Vander Makes D League All Star Game Again

[Herman Cain]

Vander made the D Leauge all star game for the second time. A good interview:
http://lakeshowlife.com/2016/02/01/lakers-getting-know-d-fenders-star-vander-blue/

[WarriorPride68]

Vander made the D Leauge all star game for the second time. A good interview:
http://lakeshowlife.com/2016/02/01/lakers-getting-know-d-fenders-star-vander-blue/

Thanks for sharing. Was a nice read on Vander.

-- was kind of sad watching them play home games at the Lakers practice facility that holds maybe 50-100 people?

[#UnleashSean]

Thanks for sharing. Was a nice read on Vander.

-- was kind of sad watching them play home games at the Lakers practice facility that holds maybe 50-100 people?

The D league is in major need of a restructure. Some teams play in gyms capable of holding 50 people, while others play in high level college capacity arenas.

[MerrittsMustache]

The D league is in major need of a restructure. Some teams play in gyms capable of holding 50 people, while others play in high level college capacity arenas...with 50 people in the seats.

FIFY

Ideally, the NBA would fold the WNBA and put those resources into making the D League a true NBA minor league, expanding the draft and allowing HS players to skip college and be drafted knowing that they'll be spending time in the D-League. That's not going to happen any time soon though.

[🏀]

The D league is in major need of a restructure. Some teams play in gyms capable of holding 50 people, while others play in high level college capacity arenas.

The Bulls D League team will play at the Sears Center. That's 10,000 seats.

[#UnleashSean]

FIFY

Ideally, the NBA would fold the WNBA and put those resources into the D League. That's not going to happen any time soon though.

The lawsuits and protests would be insane, which would be ironic since that would be the most anyone has ever watched the wnba.

[Galway Eagle]

The lawsuits and protests would be insane, which would be ironic since that would be the most anyone has ever watched the wnba.

Chicago Sky average more attendees than Depaul... literally cannot stop laughing at that

[Lennys Tap]

Vander made the D Leauge all star game for the second time. A good interview:
http://lakeshowlife.com/2016/02/01/lakers-getting-know-d-fenders-star-vander-blue/

Humble, grateful, hardworking guy - hard to imagine why some on this board are such haters.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Chicago Sky average more attendees than Depaul... literally cannot stop laughing at that

I mean, have you seen Delle Done play? She's really fun to watch.

[🏀]

I mean, have you seen Delle Done play? She's really fun to watch.

When not being out for bad doctor advice about her lyme disease?

[We R Final Four]

FIFY

Ideally, the NBA would fold the WNBA and put those resources into making the D League a true NBA minor league, expanding the draft and allowing HS players to skip college and be drafted knowing that they'll be spending time in the D-League. That's not going to happen any time soon though.

Not ideal in my eyes. So the top 30 players from the Beast would be in some minor league system--including Henry, maybe Haney, maybe Duane or anyone else with NBA aspirations?
F the NBA--give me the best at MU.

[jsglow]

Any NBA team could sign Vander, correct?  He's not exclusive property of the Lakers, right?  Are there guys in the D League that are exclusive property and what does that mean for their paycheck?

[GooooMarquette]

Not ideal in my eyes. So the top 30 players from the Beast would be in some minor league system--including Henry, maybe Haney, maybe Duane or anyone else with NBA aspirations?
F the NBA--give me the best at MU.

Agreed.  At least half of MU's current roster - including guys who will likely be 4-year college players - would go straight to the D-league under this scenario.  So even high-major college teams would be loaded with guys who have little chance of ever playing in the league.  Even the best of the best in college would probably end up playing in Italy or France under this plan.

Happy for Vander, though.  Good, hard working kid.

[mug644]

Agreed.  At least half of MU's current roster - including guys who will likely be 4-year college players - would go straight to the D-league under this scenario.  So even high-major college teams would be loaded with guys who have little chance of ever playing in the league.  Even the best of the best in college would probably end up playing in Italy or France under this plan.

Happy for Vander, though.  Good, hard working kid.

Moreover, you'd end up with a significant cohort of players who end up not making much money professionally, nor do they have a college degree. It's one thing to allow superstars to skip college, but another to set up a system that takes away opportunity (to get a degree) from the many who are not superstars.

[MerrittsMustache]

Not ideal in my eyes. So the top 30 players from the Beast would be in some minor league system--including Henry, maybe Haney, maybe Duane or anyone else with NBA aspirations?
F the NBA--give me the best at MU.

Agreed.  At least half of MU's current roster - including guys who will likely be 4-year college players - would go straight to the D-league under this scenario.  So even high-major college teams would be loaded with guys who have little chance of ever playing in the league.  Even the best of the best in college would probably end up playing in Italy or France under this plan.

Moreover, you'd end up with a significant cohort of players who end up not making much money professionally, nor do they have a college degree. It's one thing to allow superstars to skip college, but another to set up a system that takes away opportunity (to get a degree) from the many who are not superstars.

If each NBA team had a D-league affiliate and the D-league roster max was 12 players, that's only 360 roster spots. Add in another max of 450 NBA roster spots and that's 810 roster spots across the NBA and D-league. Since about 400 of those NBA players and another 300 of the D-leaguers are vets, you're not exactly looking at a massive exodus from college basketball. You're looking at about 100 players.

Set it up similar to MLB. Players can go pro if they get drafted out of HS or they can go to college for a minimum of 2 years (MLB is 3) before being draft eligible again.

What's wrong with rewarding players who are good enough to make money with their basketball skills while opening up more opportunities for actual student-athletes?


