2007-08 D-League Draft/Season Preview
by: Jonathan Givony - President, Mike Schmidt - NBDL, NCAA Scout
November 1, 2007
The D-League will hold their annual draft on November 1st at 7pm. The event will be broadcast on NBA TV and an audio feed will be available at nba.com/dleague. We have been given the massive allocated and draft-eligible player lists, and are sharing them here, along with our thoughts on this year's pool of players.
The D-League draft differs from a normal draft for a couple of reasons. There are 10 rounds in the draft, and the order will be reversed in each round. This means that the team selecting first overall won’t pick again until the final selection of the second round. The draft order is as follows:
1) Colorado 14ers
2) Dakota Wizards
3) Albuquerque Thunderbirds
4) Idaho Stampede
5) Rio Grande Valley Vipers
6) Sioux Falls Skyforce
7) Fort Wayne Mad Ants
8) Los Angeles D-Fenders
9) Anaheim Arsenal
10) Utah Flash
11) Tulsa 66ers
12) Austin Toros
13) Bakersfield Jam
14) Iowa Energy
To become eligible for the D-League draft, a player must contact the league office, and sign a general player contract with the league. The league determines if the player receives an A, B, or C level contract. Every team is only allowed a select number of A and B players, so they must use those spots wisely. D-League salaries have increased slightly this year. The C contract will be worth $15,000 this season, up from $12,000 last season. The B level contract pays $20,000 this season (up from 18k), and the A contract will be worth $25,000 (up from 24k). These contracts become voided if a team gets a call-up from an NBA team, but are signed for one year otherwise. If a D-League player wants to leave for Europe, they must first arrange a buyout for their contract. The buyout is $30,000.00 from December 31st to the end of the Season in April 2008, $15,000.00 if you get out the contract before the Draft on November 1, 2007, and $20,000.00 from November 2, 2007 to December 30, 2007.
D-League teams have other methods of signing players separate from the draft, to create continuity for local fans, coaching staffs and locker rooms. To level the playing field, an annual expansion draft allows new teams to gain rights to players from the previous season. Existing teams can protect the rights to 10 players for the expansion draft, and players from inactive teams also enter the expansion draft pool.
Allocated players are assigned to their teams by the D-League office. Some type of connection exists between an allocated player and the home market of the team they are assigned to play for. For instance, Jeff Horner played his college ball at the University of Iowa, and was allocated to the Iowa Energy for the 2007-2008 season. Justin Cage played high school basketball in Indiana, and thus was allocated to Fort Wayne, etc.
Before previous D-League drafts, the teams were allowed to submit a list of 4 players to the league office to bring back from the previous season. The teams were also allowed to bring in 1 allocation player, and a player from open tryouts as well.
This season, the rules have changed to allow each team to bring in 6 or 7 players from the previous season, allocations, open tryouts, or the expansion draft (for new teams) with no restrictions on which category the players must come from.
A second rule change has already affected some interesting names who were previous second round draft picks of NBA teams. If a draft pick signs a contract and is then cut by an NBA team, that team’s D-League affiliate will be given the opportunity to claim their rights via allocation. Marcus Williams was cut by the San Antonio Spurs, and will be playing for the Austin Toros this season as a result of this new rule. The same will be true for Guillermo Diaz who was cut by the Clippers and will play with the Anaheim Arsenal, and Sammy Mejia who landed with Fort Wayne after failing to make the Pistons.
The following players have been added to D-League rosters already. Some players are returning from last season, some come from open tryouts, and others have been allocated by the league.
(...)
Austin Toros
Justin Bowen - returning player
Anthony Fuqua - returning player
Eric Dawson - allocation player
Keith Langford - allocation player
Kenton Paulino - allocation player
Marcus Williams - allocation player
Patrick Fields - local tryout
Anaheim Arsenal (for Kori)
Bryson McKenzie - returning player
Steven Smith - returning player
Jamaal Thomas - returning player
Davin White - returning player
Guillermo Diaz - allocation player
Noel Felix - allocation player
Lodrick Stewart - allocation player
Wow, very interesting. Nice find.
