The 2010–11 NBA Development League season was the tenth season of the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). The NBA D-League is the official minor league basketball organization owned and run by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league was formed in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL). The league adopted the "NBA D-League" name in 2005 to reflect its close affiliation with the NBA (a name it retained until 2017, when it was renamed the NBA G League). One expansion franchise, the Texas Legends, joined the 15 returning teams from the previous season.
The season started with the 2010 NBA Development League Draft, which was held on November 1, 2010. Former NBA second-round draft pick Nick Fazekas was selected first overall by the Reno Bighorns. The regular season began on November 18, 2010, and ended on April 4, 2011. The Iowa Energy had the best regular season record with 37 wins and 13 losses. They also won the Eastern Conference, while the Reno Bighorns won the Western Conference with the second-best regular season record with 34 wins and 16 losses. The regular season set a new record on total attendance of 1,125,583, a 7.9% increase from the previous season.
The playoffs started on April 6, 2011. The first seed, the Iowa Energy, defeated the Utah Flash and the Tulsa 66ers in the first and second round consecutively. The defending champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who was seeded third, defeated the Bakersfield Jam and the Reno Bighorns in the first and second round respectively. The Energy and the Vipers face each other in the 2011 NBA D-League Finals that was started on April 24, 2011. The Energy won the first game 123–106, while the Vipers won the second game 141–122 to even the series. On April 29, 2011, the Energy won the decisive Game Three to win their first ever championship.
Teams and coaches Team City Arena Head coach NBA affiliate(s) Eastern Conference Dakota Wizards Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck Civic Center Rory White Memphis Grizzlies, Washington Wizards Erie BayHawks Erie, Pennsylvania Tullio Arena Jay Larranaga Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors Fort Wayne Mad Ants Fort Wayne, Indiana Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Joey Meyer Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks Iowa Energy Des Moines, Iowa Wells Fargo Arena Nick Nurse Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns Maine Red Claws Portland, Maine Portland Expo Building Austin Ainge Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats Sioux Falls Skyforce Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls Arena Tony Fritz (until January 14, 2011)Morris McHone (from January 20, 2011) Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves Springfield Armor Springfield, Massachusetts MassMutual Center Dee Brown New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers Western Conference Austin Toros Cedar Park, Texas Cedar Park Center Brad Jones San Antonio Spurs Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield, California Jam Events Center Will Voigt Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers Idaho Stampede Boise, Idaho Qwest Arena Randy Livingston Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers New Mexico Thunderbirds Rio Rancho, New Mexico Santa Ana Star Center Darvin Ham New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic Reno Bighorns Reno, Nevada Reno Events Center Eric Musselman Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings Rio Grande Valley Vipers Hidalgo, Texas State Farm Arena Chris Finch Houston Rockets Texas Legends Frisco, Texas Dr Pepper Arena Nancy Lieberman Dallas Mavericks Tulsa 66ers Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa Convention Center Nate Tibbetts Oklahoma City Thunder Utah Flash Orem, Utah McKay Events Center Kevin Young Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz
Team changes The Texas Legends entered the D-League as an expansion franchise. The Legends was formed when an ownership group led by Donnie Nelson, the President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Dallas Mavericks, purchased the Colorado 14ers on June 18, 2009. The franchise relocated to Frisco, Texas and was renamed the Texas Legends. On March 1, 2010, the Albuquerque Thundebirds announced that they would move from the Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico to the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The team was also renamed the New Mexico Thunderbirds to reflect their new location and their statewide representation. On May 21, 2010, the Los Angeles D-Fenders announced that they would not play in the 2010–11 season. The franchise, which is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, relocated to El Segundo, California and will return to play in the 2011–12 season.
Affiliation changes On July 6, 2010, the league announced the affiliation system for the season. The Austin Toros and the Tulsa 66ers, which is owned by the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder respectively, continued their single-affiliation partnerships with their parent teams. The Houston Rockets also continued their single-affiliation partnership with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The Texas Legends, who is owned by Dallas Mavericks' General Manager Donnie Nelson, also began a single-affiliation partnership with the Mavericks. The other 12 teams were affiliated with at least two NBA teams each. Due to several team changes above and other circumstances, some affiliation changes occurred.
The Dallas Mavericks, who was affiliated with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds for the last two seasons, began a single-affiliation partnership with the Texas Legends. The Orlando Magic, who was affiliated with the Reno Bighorns in the 2009–10 season, were announced as the new affiliate of the New Mexico Thunderbirds. The Golden State Warriors, who was affiliated with the Bakersfield Jam for the last four seasons, were announced as the new affiliate of the Reno Bighorns. The Los Angeles Lakers, who owned and was affiliated with the Los Angeles D-Fenders for the last four seasons, were announced as the new affiliate of the Bakersfield Jam.
