MAINE AWARDED NBA D-LEAGUE FRANCHISE for 2009-2010

PORTLAND, MAINE - Feb. 25, 2009 – The NBA Development League awarded an expansion team to Portland, Maine for the 2009-10 season, NBA D-League President Dan Reed announced at a recent press conference at Portland High School. The team, which is the first expansion franchise awarded for the 2009-10 season, will play at the Portland Expo Center.

The franchise will be owned and operated by Maine Basketball, LLC, which is principally owned by Bill Ryan Sr., the chairman of TD Banknorth Group and Bill Ryan Jr., who owns and operates Oxford Plains Speedway. Jon Jennings, a partner in Maine Basketball, LLC and former Boston Celtics assistant coach, will serve as the team’s president and general manager.

The announcement, the NBA D-League’s first foray into New England, was held in front of the school’s student body while featuring Reed, Celtics Team President Rich Gotham, the Celtics Dancers, and a speech by the Portland High Student Body President Brian Furey.

“Expansion to Portland is another example of the health and growth of the NBA D-League,” said Reed. “We are very pleased to add Bill Ryan Sr., Bill Ryan Jr., and Jon Jennings to our ownership ranks, as they bring a wealth of business, sports operations, and basketball experience on behalf of the team and the community. I’m confident that fans throughout the state of Maine will enjoy our world-class level of basketball featuring current and future NBA players, as well as appreciate the team's family-friendly environment, affordable prices, and positive impact on the Portland and Maine community."

“I’m overjoyed to bring NBA D-League basketball to Portland,” said Jennings. “We’ve already established strong relationships with the people of this community, and we can’t wait to get underway next season. I know that this team will have a long and exciting future in Maine.”

Portland will be affiliated with two NBA team parent-clubs, which will be able to assign their first and second year players to the club a maximum of three times during a season. Thus far, the 2008-09 NBA D-League season has had 22 NBA players assigned on 24 occasions to NBA D-League affiliates as players continue to develop their game. An announcement regarding Portland’s NBA team affiliations will occur during the offseason.

About the NBA D-League
The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA’s official minor league and features 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA teams. The league has produced 15 percent of the players on 2007-08 end-of-season NBA rosters and continues to develop current NBA coaches and referees. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote youth basketball, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout this season fans can watch all NBA D-League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.

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.