Hornets announce D-League’s return to Southeast
When the D-League began in 2001, eight teams were stationed in the Southeast, all of which were dissolved within five years. This week, however, they took a big step towards returning to its roots.
While the Hornets announced in May that a D-League team was coming to North Carolina by the 2016-17 season, the nitty gritty wasn’t unveiled until Tuesday. During a press conference, the team revealed that Greensboro will be home of their affiliate, where they’ll play at the Pavilion in the Greensboro Coliseum Complex — a multi-building facility that seats 22,000 people located 90 miles from Charlotte.
The team’s nickname, as well as ticket information, are yet to be announced.
“Having a 20th NBA D-League team, and the 11th that is owned by an NBA team, is an important and noteworthy achievement,” D-League president Malcolm Turner said in a press release. “We are thrilled to welcome Hornets Sports & Entertainment into the growing family of NBA D-League owners and are excited to continue to work with the city of Greensboro to bring NBA D-League basketball to fans across the state of North Carolina.”
Only three non-affiliated teams — the Clippers, Timberwolves and Trail Blazers — have used the D-League less than the Hornets since 2012. Last season, they shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with 12 other teams and sent Noah Vonleh, whom they picked No. 9 in the 2014 NBA Draft, on assignment for two games, where he logged 13.4 minutes per contest.
With a one-to-one affiliation, the Hornets can assure their assignees minutes in a system similar to what they run in the NBA. The close proximity will also allow players to practice with the Hornets and play games at Greensboro, much like how the New York Knicks used the Westchester Knicks last season.
“We view player-development as critical. We think this is a great opportunity for our basketball people to have complete autonomy and control of how that part of the business is run,” Hornets president Fred Whitfield told The Charlotte Observer earlier this year. “We also see it as a great opportunity to keep growing our brand regionally.”
The D-League now has 20 teams, 10 short from every NBA franchise having a one-to-one affiliation.
You can follow the Hornets’ D-League team on Twitter, @hornetsdleague.