With only 16 teams D-League teams should get their own city?

[RRFB]

Why? The D-League will never work as a legitimate farm system for NBA players a la the MLB's minor leagues. Each NBA team isn't going to want to pay an entire roster of players knowing that 99% of them will never actually play in the NBA.

And do the current D-League teams even fill their stadiums? I can see them being successful in smaller towns and states that don't have an NBA team, but why would people choose to go watch a D-League game if there's NBA games going on in the same state.

[Devin 1L]

Why? The D-League will never work as a legitimate farm system for NBA players a la the MLB's minor leagues. Each NBA team isn't going to want to pay an entire roster of players knowing that 99% of them will never actually play in the NBA.

Do you realize how small the salaries are?

And do the current D-League teams even fill their stadiums?

How many minor league baseball teams fill their ballparks? The Dayton Dragons?

I can see them being successful in smaller towns and states that don't have an NBA team, but why would people choose to go watch a D-League game if there's NBA games going on in the same state.

Because they can see them in person without driving 4 hours?

[Klomp]

I hope that the D-League will eventually goto 30 teams

Considering their are 16 teams, what other 14 cities would u like to see your team get?

Teams with their own teams
Austin Toros-Spurs
Canton Charge-Cavs
Maine Red Claws-Celts
Erie Bayhawks-Knicks
Idaho Stampede-Portland
LA Defenders-Lakers
Rio Grande Vipers-Rockets
Springfield Armor-Nets
Texas Legends-Mavs
Tulsa 66ers-OKC
Santa Cruz Warriors-Warriors

Teams that share
Bakersfield Jam-Clippers, Hawks, Suns, Raptors??
Fort Wayne Ants-Pacers, Pistons, Bucks, Bobcats
Iowa Energy-Bulls, Nuggets, Hornets, Wiz
Reno BigHorns-Utah, GrizzlieS, Kings
Sious Falls Skyforce-Heat, wolves, magic, 76ers

Which other cities would unlike to see a team in?

Skyforce should be exclusively the Wolves.
Ants should either be under the Pistons
Energy should be under the Bulls
BigHorns should be under the Kings
Jam should be under the Clippers

For a few ideas of where I would add teams...
Bring back the Utah Flash (Jazz)
Bring back the Alburquerque ThunderBirds (Suns)
Bring back the Arkansas RimRockers (Grizzlies)
Bring back the Colorado 14ers (Nuggets)
Put a team in Asheville (Bobcats)
Put a team in Buffalo (Raptors)
Put a team in Louisville (Pacers)
Put a team in Baltimore (Wizards)

[CrymeTime]

Each team having their own D-League team would be nice.

They can expand the NBA draft to 5 rounds, giving more players a chance to be drafted, and maybe giving them hope of actually making the team.

Give the 2nd round picks a garunteed d-leauge contract.

Each team gets more assets, an additional 10-15 players.

Allow every team to have an 30 man active roster, so if someone were to be called up, and make it to the arena during the middle of a game, he'd be eligible to play.

[TheToothFairy]

Why? The D-League will never work as a legitimate farm system for NBA players a la the MLB's minor leagues. Each NBA team isn't going to want to pay an entire roster of players knowing that 99% of them will never actually play in the NBA.

Do you realize how small the salaries are?

And do the current D-League teams even fill their stadiums?

How many minor league baseball teams fill their ballparks? The Dayton Dragons?

I can see them being successful in smaller towns and states that don't have an NBA team, but why would people choose to go watch a D-League game if there's NBA games going on in the same state.

Because they can see them in person without driving 4 hours?

Thank you

[LittleOzzy]

If the Raptors have interest in a D-League franchise it would be put in Ontario.

Hamilton, Oshawa, London or Ottawa. No way would they choose to run it in Buffalo.

[Devin 1L]

If the Raptors have interest in a D-League franchise it would be put in Ontario.

Hamilton, Oshawa, London or Ottawa. No way would they choose to run it in Buffalo.

To be honest, I'm not sure they would do this for no other reason than passport/travel considerations.

I'd personally like to see one in Buffalo. Big city (relative to some D-League), in the US, close to the Raptors (if we're just assuming a Raptors affiliate,) and would be very good for travel -- there would be a nice little Rust Belt trio of Canton/Erie/Buffalo in the Eastern Conference.

