NBA G-League Still Needs to Expand

[hettinger_rl]

While they have been expanding at a steady pace, there are now 11 teams with NO affiliation. This really complicates things in regard to placing players.

http://www.sbnation.com/2015/9/9/9296055/pacers-purchase-fort-wayne-mad-ants-d-league-franchise-affiliation-nba

[smith03]

nevermind

[3243]

I think that not only should every NBA franchise have a D-League team, I would go further and add a Junior D-League farm club for each NBA team.

[bosrs1]

I think that not only should every NBA franchise have a D-League team, I would go further and add a Junior D-League farm club for each NBA team.

Isn't that what college is for though?

That said I too would like to see each NBA team have a corresponding D-League team. If just because San Diego would be a great location for a D-League squad. Hell we could even see a return of the San Diego Clippers which would be great.

[hettinger_rl]

A few options:

Atlanta: Savannah (Spirits?) - Most haunted city in US, Rome

Brooklyn: Buffalo, Albany, Long Island, Meadowlands NJ

Charlotte: Maybe too much BB action in NC so- Richmond, Knoxville Greensboro

Chicago: Rockford, Bloomington Hoffman Estates

Denver: Colorado Springs, Fort Collins

LA Clippers: San Diego

Milwaukee: Green Bay (Wisconsin Walleyes?)

Minnesota: Mankato (Muskies?), St, Cloud, Duluth, St. Paul

New Orleans: Shreveport, Jackson- MS, Little Rock - AR

Portland: Salem, Vancouver WA, Walla Walla WA

Washington: Baltimore

[Needschat]

A few options:

Atlanta: Savannah (Spirits?) - Most haunted city in US, Rome

Brooklyn: Buffalo, Albany, Long Island, Meadowlands NJ

Charlotte: Maybe too much BB action in NC so- Richmond, Knoxville

Chicago: Rockford, Bloomington

Denver: Colorado Springs, Fort Collins

LA Clippers: San Diego

Milwaukee: Green Bay (Wisconsin Walleyes?)

Minnesota: Mankato (Muskies?), St, Cloud, Duluth, St. Paul

New Orleans: Shreveport, Jackson- MS, Little Rock - AR

Portland: Salem, Vancouver WA, Walla Walla WA

Washington: Baltimore

Brooklyn should be in Albany. After all, the Albany Patroons have given the NBA many coaches, including Phil Jackson.

[BlackBolt3]

FYI: the Hornets announced earlier this year that they will have their own D-League team:

http://www.nba.com/hornets/hornets-sports-entertainment-announces-intent-launch-owned-and-operated-nba-d-league-team

[The_Admiral]

The D-League is a fool's errand. Just let kids play college ball while teams hold their rights.

[dfwabel]

I think that not only should every NBA franchise have a D-League team, I would go further and add a Junior D-League farm club for each NBA team.

When there still is the option to make $30K in the D-League or three times as much (or more) internationally, youth will always take the money.

admiral's also correct in that strength/conditioning and training is still better in NCAA nearly any place outside the NBA in all of basketball.

[4_tattoos]

Baltimore seems too big of a city to host a D-League team (well established major sports city). I'd much rather put a team in the Richmond or Hampton Roads areas of Virginia. Maybe even Upper Marlboro, Maryland simply because The Show Place Arena is just about the right size for a D-League team. However, Upper Marlboro is way closer to DC than the cities I mentioned in Virginia or even Baltimore.

[3243]

The D-League and Junior D-League would be for those players who do not want to go to college. I would, if I were the NBA commissioner, give high school seniors a choice: either enter the NBA draft straight out of high school and play at least three years in either or both D-Leagues, or if you decide to go to college, you must stay there at least three years. I think that would be better than players making a mockery of being in college by only playing one season and then entering the NBA draft, sometimes without bothering to attend any classes.

That way, those who don't want to go to college can play in the minors, learn some fundamentals (hopefully), gain some maturity, and make a little money, while college basketball will then be populated by those players who want to be there.

[dfwabel]

The D-League and Junior D-League would be for those players who do not want to go to college. I would, if I were the NBA commissioner, give high school seniors a choice: either enter the NBA draft straight out of high school and play at least three years in either or both D-Leagues, or if you decide to go to college, you must stay there at least three years. I think that would be better than players making a mockery of being in college by only playing one season and then entering the NBA draft, sometimes without bothering to attend any classes.

That way, those who don't want to go to college can play in the minors, learn some fundamentals (hopefully), gain some maturity, and make a little money, while college basketball will then be populated by those players who want to be there.

