Making a Minor League

How the NBA created a developmental system in the blink of an eye. by Jeff Laboon

The Utah Jazz trailed the Cleveland Cavaliers with 5.6 seconds left in the game. With star point guard Deron Williams in the locker room, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan sent out rookie Sundiata Gaines for the final play of the game. Gaines rotated to just outside the three-point line and waited for the pass from teammate Ronny Price.

With a 6'6 guard covering him, Gaines launched a prayer as he fell to the ground and slid in front of the Jazz's bench. Those 1.2 seconds after the shot stood frozen in time as the EnergySolutions Arena crowd waited in anticipation. The shot fell as the buzzer sounded.

This is Sundiata Gaines, hero.

Six days earlier, Gaines signed a 10-day contract with the Jazz. After playing 14 games in the NBA-Developmental League with the Idaho Stampede, Gaines, 24-years-old, caught the attention of the Jazz's front office with his 23.9 points and 6.9 assists per game.

This is Sundiata Gaines, minor leaguer.

(Gaines played 14 games with the Idado Stampede.)

He signed two 10-day contracts in January 2010 with the Jazz before the franchise signed him for the rest of the season.

This is Sundiata Gaines, NBA player.

(Gaines played 32 games with the Jazz last season.)

As of January 5, 2010, the date of Gaines' call-up, 66 NBA players (excluding Gaines) had some experience in the NBA Developmental League, or the NBA D-League. A record number 63 players with D-League experience have made the opening night rosters for the past two seasons (not combined, but 63 each year). NBA teams made a total of 40 call-ups during the 2009-10 season.

This season, every franchise but the Los Angeles Clippers had at least one D-League player on its opening night roster. Three teams, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves even had four players, or one third of the roster.

This is Sundiata Gaines, product.

(Gaines played four years at Georgia from 2004-2008 and joined the D-League in 2009.)

NBA Commissioner David Stern announced the creation of the National Basketball Developmental League, now known as the National Basketball Association Developmental League, in 2001. The league was designed to be an in-between for players who either did not want to go to college or were simply not ready to play in the NBA. The first player to be called-up from the D-league was Chris Anderson, who signed a contract with the Denver Nuggets on November 21, 2001.

The league started with eight teams for its inaugural season in 2001-02. After contracting to six in 2003-04, the league has since expanded to 16, and more teams are on the way. The Los Angeles D-Fenders, owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, are currently inactive, but the franchise is expected to return for the 2011-12 season. Other cities in both the United States and Canada are being discussed as possible sites for a D-League team, including Harlem, NY and Honolulu, Hawaii.

(D-League map.)

D-League alums do not just round out the roster, either. Several players have become regular contributors. Matt Barnes of the Los Angeles Lakers played 50 games (a full season) during the 2002-03 season for the now-defunct Fayetteville Patriots of the D-League. At the time, Barnes seemed like a career bench player. The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Barnes in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft before trading him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Months later, the Cavs cut Barnes, who then spent the rest of the season in the D-League. In January 2004, Barnes signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers and was later signed for the rest of the season. Now an NBA regular, Barnes started 98 games in the last two seasons and averaged 20.8 minutes per game in the Lakers' first eight games this season. Two D-League players have even been selected in the NBA Draft.

Like an NBA roster, a D-League roster is composed of 12 players. Of the 12, 10 are considered D-League players and at least two are players assigned from NBA rosters. The 10 D-League players are compiled from former players (meaning players from last season's roster), local players, and at least one tryout player. The teams are filled in an eight-team serpentine draft.

(Matt Barnes is a fellow D-League alum.)

The D-League's continued growth is only a sign of the future of this minor league. Last season, D-League attendance reached over 1 million, a 6.6 percent increase from the previous season, and average game attendance was just under 3,000.

The D-League signed a national TV contract with Versus in January 2010. This season, Versus will air 11 regular season games, including the D-League Showcase, and six playoff games, including the finals.

At the very least, the D-League is sports at its core. It is just a group of guys looking for an opportunity to make a living doing what they love to do. While some get the call quickly, like Gaines, others wait much longer for theirs, and others return to the D-League after their opportunity passes.

The Jazz did not resign Gaines after the 2009-10 season. He has a tryout with the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight before their game against the Sacramento Kings.

This is Sundiata Gaines, still with something to prove.