Buying into the D League

by warriorsvictim on May 4, 2009 4:36 PM PDT Comment 27 comments

In case you havent been following the discussion, there has been talk about what it would take to buy/run a D League team over at the Ridiculous Upside and Rufus On Fire blogs elsewhere on SBNation.

Rufus, I think, proposed that there be an employee ownership plan where everyone buys in for $10k or something, even if that means they take out a loan conditional upon employment. This would generate the cash necessary to take over a failing team and ensure employee pride in the product.

I dont see any way that could really happen based on the tight purse strings at banks right now and the employee/owners' likely lack of ability to repay. There arent going to be any dividends or profits that allow repayment of a loan, and the salaries are not that great in the D League.

When I really stop to think about it, I dont see any way the league can be successful unless the NBA takes a larger ownership stake in the league as a whole. They need to back it financially at a larger level and have a voice in daily operations of every team to ensure the teams are run in a way that mirrors the NBA's professionalism as much as possible. Otherwise the teams just become a sideshow instead of a true path to the NBA.

Let's open this up to discussion here where there are more people with opinions.

How would you run the team or the league as a whole if you were handed the reigns? (seriously, no Jackie Moon stuff! Do you want to love me sexy?!)

This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!

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I want to see a publicly owned NBA team.

Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell? Oh no hide the children!

by Nuck Chorris on May 4, 2009 4:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Is there one?

Chris Cohan and Robert Rowell? Oh no hide the children!

by Nuck Chorris on May 4, 2009 4:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

no

I’m pretty sure the Packers are the only publicly owned team in a major sport.

Thing A

by sam23 on May 4, 2009 8:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

arent the celtics publicly traded?

my code name is "kelenna bahongpuki"

by VonteegoCummings on May 5, 2009 8:26 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think they were, but aren’t anymore. I could be wrong.

Thing A

by sam23 on May 5, 2009 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree the NBA should take a much larger role. I wouldn’t mind seeing each team get one designated NBADL team and have the NBA draft expanded to 3, 4 or even 5 rounds. This would provide an alternative to going overseas for the young guys who want to start getting paid to play immediately but aren’t yet eligible to play in the NBA. The difficult part would be creating a culture where keeping a rookie, especially a young rookie, in the “minors” would be typical. Fans of bad teams demand to see the young guys play, I don’t know if it would work for most fans but I know I wouldve gone to see Randolph and Belinelli starting for a local minor league team at the start of this season. It would also make draft day interesting enough to contend with the NFL draft.

Thing A

by sam23 on May 4, 2009 8:45 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

also

I’d suggest limiting NBA teams to just 10 active players each night if they have another 10-20 guys in the minors.

Thing A

by sam23 on May 4, 2009 8:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

I think the one to one D-League to NBA ratio was/is the eventual goal of the NBA. I’d also love to see a designated Warriors only D-league team that would teach our system and provide plenty of minutes for guys like Wright, Marco, Morrow and Randolph when Nelson wasn’t playing them. If the system worked better we could have been watching a minor league San Jose team featuring guys like

PG: D. Nelson, M. Williams
SG: Morrow, Marco, A Roberson
SF: Renaldo Major
PF: Wright, Randoph, Stephane Lasme
C: Hendrix, Kurz, Davidson, POB, Kosta

at any given time over the last few years. Fill in the holes with any undrafted players that look interesting, or veterans trying to get another chance in the league and you’ve got some pretty high level basketball.

I can understand the value of staying with the NBA team so that you can practice against the starters and learn the system, but if you had your own local minor league team that would be the best case scenario. You could even shuffle guys back and forth like the Lakers did with Farmar a while ago. I’d imagine that practicing against Jackson and Monta in the day and then playing heavy minutes running the same plays in a minor league game that night would have been a pretty good situation for a guy like Marco the last couple years.

I’m sure it would be hard to pull off, but I think if you were able to grow the league to the point where you had a minor league team in the same general area as it’s parent NBA team it would probably help keep the interest level up too.