(Keep in mind that this isn't going to happen because the NBA already has a free "minor league" system - college basketball)

[GooooMarquette]

If each NBA team had a D-league affiliate and the D-league roster max was 12 players, that's only 360 roster spots. Add in another max of 450 NBA roster spots and that's 810 roster spots across the NBA and D-league. Since about 400 of those NBA players and another 300 of the D-leaguers are vets, you're not exactly looking at a massive exodus from college basketball. You're looking at about 100 players.

History has shown that for every available roster spot, there are many players who think they can get the spot.  Therefore, if there would 100 extra players who make D-league rosters, there might be many hundreds who try to get one of those spots by going straight out of HS.

[MerrittsMustache]

History has shown that for every available roster spot, there are many players who think they can get the spot.  Therefore, if there would 100 extra players who make D-league rosters, there might be many hundreds who try to get one of those spots by going straight out of HS.

There's absolutely no chance that "many hundreds" of HS basketball players would think they're ready to go pro right away. If there were, you'd see a lot more HS players heading overseas following their senior year.

[The Lens]

There's absolutely no chance that "many hundreds" of HS basketball players would think they're ready to go pro right away. If there were, you'd see a lot more HS players heading overseas following their senior year.

Exactly.  The reason so many kids many kids gamble and jump to the NBA is bc the payoff is so great.  But for the NBDL, you're looking at making 40K and paying for room & board, etc.  College life offers a much better standard of living, even with the required classes.

[MerrittsMustache]

Exactly.  The reason so many kids many kids gamble and jump to the NBA is bc the payoff is so great.  But for the NBDL, you're looking at making 40K and paying for room & board, etc.  College life offers a much better standard of living, even with the required classes.

IIRC, the average D-league salary is around $25k but housing is provided.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I think the mlb has the best system. Either get drafted out of high school or stay three years in college. Honestly makes both the mlb and college baseball better.

[rocky_warrior]

IIRC, the average D-league salary is around $25k but housing is provided.

Looks like 25K is the highest salary.  But interesting discussion regarding "training camp" pay, did not know that.

http://dleaguedigest.com/2015/07/29/assessing-the-nba-d-league-salary-structure/

How much does a D-League player earn? A lot of factors go into that decision.

The NBA Development League has a three-tiered salary system for simplicity of making deals with players. The "A" salary is $25,000, "B" salaries are $19,00 while "C" salaries are $13,000 according to multiple league sources and agents who spoke to D-League Digest.

A team is required to remain under the salary cap the D-League sets each year, with a team not allowed to have more than five "A" contracts on their roster at one time. The salary designation the D-League sets is roughly around $170,000.

To navigate the salaries and the cap, the rule of thumb according to a league source is as follows:

"A" contracts: 2
"B" contracts: 3
"C" contracts: 5

Adhering to that guideline will assure a team they are just under the salary cap.

Teams decide how much they want to pay a player based on one of those tiers. But that amount is not guaranteed for the season once it's set.

"If a player is designated an "A" contract but the team wants to bring on an additional "B" player, they might ask the "A" player to reduce their salary to a "B" level to compensate for the difference," according to a league source.

"It's a balancing act," the source continued. "You can have four "A" contracts at one point in the season, but that team will need to correct that amount of salary at some point with more "C" contracts so they don't go over the salary cap."

A team cannot change a player's salary without their consent, and any reduction in a player's salary is only allowed if a team makes a roster move multiple league sources tell D-League Digest.

"If a team wants to increase a player's salary, no roster move is required," a source clarified.

If a team does happen to go over the salary cap, they are on the hook for the difference according to multiple sources.

NBA parent clubs often sign players to training camp deals in order to offset the low salaries of the D-League and to protect their player rights by waiving and assigning them via the affiliate rule. Some teams, however, will offer a training camp player a "C" level contract on the notion that player made a decent amount of money with their training camp deal.

When it comes to players who return mid or late season, often times teams will offer them the "C" level salary seeing as a majority of them have already made their money overseas and are looking at an opportunity to further develop their careers with a D-League team. Those late additions are also looking to improve their stock towards a summer league invite.

While player contracts are with the D-League (who ultimately pay the salary), the teams are responsible for housing and a player's per diem $40 on road trips (only paid to active players on the roster).

D-League salaries are a very nuanced and fluid process that are constantly shifting, altering and adjusting for a team's needs. It's a challenge for teams to make sure they place a successful team on the floor while managing player salaries as everyone jockeys for the almighty dollar.

[GooooMarquette]

There's absolutely no chance that "many hundreds" of HS basketball players would think they're ready to go pro right away. If there were, you'd see a lot more HS players heading overseas following their senior year.

Disagree.  If the D-league was set up as an MLB style developmental league, more kids would see that as the ideal path to the NBA.  Playing overseas isn't seen by US kids as a path to the NBA; it's seen as a lesser alternative for kids who didn't make it.

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

-- was kind of sad watching them play home games at the Lakers practice facility that holds maybe 50-100 people?

What's really bleak is there appears to be a JV squad of Laker Girls on the baselines. Presumably they had auditions, which means someone got cut. I'm guessing missing the cut to be a D-League cheerleader is one rung on the ladder above where you start thinking about doing porn.

[WarriorPride68]

What's really bleak is there appears to be a JV squad of Laker Girls on the baselines. Presumably they had auditions, which means someone got cut. I'm guessing missing the cut to be a D-League cheerleader is one rung on the ladder above where you start thinking about doing porn.

This made me chuckle  sad, but true

[Spotcheck Billy]

What's really bleak is there appears to be a JV squad of Laker Girls on the baselines. Presumably they had auditions, which means someone got cut. I'm guessing missing the cut to be a D-League cheerleader is one rung on the ladder above where you start thinking about doing porn.

Freaking fantastic post!