D-league use for the 3 rookies and Young

[slamtheking]

thought: If the NBA is serious about turning the D-League into a, well, developmental league, then teams have to start taking use of it to rehab stars and the like.

The problem, like we heard rumblings with Rondo last year, is that no 'star' player wants to be the first guy who has to head to the D-League, since most players look at is as a demotion.

It would help a great deal if each team had its own dedicated DLeague team and the NBA roster was expanded to say 20 where 8 guys could be "yours" on your DLeague team (and only counted against the cap for signing bonuses and actual time spent with the big club) and the other 4 (or whatever) could be signed by anyone (similar to the NFL practice squad).  That would allow a lot more of an actual minor league type system where sending young guys and/or veterans down wouldn't be a waste of time most of the time.

interesting idea - TP

[Moranis]

Agreed. I would also think that bumping the pay of the D-League might make it a more viable alternative to international play -- at least for the sorts of players that would really elevate the league's quality.

excellent point - TP.  the question is - - is there a market for that league? 

minor league baseball is a draw because it's a much cheaper version of the pros so still affordable as a family outing.  the D-League would probably have to do something similar in terms of ticket and merchandise costs

The DLeague draws well over a million people every year.  I think the average is somewhere like 3,000 per game.  I think that would increase a bit if it was much more like a minor league where the teams sent a lot more players down and had a better affiliation with the big clubs. 

So in my post previously I thought something like 20 "NBA" contracts per team, but only signing bonuses or time spent on the big club would count against the cap.  Each DLeague team has 12 roster spots, so as many as 8 could be filled by the NBA contract people, while the rest would be on minor league contracts that would be voidable if another club signed that player to a major league contract (the home team would have a right to match though).  By having each NBA team have a dedicated minor league team, you would have a lot better training for the minors as they would be running the same system, would have similar training regimes, etc.  It would also allow for a much freer use of call ups and send downs. 

The real key though is by expanding the amount of major league contract players, you would greatly increase the salary of the DLeague players and thus would make it a more feasible option for players than going to Europe.  I would also expand the draft to at least 4 rounds to account for all the additional roster spots. 

This would all create a better system, would draw more interest, and would make the minor league an actually functional league where more interest and thus revenue could be generated.  You could actually send players there for rehab, you wouldn't have to cut people when injuries start to mount up, etc.

[Big333223]

Until every NBA team has a D-League affiliate, we won't see a true "minor league."

That said, I like that the Celtics are using the Red Claws that way. I think they're ahead of the curve.