Toronto's Jamario Moon was one of many former D-Leaguers to find success in the NBA. Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images

by Matthew Brennan, D-League.com

April 12, 2008: The 2007-08 D-League season, which concludes on Saturday night, has been another successful one with a record number of GATORADE Call-Ups, greater use of the NBA afffiliation system, and a large number of D-League alumni turning in excellent seasons in the NBA. Here are a few of the biggest storylines to come out of this year in the D-League.

Record Number of GATORADE Call-Ups

The D-League's goal is to develop talent for the NBA, and it reached two milestones this year concerning GATORADE Call-Ups of players to NBA teams. In January guard C.J. Watson became the 100th GATORADE Call-Up in D-League history when he signed with the Golden State Warriors. Watson has gone on to appear in 32 games with Golden State this season. The D-League also set a new record of GATORADE Call-Ups in a season this year, when Austin's Marcus Williams became the 23rd GATORADE Call-Up of the season when he joined the Los Angeles Clippers. After D-League Most Valuable Player Kasib Powell joined the Miami Heat earlier this week, the current record total stands at 26 Call-Ups.

D-League To NBA Success Stories

This season saw the continuation of former D-League players making an impact in the NBA. A great example was the success of the Houston Rockets, who featured multiple former D-League players during their team-record 22-game winning streak. Starting point guard Rafer Alston enjoyed one of his best NBA seasons and led all former D-League players with 13.3 points per game. Alston was just one of many former D-Leaguer' who enjoyed a successful 2007-08 NBA season, including Toronto's Jamario Moon, Charlotte's Matt Carroll, Golden State's Kelenna Azubuike, Cleveland's Devin Brown, and Sacramento's Mikki Moore. Heading into the last week of the season, a total of 13 players with D-League experience have appeared in 70 or more games in 2007-08.

Assigned Players Find Success

Over 70 different players have been assigned to the D-League since NBA team affiliations were introduced in 2006, and this season many assigned players showed that their D-League experience had been beneficial. In the NBA, third-year veterans Martell Websterand Louis Williams blossomed as both of their teams challenged for the playoffs. Webster averaged a career-high 10.7 points for the Trail Blazers, while Williams and his 11.4 points played an integral role in the 76ers' resurgence. Other former D-League assignees who established themselves in their NBA rotations included Detroit's Amir Johnson, the Lakers' Jordan Farmar, and Miami's Dorell Wright. In the D-League, Morris Almond leads the league in scoring while on assignment from the Jazz, while Austin's Ian Mahinmi earned First Team All-D-League honors on assignment from the Spurs. Idaho's Mouhamed Sene was another standout on assignment, earning Co-Defensive Player of the Year during his second season on assignment from the SuperSonics.

Records Keep Falling

No record was safe in the D-League this season, as every single-game D-League record with the exception of steals was broken during the 2007-08 season. Dakota's Rod Benson kicked off the year when he set a new record with 28 rebounds in a game in December. Utah's Morris Almond, on assignment from the Jazz, broke the D-League single-game scoring record when he poured in 53 points against Bakersfield in late January. Idaho's Randy Livingston, on his way to a second First Team All-D-League season, got into the act when he dished out 22 assists in a game in December, breaking his own record. An assigned player also set a new single-game record for blocks, with Fort Wayne's Cheikh Samb turning back 11 shots in a game while on assignment from the Pistons.

Idaho Stampedes Through The D-League

Randy Livingston and the Stampede will finish with the D-League's best record. Otto Kitsigner/NBAE/Getty Images

The Idaho Stampede enjoyed a memorable streak on their way to clinching the D-League's best record, winning 18 straight games between December 19 and February 9. Guard Randy Livingston enjoyed another excellent season, earning All-D-League honors for the second straight year and leading the league with 10.4 assists. Center Lance Allred continued his journey from last year's reserve to this year's GATORADE Call-Up, signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers after earning an All-Star berth, while guard Mike Taylor was one of the league's best rookies. Head coach Bryan Gates has proven that he could be the next coach to join an NBA staff after leading Idaho to a 67-31 record in their first two D-League seasons. The Stampede also hosted a successful D-League Showcase, which saw 14 D-League games in four days at Qwest Arena in Boise.

Dream Factory Friday Night Makes Its Debut

The D-League returned to All-Star Weekend for it's second annual All-Star Game, but also added a new even this season in the form of Dream Factory Friday Night. D-League players competed in a Dunk Contest, Three-Point Shootout, and even brought H-O-R-S-E to All-Star Weekend. The Idaho Stampede dominated the events with forward Brent Petway winning the Dunk contest over teammate Mike Taylor, while Lance Allred took the honors in H-O-R-S-E. In the All-Star Game, Jeremy Richardson earned MVP honors and went on to earn a GATORADE Call-Up from the Atlanta Hawks just a few days later.Click here for a full review of D-League All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.

D-League Keeps Growing

Four new teams joined the D-League this season, with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Iowa Energy, Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Utah Flash expanding the D-League to a new high of 14 teams. The D-League should be even bigger next season with the introduction of teams in Erie, Pennsylvania and Reno, Nevada. Another key development this season was the introduction of NBA Futurecast, which enabled anyone to watch D-League games for free on D-League.com. Futurecast will continue during the playoffs, so click here to check out the action.