Vipers Win...All Stars and MORE!

I know it has been a long time since I have posted but I will do my best to keep updating much more regularly. Fact of the matter is finding time to blog has been tough. My on-road responsibilities have increased this season, and I find myself with less time to post as I had in our previous two seasons. I will make an effort to post as much as I can moving forward. I told the Doctor Professor I would....and promised the same thing to Scott Schroeder at RU. So here goes nothing...

The Vipers won today 106-88 at Tingley Coliseum in one of the stranger games you will ever see. The Vipers were down by as many as 16 points in the first half only to come back and lead by as many as 20! There was only one tie, and one lead change. Once the Vipers grabbed the lead, they never relinquished it. This game also saw the Vipers score 44 3rd quarter points,, a new franchise record. (I don't know what the D-League record is for this, but it has to be close.) The Vipers scored more points in the the third than the T-Birds scored in the entire second half (39)! Strange game indeed.

Chris Finch told me in the post game interview that he was embarrassed by the play in the first half. Who could blame him?  He hasn't been happy with the effort over the last few games, even if the team is on a six game win streak. He thinks his club should be playing with more of a sense of urgency. The team seems to be a bit lost with Will Conroy up with the big club in Houston. Today they had Garrett run the offense coming out of the intermission and it seemed to energize everyone on the floor. The Vipers played with Temple, Antonio Anderson, Jermaine Taylor, Ernest Scott and Mike Harris to start the second half. Obviously... (Jonah says I say obviously a lot... so I threw it in here for fun)  the adjustment worked.

The Vipers are beating the mediocre teams right now, but will that get it done later against the elite? I feel there are five potentially elite teams right now in the D-League. RGV, Iowa, Austin, Maine, Idaho. Right now these are the only teams I feel have any shot of winning the championship. The Vipers have handled Austin so far this year 4-1 record (when they didn't have Malik Hairston) but Austin is playing much better. The Vipers also swept Iowa at their building(s), but they now have a much more in-shape Jeffers, Cartier Martin back from Golden State and now Courtney Sims. We have yet to play Maine and Idaho added a couple solid pieces the last couple of days in Andre Barrett and Joe Dabbert. They are MUCH better than their 13-11 record would indicate.

Can the Vipers, as they are currently assembled, beat any of these teams in a three game series? If they get Joey back from Houston...which is a big IF, I think we could beat 2 of the four. I do think the Vipers need to make a move to solidify their position as a championship contender.

There are a lot of questions on what to do to improve the roster, because there are a lot of "What-Ifs". What if Will Conroy comes back when Lowry is healthy in Houston. What if Joey doesn't come back from Houston or gets traded in a deal for McGrady. What if Mike gets an offer he can't refuse from overseas? What if Antonio Anderson gets a call-up from an NBA team. A lot of questions that when answered can impact what type of move the Vipers need to make.

There was some good news to pass a long today other than the Vipers win over ABQ. ALL_STARS!!

The Vipers have three players that have been recognized as D-League All-Stars. Mike Harris, Antonio Anderson, and former assignment player Joey Dorsey. Also because the Vipers are in first place Chris Finch and his staff (Paul Mokeski and Jai Steadman) along with trainer Joe Resendez will be in charge of the Western Conference All-Stars.

The Vipers have never had an All-star actually play in the game. CJ Watson was named to the team in year one, but had been called up to Golden State by then.

This is a huge honor for everyone involved and for the entire Vipers organization. This year has been great, and it is only getting better.

By the way don't forget the Watch Party at JACKSONS tomorrow! Also Will Conroy and the Rockets are in action tonight...!


For now.. ADB telling you.. always remember... Rule #76 Play like a Champion!

D-League Expansion..Rumblings.. etc.

A lot has been happening around the D-League lately. There has been a lot happening around the Vipers as well. I apologize for not updating In the Key a little more often. The travel has been crazy and I have taken on some new responsibilities as well. But I should be able to spend a few minutes to blog.So here I am.

I posted several weeks back about possible D-League expansion. D-League Maine has already been announced. Congrats to Abby Pierce who is head of their marketing efforts. She was in RGV when we started up and I think she's awesome. Maine made a good hire. They will be the Maine (Insert Nickname here). They want to market to the whole state and didn't want to be confused with the Trailblazers home city. They also will not be the Shamrocks... which I thought would have been awesome since they will unofficially-officially be the Celtics affiliate. You can help choose the name HERE.

