While not as compelling considering that we have no friggin' clue who's going to be on roster, I thought I'd take a look at the D-League schedule and see some of the... erm... highlights.

I'm hearing that NBATV may pull the D-League games completely, which is fine, except for me screaming and throwing things and lighting buildings on fire. Other than that, no big deal.  Come on, Turner.  Don't show us the same boring promos and Ahmad Rashad fests over and over again. Give D-League a Chance!

Fri. Nov 28th:

Utah Flash at  Austin Toros: Two of the best franchises in the league go at it on opening night.  Toros might have Ian Mahnimi back, the Flash might have Morris Almond back.  Scoring galore.

Iowa Energy  at Sioux Falls Skyforce: Also on opening night, the Energy, who should have quite a bit more talent with their new affiliate Phoenix, take on the Skyforce, who always field a competitive team.  If DJ Strawberry is here and Skyforce coach Nate Tibbets manages to talk one of his speedy guards from last season back, it could be special.

Dec 5th:

Idaho at Austin: Finals rematch, this time at the ACC.  Should be a good test for both squads early.

Dec 7th:

Sioux Falls at Dakota:  The rivalry is reborn. This is the best rivalry in the league. Should be a good one, with a good crowd.

Dec. 11th:

Iowa at Erie: The Bayhawks finally get a homegame!  The expansion team opens with a five game road trip.  Welcome to being the furthest most east team in the league, Bayhawks!

Dec 25th:

Reno at Iowa, Dakota at Sioux Falls:  Apparently the schedule planners were sitting around going "How can we make sure that the players in Dakota, Iowa, Reno, and Sioux Falls hate us. I know! We'll have a Christmas Day game!  What, are you kidding me? FAIL.  You're going to seriously piss off the players with this, guys.

February 16th:

Ft. Wayne at Iowa, Austin at Anaheim:  Right after the All-Star game.  Expect a lot of hungover dudes.  At least they didn't schedule them for the Sunday after this time.

April 10th:

Colorado at Utah: This could be a playoff matchup, given the strength of the two systems.

I'll have more on this stuff once, you know, we know who's actually playing.

Former Clipper/Maverick/66er Nick Fazekas really shouldn't have gotten ditched.  He's got enough upside and made enough of an impact last season to stick on the clippers, who are short on bigs anyway.  But no.  Mike Dunleavy Sr.'s on-again, off-again reationship with the D-League continues.

If Fazekas goes back to the D-League, considering how close he is to a contract, it's likely that he'll end up with Reno.  He went to school at UNR, and is hanging out at the Bighorn facilities as a celebrity dance judge this week. Poor guy. Rough life. If his name goes into the D-League draft, expect him to be Reno's #1 pick.

Hey, technology is awesome.  There's so many new ways to participate in online discussion groups, and the realm of communication between people gets wider every day. 

Of course, there are some ways in which the internet should not be used as a replacement for certain things.

Like, oh, say, letting D-League pres Dan Reed know you're interested in bringing a D-League team to Las Vegas (which is a whole can of worms unto itself) by leaving a comment on his blog. 

Go ahead, scroll to the bottom of Mr. Reed's latest post (which is interesting, but nothing groundbreaking, since he covered most of it in my last interview with him).

There you'll find:

"

Mr. Reed, My name is Alexis Levi: I am the owner of the LV Stars an IBL Team. I am the first woman in history to own a team and be a GM and CEO of a Mens Team. Though I am two years away form taking the next step, I want to start planning now. I would like to bring a D-League Team to Las Vegas. I know that you just started one in Reno. I have several investors that would like to see this happen since there is no NBA Team here at this time. Please feel free to google my name Alexis Levi and you can find out additional information about me. Please feel free to email me at (actual email given, withheld here).

Yeah, she's real. And while I think it's cool that she's the first African-American female owner of a men's club, she might want to think about trying another form of communication next time.  Like an email. Or a phone call. Carrier pigeon.  Smoke signal. Something.

Still, it'll be interesting to see how this turns out.  Stern wants an NBA club there, but if he can't get one, maybe a D-League club could serve as a warmup. We'll see.

You know, maybe with the Euroleague being broadcast on the web next season, these things won't bug me as much.  I'm not xenophobic or anything.  It just bothers me that guys with considerable talent and a passion for the game don't get a chance to live their dream while Kwame Brown gets $8 million over two years.  Stephon Marbury is making about 25 times what it would cost to get these guys to sign.  And that just irritates me.  I'm glad somebody out there values talent.

