04-06-2006, 09:23 PM
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#1
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Guru
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 13,208
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NBA D-League expands to 12
Four teams leaving CBA for NBA D-League
Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. -- 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.
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04-06-2006, 09:32 PM
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#2
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Guru
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Cowboys Country
Posts: 23,336
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Way off topic here, but I wonder why the AP style guide had them spell out Texas while it abbreviated the names of the rest of the states--especially the states CA, AR, FL, VA, and OK, which are one-word states like Texas is.
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04-06-2006, 09:33 PM
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#3
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Banned
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Nowhere
Posts: 40,924
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chumdawg
Way off topic here, but I wonder why the AP style guide had them spell out Texas while it abbreviated the names of the rest of the states--especially the states CA, AR, FL, VA, and OK, which are one-word states like Texas is.
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Because Texas is better and deserves more respect.
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04-07-2006, 01:27 AM
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#4
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,788
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chumdawg
Way off topic here, but I wonder why the AP style guide had them spell out Texas while it abbreviated the names of the rest of the states--especially the states CA, AR, FL, VA, and OK, which are one-word states like Texas is.
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Because Texas is the only state that was once a nation. The AP is obviously putting a lot of thought into the proprieties of state spelling in the above article...
__________________
What has the sheep to bargain with the wolf?
Last edited by Evilmav2; 04-07-2006 at 01:34 AM.
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04-06-2006, 09:32 PM
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#5
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Banned
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Nowhere
Posts: 40,924
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I like this news. I think we are heading to a true minor league for the NBA.
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04-06-2006, 09:47 PM
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#6
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Texas
Posts: 4,481
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drbio
I like this news. I think we are heading to a true minor league for the NBA.
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agreed...I think there really needs to be 15 teams so each team could have more of a say on what kind of system that is being run by their affiliate and to assure that their players are getting PT. You then partner up a western and eastern team so there is not as much conflict of interest as there might be with two western or eastern teams with the same affiliate. Something like this would be a good start, imo.
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"I say 'Hey Lama, how about a little something ya know', for the effort?' And he says 'oh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that going for me...which is nice."
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04-06-2006, 10:03 PM
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#7
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Guru
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Cowboys Country
Posts: 23,336
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And how are you going to pair a Western and Eastern team without losing regional interest?
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04-06-2006, 11:09 PM
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#8
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Texas
Posts: 4,481
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I personally don't give a damn about regional interest and neither does the NBA as evidenced by this season. What I care about is it being a true minor league for the bigs. Fully funded by the NBA, and it doesn't matter one bit about it being regional.
If you look at the MLB minors, how many teams are truely regional? The Rangers are an exeption, not the rule.
Shit, besides, I just came up with that as i was writing it.
__________________
"I say 'Hey Lama, how about a little something ya know', for the effort?' And he says 'oh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that going for me...which is nice."
Last edited by The Crippler; 04-06-2006 at 11:10 PM.
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04-07-2006, 01:44 AM
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#9
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Guru
Join Date: May 2001
Location: sport
Posts: 39,434
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I always hate when I see the American flag flown above the Texas flag instead of being flown at the same level like they should be....
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