Earlier this week, the NBA made the official announcement that two Developmental League expansion teams will begin playing next season in Erie, Penn., and Reno, Nevada. As such, the NBA affiliation system got shuffled quite a bit.One interesting switch pointed out by FanHouse's Matt Moore (who runs the excellent draft and D-League blog at Ridiculous Upside): the Sonics are now affiliated with the Tulsa 66ers. How convenient.
Meanwhile, the Knicks draw Reno, which is only convenient if James Dolan plans on uprooting from the Garden and building a spot in Carson City or beautiful Verdi. (Last Chance! Gold Ranch for the sausage-gravy-and-Keno win!) The Kings will join the Knickerbockers in The Biggest Little City in the World, while the Cavs and Sixers will take up shop in Erie, where the BayHawks (not a joke) are owned by a diehard Cavs fan. I'm sure Ed Stefanksi is stoked about that.
It amazes me only the Lakers and Spurs have taken the step to purchase their own D-League franchise. San Antonio is a tiny NBA market, and the franchise is constantly cost-conscious. It feels running a D-League team (the Austin Toros) is a good use of money. Meanwhile, the Knicks use cashier's checks as toilet seat covers ... but would rather send their prospects 3,000 miles (and 25 years, in cultural terms) than to open up a farm team? Makes sense. (I should note, in fairness, there has been rumor the Knicks want to start a D-League franchise in Harlem. But there's been no reported action, and the rumor's been around more than a year.)