First off, Carlos Arroyo is of course, headed to Maccabi Tel Aviv. That article came across a little colder than I meant for it to.  I like Arroyo, and don't think in any way, shape, or form that the Magic should have dropped him.  I think capable point guards are hard to find, and that the Heat are being way too damn picky. 

Much more depressing, though, is that Pacers standout and D-League veteran Earl Calloway signed with Croatian Euroleague team Cibona Zagreb (Hat tip: Indy Cornrows). Calloway is a great point guard with good handle, offensive versatility, and defensive commitment.  That he hasn't gotten even an exploratory offer is really depressing, considering Jameer Nelson is a starting point guard in this league.

Ugh.

Number one response I got yesterday when I asked publically about what team was getting Milwaukee's affiliation?

"The Bucks are their own D-League team."

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

Here's the thing.  I feel like the league made a significant error in not working this out before hand.  Now, their hands may have been tied.  I'm not exactly sure what the rules are regarding the sale of D-League teams, whether they have to be approved, or what, but judging from Brandt Anderson said today in his blog (MUST-READ), it sure as hell doesn't sound like there's an owners' vote. So if Kahn just up and sold it, especially if he did it suddenly, the League had to react positively, even if they were unprepared.  However, if the League had acceptable prior notice on this, they should have had some sort of clarification.

The reason I say this is because it was Milwaukee. Ramon Sessions was the biggest D-League story last year, along with Lance Allred and the Miami Three.  This is a team that actually, you know, used the thing, and now they've got Skiles, who had a good relationship with Iowa, even though none of the players developed very well. I wouldn't mind if they stuck Orlando or Sacramento without a team.  Both of them are completely and totally ignorant that this "so called 'Developmental League'" even exists.  But Milwaukee has shown good faith in supporting the league, and deserves better than to be left hanging.

I know, I know, the season's not till November.  But from what I saw at Summer League? Lil Joey Alexander could use some time in the D-League, and it would be nice to have the staffs meet.  Skiles has used the D-League before, but its mostly been a "let's get rid of him for a while because he disgusts me."  You need to build a relationship.

Of course.

There is one more option.

Halifax has been trying desperately to get approval for the D-League.  Last I heard, there was some sort of breakdown, because President Reed went from "Hallifax, yeah!" to "Well, there's a lot to discuss."  Meanwhile, Hallifax joined the PBL. It's obviously not a long term move.   Ownership there clearly wants to get into the D-League, but my thought is it's going to take till next year when the worst kept secret is revealed and the D-League announces the Portland, ME and Harlem teams (You hear that, D-League? I'm on to you!).  Then they can have a northeastern division with Erie, New York, Portland, and Halifax. By the way, Halifax needs two ls. I'm just telling you. The one l bugs the hell out of me.

Anyway, so the other option is that with the sale, go ahead and approve Halifax. It hurts the burgeoning PBL (term used loosely, though I'm rooting for it), gives them another team to send MIlwaukee to, and while it's a bit of a distance for the other teams, they have a team in Rio Grand Valley, for God's sake.

So what are the other options? Well, the next option is to triple load a team.  Danger, Dan Reed, Danger.  Loading up three different teams' interests on one squad is not a good idea.  Does Reno sound like a good option, considering the Kings will never look at the Bighorns?  Yes.  But Reno's going to depend on the association with the Kings for marketing and promotional support, even if the Maloofs could give half a damn about it.  So you can't go there. You still don't want three teams vying for control. All that's going to create is distrust, which hurts the system. 

But let's say they opt for that. What are some sensible alternatives to Tulsa? Well, there's Fort Wayne.  Indiana can't afford to send down players because all their guys either get hurt or suspended, and they haven't shown that they understand how to use it anyway, even though it's only a few hours away. So that's good. That just leaves the Pistons. And therein lies the problem.  The Pistons LOVE the Mad Ants.  Chiekh Samb, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, Aaron Afflalo, all have spent time in Fort Wayne.  Which means you're dealing with two clubs, in the same division, who both use the D-League, vying for control. That's going to get sticky.  What happens when Samb nails Mbah A Moute in the mouth during practice and injures him? Or vice versa? Samb's already been injured in the D-League.  Having it happen by a rival's player? Bad mojo.