Now you can't just add one team right? But where else is the D-League expanding to? There were a lot of rumors and the D-League did a great job this year of keeping the potential additions hush-hush as opposed to last year when we all knew it was Erie and Reno. We knew about Portland since last season, but the 18th team was a mystery. Just rumors. Well it appears the secret is out finally as Springfield, MA (the home to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and the birthplace of basketball) will be home to a D-league franchise. 

It will be interesting to see who Springfield will be affiliated with since Boston appears to be going to Maine. Although I think it doesn't really matter it's out in Western, MA. You could easily put the Nets, Sixers or, Knicks in this same area. Or even both NJ and NYK. 

The real questions is will the D-League be at 18 teams next year? Or will it still be 16? We have documented on this blog before and Scott over a RU has as well, the financial problems the Colorado 14er owners are having. The word on the street is that Anaheim may be in even worse shape than that of Colorado...If that is even possible. It's a shame that the nicest building in the D-league (Not named Staples Center) may not be back but it could be a reality. Kroenke apparently would only have interest in managing the arena... not buying the 14ers, and it doesn't appear anyone wants to buy the team and move it to Loveland, CO to the Budweiser Events Center. Will the league operate this team until a buyer can be found? Will the new "Hybrid Affiliation System" change the Nuggets mind? I guess we will have to wait and see.

I will post my thoughts on the Hybrid System soon.. I want to get more details and get some thoughts from D-League coaches. 

I will post a brief pre-game blog before tonight's game versus Colorado as soon as I get to the building. 

SMUSH PARKER TO CHINESE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

I am not the first to break this story but here it is. I just got off the phone with Head Coach Clay Moser and he confirmed a report Todd Mavreles had that Vipers guard Smush Parker has left the team to play for a squad in the Chinese Basketball Association believed to be the Guangdong Tigers. Smush averaged 17.2 points 4.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. Smush also led the league in turnovers at 5.1 a game.


That's the news. Here is my commentary and is not the opinion of anyone else but myself.

This is not a shock to me that he is gone. According to Coach Moser a team in Italy had a standing offer for whenever he was going to take it. But the team in China kept in contact with Smush's agent and finally it was an offer he couldn't refuse. Funny though how his departure coincided almost to the day of his terrible D-League Showcase Performance in which representatives from every NBA team were there. It didn't look like a call-up was coming his way so he took the money. Honestly, this is what I thought would happen, if he didn't get a call-up by the Showcase or didn't play well, he was going to bolt.

Its no secret that Smush didn't really gel with this Viper squad. He was lackadaisical with the ball, (leading the league in turnovers) had spurts where he didn't get his team mates involved, rarely passed the ball into the low post, and took horrible shots. Some games he was great but to sum it up the only thing he was ever consistent in, was being inconsistent. His NBA shot may not have passed him by, he is still a great athlete, but for this season Smush has to focus on why he is struggling and fix that. He will have a chance to do that in China now.

How does this affect RGV? Well you lose your top scorer and assist man, but there are people to pick up the slack. I am curious to see Jared Jordan as the starter, I though he was very good in his two starts. The question is, can he play extended minutes? His only back-up right now is Craig Winder who has been a DNP three times this season and is NOT a point guard. Alpha and Trent need to pick up the load scoring wise. They have been.. but they will need to even more so. Alton NEEDS to get more touches and stay out of foul trouble, and Quin needs to shoot the dang ball when he is in the game.

Clay also confirmed to me that that they are 11th on the waiver wire pool, so still a long way to go if a solid player comes into the pool.

I want to thank Smush for helping us create a little buzz...but he didn't fit...The Vipers will have to move on.

D-League Showcase Preview;

Greetings Viper Enthusiasts:

Well that time of year has come, and its come a little bit earlier. The 2009 NBA Development League Showcase kicks off in Orem, Utah tomorrow morning. Kudos to the Utah Flash for hosting the event this season. I traveled to the Showcase last season and it takes quite a bit to put it on. You have to have all 16 teams, D-league front office staff, Scouts and General Managers from all 30 NBA clubs in hotel rooms. Oh did I mention all the referees, referee evaluators with the NBA, Media relations staff for all the teams and team Presidents and Owners from all 16 D-league clubs. Yeah and that is just lodging. Food has to be ordered, games need to be scheduled. All the games will be aired on Futurecast, many teams local radio outlets will need to pick up the feed for their local broadcasts. Game Notes printed...etc etc etc..... Trust me it is a lot of work and much of it is worked on by the host franchise, while already having their games to worry about.