Thing 2

by olympicmike on May 4, 2009 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1 back at ya

You said everything I was trying to say, but better. I’d love to pay 20-30 bucks to go watch a San Jose/San Francisco/(insert bay area-ish city of choice here) minor league team featuring all the guys I hope make the Warriors into contenders in 2012 play in some random college gym when I can’t come up with the 80-200 bucks necessary to watch the actual Warriors. If the minor league team had a rookie like Randolph each year I’d be there all the time. How fun would it have been to be the guy who loved Azubuike when he was playing in the D-league and told all your friends “remember that random guy from Kentucky last year with the huge arms? I think he’s really gonna be a pretty good player for the Warriors soon,” and then be proven right? If you say you’re already that guy, you’re a liar or you somehow watch way too much NBADL.

Plus that type of system would also “fix” college baksetball. The guys who chose to take the free ride to college rather than take the paycheck in the D-League would probably also be staying in college for longer periods of time. You may even see the best players staying for 3 or 4 years (gasp!) become a pretty normal trend again. Sure, the quality of athletes wouldn’t be anywhere near the same, but it would give you chance to really get to know most of the college teams a whole lot better, and most fans of the college game love it for all the ways it ISN’T the NBA anyway. (and by stealing from the college talent pool it may give, for example, a big unathletic white kid who can’t shoot a lick, but has been known to hustle and throw his body around recklessly a reasonable shot at playing lower level college ball for a team like…oh say, UC Davis, for example)

Thing A

by sam23 on May 5, 2009 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

first of all

this league should change name -because NBADL sounds just silly -like it’s not real league but something where wannabe NBA ballers trying to develop (most likely unsuccessful) something
let it sound somehow serious -because people enjoying watch a real game not development
and this league should get good marketing (public = money) and be open for players from overseas

reason why it has to be successful financially is because this league should compete with Euro leagues for players -who often choose real money in Europe instead of ‘development with tiny chance to get in real league’

NBA club rosters should be cut to 12 though

30 Y 197 cm 115 kg 0 IQ

by Lat We N Trash on May 5, 2009 12:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nailed it...

reason why it has to be successful financially is because this league should compete with Euro leagues for players -who often choose real money in Europe instead of ‘development with tiny chance to get in real league’

That’s the biggest problem for players with talent that are trying to use the D-league as a launching pad. They know they could make more money overseas, but they are afraid if they go they will miss a chance at the NBA. I remember when I used to read Rod Benson’s blog that was a big dilemma for him. If they can get revenues up (or find a way to feed at the NBA trough like the WNBA does) then they can increase salaries and keep guys stateside.

Thing 2

by olympicmike on May 5, 2009 1:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

how much did Jennings make overseas this year? I can’t imagine it being more than an NBA team would’ve paid for his rights to have him on their minor league team. It would take a lot of rule changes to the salary cap and such to make this work, but if you allowed teams to sign rookies to longer term deals I think it would encourage a very successful way of developing players and franchises. I’m sure the Blazer would much rather have a guy like Bayless signed for 7 year and playing in the minors for a couple years than have him stuck at the end of their bench until they can clear some playing time and then thrust him into the starting lineup just in time for him to flash some skills a year or two before he becomes a free agent. There aren’t many things the MLB does better than the NBA (i.e. different rules for the 2 leagues, no salary cap) but they are light years ahead on this one.

Thing A

by sam23 on May 5, 2009 1:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

how much did Jennings make overseas this year?

Jennings, a 6-foot-2 point guard who was regarded as the nation’s best high school player at his position a year ago, signed a $1.2 million deal in salary and endorsements to head to Europe in August instead of staying in the United States to play college basketball.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/sports/basketball/24recruit.html

30 Y 197 cm 115 kg 0 IQ

by Lat We N Trash on May 5, 2009 1:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

oooh

1.2 mil for the one year? I may have to take that back, thats about double what I would’ve guessed he was earning. Obviously most young prospects entering the hoops minor leagues wouldn’t command that type of money, but I don’t know nearly enough about economics or the current salary cap/revenue sharing rules to know if creating a minor league that would be financially competitive with the Euro-leagues would be at all feasible.