How about Sioux Falls? Skyforce are a terrific squad. The Bobcats don't and won't use it.  But Minnesota had Skyforce coach Nate Tibbets on staff for summer league (NOTE: Look for an exclusive interview with Coach Tibbets on Monday! Only on Ridiculous Upside! VERY FUNNY. /shameless plug).  So we run into the same problem.

Iowa Energy? Yeah, that's Skiles' former club's affiliate.  Awk-ward.  No dice. Plus, I have some serious questions about Iowa right now.

Which leaves us with Colorado.  Denver's invested there, they have a lot of connections, but they still hardly use it. Elton Brown sat there under their nose last year and they still didn't pick him up.  The Nuggets have bigger concerns right now than their D-League affiliate.  What about the Nets?  The Nets WANT their young players on staff.  They don't want to send anyone down. They're good.  Plus, there's a strong connection.  The Bucks hired former Colorado 14ers' coach Joe Wolf (AKA ther tersest interview, EVAR, though I can't blame him for being bored with me) for an assistant coaching gig.  Makes sense.

The other option is Dakota.  Dakota's got a strong reputation for producing winning teams, and the coaching staff and organization are top notch, and it's close.  Plus Memphis and Washington ignore the D-League completely.  That's right, the Memphis Grizzlies, the one team that needs to concentrate on young talent more than any other, completely ignore the league specifically geared to develop young talent.  They're winners.  The Wizards need to send JaVale McGee down for a spell, but they won't.  The Grizzlies need to send Darrell Arthur down, but they won't.  Dakota makes for a solid option, particularly with how close it is.

So those are the best options for a third affiliate.

The other option is to give the Bucks a freebee.  Let them assign players to any team outside of the NBA-Owned three (Tulsa, Austin, LA), provided they get permission from the other clubs.  Skiles won't try and send him anywhere there are issues, and if the Bucks aren't comfortable with that assignment, they can yank him and send him elsewhere. 

Worst case scenario is to deny a team affiliation.  If you're going to do that, though, the list goes 1.Charlotte 2. Memphis 3. Sacramento 4. Orlando. 

I hope the league comes out with a policy on this soon, but I'm not holding my breath. I'd imagine we're not going to know for a while where the Bucks' assignments are headed.

UPDATE: Spoke to a league representative that informed me that the sale is still pending a vote.  Also, since the Sonics didn't move to OKC until just two months ago, the league didn't have notification before then.  So the League's off the hook, but it needs to find a solution pretty quick.

Well, you can't argue with tradition, apparently.  Renoans... Renoites... Renoes (?) know their Western Basketball Association history, my friends. The D-League unveiled the newest D-League team, The Reno Bighorns tonight.

Here's the snazzy new logo! Get excited! Be! Be! excited!

Okay, the logo's pretty cool.

I, for one, cannot wait for the first Bighorns vs. Mad Ants game. The clash of classic versus new age is simply amazing. 

Welcome to the D-League, Bighorns. Expect me to make lots of fun of your name. It's all in love.

via nba.com/dleague/reno

The D-League is set to unveil the name of the other new franchise tonight, the Reno team which will be the 2008-2009 affiliate for the Kings and Knicks not to use.  The name's been a big secret, and today I've worked every angle I know to figure it out. No go. But, here's what I did find out.

The team had a naming contest, and the four options were Bighorns, Enforcers, Rangers and Riders.

All the D-League team websites are hosted on nba.com/dleague. So, for example, nba.com/dleague/austin. But they also get the full team names domains. For example, www.austintoros.com.

So I tried the suggestions.

• The site www.renoriders.com takes you to a cycling site. www.renonvriders.com is a dead page. 
• www.renorangers.com is also dead.
• As is www.renoenforcers.com
• Buuuut... www.renobighorns.com?  That takes you to the Reno team homepage. 

Bingo.

It's far from a confirmation, but if this is it? It's a throwback to the Western Basketball Association. Yeah. The D-League. It's a tradition thing.

I knew something fishy was up when TrueHoop mentioned that all the new trademarks for the new OKC team were registered for the D-League.

Now just across the wire comes word that D-League President Dan Reed is in Tulsa for a "major announcement."

