The NBDL's lineup will be bigger next season.
Commissioner David Stern will announce today the NBA's plans to expand its four-year-old minor league by adding four new franchises for the 2005-06 season. Clubs in Albuquerque, N.M.; Tulsa, Okla.; and the Texas cities of Austin and Fort Worth will comprise what will become the NBDL's West Division.
The NBDL, which began with eight Southeastern U.S.-based teams in 2001, is operating this season with six clubs. Included are five of the original eight franchises, located in Roanoke, Fayetteville, N.C., Asheville, N.C., Columbus, Ga., and Huntsville, Ala. The sixth team, located in Fort Myers, Fla., was moved from Charleston, S.C., before the start of the this season.
Two of the original eight cities - Mobile, Ala., and Greenville, S.C. - lasted only two seasons before folding because of poor attendance.
The new Western franchises will be owned and operated by David Kahn, former general manager of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. New Mexico Business Weekly reported last week that all that was holding up the deal in Albuquerque was finalizing an arena lease agreement.
Except for the privately-owned Florida franchise, all of the current NBDL clubs are financed and operated by the NBA.
NBDL President Phil Evans has said his league could eventually expand to as many as 15 teams, with each franchise serving two NBA teams as a minor-league feeder.
While there has been no official announcement yet on next season's status of the five current NBA-owned clubs, Roanoke president/general manager Dennis Robarge said he fully expects the Dazzle to return for a fifth year.
"We haven't heard anything that would indicate otherwise," Robarge said. "The NBA is really committed to making this thing work."
Entering Sunday's game with Fayetteville, the Dazzle had averaged 1,867 fans per game for 18 home dates. The club has drawn 8,147 for its past two Saturday dates.
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