More on the NBADL

A few interesting facts about the NBA Development League:

There are 17 teams in the D-League, geographically spread pretty evenly across the country. The only area without a team is the southeast. Texas has the most teams of any state with three. These are the DL teams, their cities and their NBA affiliates:

Albuquerque Thunderbirds (Albuquerque, NM) - Mavs, Hornets
Austin Toros (Austin, TX) - Spurs
Bakersfield Jam (Bakersfield, CA) - Warriors, Clippers
Dakota Wizards (Bismark, ND) - Grizzlies, Wizards
Erie Bayhawks (Erie, PA) - Cavaliers, Raptors
Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Fort Wayne, IN) - Pistons, Pacers, Bucks
Texas ??? (Frisco, TX) - Up to 3 teams TBA
Idaho Stampede (Boise, ID) - Blazers, Nuggets
Iowa Energy (De Moines, IA) - Bulls, Suns
L.A. D-Fenders (El Segundo, CA) - Lakers
Maine Red Claws (Portland, ME) - Celtics, Bobcats
Reno Bighorns (Reno, NV) - Magic, Kings
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (McAllen, TX) - Rockets
Sioux Falls Skyforce (Sioux Falls, SD) - Heat, Timberwolves
Springfield Armor (Springfield, MA) - Nets, Knicks, 76ers
Tulsa 66ers (Tulsa, OK) - Thunder
Utah Flash (Provo, UT) - Hawks, Jazz

D-League schedules are more like baseball than basketball. The teams often travel to a city and stay for several days, playing the home team two or even three times during the stay. Back-to-back games are very common.

All NBA D-League games are broadcast free on the net on NBA Futurecast.

The D-League playoff format is interesting. Eight teams make the playoffs. In the first round, the three division leaders get to choose who they want to play from among the other five playoff teams. Imagine how much fun that would be in the NBA! Who would the Lakers have chosen last year from among the Rockets, Blazers, Mavs, Jazz and Hornets?

On April 24, the Colorado 14ers defeated the Utah Flash to become the 2008-09 league champions. Former Rocket John Lucas Jr. had 17 points and 5 assists for Colorado. The champs have since been bought by Donnie Nelson (son of Don and President of Basketball Operations for the Dallas Mavericks) and moved to Frisco, TX, just north of Dallas. The team will be called Texas, but the nickname has yet to be decided.

OK, the NBADL is a long way from Toyota Center, but I find the migration of the NBA toward a serious farm system to be exciting. Bear with me.