BEElieve In Asheville -> D-League in Asheville, NC

[Liver_Pooty]

On the news tonight the Hornets said they have no plans for a d league team, at all. It just isnt going to happen, not anytime soon anyway. No money to be made off of it. Definitely not in Asheville anyway

[TheKingofSting]

They should put it in South Carolina (maybe Greenville) to strengthen the fan base from SC.

[fatlever]

Asheville is a horrible city to live in. They dont promote or do anything unless it revolves around drinking beer and festival type ordeals.

good point. instead of advertising basketball they can have bi-weekly craft beer festivals at the civic center. admission is 10 bucks. in the concourse there are bluegrass bands every 100 feet, with arts and craft stands located in the bathrooms. at halftime they give away vintage vinyl records... oh, and they can play a basketball game in the background.

boom!

[Eoghan]

If we ever do get a D-League team, I demand that FarmersOnly.com get the arena naming rights.

[LofJ]

On the news tonight the Hornets said they have no plans for a d league team, at all. It just isnt going to happen, not anytime soon anyway. No money to be made off of it. Definitely not in Asheville anyway

That's a shame, you have to spend money to make money. If NBA owners don't want to invest money into the D-League it'll never grow to the point it needs to in order to turn a profit.

[yosemiteben]

Asheville is a horrible city to live in. They dont promote or do anything unless it revolves around drinking beer and festival type ordeals.

Sounds like a great place to me!

[Robot Rock]

The Myrtle Beach...Bobcats.

[yosemiteben]

The Myrtle Beach...Bobcats.

It would be pretty hilarious if they stuck a D league team with the Bobcats name.

[HornetJail]

They should put it in South Carolina (maybe Greenville) to strengthen the fan base from SC.

I'm moving from Columbia back to Charlotte in a couple weeks. I think it would be hilarious if they announced plans to bring a D-League team in Columbia right after I move

Sadly I think I know more Hornets fans in Columbia than I do in Charlotte itself. Most of my Charlotte friends are Boston, LA, Chicago, or Miami/Cleveland fans.

[HornetJail]

The Myrtle Beach...Bobcats.

I think that would stick actually.

Once a D-League caliber team, always a D-League caliber team.

[duke11693]

They should put it in South Carolina (maybe Greenville) to strengthen the fan base from SC.

Greenville actually use to have a team. They were called the Greenville Groove and they folded after two seasons, despite winning the title after their first. Charleston had a team too, but they moved to Fort Myers.

[duke11693]

Asheville and Wilmington are awesome towns, but they're both too small for a d league team. MJ would be better off putting a team in Greensboro, Raleigh/Durham, or Hampton Roads.

I think Wilmington could be a great spot for a D-League team if they ever get a NBDL quality venue. Great basketball town with an obvious basketball history and connection to the Hornets. The UNCW Seahawks used to pack 5,000+ inside Trask Coliseum every night when they were good. Even now that they suck they still get close to 3,000 a game, which is above the D-League average.

[JDR720]

Just make the basketball court on the Biltmore House front lawn in Ashville

[TheKingofSting]

They should put it in South Carolina (maybe Greenville) to strengthen the fan base from SC.

Greenville actually use to have a team. They were called the Greenville Groove and they folded after two seasons, despite winning the title after their first. Charleston had a team too, but they moved to Fort Myers.

I remember that now,man that brings back memories and makes me feel old.

[Snidely FC]

So OKC instead of paying Josh Heustis their 1st rd pick this year his guaranteed salary are paying him $25K to play with their DLeague team. A domestic draft and stash. The sort of thing we've been talking about in this thread, not something the Hornets could pull off. This figures to start to alter the NBA-DLeague dynamic going forward. http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... estic-pick

Plenty of first-round picks have opted not to sign their first-round deals. In all of those cases, though, they were international draft-and-stash moves, like Serge Ibaka, who stayed an extra season in Spain after being taken 24th overall. The difference between those type of moves and Huestis is that an international player is still making a hefty salary, certainly more than a D-Leaguer's $25,000 a year.

The real issue here isn't with the Thunder or Huestis, it's with the D-League-NBA relationship. The league desperately wants to grow its developmental ground, but with a lot of teams not owning their own affiliates outright and having a one-to-one relationship, there's not enough synergy or continuity.

[HornetJail]

So OKC instead of paying Josh Heustis their 1st rd pick this year his guaranteed salary are paying him $25K to play with their DLeague team. A domestic draft and stash. The sort of thing we've been talking about in this thread, not something the Hornets could pull off. This figures to start to alter the NBA-DLeague dynamic going forward. http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_ ... estic-pick

Plenty of first-round picks have opted not to sign their first-round deals. In all of those cases, though, they were international draft-and-stash moves, like Serge Ibaka, who stayed an extra season in Spain after being taken 24th overall. The difference between those type of moves and Huestis is that an international player is still making a hefty salary, certainly more than a D-Leaguer's $25,000 a year.

The real issue here isn't with the Thunder or Huestis, it's with the D-League-NBA relationship. The league desperately wants to grow its developmental ground, but with a lot of teams not owning their own affiliates outright and having a one-to-one relationship, there's not enough synergy or continuity.

I don't think this changes much. I think Huestis just sucks and OKC doesn't expect him to be ready at all this year.

Wouldn't it be in Huestis's best interest to go overseas though?