"Hasheem Thabeet grabbed his sneakers and began wandering around the visitors locker room last Friday at Tulio Arena in Erie, Pa. He had just made his debut with the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League, but he was still finding his way. Where was the equipment bag for his sneakers?

"Hasheem, this is the D-League," Wizards coach Rory White told him. "And in the D-League, you carry your own sneakers."

If Thabeet suddenly felt thousands of miles removed from the trappings of the NBA lifestyle, then there would be more. Oh, so much more. How about folding up his 7-foot-3 frame on Monday afternoon and flying coach from Fort Wayne, Ind., to Detroit … and then from Detroit to Minneapolis … and then from Minneapolis to Bismarck, N.D.? Farewell, charter flights.

"It can be an eye-opener," White said.

The Grizzlies can only hope his whole D-League experience is humbling and not demoralizing, considering the high-profile circumstances of his arrival. So far, so good: On Sunday, in his second game with the Wizards, Thabeet - a rookie center and the highest draft pick ever assigned to the D-League - shot 8-of-10 from the field and finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in a 94-85 victory over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

On Tuesday, he scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and had 13 rebounds and four blocked shots in 31 minutes of action in the Wizards' 102-81 victory over the Albuquerque Thunderbirds at the Bismarck Civic Center."