Here We Go!

As you may have heard by now, a group of us are trying to bring an NBA Development League team to Maine. We are very excited about the response we have received to date from the people of Maine, government officials, the business community and die hard hoop fans.

As we all know Maine has an incredible history of supporting High School Basketball. I am originally from Indiana and grew up watching "Hoosiers" every Friday or Saturday night at the local high school. I see that same enthusiam for basketball as I have traveled the state and talked to people about our efforts to bring a pro team to Maine.

Just to give you a little background on what we have done to date. Last July I spoke with the NBADL about buying a franchise for New England. After reviewing the business model and financials I could see this was a great opportunity. The D-League had radically changed its business model from the NBA owning all of the teams to local ownership groups buying franchises. The D-League also created the affiliation system which means D-League teams will be affiliated with NBA teams like a true minor league system. The D-League is on the verge of becoming one of the most important basketball leagues in the world. Even now the L.A. Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have bought their own D-League affiliates. When I was an assistant coach with the Celtics we could only dream of having this type of minor league system.

After forming our ownership group and submitting our application, the NBA D-League President Dan Reed and NBA D-League Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Shawn Smith visited Portland a few weeks ago. The City of Portland and State of Maine officials went all out for their visit and we cannot thank them enough. I think Dan and Shawn were blown away by the support and enthusiam for bringing a D-League team to Maine.

This entire effort of buying a D-League franchise would not be possible without the support and partnership with Bill Ryan, Sr. and Bill Ryan, Jr. Bill, Sr. is the chairman of TD Banknorth and one of the best businessmen in the country. Bill, Jr. is a lawyer and successful owner of Oxford Plains Speedway. Bill, Jr. and I are working closely together to make sure our efforts lead to a franchise. If we get a franchise in Maine, it will be because of the Ryans!

Currently we continue to work with the NBADL on several issues before hopefully being awarded a franchise in the spring. I hope this is the first of many posts. We know we do not have all of the answers or ideas hence this blog. We want and need your input as we move forward. Please let us know your thoughts about the possibility of bringing the team to Maine or anything on your mind.