Does this mean that the Tulsa 66ers franchise, long considered one of the worst in the D-League, is being moved to OKC?  Will the new OKC team have a D-League team IN town?  The "team formerly known as the Sonics" already had their D-League affiliation switched to Tulsa before they moved out of Seattle.  It looks like the Bennett ownership group is committed to a D-League affiliation on a higher level.

I'll have more on this as it breaks.

Odd timing, I have to say, since the new Reno name is also supposed to be announced this evening.

UPDATE:  A look at the Tulsa 66ers blog indicates that they've got a new arena built, so it would be weird if they pulled the plug on the 66ers franchise.  But I can't figure out why they'd make the announcement in Tulsa if it's a new OKC D-League team.  And that's pretty close for comfort for two D-League teams.  Maybe Bennett's bought the club?

UPDATE2: This is the first time I get to use this phrase, so let's all enjoy it.  An unnamed D-League source tells us that the announcement is that Tulsa's owner, David Kahn, has sold the team to Bennett for a little over $2 million.  Kahn also owns two other teams, including the Reno team, and was the owner of the now defunct Fort Worth Flyers. The League's office is not commenting at this time.  More updates as they come. The official announcement is at 1PM.

UPDATE3: Another interesting wrinkle of this story is that Bennett has said that he wants the Oklahoma City Whatchamacallits to play in Tulsa. So it's conceivable that he's looking to set up both teams to play in both cities.  It would certainly increase statewide interest if the team plays in both cities. It would be a logistical nightmare, one would think, but it's still kind of interesting.

UPDATE4: Confirmed, OKC is now the third team to own its D-League affiliate. I'll try and find out what the ramifications are for the Bucks, who were supposed to share the D-League affiliate with the Sonics. From the league office:

 

"OKLAHOMA CITY NBA FRANCHISE TO
PURCHASE TULSA 66ERS OF NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE

Third NBA team in three years to own an NBA D-League team

NEW YORK, July 31, 2008 – The National Basketball Association announced today that the Professional Basketball Club, LLC, owner of the Oklahoma City NBA franchise, has reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League from Southwest Basketball, LLC. Oklahoma City becomes the third NBA team to purchase an NBA D-League affiliate, joining the Los Angeles Lakers (L.A. D-Fenders) and the San Antonio Spurs (Austin Toros) as sole owners of their affiliates.

“As owners of the Tulsa 66ers, we will be able to oversee the team's business operations and provide a valuable developmental vehicle for some of our young players,” said Clay Bennett, chairman of Professional Basketball Club, LLC.  “We have received tremendous support from Tulsa for our NBA team in Oklahoma City and we are excited to be a part of the NBA D-League in the Tulsa area. It’s going to be a great partnership.”

Oklahoma City will oversee all aspects of the organization, including implementing the offensive and defensive systems the 66ers run in practices and games, and hiring all business and basketball staff. Oklahoma City will also have exclusive rights to assign its players with one or two years of NBA experience to the 66ers. The 66ers will play their home games in the new SpiritBank Event Center in Bixby, OK.  

“As the third NBA team in as many years to purchase its own NBA D-League team, Oklahoma City and Clay Bennett are demonstrating the value the NBA D-League is creating for fans and NBA teams alike," said NBA D-League President Dan Reed.  “Fans and families in Tulsa will enjoy the affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment experience resulting from the deep integration with a nearby NBA team, while Oklahoma City will benefit greatly from the ability to closely manage its top prospects’ development with the 66ers.”

The 66ers saw meaningful contributions from NBA-assigned players Nick Fazekas (Dallas Mavericks) and Ramon Sessions (Milwaukee Bucks) last season. Following his time with the 66ers, Sessions became the first player with NBA D-League experience to earn an NBA monthly award when he was named April's T-Mobile Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month. Head coach Joey Meyer, who is the winningest coach in NBA D-League history with 175 regular season wins, guided the 66ers to a 26-24 record during the 2007-08 season.

Prior to moving to Tulsa, the 66ers were known as the Asheville Altitude, one of the founding NBA D-League teams which began play in 2001.  As the Altitude, the club won NBA D-League Championships in 2004 and 2005.  

“We are excited to have an exclusive affiliation with our NBA D-League team in Tulsa.  It provides a unique and valuable opportunity to have consistency and synergy in how we develop some of our young players, coaches, and staff,” said Sam Presti, general manager for the Oklahoma City NBA team. “Its close proximity will also provide us great convenience and flexibility.”