Thing A

by sam23 on May 5, 2009 1:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think...

Jennings isn’t really a good case. He was going to be a one-and-done college player anyway. The competition with Europe comes in with the second tier guys. Guys like Anthony Parker or Stephen Jackson who decided to play outside of the US instead of playing Minor league ball here.

I think there are lots of fringe NBA players who opt to go to Europe instead of grinding it out in the D-League. Allen Ray, for instance, decided to play in Italy after things didn’t work out with the Celtics. I’m sure there are loads more but most of these guys kind of fly under the radar.

Thing 2

by olympicmike on May 5, 2009 1:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK i agree Jennings was more like exception

but even guy who was NBA 3pts % leader this season was going to the Europe after not being drafted -not to NBDL -something is wrong with yhis league
-i think Champion of Ukraine or Italy or France sounds away better than Champion of NBDL

30 Y 197 cm 115 kg 0 IQ

by Lat We N Trash on May 5, 2009 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree...

at this point Europe looks to be the much more attractive option. The NBA and D-league need to change the way people look at the D-league. If they can make it feel like a true stepping stone to the NBA and raise the salaries (easier said than done) it will have a much better reputation than it does now. Right now a lot of guys are giving the D-league one year and if they don’t get called up then they go to Europe to play for some real money and in some more competitive games.

Thing 2

by olympicmike on May 5, 2009 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think you're close with salary

I’m sure endorsements played a rather large role in this as well, mainly UnderArmor.

Blogging at RidiculousUpside, where we converse with recently fired mascots.

by Scott Schroeder on May 5, 2009 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

first of all this league should change name-because NBADL sounds just silly -like it’s not real league but something where wannabe NBA ballers trying to develop (most likely unsuccessful)

totally

Thing A

by sam23 on May 5, 2009 1:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

What would you call it?

Blogging at RidiculousUpside, where we converse with recently fired mascots.

by Scott Schroeder on May 5, 2009 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

80-200 bucks?

have you heard of the BART overpass?

Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!

by Supafishal on May 5, 2009 6:57 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yea, but having to drag a girlfriend along makes everything so much more expensive

Thing A

by sam23 on May 5, 2009 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey Fellas

Scott from Ridiculous Upside here. I was just lurking to see what the discussion amounted to – good stuff.

The NBA taking a larger role is the best option, but impossible until the CBA comes up again, and then only if the Players Union doesn’t view the D-League as a huge negative.

Blogging at RidiculousUpside, where we converse with recently fired mascots.

by Scott Schroeder on May 5, 2009 4:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Negative for contracts

I can see the union worrying that if an NBA team drafts a player high, but expects to send him to the DLeague for a season to develop, the player contract would be expected to be a lower dollar amount. How could it not be if he is not playing in the big show?

They will never go for it unless there is a way to agree on some solid incentives that apply across the board. The union never wants to see contracts diminish no matter what.

I see their side of the issue, but these guys are so well paid that I cannot find a way to side with them on that one. I think players should have to prove themselves more so we dont see a rookie earning more money than a proven player just based on draft position.

by warriorsvictim on May 6, 2009 10:30 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This

Would sound better in the NFL. In the NBA, they’re slotted into what they’re getting, and it’s not absurd.

Blogging at RidiculousUpside, where we converse with recently fired mascots.

by Scott Schroeder on May 6, 2009 11:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah but

You could see the NBA owners wanting to drop contracts in half if a player is expected to play a whole first year in the development league. Especially for players taken outside the frist round.

by warriorsvictim on May 7, 2009 11:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I would almost take that deal is I was the union

if the NBA decided to expand the draft and the bench of the D League teams bringing more players into the professional ranks.

More guys would have a chance at the big time at lower dollar amounts per person. That would increase dues paid to the union (bonus union), increase the talent pool (bonus NBA), and increase American collegiate players who stay in the USA as pros(bonus D League based on player recognition)

by warriorsvictim on May 7, 2009 12:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs