NBA D League to compete against college ball?

[noeynox]

Is this a real threat to the college game? D league considering 100 to 200k salaries?http://www.foxsports.com/nba/story/...ew-d-league-model-in-raising-age-limit-073114

 

[CTBasketball]

That won't last 5 years.

 

[Dynasty]

Gotta love the idea of the NBA taking it to the NCAA. I just don't see how this works.

 

[UCHuskies08]

I don't see the NBDL bringing in enough revenue to justify that, but maybe the owners are okay with it operating at a loss.

 

[noeynox]

If they're taking the bulk of the mc d all Americans that may generate some interest. The upper echelon kids receive incredible hype and promotion before they set foot on campus. They would have to expand the the d league. I would definitely worry about them putting a team like in Bridgeport.

 

[Robertelamin]

How many people actually go to D League games, or watch them on TV, are they even on TV? I don't think there is the money to support that. Plus think about all the casual fans that pretty much only watch games with their alumni playing. Am I going to watch a game with Kemba or Drummond if they never went to UConn? Probably not. Everyone watches the NCAA tournament, I don't even know if the NBDL has a championship. I don't know why they would pay players more in a minor league system when they have one for free.

 

[Walker11]

How many people actually go to D League games, or watch them on TV, are they even on TV? I don't think there is the money to support that. Plus think about all the casual fans that pretty much only watch games with their alumni playing. Am I going to watch a game with Kemba or Drummond if they never went to UConn? Probably not. Everyone watches the NCAA tournament, I don't even know if the NBDL has a championship. I don't know why they would pay players more in a minor league system when they have one for free.

Because they would attract a different level of talent, and would attract more fan interest, addressing the first half of your post.

 

[champs99and04]

The smartest thing the NBA can do at this point is invest in their minor league system. Their league is currently loaded with dozens of incoming players per year who don't know how to play the game, and it hurts the product. The age limit needs to be raised, and if colleges aren't going to compensate these kids, a minor league system needs to.

 

[dsturdy5]

Awful Announcing had this to say about minor leagues vs college sports. It basically comes down to brand recognition.

 

[huskyblooz]

I think they should put Isaiah Thomas in charge.

 

[ramses 2.0]

IMO this would be run by NBA's league office. High School level prospects would sign a developmental contract with the league. The NBA would cover all expenses until he became draft eligible

 

[noeynox]

I think the NBA loses a ton of money on the WNBA, but I'm not 100 percent sure on that. I think this could be much more successful than that. If they throw in a gaurantee that they will pay for four years of school, at the kid's state school, even if they need to go to community college to get in, this will be almost a no brainer for a lot of kids.

As a fan of uconn/college hoops, I hope this doesn't get much traction.

 

[nomar]

Awful Announcing had this to say about minor leagues vs college sports. It basically comes down to brand recognition.

It's an interesting piece but I've always believed and still believe there's a market for minor league basketball, if it's done right. Football is a bad comparison. And doing it right essentially means making the D-League the AAA of the NBA: common ownership, one NBA team owns one NBDL team, same colors and tie-in with team name, close proximity. And the NBA teams have to use the NBDL teams -- maybe not, like baseball teams, for rehab assignments, but for young players to get some PT. I'm a Celtics fan. If I lived in Maine, and the Celts sent James Young there to spread his wings, I'd bring my (imaginary) kids to watch some games. Heck, Sixers fans watch Sixers games. I watch Summer League. I'd watch some rookies and projects for my team's D-League affiliate if it was within driving distance.

I get that minor league baseball has a long storied history but those teams move around all the time. People embrace new teams. The fact is that people enjoy affordable family-friendly sporting events -- if the ownership makes the experience a fun one. That means promotions and also giving people a reason to watch what's on the floor.

 

[TRest]

I think the NBA loses a ton of money on the WNBA, but I'm not 100 percent sure on that. I think this could be much more successful than that. If they throw in a gaurantee that they will pay for four years of school, at the kid's state school, even if they need to go to community college to get in, this will be almost a no brainer for a lot of kids.

As a fan of uconn/college hoops, I hope this doesn't get much traction.

I think you are right about the WNBA, there is just so little interest it can't make money even when not paying the players very much. The NBA is going to have to shell out more than whatever UK pays to grab the best kids.

 

[champs99and04]

I think the NBA loses a ton of money on the WNBA, but I'm not 100 percent sure on that. I think this could be much more successful than that. If they throw in a gaurantee that they will pay for four years of school, at the kid's state school, even if they need to go to community college to get in, this will be almost a no brainer for a lot of kids.

As a fan of uconn/college hoops, I hope this doesn't get much traction.

What I've always wondered is if the NBA could pay kids to go to college.

For example, what if the NBA, in response to raising the age limit to 20, decided they were going to pay the top 100 prospects X amount of money on some indefinite scale to go to school? This would allow basketball players to get paid while going to school without overhauling the system.