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QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

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  • QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

    http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/question_061024.html



    Q. In the process of getting down to the required number, will the Pacers use the Developmental League in any way? If either one of the rookies go there, will the Pacers still pay them the contract money they agreed to? Or would they be considered cut and available to the rest of the league? Can the Pacers call them up if someone gets injured? How does all this work with the salary cap and guaranteed contracts? I guess that's much more than one question but you can answer them how you want. (From Rex in Belvidere, Ill.)


    A. With 17 players on the roster and two cuts to be made before the regular-season opener next Wednesday, there's a lot of curiosity about the Pacers' options pertaining to the D-League. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer a solution to roster overcrowding. Only players on the 15-man roster can be assigned to the D-League affiliate, which is in Albuquerque, N.M. They therefore would remain on their normal NBA contracts and receive full compensation, even while playing in the D-League.


    Though each D-League team has multiple affiliates (the Pacers share Albuquerque with Cleveland and Phoenix), the NBA teams can't share players. In other words, if the Pacers sent down Shawne Williams, they're the only team that could call him up. Though an argument can be made for the benefits of having young players exposed to as much game experience as possible, even at the D-League level, there are a couple of prominent deterrents to making the assignment, at least from the Pacers' perspective.

    One would be logistical. If a player got injured and the Pacers needed to call up a player for that night's game, getting him to Indianapolis – or most NBA cities – wouldn't exactly be a straight shot from Albuquerque. From that standpoint, it's much more practical to have the player already on hand, schooled in Rick Carlisle's system and therefore more ready to be plugged in if needed. The other is the developmental aspect. The Pacers believe their young players are better off practicing with their coaching staff, in their system, against bigger, stronger and quicker NBA players, than getting minutes in the D-League.

  • #2
    Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

    Translation: The Pacers will not be sending anyone down to the D-League.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

      "Travel" as an issue for using the "D" League? Spin...spin...spin...
      Apparently the answer is "The Pacers really don't believe in the D league"
      Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

      ------

      "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

      -John Wooden

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

        Reading that I must ask, WHY BOTHER? Are they mandated by the NBA to support a D-league team?
        Why spend the $ on something if you are unwilling to use it?
        Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

          The Bulls seem to know how to use their D-league. I don't know why the Pacers can't or won't use theirs.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

            Originally posted by grace View Post
            The Bulls seem to know how to use their D-league. I don't know why the Pacers can't or won't use theirs.
            Silly Grace... Didn't you just read the article? What if they needed a player? How could they get him here from Albuquerque? There may not be any direct flights from Albuquerque to Indy. And what if the D league player was on the road when the call came...couldn't you imagine the trouble he'd have getting a ride to the local airport and making arrangements to get him back to Indy? And if a Pacer player goes down in the first of a back to back game then there could be as little as 24 hours to get the D league player back to Indy.

            And that's assuming the player needs to get back to Indy. What if the Pacers are on a road trip when they need to call this D leaguer up? Can you imagine the trouble that would be? The Pacers would have to look at what city they'd be in next, make arrangements for the D leaguer to get there, and then need to find a limo or taxi to get him to the Pacer hotel or arena. And then do you get him a room at the hotel or not. And would he have to check himself in or would a Pacer representative have to meet him? What a nightmare!

            -Bball

            Disclaimer- Lots of sarcasm used above.
            Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

            ------

            "A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

            -John Wooden

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

              Their attitude is infuriating. It's pure ego to say that a couple practices a week as a glorified scout teamer are better than the focal point practices and PT one would get in the D.
              Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

                Just for you Bball:

                http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/basden_060313.html

                Yes, it's probably easier to get from Tula to Chicago, but there is this new invention called an airplane. Some people/teams have private ones all their own.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

                  Originally posted by grace View Post
                  Just for you Bball:

                  http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/basden_060313.html

                  Yes, it's probably easier to get from Tula to Chicago, but there is this new invention called an airplane. Some people/teams have private ones all their own.
                  Read the disclaimer. Then read it again. If you need help after that, PM me.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

                    I guess I disagree with the rest of you, though of course I do agree that they "what if we needed him and he couldn't make it to the game" excuse is pretty thin. However after I read the article my gut reaction was "WTF good is the D-League anyway?"

                    The whole point was to simulate the MLB system a little bit. Here's the problem, MLB teams aren't restricted to only sending down players on the 25 man roster to AAA teams. They have a whole different set of players for AAA level.

                    Imagine if the Colts practice-only squad had to actually be players on the NFL roster? None of them would leave the team (if that squad was joined with those of other teams to play a "AAA" level NFL schedule).

                    If the NBA wants this thing to go, why not give NBA teams extra spaces to use toward this. MANY teams chew through 15 players in one season, so to me 15 is just the amount you need to have regularly ready as the main squad. Sure they don't practice a lot during the season, but they do practice sometimes, and for that you would want as many guys available as possible.

