Post#4 » by theatlfan » Sun May 11, 2014 4:21 am
Interesting Topic - Thanks Jamaaliver
While I'd like to have a D-League team so we can shuttle guys who didn't make the deep rotation and keep them game ready, I think having a single partnership with a D-League team is highly overrated. The biggest advantage that a D-League club provides - as an avenue to give your 13-15 players a little time to stay game ready - you'll get whether or not you have the single partnership or not. The perceived advantage that a D-League team could serve a similar function as a AAA team in baseball simply isn't what happens in reality.
I went ahead and investigated SAS, HOU, and GSW and looked into their partnerships with their D-League clubs. These were the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th clubs to partner with a D-League club and I've specifically read articles on GSW and HOU and seen the stated goals that the FO has for their D-League program. For GSW, they wanted a player development program where they could churn out backup grade players so they could use more $$ to acquire and keep star level starters; HOU wanted to have a fishbowl where they could generate a bunch of statistics to evaluate and allow to influence their play. I chose SAS since we're always comparing us to them albeit not without reason.
The stark truth is that there was very little in the way of player development happening. I mean, sure, Danny Green spent 1 game in the D-League with SAS, but how much did that 1 game really develop his game? It was more likely an orientation than actual player development. If you put a cutoff of 10 D-League games for a player that gave 1000+ minutes this year, you get one player - Terrence Jones - and you have to question how much of his development was because of his time in the D-League versus how much he would have otherwise improved.
In fact, the players that these teams were developing typically ended up on other teams. Guys like Jeremy Lin, Jeff Adrien, and Ish Smith all played for these parent clubs D-League team and never did much for them but did get some time elsewhere. In fact, even the parent clubs investigated had more 1,000+ minute contributors who other teams put in the D-League for 10+ games than the ones they developed: Danny Green and Lin (while with GSW). If you're going to be getting more guys from other teams D-League squad anyway, then why bother running your own?
Even the biggest noted advantages from the articles (developing coaches and FO members) is questionable. Sure, the D-League is definitely an avenue for a young coach who is looking for a break, but again, even if you don't let someone else swoop in and take him, you are limiting the amount of new blood and ideas into the system if the only people you're letting into your inner circle are guys that you mentored.
Now, sure, the cost of a single partnership is small and the advantage isn't nil (SAS and GSW stashed a vet on the squad in case of emergency; HOU did get a significant amount of data to mine), but if the goal is to put the best players on the floor, then I'd guess that Euro-Leagues are still a better avenue for player development than the D-League is. The only question in my mind would be that if one of the other 12 teams partners with Fort Wayne - would I be out of a place to park a kid who has been riding the pine for the last month? If so, then it's worth the investment to be one of the teams who has a single affiliated D-League team. If, as I think, the League Office would step in and allow for more D-League teams (somehow, someway), then I'd prefer to let someone else be the partner.