D-League gets little attention from NBA teams

Just a few random thoughts after coming out of a turkey-induced coma following two full thanksgiving dinners thursday:

MINOR LEAGUE BUST? The National Basketball Development League is off and running for the season. Well, not really running, but games are being played.

It seems few teams are taking advantage of the NBA's minor league.

Under the NBA's new collective-bargaining agreement, each of the 30 NBA teams can send two players with less than two years of NBA experience to the NBDL to hone their skills. So a total of 60 NBA players could be gaining valuable experience in the D-League on the eight teams.

Instead, there are currently seven NBA players total in the NBDL.

The Albuquerque Thunderbirds, the D-League affiliate for four teams — the Utah Jazz, the Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings — has exactly one NBA player on its roster, Dijon Thompson of the Suns. None of the other three NBA teams that can use the Thunderbirds has even bothered.

In fact, only six NBA teams are taking advantage of the minor league. The Minnesota Timberwolves are the only team that has sent the maximum two players to the D-League. T-Wolves center Dwayne Jones and guard Bracey Wright are gaining experience with the Florida Flames.

College basketball has served as the unofficial minor league system for the NBA for years, but with players each year opting to come right out of high school and more foreign players being drafted, the NBDL was supposed to give youngsters a chance to develop into NBA players. It seems perfect for guys like C.J. Miles, who the Jazz drafted in the second round straight out of high school, or the team's other rookies, Andre Owens and Robert Whaley.

Even a four-year college player like ex-BYU star Raphael Araujo — who is seeing limited action with the Toronto Raptors — could gain more by getting big minutes in the D-League than sitting on the bench.

But it seems NBA teams are reluctant to use the system, for a variety of reasons. The Jazz, for instance, have had enough injuries that guys like Miles, Owens and Whaley are getting a decent amount of playing time in the NBA. Perhaps when the team gets healthier, it will send a player or two to Albuquerque.