NBA’s empire grows

It’s been a few weeks since the Los Angeles Lakers have bathed in the afterglow of their second straight NBA championship, and the WNBA has seized the pro basketball spotlight. But the NBA’s empire continues to expand with the launching of its National Basketball Developmental League (NBDL). A platoon of NBA All-Stars steps into new shoes as head coaches in the new farm league.

Hall of Famer Nate "Tiny" Archibald, one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, will coach the Fayetteville Patriots. Hall of Famer and South Carolina native Alex English will coach the North Charleston Lowgators. Sam Vincent, a member of the 1986 NBA champion Boston Celtics will coach the Mobile Revelers. Eight-year NBA veteran Bob Thornton will coach the Huntsville Flight. Two-time NBA All-Star and Georgia native Jeff Malone will coach the Columbus Riverdragons. Former Eastern Michigan University and Harlem Globetrotters coach Milton Barnes will lead the Greenville Groove. Joey Meyer, a long-time DePaul University coach, will serve in the same capacity for the Asheville Altitude. Kent Davison, a former Continental Basketball Association and United States Basketball League head coach, will serve as coach for the Roanoke Dazzle.

"History was made today in our eight NBDL cities as our teams unveiled identities that connect them to their local communities, represent the excitement of basketball and tie them back to our universal brand," said Rob Levine, the NBA’s Senior Vice President for New League Development.

The inaugural season begins November with a 56-game regular season (round robin) schedule that runs from mid-November through March, followed by the playoffs. A total of 24 NBDL games will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN starting on opening night. Regular weekly coverage will begin in December and continue throughout the regular season and playoffs.

What is the significance of the NBDL? To begin with, it provides work opportunities for younger players, coaches, managers, public relations personnel and game officials who may not be ready for the big show that is the NBA. Secondly, like the WNBA before them, the NBDL provides second-tier entertainment, reaching markets that the NBA itself cannot accommodate.

Third, the new league provides a bridge between the NBA and school communities. The vast majority of players are not mature enough to handle the pressure and publicity of playing in big media markets. The NBDL provides a suitable laboratory for them to get used to life on the road, dealing with the media, and other peculiarities of a professional basketball career.

Lastly, in some ways the NBDL could set an example for its mother league. Many observers are worried what effect the zone defense could have on the NBA’s scoring, and how the influx of all these high school players could change the league’s culture. The NBDL could be a place to experiment. Besides, everybody remembers how Coca-Cola bit off an even bigger share of the soft drinks market when it introduced other flavors of Coke more than a decade ago.

As if that weren’t enough, the NBA is deepening its foray into Asia by sending a group of topflight players as part of the first-ever NBA World Tour, sponsored by a major athletic shoe company. Among those venturing to this continent are Shareef Abdur-Rahim of the Atlanta Hawks, Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks, Terrell Brandon of the Minnesota Timberwolves and teammates Vin Baker and Gary Payton of the Seattle SuperSonics.

The tour will travel to Shanghai, China for an exhibition game at Shanghai Stadium on September 16 and to Taipei for the second game at National Taiwan University Multiple Stadium on Wednesday, September 19. Each game will feature two teams comprised of both NBA players and the top local basketball players. The game in Shanghai will feature the best of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) including future NBA prospect, 7-6 Yao Ming and the first Chinese player in NBA history Wang Zhizhi (Dallas Mavericks).

Some observers are speculating that now that China has won the rights to host the 2008 Olympics, it might be easier for Yao to enter the NBA draft. At the very least, he will get a chance to prove how good he is against the upper echelon of NBA talent.

Who knows, with the rave reviews the Philippines is getting from NBA players and officials who have visited (Kobe Bryant, Shaq O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Tex Winter and Darrel Garretson), they just might put the Philippines on the itinerary for the next NBA World Tour.