That's rather good news that Marcus Williams is on the Toros without the Toros having to draft him. Nice rule change by the D-League.
I also like that Keith Langford will be on the team because in a dire emergency, he's a good call up for the Spurs. He can be the pseudo sixth wing for the Spurs.
Thanks biba. That article has a lot of information. First off, I didn't know the buyouts to leave the DLeague and go to Europe were so large. Secondly, that's very interesting about the Marcus Williams rule.
(And thanks for including the info about the Arsenal. I knew Noel was signing there, but I didn't know who else was on their team.)
Basically, the trade off for the Spurs not having to pay Marcus Williams' contract is the Spurs don't have his exclusive rights anymore. Not a horrible trade off considering I doubt that Williams will be impressive enough to warrant a call up. And if he is, the Spurs have room to call him up themselves.
The Toros could conceivably have Washington, Langford, Williams and Mahinmi in their starting lineup at some point this season.
You're the both so classy.
It's ME to thank you (for so many things such as running this forum that way).
I wonder what Jackie Butler is going to do this season?
Wow, so that's where Kenton Paulino is currently. I thought he was overseas for some reason.
eating burgers all day
Yea I wondered about paulino too. I also wonder what ever happened to Brandon Mouton, he had some game.
For some reason I am anticipating this D-league draft tonite.
That is a of a choice some of these guys have to make; spend time in the D-league hoping to get spotted and called up while making little in comparison to what they could get in Europe salary wise but playing in the shadows of the nba spotlight.
Is the draft on TV somewhere? Maybe NBA TV?
Here's the link
http://draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=2300
Good to see Justin is back. I'm slightly surprised the Toros let Marcus Campbell back into the draft pool. Oh well, that just means more minutes for Ian.
I can't believe Quannas White had to go through a local tryout in the valley. he played for the Toros a couple of seasons ago and was pretty much one of the best point guards in both the USBL and ABA last season.
Wow, cool. I still remember that sweet shot at the buzzer he had against West Virginia to send the Horns to the Elite 8. He was a nice college player, I just don't think he was ever a next level type of guy.
Yes, NBAtv. 7PM San Antonio time.
Chump's link just answered my question. It will be on NBATV at 7PM CST.
So what are the odds we pick CJ Watson if he's there at #12?
Low I hope. We need to pick up some swingmen early, I think. Justin Bowen can play the 3, but who will man the 2?
I know we have Langford, Paulino and Williams. But are any of them legit potential NBA guys?
I'll tell you from the Toros experience that not having a point will hurt the team a lot more than not improving a position that already has pretty impressive depth. I guess some of it depends on how much they intend on sending Washington down.
I'm all for the first pick being a point guard ... just not CJ Watson. That guy has no court vision at all and would kill the development of any players around him. I'd be more for a no-chance-in-the-NBA scrub like Brian Chase over Watson.
Is there a list of available players anywhere?
Here's a blurb on Dawson:
Eric Dawson - Midwestern State - 6-9 235 - DIV II -PF
53FG% 37 3pt% 66FT% 2.7BPG 2.6SPG 9.8PPG 1.6APG 15.7PPG
Dawson is a tremendous athlete who has been described by many to have Big 12 conference athletic ability. He possesses extremely long arms and does an excellent job of not only shot blocking, but stealing the ball as well. Dawson may have the best post hands in Division II basketball. He has no problem catching any pass thrown into the post and shows range on his jumper, 12-15 feet from the basket. Dawson's post footwork is extremely refined with first-rate balance and mobility. He's also an excellent rebounder on the defensive side of the ball and adequate on the offensive side, and rapidly improving. He also continues be a great outlet passer. If there is an aspect that Dawson needs to work on it's his focus. There are times where he appears hazy, however, a higher level of compe ion could remedy this issue. With his combination of skill and size, Dawson should have a bright future somewhere in professional basketball.
http://www.nbadraft.net/maurer004.asp
Based on the link you gave I found some players I wouldn't mind the Toros taking as potential Spurs callups. I put an emphasis on players with range on their shot, combo forward ability and then athleticism. Since we are likely losing both Finley and Barry next season I think shooting is at a premium for us at the moment. Thus, the better the shooter, the better the prospect in my opinion. Probably the most intriguing player on the list is the last one (Adam Harrington). I don't know if he has the skills, but hes older (27) and can shoot the ball. Sounds like Spurs material already.
