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Why the D-League Matters

| From: Wolves Radio

By John Focke / @WolvesRadio

The NBA's D-League has been around since the 2001-2002 season but has really taken off in the last few years and is gaining a lot of credibility this season, thanks in large part to the Minnesota Timberwolves.


The D-League started as The NBA Developmental League, but in 2005 changed its name the same year the Sioux Falls Skyforce and a number of other CBA teams joined.


The Skyforce have been Minnesota's D-league affiliate since 2006 and during that time have shared that title with Charlotte and now Miami.


For the first few years, not much was known about the D-League.  Would it become a minor league system for the NBA, a place for players past their prime to get in one or two more years or something totally different?

For quite a while it seemed to hang in suspended animation with only a few NBA teams actually using it by sending guys down or calling guys up.


But that has really changed recently as teams such as Golden State, Miami and Utah have found gems in the D-League and a number of players have been called up to fill out NBA rosters.


The Wolves have used the D-League repeatedly, sending 2nd round draft pick Chris Richard down his rookie year, last year letting Nate Jawai get some minutes there, signing Anthony Tolliver this off-season who got his start in the D-League, and this year having Jonny Flynn go through a few rehab games to test out his surgically repaired hip.


Earlier this week I talked to Skyforce head coach Tony Fritz about that move and how it has helped the D-League continue to grow as a major part of the NBA.


"I thought it was a great thing for our league and a great thing for the Timberwolves to do," said Fritz. "And it shows that they are on the cutting edge as well."


But the Timberwolves impact on the D-League reaches even further than Flynn being the first NBA player to go through a rehab stint there.  Former Wolves player Antoine Walker, who was out of basketball, is trying to make a comeback by playing for the Idaho Stampede and told the Boston Herald after signing "Obviously I am not here for the money, I'm just trying to play ball and if a (general manager) gets interested in me, great."


There are even more ties between the Wolves and the D-League.  Former Wolves lottery pick Rashad McCants signed with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks affiliate, this season telling FanHouse "I think that playing in the D-League is the quickest option to return to the NBA."
It started as a great story, McCants was planning on giving his entire D-League salary to charity, but after just 3 games decided he would rather play in China and bought out his contract, no word on if he donated that money to charity.


While things didn't work out with McCants, Fritz sees all of these things as steps in the right direction for his league.


"It's becoming acceptable," said Fritz "It is part of the NBA landscape now, it's not a demotion anymore, players aren't looking at it like 'oh no the D-League' it's acceptable and NBA teams are using it and assigning guys more.  I think this is just a great year for us and it's a year that we need to take advantage of."


And that phrase 'Take advantage of" seems to be the calling card for the D-League.  There are countless stories of players such as Tolliver, Ramon Sessions, and Reggie Williams (of the Skyforce) who torched the Wolves for 26pts in their loss to Golden State earlier this week, took advantage of their time in the D-League and Fritz hopes many others recognize and take advantage of this opportunity.

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