G League General Thread, 2025 – (Off-season)

[They_Them_Hatin]

There has to be some center in this league that can’t shoot worth a lick but can defend that the Suns can pick up.

[Parliament10]

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https://gleague.nba.com/key-dates

December 27: NBA G League 34-game Regular Season begins
January 5, 2025: 10-Day Contracts may now be signed

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[Clav]

Westchester Knicks won the Winter Showcase cup against the Sioux Falls Skyforce (NYK v Miami affiliates). In 23-24. Westchester also won the Showcase Cup, so they successfully defended the half-season trophy.

Now, the regular season begins in earnest, which resets all records to 0-0 (we've already had some games conclude). Teams compete until the end of season by which they are seeded 1-6 in each conference and commence the playoffs.

Last year the OKC Blue won the GL Finals. This season I'm predicting Iowa Wolves to win it all due to Leonard Miller's improvement. If he remains on the GL Squad they seem poised to make a big splash. If he's called up by Minnesota, throw this prediction out the door.

See ya around

[Ugly0598]

These teams moving would make a better product, practice squad ball isn’t as cool for the community:

OKC Blue > Dakota Thunder
Texas Legends > [Amarillo] Texas Legends
Cleveland Charge > Canton Charge
Memphis Hustle > Arkansas RimRockers
Valley Suns > Albuquerque Suns
Rip City Remix > Idaho Stampede
Salt Lake City Stars > Utah Stars (Orem/Ogden)

[Parliament10]

These teams moving would make a better product, practice squad ball isn’t as cool for the community:

OKC Blue > Dakota Thunder
Texas Legends > [Amarillo] Texas Legends
Cleveland Charge > Canton Charge
Memphis Hustle > Arkansas RimRockers
Valley Suns > Albuquerque Suns
Rip City Remix > Idaho Stampede
Salt Lake City Stars > Utah Stars (Orem/Ogden)

I don't get you?
Some of these Teams are pretty good.

[Ugly0598]

These teams moving would make a better product, practice squad ball isn’t as cool for the community:

OKC Blue > Dakota Thunder
Texas Legends > [Amarillo] Texas Legends
Cleveland Charge > Canton Charge
Memphis Hustle > Arkansas RimRockers
Valley Suns > Albuquerque Suns
Rip City Remix > Idaho Stampede
Salt Lake City Stars > Utah Stars (Orem/Ogden)

I don't get you?
Some of these Teams are pretty good.

Further explain. Why are those teams “pretty good”?

They are just practice squad teams with no real fan support instead of being a secondary product like Iowa or Grand Rapids.

[Clav]

These teams moving would make a better product, practice squad ball isn’t as cool for the community:

OKC Blue > Dakota Thunder
Texas Legends > [Amarillo] Texas Legends
Cleveland Charge > Canton Charge
Memphis Hustle > Arkansas RimRockers
Valley Suns > Albuquerque Suns
Rip City Remix > Idaho Stampede
Salt Lake City Stars > Utah Stars (Orem/Ogden)

I don't get you?
Some of these Teams are pretty good.

Further explain. Why are those teams “pretty good”?

They are just practice squad teams with no real fan support instead of being a secondary product like Iowa or Grand Rapids.

I also don't understand the motive here as described. These teams are not practice squads per-se. In fact I'd argue some of the teams you listed have decent representation in 'co-markets' with the main club.

Even in your own home-market of Utah, moving the squad to the N/S in either proximal city you mentioned to SLC, there's a proportion of the population that is then excluded from an easier trip to see a game. Texas, also, in the N. Suburbs of Dallas has decent crowd support. Amarillo has far fewer people to draw in like that. Moving the team means they lose their average of 5K of audience and have to then recruit Amarilloans...Amarillites? to the games.

OKC Blue may not 'pop' in attendance, but they are defending champions in the GL mainly due to the proximity to the main club, it definitely improved the product on the court in terms of play rather than being further away. The crowd size varies with the GL, but has been rising in my estimation in recent years.

I'm surprised that Miami's affiliate in South Dakota works, but sending OKC's affiliate to a "Dakota" seems derivative when there already is one in Sioux Falls, SD.

Simply moving a franchise even at this level has complications, the grass may not be greener on the other side in terms of revenue or support, or improvement of product.

[Clav]

And just randomly, ESPN heavily pushing Bronny amuses me. That's what the GL needs to do for its entire league. They need a reason for the more average fan to watch, and to care. So far, the product fails to capture eyeballs on a consistent basis regardless of market, though some do better than others. Junkies like us might watch more, but I bet we're in the 99th percentile of GL audience.