Coaching changes
Offseason On November 5, 2009, the Frisco D-League Team, who later became the Texas Legends, hired Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman as the franchise's first head coach. She became the first female to coach a men's professional basketball team. On June 2, 2010, the Idaho Stampede hired 2007 D-League Most Valuable Player and former Stampede player Randy Livingston as the team's head coach, replacing Bob MacKinnon Jr. who resigned on May 6, 2010. On July 27, 2010, the New Mexico Thunderbirds promoted assistant coach and former Thunderbirds player Darvin Ham as the team's head coach, replacing John Coffino who resigned in April 2010. On August 12, 2010, the Reno Bighorns hired former NBA head coach Eric Musselman as the team's head coach, replacing Jay Humphries who left the team after the 2009–10 season. On September 7, 2010, the Utah Flash promoted assistant coach Kevin Young as the team's head coach, replacing Brad Jones who was later hired as the head coach for the Austin Toros on September 28, 2010. On September 21, 2010, the Erie BayHawks hired former Irish national team head coach Jay Larranaga as the team's head coach, replacing John Treloar who was hired as the Director of Player Personnel for the Phoenix Suns on September 21, 2010. On September 28, 2010, the Austin Toros hired former Utah Flash head coach Brad Jones as the team's head coach, replacing Quin Snyder who was hired as the assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers on July 1, 2010.
In-season On January 14, 2011, the Sioux Falls Skyforce fired head coach Tony Fritz. Assistant coach Duane Ticknor took over as the interim head coach for two games until former Skyforce head coach Morris McHone was hired on January 20, 2011.
Players An NBA D-League team roster consists of draftees, returning, allocation and tryout players. In addition, NBA teams can assign players who are on their first or second NBA season to their D-League affiliates. The roster must consist of 10 D-League players, but the maximum roster size is 12 players, including NBA assignees. If a team had more than two NBA assignees, the team must reduce its roster to avoid having more than 12 players. In the D-League, all players sign a one-year NBA D-League Standard Player Contract with the league, not with the specific D-League teams.
Returning players are players who played in the league during the previous season and are retained by their respective teams. The D-League teams are allowed to invite a limited number of returning players. Players who signed a D-League contract but are not retained by their previous teams are placed on the draft pool, along with new players who also sign with the league. Tryout players are the players who are invited to join the D-League team from the open tryouts which are held by each teams in October, before the season began.
Beginning this season, the league implements a new allocation players rule. In the past, the teams are awarded allocation players, who are usually players with significant local or player appeal to that market. The allocation rule was replaced to accommodate the new allocation rule which involves the NBA affiliates of the D-League teams. In the new rule, up to three players cut last from the NBA teams roster prior to the draft, will be allocated to their D-League affiliates, if they sign the standard D-League contract. The new rule increased the bond between the NBA teams and their D-League affiliates, while sacrificing the marketing effect from local allocation players.
Returning, allocation and tryout players
On October 30, 2011, the league announces the returning, allocation and tryout players for the 16 teams. Several players with NBA experience who returned to their previous teams are JamesOn Curry, Reece Gaines, Orien Greene, Steven Hill, Chris Hunter, Cedric Jackson, Othyus Jeffers, Dontell Jefferson, Trey Johnson, Renaldo Major, Chris McCray, Courtney Sims and Mario West. D-League All-Stars Walker Russell Jr., Mustafa Shakur and Curtis Stinson were also named on the returning players list. The expansion franchise Texas Legends earlier participated in an expansion draft to acquire the rights to returning players of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, who would not take part in the 2010–11 season. The Legends selected 10 out of the 14 available players and two of them were later named in the returning players list for the Legends.
The list of allocation players from the NBA teams includes several notable players such as former NBA players Thomas Gardner, Stéphane Lasme, Rashad McCants, Sean Williams and Kyle Weaver. McCants and Williams, who were NBA first-round draft picks, were intentionally signed by the Dallas Mavericks towards the end of the training camp period and were waived on the day after, solely for the purpose of allocating them to the Texas Legends. Similar situation occurred with NBA second-round draft pick Tiny Gallon, who was waived by the Boston Celtics only two days after he was signed. Gallon was then allocated to the Maine Red Claws. The returning and allocation players were joined by the tryout players and the draftees for the training camp, where the players would compete for a place on the teams' 12-man roster.
Draft