Carlos Powell, 6-7, SF/PF, South Carolina
The talented combo-forward out of South Carolina had a great season in Australia last season, leading the entire NBL in scoring. He can get to the basket at will off the dribble, and uses his quickness to make a variety of finishes near the basket. He is an extremely aggressive player with a high motor who hits the glass hard and is effective as a mismatch threat on both ends of the floor. To take his game to the next level, Powell must focus on developing consistent three point range, and show that he can defend NBA small forwards effectively. His scoring ability will make him one of the better players in the D-League, and he could certainly find himself with a call-up at some point during the season. Powell will likely spend some time at both forward spots in the D-League, though his game fits at the small forward position in the NBA.
Nik Caner-Medley, 6-8, SF/PF, Maryland
After graduating from Maryland, Caner-Medley suffered a serious injury at the pre-draft camp, which set him back for quite some time. He caught on for the end of the season in Germany, where he attempted to shake of the rust with mixed results. He then played summer league with Sacramento. The lefty combo-forward will likely be more comfortable playing back in the United States, and his combination of size and skill should make him an effective all-around D-League player. He scores the ball most effectively off the dribble by either slashing to the hoop or pulling up for the mid-range jumper. Caner-Medley sometimes relies too much on his perimeter shooting stroke, and will need to focus on becoming a more effective rebounder. Not an incredible athlete, there are question marks about whether he has the lateral quickness to defend the wing in the NBA. He will likely see time at both forward slots this season, which will help him operate as a mismatch threat against any most opposing defenders.
Ricky Woods, 6-6, SF/PF, SE Louisiana-
Another athletic marvel coming off a year of seasoning playing overseas, Ricky Woods is exactly the type of player the D-League was created for. Woods had a spectacular rookie season playing in the fairly pedestrian Portuguese league, leading the league in scoring (20.4 points), blocks (2.7), and efficiency, while pulling down 8 rebounds a game. Woods is an undersized power forward at the moment, still trying to make the conversion to playing on the wing, where his size says he is better suited.
Brent Petway, 6-8, SF/PF, Michigan
A freak athlete from Michigan, Petway really didn’t develop much under coach Tommy Amaker. Standing at 6’8”, he has played at the power forward for most of his career, and will need to transition to the 3 to have a chance at the NBA. Petway has elite athleticism, and could become a lockdown defender in the D-League with the proper focus.
Adam Harrington, 6-5, Shooting Guard, Auburn
Another somewhat surprising name on this list considering his age (27) and resume, Adam Harrington has already combed the globe in the five years since he graduated from Auburn, playing in China, the D-League, Italy, Spain, Israel, Germany and Croatia. He’s a prolific scorer, blessed with an outstanding touch from beyond the arc in particular. Not a great athlete (especially laterally), he still finds a way to get the job done because of his stubborn, aggressive mentality. That same stubbornness hasn’t won him that many fans amongst old-school coaches, which might explain why he’s without a job at this point. He’s a high-risk, high reward type pick, especially for teams lacking a scoring punch but still adamant about winning as many games as possible.
The draft express article linked above has the list of available players.
Is he the next Scola?
Doesn't look anything like him. Gotta be intrigued by an athletic big man.Is he the next Scola?
Here are his stats from last season:
http://msumustangs.athleticsite.com/...b/team e.htm
Apparently he's from San Antonio. Anyone heard of him?
Intriguing. Is there any reason we couldn't pick him up on allocation? I don't know how those rules work.
If the list is correct, we already allocated him. He's on the team.
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