Also, their website is barely functional, and the games are challenging to find there unless you're in the know and can figure out the schedule navigation on the GL home site. Games are rarely advertised on most sources I visit, but I'm pretty confident that with more aggressive push of GL content online, they can actually improve home attendance and overall global visibility. They just need to get their act together and complete the circle because the infrastructure is there (GL or NBA reps if you're reading this I'll work for you!)

[Ugly0598]

I don't get you?
Some of these Teams are pretty good.

Further explain. Why are those teams “pretty good”?

They are just practice squad teams with no real fan support instead of being a secondary product like Iowa or Grand Rapids.

I also don't understand the motive here as described. These teams are not practice squads per-se. In fact I'd argue some of the teams you listed have decent representation in 'co-markets' with the main club.

Even in your own home-market of Utah, moving the squad to the N/S in either proximal city you mentioned to SLC, there's a proportion of the population that is then excluded from an easier trip to see a game. Texas, also, in the N. Suburbs of Dallas has decent crowd support. Amarillo has far fewer people to draw in like that. Moving the team means they lose their average of 5K of audience and have to then recruit Amarilloans...Amarillites? to the games.

OKC Blue may not 'pop' in attendance, but they are defending champions in the GL mainly due to the proximity to the main club, it definitely improved the product on the court in terms of play rather than being further away. The crowd size varies with the GL, but has been rising in my estimation in recent years.

I'm surprised that Miami's affiliate in South Dakota works, but sending OKC's affiliate to a "Dakota" seems derivative when there already is one in Sioux Falls, SD.

Simply moving a franchise even at this level has complications, the grass may not be greener on the other side in terms of revenue or support, or improvement of product.

I’m not going to disagree with your logical assessment, but some of the crowds are sorta boring at these NBA cities, and then you got Maine, Grand Rapids, Santa Cruz, Iowa with authentic support.

[Clav]

Further explain. Why are those teams “pretty good”?

They are just practice squad teams with no real fan support instead of being a secondary product like Iowa or Grand Rapids.

I also don't understand the motive here as described. These teams are not practice squads per-se. In fact I'd argue some of the teams you listed have decent representation in 'co-markets' with the main club.

Even in your own home-market of Utah, moving the squad to the N/S in either proximal city you mentioned to SLC, there's a proportion of the population that is then excluded from an easier trip to see a game. Texas, also, in the N. Suburbs of Dallas has decent crowd support. Amarillo has far fewer people to draw in like that. Moving the team means they lose their average of 5K of audience and have to then recruit Amarilloans...Amarillites? to the games.

OKC Blue may not 'pop' in attendance, but they are defending champions in the GL mainly due to the proximity to the main club, it definitely improved the product on the court in terms of play rather than being further away. The crowd size varies with the GL, but has been rising in my estimation in recent years.

I'm surprised that Miami's affiliate in South Dakota works, but sending OKC's affiliate to a "Dakota" seems derivative when there already is one in Sioux Falls, SD.

Simply moving a franchise even at this level has complications, the grass may not be greener on the other side in terms of revenue or support, or improvement of product.

I’m not going to disagree with your logical assessment, but some of the crowds are sorta boring at these NBA cities, and then you got Maine, Grand Rapids, Santa Cruz, Iowa with authentic support.

Mexico City had nearly 20,000 attendance for the SB Lakers and MXC Capitanes game on Saturday, pretty outstanding and support.

That type of attendance compared to Capital City Go Go (reported as under 1k) for their weekend game... ya you make sense too my friend. There is a lot of lost chances

[Ugly0598]

I also don't understand the motive here as described. These teams are not practice squads per-se. In fact I'd argue some of the teams you listed have decent representation in 'co-markets' with the main club.

Even in your own home-market of Utah, moving the squad to the N/S in either proximal city you mentioned to SLC, there's a proportion of the population that is then excluded from an easier trip to see a game. Texas, also, in the N. Suburbs of Dallas has decent crowd support. Amarillo has far fewer people to draw in like that. Moving the team means they lose their average of 5K of audience and have to then recruit Amarilloans...Amarillites? to the games.

OKC Blue may not 'pop' in attendance, but they are defending champions in the GL mainly due to the proximity to the main club, it definitely improved the product on the court in terms of play rather than being further away. The crowd size varies with the GL, but has been rising in my estimation in recent years.

I'm surprised that Miami's affiliate in South Dakota works, but sending OKC's affiliate to a "Dakota" seems derivative when there already is one in Sioux Falls, SD.

Simply moving a franchise even at this level has complications, the grass may not be greener on the other side in terms of revenue or support, or improvement of product.

