The most recent NBA lockout talks don't see to be moving basketball fans any closer to a regular season. Basketball will still be happening in the NBA Development League, however, and the teams are currently scouring the nation as they look for potential players to invite to training camp.

D-League tryouts are often a sight to behold (as the Wall Street Journal's Ben Cohen recently noted) with many men showing up hoping to impress the coaches and scouts in attendance -- even if they might not probably don't have the necessarily skills to succeed in the NBA's official minor league. I mentioned this during a conversation with new Dakota Wizards head coach a couple of weeks ago, though, and he quickly dispelled the notion that the tryouts aren't worth putting on.

"Well there are some guys, Scott, that have snuck through these tryouts -- there have been some nice players coming into our league that wouldn't have been given a chance if they didn't show up at one of these sessions," Bjorkgren told Ridiculous Upside in advance of his Wizards' open tryouts scheduled for October 15 in Hayward, California.

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Ever since the NBA lockout began, I was quite pessimistic regarding the fate of the D-League this season. If Tuesday's news is any indication, however, that pessimism wasn't warranted.

The Sioux Falls Skyforce announced that Anthony Mason, Jr., would be returning for a second season to the D-League after the son of former NBA player Anthony Mason had his rookie year last season cut short due to injury. Not to be outdone, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants announced that their own Jr. -- Walker Russell -- would be returning along with former Golden State Warriors big man Chris Hunter and perennial preseason camp invitee Ron Howard.

While none of the four players currently planning their return to the NBA Development League elicit a "Wow!" reaction, even from your's truly, they have all been fringe NBA players in the past and probably had chances to play overseas for more money than their D-League contracts can offer.

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Javaris Crittenton played for the Dakota Wizards in the D-League this year after being a first round pick in the NBA just a few years prior. Continuing his fall from grace, and ultimately what will probably be the end of his basketball career if the allegations prove true, the point guard is now wanted for murder.

Javaris Crittenton faces a homicide charge in the death of mother-of-four Jullian Jones, according to a story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The woman was allegedly walking with two other men in downtown Atlanta, one of which believed to be Crittenton's intended target in retaliation for being robbed earlier in the year.

This, of course, isn't the first time he's been involved in gun charges -- unfortunately, though, it is the most serious. The other time, as has been well-documented, happened when he and former Washington Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas were charged after brandishing handguns in the team's locker room.

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Curtis Stinson has been one of the most most statistically impressive players in the NBA D-League the past few seasons. Unfortunately for fans of the Development League, however, the point guard doesn't look like he'll be suiting up again for the Iowa Energy next season.

Stinson has signed with KRKA Novo Mesto in Slovenia, according to a release on the team's website, and will team up alongside 2010 NBA Draft pick Jerome Jordan this season. It's probably fitting that the club's current roster has listed the former D-League MVP's position as "defender."

Stinson isn't the only NBA-skilled player that decided to take his talents to Slovenia this week, though, as former D-League call-up Danny Green also signed to play next season in the European country.  Green will play with the better-known Union Olimpija, however, while competing in the Euroleague.

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It has been a pretty rough year for the NBA D-League as essentially everyone worth talking about has decided that they want to play in Europe rather than the Development League (except Orien Greene, of course, whose outstanding FIBA issues makes him a lock to be one of the best left in America).

Curtis Sumpter is one player planning on bucking that trend, however, as the former Villanova stud apparently has his sights sets on making the NBA via the D-League this season. It's weird time as Sumpter's essentially established himself in Europe over the past few seasons, but that's neither here nor there.

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Typically around this time of year, the talk of the town would revolve around players being signed to NBA training camp rosters and other fun stuff. The NBA lockout has put a kibosh on that, however, and I've decided to post some links on this lovely Monday morning in lieu of forcing the Mad Ant down your gullets for a fourth consecutive day.

I know what you're probably thinking: "C'mon, Scott! Can't you post another Bruce Pearl and the Texas Legends and yada yada yada story again!?" The fact of the matter is that, no, I can't, because nothing is happening with him right now.

I am soon holding what's called a Facetweet conference with the Mad Ant and one percent Legends owner J.R. Slagendorff to figure out exactly what's going on around the D-League that's worth writing about.

Until Slagendorff finds Pearl in the Rockies or where ever he's currently looking, however, here's a look at other things ancillarily related to the D-League!

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The looming NBA lockout is likely to no longer be looming in less than 24 hours -- unless some sort of miracle happens, of course. The NBA players union and the league's owners would have to close an enormous gap between the two side's collective bargaining agreement proposals when they meet on Thursday in Dallas in order to avoid at least a temporary work stoppage.

While there are many more important things to worry about regarding the lockout, I assume the readers of Ridiculous Upside have questions about what an NBA lockout would do to the NBA Development League so that will be the topic of today.

In short, the D-League will not be affected as the league has approached all questions with a 'business as usual' answer. The games will be played, the players will be paid and Ridiculous Upside's readership might even be made as the NBA's official minor league could be the highest level professional basketball in America if the two sides aren't able to come together in time for the regular season.

Unfortunately, the D-League's talent level probably will be down next season.  If the lockout lasts too long, more players on the fence will opt for Europe's higher salaries considering the biggest upside of the D-League -- earning an NBA call-up -- won't be a possibility.

Some top-flight players might be willing to gamble, however, as the competition will be less once the NBA's regular season actually does begin. Once players head to Europe, just like draft picks, the teams aren't going to want their imports leaving for America without some sort of compensation so it'll be an interesting decision to make if the NBA lockout lasts through August.

The above is what I'm projecting would happen under the current collective bargaining agreement, by the way, as it's pretty difficult to believe the two sides are discussing many things regarding the Development League considering the large amount of money that still needs to get figured out.

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The Dallas Mavericks are NBA Champions after defeating the Miami Heat 105-95 on Sunday night. Pretty neat, really, and probably not a coincidence that the team was able to win its first championship in the same year that the Mavs decided to go to a single-affiliation partnership with the NBA D-League when Donnie Nelson bought the Texas Legends.

Okay, it probably is a huge coincidence, but there's little reason to be excited as a D-League fan around this time of the year anyway so those who are may as well take advantage of it.

The Mavericks roster included three players with D-League experience -- Jose Barea, Ian Mahinmi, Dominique Jones (and technically, as a publicity stunt, Rodrigue Beaubois) -- with both Barea and Mahinmi coming up a bit clutch in the NBA Finals against the Heat.

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