The acquisition of the 66ers by the Professional Basketball Club, LLC signals another success on the heels of the three-year old NBA/D-League assignment system.  Since the inception of the NBA/D-League assignment system prior to the 2005-06 season, NBA teams have assigned 84 players a total of 130 times, including 19 NBA teams assigning 31 players to D-League rosters during the 2007-08 season.  

Additionally, 30 percent of the 2007 NBA Draft class has spent time in the NBA D-League, including first round selections, Daequan Cook (21st overall), Morris Almond (25th overall), Aaron Brooks (26th overall) and Alando Tucker (29th overall), who were assigned to their respective team’s D-League affiliate, while a total of 18 players earned Gatorade Call-ups from 11 NBA teams last year.  

The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams.  Having recently completed its seventh season, the NBA D-League’s goals are to provide affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 16 teams, as well as continue to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA. As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA, fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played outside the NBA.  In fact 15 percent of players on 2008 end-of-season NBA rosters spent time honing their skills in the League. In addition, it has produced current NBA coaches and 25 percent of the NBA’s referees. The NBA D-League is an innovative and rapidly growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing ground for new initiatives like NBA Futurecast, the live web-streaming of all games available free at nba.com/futurecast. The League also provides continuing education and professional development resources for its players, and is committed to serving its local communities through D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts."

 

No word on the acquisition of the other team name domains.

UDPATE5: Waiting on word back from the front office on the Bucks, who currently have no D-League affiliate, even though they have a major contributor who spent significant time in the D-League last year (Ramon Sessions).  They also have no statement regarding the acquisition of the OKC domains as previously reported on TrueHoop.

UPDATE6:  Source was right on the money, CBS reports Bennett confirmed the sale was for $2.25 Million.

I was talking to a young lady that works for the League at Summer League and she mentioned something that really rang true.  Mascots are essentially Furries with jerseys on. It's so true. I always wonder how one goes about applying for a mascot position. Do you have to display certain skills?  What do you put on your resume?

"Skills: Able to display emotion while trapped within gigantic cardboard animal outfit."

Momma should be proud.  All it takes is a dream.

And now, if you live in the Tulsa area, you too can live that dream! Why?

Because the Tulsa 66ers, now part of the Clay Bennett family, are hiring for people to be Routie the Roadrunner!

D-League Mascots.  It's not just a job. It's an adventure.

There's a lot of times when I realize that I know very, very little about basketball.  One of those times was a late season media session for the Toros. A couple of the assistants on the crew and I were talking about the upcoming playoffs and I mentioned how I thought the Wizards would beat the Cavs in five games. Maybe six. Suddenly, I heard this big booming voice behind me.

"You're going to take that team, without Arenas at 100%, over LeBron?"

It was assistant coach Roy Rogers.

"Well, yeah, I mean, when you look at the stats and the matchups..." I began.

"I'm taking LeBron.  I don't care what the matchups are.  That man is a difference maker.  That kind of power?  The Wizards don't have anybody to stop that."

Two weeks later, after the Cavs had eliminated the Wizards, I slinked up to him at the Toros first playoff game. Rogers laughed.

"Hey, could have gone either way." he said.

"But you knew it wouldn't." I replied.

He just shrugged.

****************************************************************************************

If you ask the Toros' players about him, particularly their resident Spurs draft pick, Ian Mahinmi, you get glowing reviews..

"He's done so much to help my game, to get me mentally ready to play here." Mahinmi told me late last season.

Coach Quin Snyder absolutely raved about the work Rogers had done.

"He's got a great mind for the game, he's always ready to work.  We wouldn't have come as far as we have with Ian, and with the rest of the guys, if we hadn't had Roy on staff."

I had talked to a D-League source who had indicated that Rogers was on the short list for the Rio Grand Valley and Idaho Stampede jobs last season.  Rogers likely could have gotten the Reno gig (anytime you want to drop that name on us, D-League. EN-E-TIME).  But it turns out he's got bigger fish to fry.

Roger has been hired as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets, joining Coach Lawrence Frank's staff.

Man, now I get to ask him about having to scout LeBron.

Congratulations to one of the nicest D-League guys I've met, and a terrific coach.

We'll have an interview with Coach Rogers next week.