I’m not going to disagree with your logical assessment, but some of the crowds are sorta boring at these NBA cities, and then you got Maine, Grand Rapids, Santa Cruz, Iowa with authentic support.

Mexico City had nearly 20,000 attendance for the SB Lakers and MXC Capitanes game on Saturday, pretty outstanding and support.

That type of attendance compared to Capital City Go Go (reported as under 1k) for their weekend game... ya you make sense too my friend. There is a lot of lost chances

DC & Atlanta Park are WNBA arenas, so I think those teams should stay.

[Clav]

Stockton Kings are on top of the table right now. The basketball season goes by so fast to me. Time flies!

[Parliament10]

Here's a link to the G League Standings. and the General site.:
https://gleague.nba.com/standings?season=2024-25&seasonType=Regular+Season&rankGroup=Conference

Top 6 Teams in each Conference go to the Playoffs.
They need to change it to 8 Teams each. (We have 31 Teams.)

[Clav]

I imagine that now that every team is represented.... they may change the format of the playoffs soon

It's Best of 1's until the Finals, which isn't really doing it for me. I'd be happy to see the NFL style of 2 top teams with byes and the others do Bo3's. Finals Bo5? I'd settle for that unless they go full top-8 teams each conference and Bo3's all the way through.

[Parliament10]

Attendance at over 19,000.

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[Parliament10]

I imagine that now that every team is represented.... they may change the format of the playoffs soon

It's Best of 1's until the Finals, which isn't really doing it for me. I'd be happy to see the NFL style of 2 top teams with byes and the others do Bo3's. Finals Bo5? I'd settle for that unless they go full top-8 teams each conference and Bo3's all the way through.

I like that Best of 3, and then Best of 5, for the Finals.
Plenty of time for an extended G League Finals before the NBA Finals.

We'd also get a better look at the Players in a Playoff atmosphere. G League audiences are really picking up.
I notice that sponsorship is picking up, too. That will be a key to promoting G League Games.

[Parliament10]

https://gleague.nba.com/up-next

Who will be taking part in the game?
Twenty-eight players, including 10 NBA G League players selected by a fan vote, will compete in the Up Next Game presented by AT&T. The remaining 18 players will be selected by the NBA G League and will include at least one member of the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors.

What is the format of the game?
Four influencer GMs will draft their teams from the pool of 28 players. NBA G League coaches will help guide the teams. The game will feature four teams of seven players competing in two semifinal games and will be played with rules similar to Rising Stars. Two teams will square off in Semifinals matchups to 30 points, and the winning teams will face off in a Championship game to determine an overall winner.

Is there a fan vote?
Fans can vote for their favorite NBA G League players on the NBA G League app or NBAGLeague.com/vote. Voting opens on Friday, Dec. 27 at 9 a.m. ET and and closes on Friday, Jan. 24 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Updates will be provided on the G League website and social channels to show which players lead in votes.

Which players can I vote for?
All NBA G League contract players currently on rosters and NBA Two-Way players who have played in at least one game in the NBA G League are eligible to be selected. NBA contract players who have played in the G League on assignment are not eligible to be selected in the fan vote.

[Clav]

We're about 10 games played for most teams in the GL... here are the current standings


Eastern Conference

Raptors 905 7-3
Capital City Go-Go 6-3
College Park Skyhawks 6-3
Westchester Knicks 8-5
Greensboro Swarm 6-4
Indiana Mad Ants 7-5
Delaware Blue Coats 5-5
Long Island Nets 4-4
Maine Celtics 6-7
Motor City Cruise 5-6
Windy City Bulls 5-6
Grand Rapids Gold 5-6
Wisconsin Herd 5-6
Cleveland Charge 5-6
Osceola Magic 3-5
Birmingham Squadron 2-7


Western Conference

Stockton Kings 8-2
Mexico City Capitanes 6-3
Santa Cruz Warriors 6-3
Austin Spurs 6-4
San Diego Clippers 5-4
Sioux Falls Skyforce 5-4
Salt Lake City Stars 5-4
Valley Suns 6-6
Rip City Remix 3-4
Texas Legends 4-6
Memphis Hustle 3-5
Oklahoma City Blue 4-7
Rio Grande Valley Vipers 3-6
Iowa Wolves 2-7
South Bay Lakers 1-6


Top 6 from each conference make it into the playoffs, and so far the field is really close. My pick, the Wolves, are not gonna make it because they have been rostering Leonard Miller with the main club lol

Besides that, the Kings, and the Raptors playing very well. MXC Capitanes could make it into the playoffs also. Loads of teams with 5-6 wins

For LBJ-Jr. fans, he rarely plays and SB Lakers only have 1 win.

[Clav]

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[Parliament10]

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