The 2007 D-League Draft... Explained
by Matthew Brennan, D-League.com
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Juan Ocampo/Getty Images/NBAE |
2007 Draft Order
Unlike the NBA and other professional sports drafts, the D-League Draft follows a serpentine format. That is, the order of selection will be reversed in each round. For example, with the Colorado 14ers selecting first in the First Round, then will make the last selection in the second round. The draft is ten rounds long, so a total of 140 players will be selected, which due to expansion will make this the largest draft in the league's history.
Listed below is the complete draft order of the first round.
1) Colorado 14ers
2) Dakota Wizards
3) Albuquerque Thunderbirds
4) Idaho Stampede
5) Rio Grande Valley Vipers
6) Sioux Falls Skyforce
7) Fort Wayne Mad Ants
8) Los Angeles D-Fenders
9) Anaheim Arsenal
10) Utah Flash
11) Tulsa 66ers
12) Austin Toros
13) Bakersfield Jam
14) Iowa Energy
Draft Eligibility and The D-League Player Contract
The rules of eligility for the D-League Draft are very simple. Players must sign a standard player contract with the NBA D-League to be placed in the D-League's player pool and be eligible for the draft. The standard contract is one year in duration, but players are relieved of their contract obligations if they happen to sign a contract with an NBA team at any point during the season. Under the contract players can receive bonuses if their team makes the playoffs or if they earn individual accolades such as Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and First-Team All League. Even if a player is not drafted, they will remain in the player pool and can be acquired later in the season by a team if needed due to another player's departure.
Locating Players
The D-League's Basketball Operations staff is always hard at work looking for players to sign. They scout the NBA summer leagues as well as international leagues for players, and also sign a large number of players who are cut from NBA training camps in October. Last year's number one overall selection, Corsley Edwards, played overseas in Spain during the 2005-06 season, while second overall pick Andre Brown also played overseas before being cut in training camp by the Atlanta Hawks. Micheal Harris, the third overall pick by Colorado, also played overseas in 2005-06 and then spent time with the Bucks during their 2006 training camp.
Returning Players
Last year's D-League teams do not start entirely from scratch and put together their roster through the draft, as teams are allowed to bring back a set number of returning players. Players who elect to sign with the D-League for another season but are not retained by their teams will be placed in the draft pool.
The Expansion Draft/D-League Draft
The D-League has already conducted a separate Expansion Draft in early September, where the four expansion teams (Fort Wayne, Iowa, Rio Grande Valley, Utah) each selected a total of ten players who were left unprotected from the 2006-07 season. The major difference between the Expansion Draft and November's draft is that in the expansion draft, the teams were only selecting players' rights, which means that they will have the first shot at those players if they sign with the D-League. All of the players eligible in the November's D-League Draft have already signed with the league, which means they will attend training camp with the team that selects them.
What's Next?
After the draft, players will attend training camp with their teams, which typically begin in the second week of November. The ten drafted players will join returning players, signed players from the Expansion Draft, and possibly one player who is invited to camp from Open Tryouts in a bid to make the opening night roster.