The average D-League salary is $30,000, thus what would a junior be? $20K? That's STILL below the poverty line.

Heck, if a current D-League has one child, they are near poverty. These franchises barely break even. And if you increase player salaries, then coaches must be paid more to in an effort to attract better coaching/teaching talent.

Under your "plan", the AAU/sneaker circuit can still circumvent you by taking a HS senior and play him overseas for three years and pay them much better.

And your "plan" had no regard for internationally born players since they could still hit the NBA at age 19.

Never restrict one's right to work if one has completed HS and if you have graduated or your HS class has been completed, you can tryout for the D-League, so the NBA fulfills that.

[BBTV]

The D-League and Junior D-League would be for those players who do not want to go to college. I would, if I were the NBA commissioner, give high school seniors a choice: either enter the NBA draft straight out of high school and play at least three years in either or both D-Leagues, or if you decide to go to college, you must stay there at least three years. I think that would be better than players making a mockery of being in college by only playing one season and then entering the NBA draft, sometimes without bothering to attend any classes.

That way, those who don't want to go to college can play in the minors, learn some fundamentals (hopefully), gain some maturity, and make a little money, while college basketball will then be populated by those players who want to be there.

This cannot work. If you have a LeBron James, you're going to make him play in Des Moines or some little town for three years?

1. He'd dominate to a ridiculous extent and it wouldn't be competitive.

2. His team may not want him to risk injury playing in front of 500 people in a high school gym

3. The increased media attention could be a strain on the teams / facilities / cities that aren't used to anyone caring.

4. The parent team is on the verge of a playoff berth or title run and suffers an injury to a good player - you're going to say they can't call up Levron James (or equivalent star rookie)?

The only way any restrictions work is if they're imposed prior to a team owning a player's rights. You want to institute a "3 years post HS graduation" rule? Cool (assuming that's legal) - player goes to college or Turkey. Otherwise just pick them out of HS and let them sit the bench (which sucks all around for both pro and college, but there's not a better option)

[3243]

Good points. Now I think it would be better to just let players go straight out of high school to the NBA again.

But still keep the two D-Leagues for those who are not good enough to make a regular NBA roster whether they played college ball or not.

[The_Admiral]

Let them go to straight from high school to the NBA or let them play in college while the teams hold their rights. Wasn't the knowledge that Bird and Magic were going to the Celtics and Lakers a big part of what made the Indiana State-Michigan State game so special? Add that dimension back to the college game. Let guys develop in more meaningful settings than the D-League. Of course, there's the possibility a drafted player blows out his Achilles before he has a chance to buy SUVs for his grandmothers, but then I dunno, have some way to throw some insurance money to the people who suffer that misfortune.

[jtthasportfreak]

Definitely missing the Anaheim Arsenal here in So Cal...

[4_tattoos]

Washington Wizards are going to build a new practice facility for the Wizards in DC which will also serve as the new home arena for the WNBA Mystics. Supposed to sets about 5,000. Sounds like it could possibly end up being home to a Wizard D-League affiliate as well.

[Seadragon76]

Washington Wizards are going to build a new practice facility for the Wizards in DC which will also serve as the new home arena for the WNBA Mystics. Supposed to sets about 5,000. Sounds like it could possibly end up being home to a Wizard D-League affiliate as well.

That would be a logical idea. That would make it at least 5 teams looking into having a D-League team in the future (Washington joins Charlotte, Brooklyn, Atlanta and New Orleans in looking at it)

[MadmanLA]

The Clippers have also looked into having their own D-League affiliate, perhaps even owning it. Where and when they'll play is anyone's guess...some ideas that were thrown around were San Diego, Anaheim, Ontario (CA), Vegas, or the team's practice facility in the Playa Vista neighborhood near LAX/Loyola Marymount University.

I hope they're serious about that...going back to the Dunleavy years, the Clippers rarely utilized whatever D-League team that they had an affiliation in any given year. Instead of sending some of their younger players down to develop their skills, they just let them rot on the bench.

[KDubK414]

I'd love to see this implemented as well! I've always thought how cool it would be if other sports were like baseball. Hockey followed suit, and shows it works well there too. I couldn't see them going deeper than the one league, maybe a rookie league for those that want to skip college. They could have like 10 teams there and each NBA team could have the rights to 3 players each, then decide who gets called up at season's end, like a full on tryout.

For the Bucks, I would prefer the team to be in Madison, a little easier commute, and more basketball fans there than Green Bay.