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.

[ZoomSlowik]

I do think they need to make the NBDL more viable, especially if they make it a 2-year requirement (Though that really only helps the NCAA and kids have proven they can produce after one year, or in rare cases even right out of high school. That's another debate). I can see the territorial picks increasing interest for that too.

I don't ever see the NBA teams agreeing to let those carry over to the league though, it heavily favors teams in more talent rich areas that also tend to coincide with the bigger markets. The Bulls would have had first crack at Garnett, Wade, Rose and Parker, who does Utah get first crack at? Plus I could see kids transferring their senior year to schools closer to the teams they want to join. A lot of guys already do that for better competition and improving their eligibility status.

[Quinarvy]

I do think they need to make the NBDL more viable, especially if they make it a 2-year requirement (Though that really only helps the NCAA and kids have proven they can produce after one year, or in rare cases even right out of high school. That's another debate). I can see the territorial picks increasing interest for that too.

I don't ever see the NBA teams agreeing to let those carry over to the league though, it heavily favors teams in more talent rich areas that also tend to coincide with the bigger markets. The Bulls would have had first crack at Garnett, Wade, Rose and Parker, who does Utah get first crack at? Plus I could see kids transferring their senior year to schools closer to the teams they want to join. A lot of guys already do that for better competition and improving their eligibility status.

Maybe it inspires teams to do things like the BullsSox academy?

Chicago becomes the extreme winner in this case, that's true. Maybe make the territory where they are born?