http://www.nba.com/nbdl/nbdl/nbdlsouthwestrelease_050321.html The NBDL is Expanding to the Southwest Private Ownership Group led by former Indiana Pacers GM David Kahn brings the NBA's Minor League to Albuquerque, N.M., Austin and Fort Worth, Texas and Tulsa, Okla. NEW YORK, March 21 - NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today that the National Basketball Development League has awarded teams to four Southwest U.S. cities for the 2005-06 season. The teams will be owned and operated by Southwest Basketball, LLC, led by former Indiana Pacers general manager David Kahn. "The expansion of the NBDL illustrates that the NBA's minor league has not only been successful in developing NBA talent on and off the court, but is a business proposition whose time has come," said Stern. "We are indeed fortunate to have attracted not only an investor in four new teams, but also, in the case of David Kahn, an experienced basketball person who knows what it takes to make these teams succeed." The NBDL teams in Albuquerque, N.M., Austin and Fort Worth, Texas, and Tulsa, Okla. join the Florida Flame (Ft. Myers) as teams independently owned and operated in the league. The Asheville Altitude (N.C.), Columbus Riverdragons (Ga.), Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Huntsville Flight (Ala.) and Roanoke Dazzle (Va.) are owned and operated by the NBA. Kahn worked for nearly nine years in the front office of the Indiana Pacers. From 1998-2002 he oversaw both the business and basketball sides of the organization; represented the Pacers on the NBA's Competition Committee; and managed a staff of over 120 when the team moved into Conseco Fieldhouse in 1999. Kahn is credited both in Indiana and in league circles for his involvement in the successful launch of Conseco Fieldhouse, beginning in 1995 with local lobbying efforts and culminating in the fieldhouse's opening to worldwide acclaim in 1999. During Kahn's time in Indiana, the Pacers reached the NBA Finals once and competed in the Eastern Conference Finals on three other occasions. The organization was also awarded a WNBA team (Indiana Fever) while Conseco Fieldhouse developed into the Midwest's mecca for sporting events such as the Big Ten men's basketball tournament and world-championship boxing. "We are bringing in a special brand of professional basketball featuring players on the verge of making it to the NBA and an affordable, family-oriented atmosphere," said Kahn. "We look forward to becoming a vital part of these communities and the ownership team in place for these four cities will ensure our NBDL teams are quickly embraced in this part of the country." Announcements regarding team names, arenas, tickets and staffing tip off tomorrow, March 22 in Fort Worth followed by Austin on Wednesday, March 23. Similar events will be held in Tulsa on Tuesday, March 29 and Albuquerque on Wednesday, March 30. Ticket information on each of the four new teams can also be found by visiting www.nbdlfortworth.com, www.nbdlaustin.com, www.nbdltulsa.com and www.nbdlalbuquerque.com. "The NBDL is the premier minor league for basketball and we are confident these teams will become the standard bearers of the league," said NBDL President Phil Evans. The NBDL offers players, as well as off-court personnel, the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up the NBA on 48 separate occasions. Nine former NBDL coaches, five athletic trainers, 11 referees and 29 front office executives have also been called up to NBA positions since the start of the league's inaugural season in November 2001.
Side note - Can we just wave Vinny B., put moochie back in the IL and sign that James Thomas kid? 20 points, 22 rebounds
I wanted Thomas more than Braggs. Obviously, JVG likes players he is familiar with. But Thomas is a beast, maybe I'm just a UT homer, but I've watched him play for UT and the guy is just a solid rebounder. I think his youth and his energy level would help this team a lot more than Braggs would, but hopefully Braggs can come in and help us.
10 teams....would be passable as a minor league (3 NBA teams share each NBDL squad). I really would like to see the NBA put this into play for developing green players. It would, IMO, remove the need for a 20 yo age limit, but I think Stern and the Union will institute it anyway for selfish financial reasons. Evan
the plan is for each nba team to eventually have it's own minor league team. then we can get rid of the IR (the only known cure for plantar faciitis).
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2018562 NBA also ties in age-limit rule to minor leagues By Chad Ford, ESPN Insider NBA commissioner David Stern said Monday he's "optimistic" that the NBA and the players' association can work out a deal that would turn the National Basketball Developmental League into a true minor league. In a teleconference call with reporters, Stern said the league has proposed the issue as part of ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the players. "The absence of a firm-footed, successful development league is something that has gnawed at me over the years," Stern said. "I'm not here to say that's a guaranteed outcome of our collective bargaining, but I am here to say this it's something that has been put forth by us with some forcefulness and now we'll have to await the outcome of collective bargaining." Under the proposed model, NBA teams would be allowed to send their young players down to an affiliated NBDL team. "I hope our development league ultimately will be a place where youngsters could be assigned in their early years in the league," Stern said. "In a perfect world, I personally would like to see a 15-team development league where, let's say, two teams could share a development team." A call to players' association spokesman Dan Wasserman late Monday night was not returned. Stern also revealed Monday that the NBA has tied a proposal for a 20-year-old age limit and the elimination of the injured list to the proposal for a true minor league. However, he wouldn't speculate on the chances that an age limit would be passed as part of the new agreement. "I think the two [the age limit and the NBDL] could work independently," Stern said, "but they've been proposed collectively." Once the league and the players' association agree on a new collective bargaining agreement, Stern said he'd try to move as fast as possible to implement the new league. In possible preparation for an agreement, the NBA announced on Monday the addition of four new NBDL teams in Tulsa, Albuquerque; Fort Worth, and Austin. The addition of four new teams in the southwest marks the NBDL's first expansion outside the southeast and appears to be the surest sign yet that a true minor league is in the wings. Currently the league has teams in Columbus, Roanoke, Asheville, Huntsville, Fayetteville and Fort Myers. The expansion to Fort Worth is the first time the NBDL has set up shop in a major city with an NBA team nearby. On Monday, Stern said he's trying to develop a "national footprint" for the league and that there is a possibility that NBDL teams could be placed in larger cities if the Fort Worth team is a success. Stern mentioned New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Detroit as possible homes for NBDL teams in the future. The commissioner said that he's already received interest from investors in those cities and expected to have discussions with them in the future.
