Updated: Sep. 19, 2005, 4:38 PM ET
NBA unveils D-League affiliations
SportsTicker
NEW YORK -- Young NBA millionaires can now be sent to the minor leagues to work on making their skills match their salaries.
The NBA took a huge step Monday toward the structuring of a true minor league when it announced the affiliations between its 30 teams and the eight squads in its D-League.
"They're really going to benefit both players and teams," NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said in a teleconference. "For players, it will allow them to get playing time that they might not have gotten under the old system. For teams, it gives them another option and flexibility in player development."
NBA teams are not obligated to send players to their affiliates and can send as many as two. Those players will remain on the inactive list of the NBA team.
The player must be in his first or second year and has 48 hours to report once he is assigned to his D-League team. The player will continue to receive his NBA salary and benefits paid by his NBA team.
No player can be assigned to the D-League more than three times in a season. However, there is no limit on the length of the assignment.
D-League teams will be allowed to expand their rosters from 10 to 12 players to accommodate players assigned from the NBA. Players sent to the D-League could end up playing with teams other than their affiliate.
"We've tried to maintain a little bit of flexibility with respect to that decision because we don't know how NBA teams are going to use it," said D-League president Phil Evans, also on the teleconference.
The affiliations are as follows:
The Albuquerque Thunderbirds will serve Phoenix, Sacramento, Seattle and Utah; the Arkansas Rimrockers will serve Atlanta, Cleveland, Memphis and Toronto; the Austin Toros will serve Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio; the Fayetteville Patriots will serve Charlotte, Detroit and New York; the Florida Flame will serve Boston, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando; the Fort Worth Flyers will serve Dallas, Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland; the Roanoke Dazzle will serve New Jersey, Philadelphia and Washington; and the Tulsa 66ers will serve Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee and New Orleans.
Jackson said no NBA teams made specific requests regarding their assigned affiliate. The NBA tried to assign teams by proximity but found that somewhat difficult given the D-League's primary locations of the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest.
"We let them we would try to do as best we could [with location]," he said. "Given the geographical constraints, you're going to have some anomalies."
Unlike in baseball, NBA teams are prohibited from owning their affiliates. Six D-League teams are privately owned and operated, while the NBA owns Fayetteville and Roanoke.
However, NBA teams will be allowed to send personnel to D-League teams to oversee and/or assist in the development of a particular player.
When NBA commissioner David Stern announced plans to use the four-year-old D-League as a minor league for the NBA earlier this year, he said his goal was to have each team serve as an affiliate for two NBA teams.
The D-League needs to add seven teams to realize that goal. Until then, there could be some issues regarding player assignments.
Neither Jackson nor Evans knew the immediate answer regarding roster expansion to more than 12 players should an affiliate be flooded with as many as eight NBA players in a short period of time or with a handful of players who play the same position.
"We're treading on new ground here," Jackson said. "We would make some adjustments to one other D-League team that had less than eight or less than six players sent down [to them]."
Both suggested the possibility of assigning one or more of those players to D-League teams with less pressing roster issues.
"In those cases where it may not make sense from a competitive standpoint or playing standpoint ... we will make a determination as to where those players go," Jackson said.
"It's causing us to take a real hard look at expansion," Evans said.
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NBA unveils D-League affiliations
SportsTicker
NEW YORK -- Young NBA millionaires can now be sent to the minor leagues to work on making their skills match their salaries.
The NBA took a huge step Monday toward the structuring of a true minor league when it announced the affiliations between its 30 teams and the eight squads in its D-League.
"They're really going to benefit both players and teams," NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said in a teleconference. "For players, it will allow them to get playing time that they might not have gotten under the old system. For teams, it gives them another option and flexibility in player development."
NBA teams are not obligated to send players to their affiliates and can send as many as two. Those players will remain on the inactive list of the NBA team.
The player must be in his first or second year and has 48 hours to report once he is assigned to his D-League team. The player will continue to receive his NBA salary and benefits paid by his NBA team.
No player can be assigned to the D-League more than three times in a season. However, there is no limit on the length of the assignment.
D-League teams will be allowed to expand their rosters from 10 to 12 players to accommodate players assigned from the NBA. Players sent to the D-League could end up playing with teams other than their affiliate.
"We've tried to maintain a little bit of flexibility with respect to that decision because we don't know how NBA teams are going to use it," said D-League president Phil Evans, also on the teleconference.
The affiliations are as follows:
The Albuquerque Thunderbirds will serve Phoenix, Sacramento, Seattle and Utah; the Arkansas Rimrockers will serve Atlanta, Cleveland, Memphis and Toronto; the Austin Toros will serve Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio; the Fayetteville Patriots will serve Charlotte, Detroit and New York; the Florida Flame will serve Boston, Miami, Minnesota and Orlando; the Fort Worth Flyers will serve Dallas, Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland; the Roanoke Dazzle will serve New Jersey, Philadelphia and Washington; and the Tulsa 66ers will serve Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee and New Orleans.
Jackson said no NBA teams made specific requests regarding their assigned affiliate. The NBA tried to assign teams by proximity but found that somewhat difficult given the D-League's primary locations of the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest.
"We let them we would try to do as best we could [with location]," he said. "Given the geographical constraints, you're going to have some anomalies."
Unlike in baseball, NBA teams are prohibited from owning their affiliates. Six D-League teams are privately owned and operated, while the NBA owns Fayetteville and Roanoke.
However, NBA teams will be allowed to send personnel to D-League teams to oversee and/or assist in the development of a particular player.
When NBA commissioner David Stern announced plans to use the four-year-old D-League as a minor league for the NBA earlier this year, he said his goal was to have each team serve as an affiliate for two NBA teams.
The D-League needs to add seven teams to realize that goal. Until then, there could be some issues regarding player assignments.
Neither Jackson nor Evans knew the immediate answer regarding roster expansion to more than 12 players should an affiliate be flooded with as many as eight NBA players in a short period of time or with a handful of players who play the same position.
"We're treading on new ground here," Jackson said. "We would make some adjustments to one other D-League team that had less than eight or less than six players sent down [to them]."
Both suggested the possibility of assigning one or more of those players to D-League teams with less pressing roster issues.
"In those cases where it may not make sense from a competitive standpoint or playing standpoint ... we will make a determination as to where those players go," Jackson said.
"It's causing us to take a real hard look at expansion," Evans said.
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