Q&A: Ridiculous Upside (Part 3 of 3)

It's time for the final part of our mega-trilogy with Ridiculous Scott from Ridiculous Upside.

If you thought Part 1 and Part 2 were ridiculous, wait till you see what happens after the jump...

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): The 2008-2009 Golden State Warriors were the worst defensive team in the entire association. At 112.3 ppg they surrendered the most points per game in the NBA by a wide margin. How many points do you think they would have surrendered if they were facing off against D-League teams nightly instead?

Ridiculous Scott (Ridiculous Upside): This might scare you, but I don't think there'd be much of a drop, as it'd probably be right around 100 points per game, unless the Warriors could control the pace. Granted, the Dubs would be able to score at a higher clip, but the D-League is a pretty up-tempo league and the Warriors didn't show much in terms of keeping many offenses in check (no offense).

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): Look into your striped NBDL ball. What does the future hold for the NBDL? Do you see the looming CBA negotiations between the NBA and the players association having an impact on the D-League?

Ridiculous Scott (Ridiculous Upside): Hopefully. I did an interview with Dan Reed, the President of the D-League last month, and although he couldn't comment on anything regarding the upcoming CBA, he does paint a pretty good picture of where the D-League is headed right now.

The biggest thing the upcoming CBA can influence is which players can be assigned to the D-League. The current rule is that players can only be sent down to the D-League if it's their first or second year in the NBA, but this isn't necessarily the best way to implement the D-League. It seems the D-League will lobby for at least third year players to be eligible for assignment, as well as making it possible for rehab assignments. Otherwise, the D-League is moving ahead pretty well, as they've recently unveiled plans for a hybrid affiliation, where NBA teams can buy the basketball operations side of the D-League, but keep the business operations with the local owners. This would mean that the NBA team can hire their own coaches, training staff, and acquire the players they want, which would be a huge improvement in making the D-League a much more viable option.

Atma Brother #1 (Golden State of Mind): Let's say you get the ridiculous job of NBDL Commissioner. What's the one thing you would change about or add to the NBDL?

Ridiculous Scott (Ridiculous Upside): I'd do everything in my power to make the league a viable option for players who either can't or don't want to go to college, so that they can join the D-League instead of going overseas. And hopefully, entice some European players to join the D-League if they don't get drafted. With the recent craziness that's surrounded both John Wall and Jeremy Tyler, along with Brandon Jennings last season, and their plans to skip college and, in Tyler's case, high school, this could really help the climate of American basketball. The alternative might be to somehow bolster the salaries in the D-League, but I'm not sure of the easiest way to make this happen.

Thanks again, Fellas.

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Please give it up for Ridiculous Scott! He may be blogging a ton about the D-League, but his work at Ridiculous Upside is 1s Team All-NBA quality.