An Interview with D-League President Dan Reed

An interesting Blog post and full interview on the D-League's Dan Reed can be found at:

http://hardwoodparoxysm.blogspot.com/2008/03/hail-to-chief-conversation-with-d.html

Here is the intro:

In a sport where we spend so much time questioning front office officials' intelligence and vision, Dan Reed is a breath of fresh air. After only a few minutes talking with Reed, the most powerful man in minor league basketball, you find yourself certain of both his considerable intelligence and the progressive vision he has for the NBA's minor league.

Dan Reed is President of the NBA Development League. Reed worked for AT Kearney in San Francisco and Washington DC as a management consultant before attending Harvard Business School. From there he joined the NBA where he eventually became Senior Director of Team Marketing and Business Operations. Then, in June of last year, Commissioner Stern appointed him to the position of President of the D-League, coinciding with the move of the D-League offices to the NBA headquarters in New York.

When I met President Reed in New Orleans, I was expecting a very stiff businessman. I anticipated a grizzly minor league official that had no time for a blogger such as myself. I was very surprised to find Reed not only friendly, but startlingly engaging and approachable. I followed his blog at D-League.com and kept up with his public appearances. When he commented on this site a few months ago, I was flattered. And when I was offered the chance to interview Reed, I leaped at the opportunity.

Reed's success in the D-League is something he deflects to his predecessors and the hard work of his office. But the results make it clear that Reed has had a direct influence on the new-found success of the D-League. He's brought live streaming webcasts of all the games to D-League.com. He's brought together a wildly successful D-League Showcase in Idaho, and masterminded the D-League All-Star game, which featured a great showcase of the D-League's talent as well as games like HORSE and a great dunk contest. Attendance is up 21% this year, Reed's first season behind the wheel, and there's a growing surge of interest in the league as call-ups and assignments reach record numbers, now accounting for 15% of all NBA players. Following the announcement of two new franchises in Reno and Eerie, Pennsylvania, the sky seems to be the limit for the D-League's potential, and Reed has been a huge part of that.

We were fortunate enough to speak to President Reed earlier this week, and he talked about everything from the possibility of expansion in New York, to his belief in how the NBA can change the world, to the future of blogging in the D-League.