The National Basketball Association’s Developmental League, most commonly known as the D-League, is not the most legitimate feeder system into the big leagues. With small-town markets, trivial venues and lack of talent compared to its big brother organizations, it’s no question why not all NBA teams have a D-League affiliate.
Last week, Dallas Mavericks owner and notorious loudmouth Mark Cuban took a shot at the NCAA’s role — or lack thereof — in developing student-athletes into NBA prospects. In college basketball, the heralded “one-and-done rule” allows players to leave their respective college programs after one season and enter the NBA Draft.
However, Cuban argued the D-League has the potential to grow as a viable alternative to college.
“A major college has to pretend that they’re treating them like a student-athlete, and it’s a big lie and we all know it’s a big lie,” Cuban said.
And he’s right.
First, let’s address the elephant in the room that the D-League is often referred to as a joke. It’s evident in team names like the Bakersfield Jam, which sound more like an artisan brand of marmalade than a basketball team, and with the D-League All-Star Weekend that is paradoxical to players’ developmental status.
Yet, it may be in the best interest of the most talented high school players to skip their first year of school and head to places like Sioux Falls, S.D. or Portland (Maine, that is).
Cuban claimed college players hardly attend classes and the term “student-athlete” gets thrown around more as a pleasantry in conversation than an actual practice. Students are compensated indirectly at the collegiate level, but cases of impermissible benefits seem to be a growing norm for star athletes.
P.J. Hairston, a former North Carolina Tar Heel, was expelled from UNC for accepting illicit benefits, as well as for marijuana possession and reckless driving. Instead of transferring schools or playing professionally in Europe, Hairston turned to the D-League to showcase his talents in hopes of becoming an NBA Draft pick.
And the D-League is growing.
The New York Knicks are in the process of starting an affiliate, which will add to the existing 17 teams. Yet the growth lies in the ability of the D-League to help young players adjust to life. College may institute a sense of an agenda and help players mature — the D-League is at best a stripped-down version of that.
With the NCAA’s dubious policies in place, it may prove easier for the D-League to shift the culture of college basketball and the NBA alike. But it’s essential that one steps forward in looking out for the best interests of its players.
Colin Hanner is a junior studying journalism and is a sports writer for The Post. Do you think players may begin to choose the D-League instead of the NCAA? Let him know @ColinHanner.
