Making the D-League a minor league system. Options

[Quinarvy]

One thing I really like about the MLB is the farm system. It allows for more trades and lets teams develop players.

It also creates scrapheap super finds (De Aza).

So, here's my idea for making the D-League a real system.

1) Each team gets a dedicated D-League team, no more sharing teams.

2) Each team should be relatively close to their home team (100 mile radius?) which would develop interest in local fans seeing them.

3) Let NBA teams draft high school players, but they have to play a year for the D-League team. Then can be called up. Adds some interest there.

And as for a maybe:

4) Bring back something along the lines of the territorial picks, but they have to play a season in the D-League, so players might just opt to go to college and be drafted the normal way. Can only use a territorial pick every five years.

A way this would work:

Say the Bulls have a D-League team in Aurora, Rockford, Joliet, or Naperville. Let's say Aurora for the sake of discussion.

After the 06-07 season, the Bulls like this Rose kid from Chicago. They take him with their territorial pick. He goes to the Aurora for a year, instead of Memphis. Still plays for Bulls, which is why I picked him.

[madisonsmadhouse]

I'd love to see the NBA use the D league as a true minor league. Some guys just need that extra step, and time, before they go to the NBA. Instead of developing, they just sit and rot on a bench.

[Balta1701-B]

I'd love to see the NBA use the D league as a true minor league. Some guys just need that extra step, and time, before they go to the NBA. Instead of developing, they just sit and rot on a bench.

The only way that teams would do that with guys drafted in the first round is if putting them in the D-League for a year meant an extra year before they became free agents, like with baseball. Otherwise, you put the player with the big league roster so that he can be useful if you think he might be remotely helpful. 2nd rounders fine, you can put them in the D-league and no one cares, but you're not putting pick #22 in the D-League for 3 months to get playing time when he can fill 8 minutes per game with the main roster.

[Quinarvy]

The only way that teams would do that with guys drafted in the first round is if putting them in the D-League for a year meant an extra year before they became free agents, like with baseball. Otherwise, you put the player with the big league roster so that he can be useful if you think he might be remotely helpful. 2nd rounders fine, you can put them in the D-league and no one cares, but you're not putting pick #22 in the D-League for 3 months to get playing time when he can fill 8 minutes per game with the main roster.

And I'd be fine with that. Make them earn the contracts like minor league players.

[Balta1701-B]

And I'd be fine with that. Make them earn the contracts like minor league players.

Problem of course is that the "Players" wouldn't be very happy with that, which means the owners would have to give up something in exchange for that money.

[Quinarvy]

Problem of course is that the "Players" wouldn't be very happy with that, which means the owners would have to give up something in exchange for that money.

Like removing RFAs?

[ZoomSlowik]

Like removing RFAs?

I really wish they'd get rid of RFA. 90% of them are matched anyways and it can cause teams to make epically dumb contracts either because of the guy's draft position (it would have takent like an $7 mil QO for OJ Mayo, like $9 mil for Beasley) or because someone knows they have to overbid to actually get the player.

Either make it 4 years until FA or make it a hard 5-year option for the team depending on who needs to conceed in the next deal.

As it applies to the NBDL, I'd think NBA players would love to keep some of these guys in the D-League as long as you can't demote vets. That means more jobs for the current players at the expense of guys that aren't part of the player's union yet.