I will not be going to the Showcase this year. My duties with FOX Rio 2 and the fact that some of the best play-by-play guys in the D-league will be handling the duties for the league and we can pick up the feed we felt it best that I forgo this trip. I do like visiting with all the other folks in the league, but since I travel to just about every game I can chat with them when I visit all the other buildings.

But I digress. Coach Moser was very disappointed at the Vipers effort on Saturday night. I can't blame him. He has referred to his team, as a Jekyll and Hyde team. Usually this season its been a tale of two halves. Last night it was a tale of two games. The Vipers played great on Friday, built a huge second half lead, actually dominated a third quarter and showed how much better they were than what I belive to be a TERRIBLE Albuquerque team. Then on Saturday we just did not show up mentally. Coach Moser told me in the post game interview that team lacked the maturity at this point to win back-to-back games. It takes a certain moxy to string wins together, right now the Vipers are mediocre, because they don't have that moxy. Will they find it...I guess we will have to wait and see, but this is a stretch of games where they can put a little cushion between themselves and the bottom of the division, they need to take advantage of it so they can be one of the eight teams in the playoffs and not on the outside looking in again.

Here are some thoughts on the Vipers and the showcase.

• Vipers vs. Reno - Monday 8:15 CST
• Viper Reunion
• Jesse Smith played in all 50 games for Rio Grande Valley in their inaugural season and has started all 14 games for the Reno Bighorns this season. I was very fond of Jesse as a player and as a person. He is a quiet and a little reserved; but very intelligent and a genuinely nice person. I had hoped he would return but it was not in the cards for us. I am glad to see he is doing well stats wise, too bad his team is struggling. but, lets hope they don't turn the corner against RGV.
  
• Vipers need a win, and should win. They have better bigs than Reno. They have better guards. No excuse if you don't get this win. NONE
• Reno does not come to Dodge Arena this season because of this match-up. RGV won't see Reno again until April 2nd
  

History Repeats itself

Greetings Viper fans.




Seeing as how my blog is now a feature on RGVIPERS.com, it is probably a good idea that I start posting on a more regular basis. By the way my thanks to our new webmaster Jonah Goldberg, he is also the Vipers new Media Relations Manager. By the way he also serves as our Home Color Commentator on our radio broadcasts.





Let me just start by saying, RGV is a much better team than the record indicates. The Vipers have had a crazy schedule, even the eight game homestand was crazy. You had the last two D-League Champions, ( Dakota, Idaho) Two other playoff clubs (Sioux Falls, Colorado), and a very solid Utah club that had two NBA Assignees. Right now the Vipers cannot finish games. Coach Moser cant quite put his finger on it. But coaches don't like to make excuses. Since I am the broadcaster and subsequently a Viper apologist I will make the excuse. The Vipers are tired and have little to NO practice time. The first 12 games were in 24 days. 8 home games, against some of the clubs I mentioned, one was a day game with two back to backs. The the first road trip happened. 4 games in six nights in 4 different cities. Game one in frigid Colorado. Only day possible for practice was the Monday before and the floor was not maintained and slippery. Play Tuesday night. Fly for Tulsa on Wednesday, no practice just rest, why? Thursday the game was at 11:00 AM, no shoot around obviously. Win that game. Head over to Tulsa airport, wait, and wait, and wait. Flights are cancelled. Can't get to Des Moines, IA. We bus at 1:00 AM to Kansas City, that's as far as the roads would let us go. Stay the night in a great hotel in KC. Bus at 1:00 pm to Des Moines. Arrive in Des Moines at 5:30om head straight to arena. Play overtime game against Iowa. Fly out next morning at 5:30 AM for Austin. Play Austin on Sunday at 3:00 pm, bus home that night.





Look this is pro basketball, but you tell me that this was an easy stretch of games for a club that needs more practice time and I'll say that you need your head examined. Hopefully these next few days of practice will do the club wonders.





