A few days ago Ed Odeven of the Japan Times floated the rumor that Lance Allred was close to signing with the Kyoto Hannaryz for next season. Once again Odeven was spot on, as I was able to confirm with Allred that in fact he has now officially signed the contract.
Allred had a short stint with the Cavs in 2008, and has played parts of five season in the D-League with Idaho and Utah. Internationally, Allred has played for teams in France, Italy, and New Zealand. From what I can tell, his only experience in Asia was when he played with a D-League All-Star team that toured China in 2008.
Allred's signing is exciting news on multiple levels. First, this is big news for the bj league, as Allred is the biggest name to sign with a league team so far this off-season. Allred will be the fourth player with an NBA resume to play in the bj league following Abdul-Rauf, Satterfield, and Swift. As I discussed last season when following Jeremy Tyler, the bj league has the potential to be the most exciting and competitive league in Asia as teams are allowed three import players on the floor at any given time. The key is the bj league needs to get top-notch imports. Allred is such a player. This is also great news for Kyoto as they make a big splash with their first import signing of the off-season. Kyoto ended last season in the middle of the pack of the highly competitive Western Conference. At this early date Allred is the best big man in the league. If Kyoto is able to add some more strong imports they will be in good shape this season. The fact that Allred is a published author means there is a chance that a player will finally document playing ball in Asia.
Finally, on a personal note, I am beyond thrilled that Allred will be in my region of the world this season. In December 2003 I returned back to the US after two years in Japan. During that time I was unable to watch or play much basketball. The first game I saw in person was Weber State visiting BYU. While BYU handled the Wildcats pretty easily, the best part of the game was watching Weber State's surprisingly good, and at that point unknown, big man Lance Allred go head-to-head with Rafael Araujo. Allred scored 15 points that night despite constant double-teams. It was fun to be back in the States and watching basketball after two years away from the game. The next year Allred absolutely destroyed BYU inside with 27 points and 18 rebounds.
Allred had a short stint with the Cavs in 2008, and has played parts of five season in the D-League with Idaho and Utah. Internationally, Allred has played for teams in France, Italy, and New Zealand. From what I can tell, his only experience in Asia was when he played with a D-League All-Star team that toured China in 2008.
Allred's signing is exciting news on multiple levels. First, this is big news for the bj league, as Allred is the biggest name to sign with a league team so far this off-season. Allred will be the fourth player with an NBA resume to play in the bj league following Abdul-Rauf, Satterfield, and Swift. As I discussed last season when following Jeremy Tyler, the bj league has the potential to be the most exciting and competitive league in Asia as teams are allowed three import players on the floor at any given time. The key is the bj league needs to get top-notch imports. Allred is such a player. This is also great news for Kyoto as they make a big splash with their first import signing of the off-season. Kyoto ended last season in the middle of the pack of the highly competitive Western Conference. At this early date Allred is the best big man in the league. If Kyoto is able to add some more strong imports they will be in good shape this season. The fact that Allred is a published author means there is a chance that a player will finally document playing ball in Asia.
Finally, on a personal note, I am beyond thrilled that Allred will be in my region of the world this season. In December 2003 I returned back to the US after two years in Japan. During that time I was unable to watch or play much basketball. The first game I saw in person was Weber State visiting BYU. While BYU handled the Wildcats pretty easily, the best part of the game was watching Weber State's surprisingly good, and at that point unknown, big man Lance Allred go head-to-head with Rafael Araujo. Allred scored 15 points that night despite constant double-teams. It was fun to be back in the States and watching basketball after two years away from the game. The next year Allred absolutely destroyed BYU inside with 27 points and 18 rebounds.
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