Nov 17, 2008 - 04:05:20 CST
Blake Ahearn arrived at Bismarck Airport on Saturday afternoon, picked up his bags off the carousel - then checked them in again.Ahearn was in transit from St. Louis when he learned that he would not be with the Dakota Wizards when they begin training camp today because he was being called up by the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs made the move official on Sunday, waiving Desmon Farmer to open up a roster spot.
"I'm not a big flying guy to begin with," Ahearn said. "My first flight was at 7:54 in the morning from St. Louis to Chicago, then Chicago to Denver, then Denver to Bismarck. I landed at 3:30, and I was on the 4:27 back to Denver, then to Sacramento."
It was a hectic day, but well worth the trouble for the 24-year-old Ahearn, who is getting another shot at his NBA dreams. Ahearn had a tryout with the Spurs for four or five days this summer, but with no roster spots likely to be available, he opted to try his luck with the Minnesota Timberwolves instead.
Obviously the Spurs liked what they saw. With starter Tony Parker recovering from an ankle injury, they decided to bring back Ahearn, who is eager to play for an organization that has won four NBA titles.
"I talked to (coach) Gregg Popvich and some of the guys, and they said to just keep playing like I did," Ahearn said. "... Guys are already teaching me. Getting the chance to play with guys like Tim Duncan, Michael Finley and Manu Ginobili is amazing."
Ahearn said he signed a non-guaranteed deal for this season - 10-day contracts are not allowed until January - with the Spurs holding an option for next season.
Ahearn averaged 19.0 points in 41 games with the Wizards last season, winning the D-League rookie of the year award. He earned a call-up with the Miami Heat and stayed until the end of the season, averaging 5.8 points in 12 games.
The Timberwolves took an interest in Ahearn and gave him a shot as their third point guard. Though he played well - averaging 7.8 points in 11.6 minutes per game - he was beaten out by veteran Kevin Ollie.
"I was caught off guard," Ahearn said. "I thought I was doing everything right, but what it came down is we were two completely different players. With Sebastian (Telfair) being out, a veteran was more what was on their mind.
"But everything happens for a reason," he added. "... I'm just excited to be here. If you work hard enough, good things eventually happen."
Richard wrote on Apr 21, 2009 8:39 AM:
Independent Conservative wrote on Nov 17, 2008 8:09 AM:
That's the spirit! Congratulations, Blake... with that attitude, there'll be a lot more success to come! "
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