The Raptors are "poised to announce they have acquired a D-League team that will begin play this fall" in nearby Mississauga, Ont., according to sources cited by Doug Smith of the TORONTO STAR. The team -- to be named "something along the lines of the Raptors905s as a nod to the suburban area code -- will play out of the Hershey Centre and the official announcement could come as early as Monday." The "cost of a franchise" in the league is in the U.S.$6M range. Coupled with the Raptors' "new practice facility on the western edge of the [Canadian National Exhibition] grounds that should open early near next" and the NBA All-Star game coming to Toronto in February '16, President of Basketball Operations & GM Masai Ujiri and team management "feel significant strides are being made to turn the Raptors into more than just a run-of-the-mill franchise." The Raptors have "shared a D-League affiliation with other NBA teams since the founding of the league" in '01. With their own franchise, the Raptors "would have control over coaching and the use of their youngest players." Also, placing the franchise in Mississauga "provides the proximity the team wants" (TORONTO STAR, 6/25).
COULD NBA DO MORE? ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon noted in Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban's opinion, likely NBA Draft lottery picks "aren't opting to go from high school to the D-League, because the NBA hasn't marketed the possibility and put programs in place that would be tailored to elite teenage prospects." Cuban: "We're not out there marketing and competing, and I can see why. People love college basketball: the romantic side of it, March Madness and the Final Four. So there's going to be a lot of people who aren't going to take to it. Being a good corporate citizen, we can't just dive in and say we're going to compete. You have to talk to the NCAA and just come to some agreement." MacMahon noted Cuban "envisions a system in which straight-out-of-high-school prospects are provided living arrangements in the D-League, required to take life-skills courses and given the opportunity to pursue their college degree through partnerships formed with local universities." The franchises would "hire extra support staff, such as counselors and tutors, to assist in the preps-to-pros transition." Cuban: "Rather than paying them more, I'd rather invest more in the kid. They can go to Europe for (money). Feel free to go there. If a kid wants to go and maximize his dollars, that's not going to be us" (ESPN.com, 6/24).
