[HKF]

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 Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa, OK.
"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.nbdl.com/fortworth, www.nbdl.com/austin, www.nbdl.com/tulsa and www.nbdl.com/albuquerque.

"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.

Locations:

East
Ft. Myers, Florida (Florida Flame)
Columbus, Georgia (Columbus Riverdragons)
Asheville, North Carolina (Asheville Altitude)
Fayetteville, North Carolina (Fayetteville Patriots)
Roanoke, Virginia (Roanoke Dazzle)

West
Huntsville, Alabama (Huntsville Flight)
Austin, Texas (No name yet)
Fort Worth, Texas (no name yet)
Tulsa, Oklahoma (no name yet)
Albuerquerque, New Mexico (no name yet)

I think these are going to be the 10 teams for the NBDL personally and that 3 teams are going to share the rosters. 5 players each (15 total), especially considering that it looks like the injured reserve (where you have 3 guys put on it for arbitrary reasons) to be abolished soon. So now it's starting to make sense why David Stern and his cronies want an age limit.

Apparently, with the league having re-stocked itself with young talent (which it undoubtably has), the age limit will help the college game, bring ready made stars into the league for it's marketing potential to go along with Wade, Lebron, Amare, Bosh, Melo, Howard and a host of others, which will usher in the NBA's second golden era. Not to mention, that guys who don't want to go to college will have the option of going to the NBA's new minor league.

They without question picked the perfect cities in their 2nd round of expansion because Tulsa, Austin, Albuerquerque and Fort Worth are really college towns. No real sports once their teams are done. Tulsa and Albuerquerque are huge basketball towns and if the product is good (this is key, the games need to be uptempo and exciting, not slow and methodical) then they should have large turnouts.

The NBA actually hit a homerun here and I think I'm re-thinking my stance on the age limit, although I still loathe with a passion the social implications of it, but since it really doesn't affect me, I'll save that fight for another time, when I'm in a position to do something about it.

Until then, peace...

 

[ATLien]

Some teams are independent run.
Some teams are owned by the NBA?

What will that mean

 

[MemphisX]

Why do you need an age limit AND a minor league? Doesn't make sense to me. I thought the purpose of having a minor league was to develop young players and the purpose of the age limit was to prevent underdeveloped young players from entering the league. :krazy:


I can't wait to see the next team that drafts a LeBron James and it is mandantory he play in the minor leagues for two years...that will be just brilliant.

 

[Sigma]

But what if young NBA player don't want to go to NBDL?

 

[Kmasonbx]

Why do you need an age limit AND a minor league? Doesn't make sense to me. I thought the purpose of having a minor league was to develop young players and the purpose of the age limit was to prevent underdeveloped young players from entering the league. :krazy:


I can't wait to see the next team that drafts a LeBron James and it is mandantory he play in the minor leagues for two years...that will be just brilliant.

Seems counteractive in my view too.

BTW, Napoleon Dynamite is a hilarious movie. It really has no point but I lauged the whole movie.

 

[PartisanRanger]

I don't think the teams were added to make an age-limit possible, but it's good news nonetheless. I'm a big supporter of the NBDL and what it has done for players in need of a second chance. Though many players think it beneath them to play in it, those that have played in it and done well have gotten second chances and achieved success (Devin Brown, Rafer Alston, etc.)

 

[BigMac]

Yeah why would they need a age limit when they have a minor league? just run it like hockey and baseball.

 

[ToddMacCulloch11]

But what if young NBA player don't want to go to NBDL?

then they can sit down and realize they are getting paid for playing basketball. And if that doesn't shut them up, then they suck.

 

[Hustle]

I called for this shared roster concept a while ago.

The NBDL draft could be for teams. Then they would get the 5 players that, that team had designated. (makes more sense. Teammates would be playing together and it would make more sense in terms of bringing players up and down)

or

Each of the NBA teams could have the rights to 5 players individually in the NBDL. (I don't really see a point to this.)


I agree this means there is no reason for age limit. Just more non-guarateed contracts. But if the NBA was to have this 5 man roster situation, contracts would be slightly complicated for players on the edge (no-guaranteed contracts), where they would get the % of their salary that they earned in each league. (based on which roster they were on). I guess this would mean that guys with guarateed contracts would not likely be brought down unless there was a severe need. Which would change landscape of the league a little, young kids would be seen as a slightly bigger risk. If they were usless for a couple of years it would cost a team the minimum to have that player go to the NBDL and another player on the roster. But the NBA team should also have a chance to not add another player and be less deep. Still it very slightly hurts the younger kids stock(although probably extremely slightly)

 

[ATLien]

Donta Smith would be the Columbus Riverdragons' franchise player. LOL.

Why are all the East teams in the South (VA is sort of south)? Basketball is more popular in the North East.

 

[rebelsun]

Nice to see some expansion there. I think 10 teams and 3 players is ample for a hoops minor league. Like others have said, this further negates the need for an age limit. Let the Darko's and Diop's play in Albuquerque as opposed to riding pine.

 

[Yyzlin]

This is very exciting news, opening up great possibilities for the league and its players. I'm eager to see how the results are next year.

 

[Crossword]

This is big news no doubt. But one thing I'm scared of is this - if they have both an age limit and a minor-league system, what's going to stop an 18-year old prospect from jumping the draft altogether, signing on with an NBDL team, and then get signed to an NBA contract with a contender?

 

[JNice]

It will be interesting to see what happens when 3 teams split the NBDL roster and then one of the team's big prospects doesn't get any PT on the NBDL team while another team's lesser prospect is getting a lot of PT. It is gonna be a lot of politics.

 

[AoK-TripleDouble]

I really hope this NBDL deal doesnt go through, I personaly hate this rule....

 

[Kunlun]

I think it's a great idea to have the NBDL as a developmental league part of the NBA. In the long term it will all pan out and I believe we will be happy with the results.