- Next item on the agenda, the assignment of Joey Dorsey. I was excited about the possibility of his assignment since draft day. I knew he wouldn't get any minutes with the big club, but I knew he would make the big club. He is a bruiser, a defensive force and someone who could develop into a strong Ben Wallace type of player. He needs playing time, and he will get a ton of it in RGV. He really is the type of player the Vipers need right now. A strong rebounder ( especially on the offensive side of the glass), shot blocking bruising defender, and a player to take some pressure off of Alton Ford, who can focus more on scoring with Dorsey in the line-up, and also to challenge Alton on the glass. I hope this is an extended assignment. I think it will be, although the Rockets have been mum as to just how long he will be on assignment.





- And now the bad news. Kendall Dartez is the latest Viper to graze in greener pastures overseas as he is off to China. Dartez had some interest from some clubs to join an NBA roster, likely after the showcase, but nothing ever panned out, he got an offer he couldn't refuse. I wish him the best, but now the Vipers will have to search far and wide for another big man, which are hard to find. This adds another hole to this club, who already needed a big, (before Dorsey's arrival), and a sharp shooting three-point specialist. Sadly the Vipers don't get any benefits in the waiver list because of Kendall's departure, that only happens with Gatorade Call-Up.



I am going to try to blog more... our friends over at Ridiculousupside...Who I have added to the blog roll, have challenged me to update more so I will. It's tougher to maybe link as much as I have in the past but I will try.

Untill later...Stay outta the paint

Game Two vs. Utah Flash

Greeting my fellow Viper fanatics.

Well game one is in the book and the Vipers came out on top 83-82 to division rival Tulsa. The game ended up being much closer than it needed to be, but outstanding guard play down the stretch by Tulsa kept the Sixers in the game. Trent Strickland played a monster game scoring 24 and hauling in eight boards

Last night was not without its problems, shot clock did not work throughout the game. Public Address announcer Tony Forina had to give 10 second warnings with a countdown at 5 for every possession. There were issues with the live stats as well. Game started a tad late (7:23), and our official webcast NBA Futurecast was not operating.

Hopefully we've worked out the kinks and are ready to go tonight. Tonight the Vipers take on the Utah Flash. Oddly enough, even thought the Vipers only won 21 games last year, the Snakes beat every opponent in the D-League at least once except for one....Who was it...???? Yep you guessed it the Utah Flash.

This is seemingly the model franchise of the D-League. their owner Brandt Anderson is like the Mark Cuban of the D-League. Internet billionaire buys a basketball team, builds sparkling new practice facility, has largest front office in the D-League and is very active in the community. They do a great job in Utah, hence while they will be hosting the D-League showcase in 2009.

Random Notes: I am really digging the Snake Charmers secondary uniforms. They have a huge Vipers logo belt buckle which really stands out. Also I must say the Snake Charmers have improved from year 1 to year 2. A good mix of returnees and rookies. I like the squad Nora.

So far I like what this team has. Some good rebounding ability, great athleticism, good character players, and most importantly, veteran leadership. This team has the potential to be very good, provided there is a contingency plan if a certain Mr. Smush Parker gets a Gatorade Call-up.

TRAINING CAMP STARTS TODAY!

The day has finally arrived. Season 2 of Rio Grande Valley Vipers Basketball begins today. Well at least the training camp part of it. It seems as if the D-League decided to give coaches a couple extra days to get their camps started and whittle down their rosters from 17 all the way down to 10 for opening night.

Speaking with Coach Moser on the Vipers Coaches Show (Every Thursday at 5:00 pm on ESPN 1240) he was stoked about the team he was able to put together for this season. He was especially excited about former Lakers point guard Smush Parker dropping all the way to the 12th spot right into his lap. According to Parker's agent he is excited about the opportunity to showcase his game and get back to the NBA.

I am going to break down the 17 man training camp roster as best as I can. I am still getting to know the team and where they have been so bare with me.

