Forward Thinking Rockets are first in NBA (take control of D-League Team)

I agree, bigger move than what people think. DD and i have been in front of this for awhile now. People get pissed at me because of my tone a can't look past that, but this was a big deal. The draft picks can go down and learn the system and they can now pull from those young guys if they need a player instead of 10 day contract guys off the street. Plus the valley viper cheerleaders are hotter than the power dancers!

 

Would we be able to "persuade" Jermaine Taylor and Budinger to play with the vipers a bit before extending them a contract offer with the rockets? I'd hate to force them to play what is basically an extended summer league, but if it gives us a better look at what they can do I'm all for it. And man, it's kind of depressing that the vipers have cheerleaders at all.

 

Oh ok! You convinced me!

 

I assume you're joking about this. Under league rules, only players with less than two years' experience may be sent down to the NBDL. This means that only Joey Dorsey, Jermaine Taylor and Chase Budinger (of the players currently expected in Rockets' training camp this October) can be moved down there.

The Rockets are not the first team to have full control of everything. They are the first team to have full control of everything WITHOUT HAVING TO BUY THE TEAM. While the Lakers and Spurs spend (and probably lose) money as owners of their respective NBDL teams, the Rockets' financial outlays will be far less, yet the Rockets will still get all the benefits that team ownership otherwise would have provided. I bet Les and Daryl were just waiting for this partnership structure to be officially allowed by the league before pouncing on it. Perhaps they purposely held off on buying an NBDL team, knowing that something like this was on the way. Great foresight by Rockets' ownership and management.

Probably not. The Rockets will sign Taylor (and likely Budinger) to NBA contracts, but the team can freely send them down and call them up at any time over the next two seasons.

 

No. And why would they do it (especially Taylor, who was practically a first rounder?) Very few players, especially drafted ones, will play without a contract if they have any sort of leverage -- if they blow out a knee, they're toast.

And I don't know what seeing them a few extra weeks against NBDL would tell you about their ability to stick in the league to relative to the 3-4 years of college ball, a few weeks of summer league action, and/or a few weeks of training camps.

 

Actually we were smarter to wait. Now the Rockets don't have to financially back the Vipers, but get all the benefits of it being a "farm team"

They didn't want to purchase a team, and now they have started a new trend of completely running the team without the financial burden of doing so.

 

They would not have had to worry about that if they structured the company as a seperate entity.

But, whatever, they got there eventually.....but behind the Lakers and the Spurs...which ironically have been winning multiple championships....

DD

 

What are you talking about? A "separate entity"? We're not talking about how the Rockets could avoid liability to third parties. We're talking about whether Les Alexander and the Rockets (whether directly or through a separate entity) would have the economic responsibilities of team ownership in the first place.

Also, not to be a pest, but I think you completely misused the term "irony" there.

 

To your first point, Taylor and Budinger have no leverage because we own their rights. Short of playing in Europe they have no other options. They can't go back to school and can't sign with other NBA teams. Rookies can get injured playing in the summer league too, but they do so because their teams expect them to. Dorsey actually missed the first few SL games last year over a dispute with the team over injury insurance, I believe. If you want an NBA contract you have to jump through a few hoops.

As to why we would send them there at all, it would give us an extended look at how they perform against NBA talent within our system. Taylor was a bulk scorer at UCF, you know he probably won't have that same role in Adelman's offense. Five summer league games and spot minutes in the preseason is not enough. Brooks spent time there, Dorsey spent time there. If the summer league and training camp were as comprehensive as you make it seem, no one would ever be sent down.

 

Let's hope they don't use the same quality of medical staff

 

Yeah, I think people are missing it. Also if people don't think the rockets will have financial contributions to the vipers, they are crazy.

 

If you think that's the way it works, justify it however you want. They have leverage in the fact they were drafted -- no need to play for free. Dorsey didn't play until the insurance issue was resolved.

What I said has nothing to do with the merits of sending them to the NBDL to further develop (I'd be in favor of it if they're not otherwise in the rotation). It has everything to do with their future worthiness of being on the NBA roster. When Brooks and Dorsey were there, they also occupied roster spots on the NBA roster.

If we needed to save roster spots 14-15 for 2 other players for some number of weeks to start the season, we have bigger issues. That's the only benefit to what you suggested.

 

Wow, are you kidding me? You can't see how much good Morey has done with us in so little time? Are you that blind?

 

"In no way is that depressing"

 

It is a good move, hopefully, we might get lucky down the road and pull up a unsigned player that works well playing Adelman's system at position in which we need help in.

 

Is the same article discussion on this thread as well?

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=171034

 

question:

30 NBA teams, 17 NBDL teams...why is it allowable for individual NBA teams (Spurs, Lakers, Rockets) to buy/take control of operations of entire NBDL teams when there isn't (currently) one available for each team? is the just the first phase in pushing along the expansion of the D-league to 30 teams?

 

i actually agree with you on a lot of that (not something people want to hear on this board though).

it doesn't really apply much in this case though, although it falls in line with Morey's "I'm a genius and doing this before anybody else" persona.

 

anybody?

 

The one thing with this that does not make too much sense to me is that the Rockets can only send a certain number of players to the D-league at a time. Most players "sent down" have to be under contract by the Rockets which counts against the cap and even if they are playing for the Vipers?

Don't they also count as one of the 15 members of the Rockets team, and you can only send a player down 3 times a year, so you can't really send 4-5 signed players down to the Vipers and keep calling them up as needed for injuries and such.

The only other way players the Rockets like could be on the team is if the Rockets have their rights and are not signed with the understanding the Rockets want them to develop in the NBDL, but what drafted players would opt for that?

As I understand it, it is not like the Rockets can send a signed player who did not make the 15-man team to the Vipers, because at that point they are able to sign with any NBA team, and currently NBDL players do not sign with specific teams, but with the league and are drafted to specific teams.

As of rules are right now, I see this a step forward, but not that big a step.