NBA Commissioner Wants Minor League

 

By TOM CANAVAN

AP Sports Writer

Posted May 26 2004, 8:14 PM EDT

 

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Commissioner David Stern wants the NBA to send some of its players to the minor league. Stern proposed expanding the National Basketball Development League from its current six- or seven-team structure to 15 franchises, allowing each NBA team to farm out one young player on its roster.

 

"... If a team has a player below a certain age that it thinks would benefit from playing a lot, assigning the contract of that player to an affiliated team would be a good idea because we have young men playing four minutes instead of 40," Stern said Wednesday

 

Speaking at an impromptu news conference prior to the NBA Draft Lottery, Stern noted the idea needs the approval of the NBA Players Association.

 

Union spokesman Dan Wasserman did not immediately return a telephone call from The Associated Press seeking comment.

 

The NBA's current labor agreement with its players expires after next season.

 

Stern planned to discuss his idea with the union.

 

Stern said any player assigned to the minor league would still get credit for time in the NBA, which would not lengthen a player's time before attaining some sort of free agency.

 

"The most important thing to me, is the word development," Stern said. "There are very talented youngsters with enormous potential and some have the ability to play immediately and some don't. It would be great if they came into the league at a time they were ready to contribute."

 

An expanded NBDL would also offer some players who might not be drafted a second chance to get to the NBA.

 

Stern said a minor league would also help teams who are making major investments in young players.

 

"You pay somebody based on his potential and he winds up sitting at the end of the bench," Stern said. "It would be better for the individual and the team if they were able to look at him at a later and more developed stage, a year or two. It would be better for the sport."

 

Copyright ? 2004, The Associated Press

oooo wow.

 

 

1 player.

 

 

ghey.

15 teams? I was thining 8 or 9 but 15? How are they gonna come up with these cheesy team names now?

 

P.S. - GO CARL ENGLISH!

I thought they already had a name for this type of league. I think they called it the CBA.

 

The free agency thing sounds like a bad idea, too. You let some guy languish in the minors for a couple of years, then call him up when he's planning on looking for free agency dollars in the next year or two?

 

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Players develop well enough in Europe as it is, and the quality of the play is much better over there than it would be in an NBA bush league.

I thought they already had a name for this type of league. I think they called it the CBA.

yeah, they have the NBDL right now but it hasn't really come to much use

On NBA.com it says Southwest Florida is going to get an NBDL team.

Yeah, Cape posted the article. Let me see if I can find it.

Here it is

look this is what they should do in the NBDL.

 

 

 

Treat it like minor league hockey.

 

 

one of the few good things the NBA can take from the NHL.

 

 

15 teams could work easily.....as long as you market it properly.

 

 

and yes the CBA was there.....but Isaiah Thomas royally screwed that up.

On NBA.com it says Southwest Florida is going to get an NBDL team.

Awesome. Give me a Homestead team. >_>

and yes the CBA was there.....but Isaiah Thomas royally screwed that up.

i believe the CBA folded for a year and now is back

the league was around for so long, how could isiah thomas screw it up so fast?

and yes the CBA was there.....but Isaiah Thomas royally screwed that up.

i believe the CBA folded for a year and now is back

the league was around for so long, how could isiah thomas screw it up so fast? the CBA was reformed after Mr. Thomas bought it and ran it into the ground.

One kid?

Expand it!

 

Get these kids that only want to get paid by boosters and rape women out of college.