                    Give NBA teams 2 more spots to develop players. Make the rule similar to the NFL that once assigned a player can't come up to the main team, thus maintaining the 15 man rule and making it tough for teams to "stockpile" players via the D-League.

                    The 15th man needs to be with the team practicing his role because he is capable of seeing game time on any given night. It's not about getting the player to the team, its about the player knowing the team and the plays and the general situation, as well as the team knowing what he has to offer at that moment too.

                    I consider D-League play for guys not ready to play in the NBA at all, such as Edwards in the brawl season (though he did see time due to crazy circumstances). Most decent rookies are better than that I think. The D-league would have been great for Bender and Harrington in their first season or Shawne LAST year.



                    BESIDE ALL THAT - the question was can the D-League help the Pacers avoid cutting a good player.

                    Answer - no, player #16 will have to be cut/traded/gone

                    The Pacers aren't worried about having a few players not ready to play, they are worried that they have too many players that they feel they can use this season. Even Williams and White could be in NBA games during the first month of the season.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

                      Originally posted by Naptown_Seth View Post
                      The 15th man needs to be with the team practicing his role because he is capable of seeing game time on any given night.
                      The problem is, it was only this past year that was the case, thanks to the change from injured list to inactive list.

                      As I've said in the whole Powell/Marshall argument, we're sensitive to the 15th man because of all the upheaval we've had the last two years. But remember Norm Richardson, Lari Ketner? A stable ballclub doesn't use 12 players regularly, let alone 15. Rick has shown time and again that he doesn't play rookies unless he's forced to by circumstances outside of his control. In that case, I'd rather we be developing our future rotation guys elsewhere than using them as practice dummies for our current ones.
                      Come to the Dark Side -- There's cookies!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

                        Originally posted by Speed View Post
                        [URL]

                        The other is the developmental aspect. The Pacers believe their young players are better off practicing with their coaching staff, in their system, against bigger, stronger and quicker NBA players, than getting minutes in the D-League.
                        the travel excuse is pathetic, but I do believe that it is better for young players to practice against NBA players than marginal players..

                        in my opinion, the d-league is a guard game, and not so structured, and young players may pick up bad habits than good ones, as they can just rely on their athletic ability rather than developing a complete game..

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

                          The other is the developmental aspect. The Pacers believe their young players are better off practicing with their coaching staff, in their system, against bigger, stronger and quicker NBA players, than getting minutes in the D-League.
                          Obviously the travel excuse is a little thin...but I do see a little more merit in it than some of yall, I suppose.

                          But the quote above is the main point I agree with. It's easy to see the NBA as all one-on-one game and pick-and-roll and simple, fundamental basketball stuff. But in reality, there are a lot of offensive sets, and with things like Carlisle trying to run some half-court trap defensive schemes out there, it's pretty helpful to be around that teaching and picking up the little nuances of the game on a daily basis.

                          These are the types of things that the assistants will be working on with Shawne. Yes, there aren't a lot of practices during the season, but there are a lot of walk-throughs and shoot-arounds where young players get a lot of one-on-one time with the assistants. What type of finer basketball nuances is Shawne going to acquire by playing in a league where the main goal of every player there is to get out of that league?

                          Seeing as how we picked him 17th overall, I think we have confidence in his ability as an athlete, a scorer and defender. I just don't see how running up and down a court is all that valuable. That's what he did in Conference USA. And that's what he does in pre-season. What is he going to learn from DLeague coaches? I'm sure some of them are very good instructors, but they aren't the seven-figured salaried guys Carlisle employs and they aren't going to be as accutely interested in getting him ready to play in Rick Carlisle's system.

                          I guess I'd just rather have our "prospect" hanging out with JO/Al/Foster/etc. and learning about the game from guys like Chuck Person than getting exercise by playing the game the same way he always has in a structured, yet marginally competitive, setting where most players are looking to "make it" way more than they are actually trying to win games.
                          Read my Pacers blog:
                          8points9seconds.com

                          Follow my twitter:

                          @8pts9secs

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

                            Originally posted by Speed View Post
                            http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/question_061024.html

                            From that standpoint, it's much more practical to have the player already on hand, schooled in Rick Carlisle's system and therefore more ready to be plugged in if needed. The other is the developmental aspect. The Pacers believe their young players are better off practicing with their coaching staff, in their system, against bigger, stronger and quicker NBA players, than getting minutes in the D-League.
                            This is why the system is not practicle until each team has their own minor league team. They could then have said team running their system and the players would be ready to plug in if needed.

                            I wonder how many teams are actually sending guys down? I don't think the Spurs use their d-team either, and it is in Austin.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: QOD 10/24/06-Could D-League Solve Roster Overcrowding?

                              Washington and NY use it

                              oh and GS
                              STARBURY

                              08 and Beyond

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