Orlando Magic interested in D-league team for Jacksonville

[duvaldude08]

Orlando Magic interested in D-League basketball team for Jacksonville
Posted: October 8, 2013 - 9:06pm  |  Updated: October 8, 2013 - 11:55pm
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Magic coach Jacque Vaughn watches his team play against the San Antonio Spurs during a preseason game on Oct. 21, 2012, in Orlando.  JOHN RAOUX/Associated Press
JOHN RAOUX/Associated Press
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn watches his team play against the San Antonio Spurs during a preseason game on Oct. 21, 2012, in Orlando.
NBA PRESEASON

Who: Orlando Magic vs. New Orleans Pelicans.

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Where: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

By Don Coble
The Orlando Magic will open their NBA preseason schedule Wednesday night at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena with a lot more than getting experience and winning an exhibition game in mind.

The team said it has long-range hopes of possibly making the First Coast the home of their minor league program.

The Magic, who will play the New Orleans Pelicans at 7, have an interest in moving its NBA Development League team to Jacksonville, team CEO Alex Martins said Tuesday.

"We've made it clear to the [NBA] league we'd like to make this happen," Martins said.

Joel Lamp, of Jacksonville University's business development and communications department, confirmed the city wants a D-League franchise and is working to make that happen.

The Magic have played two preseason games in the Veterans Memorial Arena, with the last coming in 2008. The Miami Heat also played preseason games in Jacksonville in 2008 and 2009.

While Orlando will start the process of working rookies, particularly guard Victor Oladipo, into the playing rotation, executives with the Magic, Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Giants hope they can continue to work together to give the team a permanent place for players to rehabilitate from injuries and for younger players to get playing time.

"When I started the Jacksonville Giants, the five-year goal was to make the Giants a premier ABA team and to become a D-League single-team affiliate," Giants owner Ron Sholes said. "We've talked with the city; they're behind it. But it's a process. It's just a matter of getting the talks going."

The Giants are two-time defending ABA champions. They are about to embark on their fourth season at the arena.

There currently are 17 NBA D-League cities. Fourteen NBA franchises have their own affiliate, while the Magic are one of 13 teams that share one of three minor league franchises.

Martins said Orlando wants its own "hybrid" franchise so it won't have to share players, coaches or administration personnel. He also wants his team's D-League franchise to be closer to home.

"Right now we're in [Fort Wayne, Ind.] and it's so far away," Martins said. "If we send someone there for rehab it's hard to monitor them. Distance is an issue. It's too far away."

Orlando was teamed with Miami, Minnesota and Philadelphia a year ago at Sioux Falls, S.D. last year. The Heat now have a single-team agreement in that city, forcing the Magic to find a new home in Indiana.

Sholes already has talked with the NBA about a D-League franchise in Jacksonville, but the league said it wants at least three teams in the Southeast, he said. The development league currently has five teams in the West, six in the center of the country and six in the Northeast, but no team closer to Jacksonville than Frisco, Texas.

Since New Orleans, Charlotte and Memphis all are sharing D-League franchises and the league is pushing all of its teams to have an exclusive arrangement with a city, Sholes hopes there is a chance he may be able to get two other teams to move south.

"Jacksonville is the next step," Sholes said. "We want to make this happen."

The D-League has become an important tool for the NBA. Currently there are 132 players on NBA rosters who've spent time in the minor leagues.

Several players in tonight's game are destined to wind up in the D-League since both clubs will have to start the process of trimming their rosters to 15 by opening day.

Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn is looking for players with a lot of intensity and energy.

"I'm an honest man. I don't try to get them to buy in," Vaughn said. "I tell them the truth. If I was lying, that means they'd have to buy into my lies. We're going to present ourselves as we are. We'll go out and play extremely hard and see what that yields."

The Magic will return five players who averaged double-digits in scoring last year – Tobias Harris, Arron Affalo, Glen Davis, Jameer Nelson and Nikola Vucevic, although Davis hasn't been medically cleared to play yet.

They also will try to work Oladipo, the second-overall pick in last June's draft, into the lineup.

New Orleans already is 2-0 in the preseason with wins over Houston and Dallas.

Guards Anthony Morrow, Austin Rivers, Brian Roberts and Jrue Holiday have helped the Pelicans win two close games – they beat the Rockets by one and the Mavericks by two – down the stretch.