By the way, Marc Stein just wrote a little blurb related to this on his Weekend Dime.

3. Hard as it for me to admit this out loud, I reluctantly have to concede that the prospect of NBA basketball coming back to Buffalo is an extreme long shot. Can't say anyone beyond a few hopeless Braves romantics like me and Buffalo Sports Museum curator John Boutet are pushing for it … especially when the only Facebook campaign I could find makes the modest plea for the Clippers to return to town for a solitary exhibition game. So today I'm launching a new crusade: I want a D-League franchise somewhere near the Anchor Bar! Our Braves can never be replaced, but it's an absolute natural for the Raptors -- if we're really heading for a world in which all 30 NBA teams have their own D-League affiliate like so many folks in hoop circles seem to believe -- to ultimately put theirs in my favorite East Coast city. Let's do this! (It surely makes a heck of a lot more sense than the Raps' current affiliate arrangement … with the Bakersfield Jam.)

Link

[LittleOzzy]

To be honest, I'm not sure they would do this for no other reason than passport/travel considerations.

I'd personally like to see one in Buffalo. Big city (relative to some D-League), in the US, close to the Raptors (if we're just assuming a Raptors affiliate,) and would be very good for travel -- there would be a nice little Rust Belt trio of Canton/Erie/Buffalo in the Eastern Conference.

Most of the D-League guys have already played overseas, and if they are looking to make it into the NBA they should already have their passports in order. I don't see that being an issue at all.

Plus the fact the Raptors have already talked about putting a team in Ontario pretty much trumps any talk about Buffalo.

An Ontario-based D-League team works at many levels, Colangelo thinks. Not only does it "extend the brand" of the Raptors, it gives the team far more control that it has now with its affiliate.

http://www.thestar.com/article/293974

[EArl]

OP forgot Santa Cruz Warriors.

Put Warriors team in Sacramento.

They just built a new a new stadium in Santa Cruz. Why would they in Kings territory?

that's the joke...

I come to school in Santa Cruz and they just build a new stadium. The Santa Cruz Warriors. I have yet to go to a game, but I might give it a look.

[TheToothFairy]

Why? The D-League will never work as a legitimate farm system for NBA players a la the MLB's minor leagues. Each NBA team isn't going to want to pay an entire roster of players knowing that 99% of them will never actually play in the NBA.

And do the current D-League teams even fill their stadiums? I can see them being successful in smaller towns and states that don't have an NBA team, but why would people choose to go watch a D-League game if there's NBA games going on in the same state.

The D-League is producing a product that generates income. Why would NBA not want a d-league if it doesn't cost them anything or maybe even make a profit?

How many minor league teams fill there stadiums?

I would see a d-leagu tam for $5-10 no problem instead of paying $50-$200 for a NBA game

And how many d-league teams are competing with NBA teams? Zero

[TheToothFairy]

If the Raptors have interest in a D-League franchise it would be put in Ontario.

Hamilton, Oshawa, London or Ottawa. No way would they choose to run it in Buffalo.

The raptors would put a team in Buffalo in no other D-League teams ant to pay the cost of playing away games in Canada.

[chrbal]

The Pistons D-League team should be in Grand Rapids, MI not Lansing. The team would never be able to compete with the MSU sports teams.

Grand Rapids already has the NHLs Red Wings affiliate, so putting the Pistons affiliate would just be a natural move.

[flasah]

The Sixers have their own team now. They bought the inactive Utah Flash, and moved them to Newark, Delaware. They will play at the University of Delaware and be named the Delaware 87ers. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, in 1787.

[Devin 1L]

The Sixers have their own team now. They bought the inactive Utah Flash, and moved them to Newark, Delaware. They will play at the University of Delaware and be named the Delaware 87ers. Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, in 1787.

As a fan of the D-League, I was stoked to hear this.

I have no personal insight, but I would expect to hear about another team being added as well. I'm going to say the Magic get a team.

[EArl]

I dont think every team should get their own city, but at least one Development league in each state that has an NBA team.
I went to a Santa Cruz Warriors game. The environment was pretty lively and not to expensive.