Canton Charge win over Windy City Bulls in Larry Sanders debut

The Canton Charge pulled out a narrow victory over the Windy City Bulls in the last home game of the regular season. It was the debut for Larry Sanders, who signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers last week.

The Canton Charge put on a show for the fans on the last home game of regular season on Fan Appreciation night with a narrow win over the Windy City Bulls, 104-101. It was Larry Sanders debut with the Charge after signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers last week.

Quinn Cook was a late scratch, just minutes before tip-off. I saw him on the court earlier during warm-ups on the phone and players usually aren’t on the phone on the court during pre-game warm-ups (the whole team wasn’t out), so I knew something was off.

Then, minutes later, Marc Stein of ESPN reported that Cook signed a 10-day deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.

This is the second call up for Cook this season, the first coming with the Mavericks. The Pelicans have yet to announce the 10-day deal for Cook.

Fans in Canton were excited to see Sanders make his Charge debut. He was really good in his minutes that he played, he was very mobile and active on the glass. He seemed rusty and some of his timing was off and that might have contributed to his five personal fouls he had in the game.

Sanders ended the night with 3 blocks, 2 points and 1 rebound.

He talked about the process of getting back at it.

"“I just started. I don’t know about the longest part. We’ll see, it’s a process. I just invest in it, trust in it. I’ve been on every side of the snake pit,” Sanders said. “I’ve been through plenty of leagues. Finding out games in the summer to average a double-double. It’s a process.”"

Canton Charge head coach talked about Larry Sanders debut.

"“I thought he was good, I mean there’s a presence to him out there. You could just feel it, veteran presence,” Reinking said. “He hasn’t played for a while, you can tell a little bit with his timing. Other than that I thought he was great, he defended well, influenced a lot of shots down low, and rebounded well.”"

Coach Reinking also talked about what he wanted from Sanders.

"“Just to be a part of the team. He’s come down for a few practices, he’s been great to be around, with the guys, just to get out a bit, but you know, it’s a new team, it’s a new place, and he hasn’t played for a while so we’re just trying to get him back into basketball and they’re working with him up there, we’re trying to work with him here and get him ready.”"

Coach Reinking also talked about the referees and the rust from Sanders.

"“I don’t know if I’ll get fined, but it’s the referees. I don’t know, I’m not sure. Like I said, he’s never played in this league, it’s gonna be a different style, a different athlete that he’s going up against so it could just be a whole range of things that could happen.”"

Despite all of the buzz surrounding Sanders, Jordon Crawford made his first start last night in place of Cook and had an outstanding game. Cameron Jones also had an outstanding game off the bench. They are both the players of the game.

Jordon Crawford had 17 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.
Cameron Jones had 22 points (10-15 from the field), 3 assists and 3 rebounds.

The Charge shot 55.0 percent from the field overall, which is impressive without Cook or Kay Felder. They also held the Windy City Bulls to 42.0 percent shooting from the field. The Charge also had 22 assists on 41 made field goals.

Eric Moreland also had 20 rebounds on the night for the Charge.

The Charge most importantly, are two games away from clinching a playoff berth.

The next four games for the Charge are on the road. The season ends on April 1st for Canton.

Related Story: Larry Sanders Records 3 Blocks In Canton Charge Debut

What did you think of the Canton Charge’s performance against the Windy City Bulls? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.