At the beginning of the season, I was skeptical about the NBDL and didn't think it was going to work given the setup. But I am starting to think that maybe it isn't such a bad idea considering the number of players that have been sent down. There are about 12-15 NBA players currently assigned to different teams in the minor leagues.

I realize that by staying with the home team, players can work on fundamental skills and low post moves and all that stuff but I don't think there is any alternative to actually going out and playing.

None of our rookies are likely to see any daylight this season even if there is an injury. So why not send them down and let them get some valuable playing time?

I would also like to point out a couple more things:


Boston Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, left, accompanied by Gerald Green to Fayetteville on Monday. Green is expected to make his debut with the Patriots on Sunday.

Green is the first player under contract to an NBA team to be assigned to Fayetteville. Each D-League franchise is affiliated with three or more NBA teams for the first time in the minor league’s five-year history. Boston’s regular affiliate, the Florida Flame, already had two other NBA players assigned to its roster and was well-stocked at Green’s position. So the D-League worked it out so Green could come instead to the Patriots, whose normal NBA affiliates are the Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.

But Ainge said the Celtics wouldn’t have entrusted just anyone with the care of a player who they’re investing more than $2 million in. The presence of veteran NBA center Mike Brown as the Patriots coach was a selling point.

“I played against Mike and he set a lot of really good screens against me,’’ Ainge said. “I also had a chance to coach Mike when I was coaching at Phoenix for a short time. So the fact that Mike was coaching here gave me a lot more comfort in having Gerald here.’’


Meanwhile, back in Boston, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he heard from Fayetteville coach Mike Brown and planned to speak to Brown later.

''He wanted to know what plays we ran and he was going to put in a couple of plays similar to what we run," said Rivers. ''I thought that was really nice to do."

Personally, I would like to have the rooks all sent down for a few games, just to get them back into "game mode". Send Amir down first for a few games, then Acker, etc. We don't need them forgetting how to play in real games. It's not like they have to stay there all year. They can go and use all of the knowledge they have gotten so far. Just see where they are.

I wouldnt mind that especially for Acker and Johnson.

Did Joe not like the NBDL? Or was it Flip?

I think the only person I remember talking about it was Jon Hammond. Something about not being sure about the environment and what they're teaching kids down there, and that its easier to keep an eye on them if they're with the team.

I thought it was Joe or Hammond that said they wouldn't want to send a kid like Amir Johnson there, unsupervised, but would consider sending an older, wiser, college player like Acker.

Amir Johnson is an 18 yr old kid who's mother is in Detroit living with him - he has so much to work on, both inside and outside basketball that he is MUCH better off sticking with the Pistons all season. Now next year he might be the ideal candidate to head down to the D-Leagues.

I'd probably like to see Alex Acker down there, but he played a crazy amount of minutes in college, so it's not like he needs the playing time. I think he is better off playing against Billups, Arroyo and Hunter in practice, while "studying" the opposing pointguards during games right now.

Milicic would be the ideal candidate for the D-Leagues as he needs playing time, but I don't think he wuld have went if even able to do so under the rules.

Amir Johnson is an 18 yr old kid who's mother is in Detroit living with him - he has so much to work on, both inside and outside basketball that he is MUCH better off sticking with the Pistons all season. Now next year he might be the ideal candidate to head down to the D-Leagues.

I'd probably like to see Alex Acker down there, but he played a crazy amount of minutes in college, so it's not like he needs the playing time. I think he is better off playing against Billups, Arroyo and Hunter in practice, while "studying" the opposing pointguards during games right now.

Milicic would be the ideal candidate for the D-Leagues as he needs playing time, but I don't think he wuld have went if even able to do so under the rules.

I absolutey agree with you on Amir Johnson. He's so young that he actually could develop bad habits while down in Developmental league depending how what kind of system they were using and how they used Amir. Acker would be a prime candidate, IMO. Let the kid play.

Amir Johnson is an 18 yr old kid who's mother is in Detroit living with him - he has so much to work on, both inside and outside basketball that he is MUCH better off sticking with the Pistons all season. Now next year he might be the ideal candidate to head down to the D-Leagues.

I'd probably like to see Alex Acker down there, but he played a crazy amount of minutes in college, so it's not like he needs the playing time. I think he is better off playing against Billups, Arroyo and Hunter in practice, while "studying" the opposing pointguards during games right now.

Milicic would be the ideal candidate for the D-Leagues as he needs playing time, but I don't think he wuld have went if even able to do so under the rules.

I absolutey agree with you on Amir Johnson. He's so young that he actually could develop bad habits while down in Developmental league depending how what kind of system they were using and how they used Amir. Acker would be a prime candidate, IMO. Let the kid play.

I've thought for awhile that Acker would go to the D-League once Hunter was ready to be activated. Acker's our 13th man now, so if someone sprained an ankle and was out for a game or 2, Acker would put the roster at 12.

But with Hunter back, Maxiell will do that, so it makes sense to send Acker down. If the Pistons are as high on him as reported, then it'd make sense to get him some PT.

I can understand not sending Johnson down because he is so young. But I think Maxiell and Acker could use the seasoning, especially Acker. PG's are not going to learn playmaking skills in practice.

Four teams leaving CBA for NBA D-League

Four Continental Basketball Association teams, including the Sioux Falls Skyforce and the Dakota Wizards, have been awarded positions in the NBA Development League.

NBA Commissioner David Stern made the announcement in a statement Thursday afternoon.

"Our minor league has a proven track record of developing talent both on and off the court, with more than 100 players, coaches, referees, athletic trainers and front-office personnel moving to NBA teams or the league office, and we look for that trend to continue," Stern said.

"This is a very exciting day for the Wizards," general manager Jane Link said. "We are thrilled to be where we are at."

In addition to the Wizards and the Skyforce, the other teams are in Boise, Idaho, and Broomfield, Colo.

Harvey Benjamin, an NBA vice president, said the Wizards likely would be aligned with the Portland Trail Blazers and the Chicago Bulls. He said Sioux Falls would probably be a feeder-team to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Benjamin said fans will witness "a higher level" of basketball. He said the D-league does not allow "retired, cut or old basketball players."

The Skyforce, which just completed its 17th season in Sioux Falls, won CBA titles in 1996 and 2005.

The Wizards notified the CBA last week that they were pulling out of the league, after five seasons. The team had played six years in the International Basketball Association before joining the CBA. The Wizards won CBA titles in 2002 and 2004.

This week, the team announced it had reached a verbal agreement with the Bismarck Civic Center for three more years.

Wizards owner Steve McCormick said he was "betting and hoping" the jump to the D-League would boost attendance. He said he expects the team to have an average attendance of about 3,500 but is hoping it will be as high as 5,000.

Civic Center officials said attendance at Wizards home games last season slipped about 20 percent from the previous season, to about 2,100 people a game.

McCormick said the move to the D-League will cost "way more" than the team's association with the CBA, but he would not elaborate.

The Wizards and other teams including the Sioux Falls Skyforce had talked recently about making the jump to the D-League.

The Colorado team was slated to be a CBA expansion team next season.

Other teams in the D-League are in Bakersfield, Calif.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Little Rock, Ark.; Austin and Fort Worth, Texas; Fayetteville, N.C.; Fort Myers, Fla.; Roanoke, Va., and Tulsa, Okla.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2399809

C'Mon EL Paso step up...

That gives the NBDL 12 teams for next season. I hope they add 3 more teams to make it 15 and split them between the 30 Pro franchises.