dakota can hone his offensive skills, conjure up his leadership abilities, and develop in this young ballplayer a hunger for the game that many coaches around the league did not see in the Tanzanian native on draft day. In the meantime, Iranian basketball sensation Hamed Haddadi, who himself played in the D-League in '08, will step in at the backup C position.

Could the trend of Memphis' big men tasting the D-League only to return with improved touch around the rim and a higher basketball IQ prove true in Thabeet's case?

We can only hope Thabeet returns as an "Abdur-Rahim" and not a "Trybanksi".

Livin' the Grizzlife in North Dakota.