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/basketball/nba/2013-10-08/story/orlando-magic-interested-d-league-basketball-team#ixzz2hC9jrQuc

[Tacachale]

That could be fun, hope it comes together. It would be cool if the D-League turns into a real farm system.

[duvaldude08]

I agree. I think this would be great for the city. The interest is there and everyone is talking. This is good news and I dont even watch basketball LOL

[Coolyfett]

What is the D-League exactly?? Do they have a championship? I read there is only 17 D league teams where do these other teams play? Ima do some research on this. I just hope Scratchabooty Mississippi doesn't have a team in this league like those other minor clubs.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Most of the D league cities are a lot smaller than Jacksonville.  I think Fayetteville, NC has a team and Rio Grande Valley, TX comes to mind.  Roanoke used to have one.  That said, the games can be fun to watch and the interest ought to be there.

[Coolyfett]

after some research...I hope this team goes to Vero Beach or Sarasota instead. The league is filled with garbage cities. I hope Jax passes.

[tufsu1]

I agree. I think this would be great for the city. The interest is there and everyone is talking. This is good news and I dont even watch basketball LOL

really...what interest?

JU plays pretty decent caliber college bball and something like 500 people show up to watch their games.  And the Giants only get larger crowds by offering huge promo deals.

[FSBA]

The same could be said for the Suns. Jacksonville is easily the largest city with a team in the Southern league.

If Jacksonville a D-League team I have no delusions of grandeur with it. However, you could get 5,000 people for $1 Beer Wednesday/BOGO ticket Thursday and maybe 7,000-8,000 on the weekend.

[Tacachale]

I agree. I think this would be great for the city. The interest is there and everyone is talking. This is good news and I dont even watch basketball LOL

really...what interest?

JU plays pretty decent caliber college bball and something like 500 people show up to watch their games.  And the Giants only get larger crowds by offering huge promo deals.

I don't disagree on the level of interest, but to clarify: JU's average attendance was 1,750 last year. The school has less than 4000 students and the conference average attendance was 1,845. They do pretty well all things considered.

[coredumped]

All our sports teams do pretty well (yes, even the Jags, though I probably don't have to tell anyone here that

2008/2009 Jacksonville Attendance Comparison

Athletic Event    Home Venue    Attendance    Dates    Average
Jaguars Football    Jacksonville Municipal Stadium    521,338    8    65,167
All Baseball Events    Baseball Grounds    375,401    86    4,365
Suns Baseball    Baseball Grounds    354,553    72    4,924
UF vs. FSU Baseball    Baseball Grounds    6,241    1    6,241
JU Baseball    John Sessions Stadium    15,903*    27    589
JU Men's Basketball    Jacksonville V.M.A.    28,915    11    2,624
JU Football    D.B. Milne Field    15,260    5    3,052
UNF Baseball    Harmon Stadium    13,451    22    611
UNF Men's Basketball    UNF Arena    12,389    12    1,032

[Cheshire Cat]

Can someone tell me what a D team is? 

[thelakelander]

The NBA's version of baseball's minor leagues.  Think Jax Suns instead of Tampa Bay Rays or Atlanta Braves.

The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until the summer of 2005 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001. In March 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern announced a plan to expand the NBA D-League to fifteen teams and develop it into a true minor league farm system, with each NBA D-League team affiliated with one or more NBA teams. At the conclusion of the 2010–11 NBA season, 23% of NBA players had spent time in the NBA D-League. Beginning the 2013–14 season, the league will consist of 17 teams, 14 will be either single-affiliated or owned by an NBA team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Development_League

[CG7]

Is that like the Kathy Griffin of basketball?

[thelakelander]

Cities with D-League teams:

Canton, OH
Newark, DE
Erie, PA
Fort Wayne, IN
Portland, ME
Springfield, MA

Cedar Park, TX
Des Moines, IA
Hidalgo, TX
Sioux Falls, SD
Frisco, TX
Bixby, OK

Bakersfield, CA
Boise, ID
El Segundo, CA
Reno, NV
Santa Cruz, CA


Defunct Teams since league began in 2001:

Albuquerque, NM
Anaheim, CA
Little Rock, AR
Asheville, NC
Charleston, SC
Broomfield, CO
Columbus, GA
Bismarck, ND
Fayetteville, NC
Fort Myers, FL
Fort Worth, TX
Greenville, SC
Huntsville, AL
Mobile, AL
Roanoke, VA
Orem, UT

[Cheshire Cat]

Thanks Ennis.  Kind of like the Sun's in baseball?