 |
| (photo credit: NBA D-League) |
The NBA D-League will kick off its 16th season today. The league expanded to a record 22 teams for the 2016-2017 season. The three new teams joining the league are the Greensboro Swarm, Long Island Nets, and Windy City Bulls.
Two other existing teams, the Bakersfield Jam and the Idaho Stampede, were bought by NBA teams and rebranded as the Northern Arizona Suns and Salt Lake City Stars. There are now only eight NBA teams that don't have a D-League affiliate. There are two conferences, with 11 teams split into two divisions.
The Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat's affiliate, won the championship last year, and will look to defend their championship starting tomorrow against Salt Lake City. They will have to do this under a new Head Coach, as Nevada Smith will take over for Dan Craig. The Skyforce defeated Los Angeles to take home the title, but expect Los Angeles to be a contender once again this season.
With the first pick in the D-League Draft, the Erie BayHawks selected Anthony Brown. The Stanford alumni was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA Draft, but he was waived by the team before the season started.
Brown averaged 14.7 points with the Los Angeles D-Fenders last season. The season kicks off with the Canton Charge taking on the Grand Rapids Drive.
No comments:
Post a Comment