D-League Teams Benefit NBA Affiliate ...

This article, from the Morning Journal Morning News in Ohio, shows the changing tides of view on the D-League's importance in the basketball world. Read on:

D-League in Erie benefits Cavs
By Bob Finnan

MOST NBA fans greet news about the National Basketball Development League with a yawn.

It's the minor leagues, after all. But news of Erie, Pa., getting a D-League team could be boon for the Cavaliers. They hope to switch their affiliate from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in McAllen, Texas, to Erie next year.

"We're very hopeful to be Erie's affiliate," Cavs general manager Danny Ferry said. "It will give us a much better connection and better flexibility in using a D-League team. Also, our ability to scout the league will be greatly enhanced."

The Cavs will be able to scout the league better and more accurately since they are only a two-hour drive away. They can also shuttle players back and forth easier.

In the next collective bargaining agreement, the league is expected to alter the language and allow injured players to go on a rehab assignment to the D-League, like baseball.

A player like Daniel Gibson would be eligible to get in a couple of warmup games in the D-League this year. But the Cavs would have to send him to Texas, which might not make a lot of sense. He's missed the last 18 games with a high ankle sprain.

Steven J. Demetriou, chairman and CEO of Aleris International, Inc., of Beachwood, will be Erie's majority owner.

Demetriou is banking on the Erie team becoming the Cavs' affiliate. He told the Erie Times News that he also considered Canton, Youngstown, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Rochester, N.Y.

The games will be played at the 7,000-seat Tullio Arena in Erie.