Returning Players

1. G/F - Trent Strickland 6-6 Wake Forest
2. G - Quin Humphrey 6-4 Youngstown State
3. F - Stanley Asumnu 6-5 - Tennessee
4. G - Craig Winder 6-2 - Texas

Evaluation:

Sorry to say it is not the strongest returning line-up in the D-league. The Vipers will sorely miss Ivan Johnson who is a presence on the inside. Jesse Smith is now in Reno and should be a solid role player for that expansion franchise. The most important returnee is without a doubt Trent Strickland. Strickland is the quintessential pro hoops player. He fits into any role you give him. Early in the season Strickland played an off-the bench role but as the Vipers started to lose players to overseas defections he stepped up and filled in nicely and averaged over 13ppg. Strickland should continue to provide valuable minutes to the squad. As for the rest of the squad, Humphrey and Asumnu are very strong defensive players and both played big minutes last year, but they didn't have big nights offensively every night. Humphrey is a big time rebounding guard and both players work hard on both ends of the floor. As for Winder a very good, but streaky shooter. Stepped up for some big games and ran the offense late in the year along side Kris Collins (who is now in Austin).

I like all of these guys and they can all contribute, but will they all make the squad? Who knows. I think Strickland is a lock but not sure who else is. Coach Moser is keeping a tight lip on this. But these guys should know that no one has been guaranteed a spot on the roster or the rotation, they will have to earn it.

Allocation Players/Local Tryout:

1. C/F- Alton Ford - 6-10 - Houston
2. C/F- Kendal Dartez - 6-10 - Louisville
3. G -Damone Morris - 6-3 - Eckard College

EVALUATION -

SIZE!! This allowed Coach Moser to draft best available player and not need. Alton Ford is a familiar name to local hoops fans. He played at Houston Milby who played down here in the Valley in the Los Fresnos Tourney several years ago. He was a McDonalds All-American and was a Clyde Drexler recruit at Houston.. although he never played for Coach Drexler. He has bounced around the NBA and overseas. He is a big body who can score and rebound. Dartez much of the same, although not as big of a body. Long. Can block shots and rebound and has a couple years of D-League expereince. Not gonna light up the score sheet but can contribute off the bench. Damone Morris, the local tryout player,looks like he could be a steal. I am a big fan of small college guys who put up big guys. Why? They play with passion that some big time college program players don't. They play with a chip on their shoulder because they didn't get recruited by the big guys. Morris averaged 17 ppg for NCAA D-2 Eckard College in Florida and looks like a scorer in every sense of the word. I like this pick-up

Drafted Players - by round

1. G - Smush Parker - 6-4 - Fordham - LA Lakers
2. F- Delonte Holland 6-7 - DePaul
3. C- Kurt Looby 6-10 - Iowa
4. G - Alpha Bangura - 6-6 - St. Johns
5. G- Thomas Sanders 6-3 - Texas Pan American - Garnder Webb
6. C/F - Boomer Herndon - 6-10 - Belmont
7. C - Jeffrey Day - 6-9 - Creighton
8. G/F Lance Perique - 6-8 - Georgia State
9. G - Keoni Watson - 5-10 - Idaho
10. F - JR. Harrison - 6-6 - Rice

Evaluation:

Without a doubt the Vipers are thrilled to have a hungry NBA ready guy to lead the offense, until he gets a Gatorade Call-up of course. I like the Smush Parker selection.. Why? I know some of you might be saying, " But A.D.B. he's just going to get called up, won't that hurt us?" Well in a sense, yes. Parker has something to prove, it is always nice to have a guy who is hungry on your team. The other thing is, the Vipers start the season with 8 home games. Personally If I am a Team President, I love this pick because we have an NBA name guy to help put butts in the seat and to help my coach get off to a great start to the season.

Vipers Coaches Show is Back!!

The Vipers den is open for business again. After several months of hiatus the Rio Grande Valley Vipers Head Coaches show is back on the air. You can listen in every Thursday at 5:00 PM on ESPN Radio 1240 AM. As of right now the show is a 30 minute chat with Clay Moser and any other special guests we will have throughout the year. More on that later. However, we are discussing the possibility of doing the show on remote once a month and extending the time to an entire hour. This will give the fans a chance to interact with the show, and potentially win some great Vipers prizes.

We had our first show yesterday, and it went as smooth as possible. I have to say this.. Coach Moser is a great interview. He can give you the nuts and bolts, and he can give you a one liner. He can be serious and funny. But most of all he is informative and straightforward and those are two huge keys for a coach and his dealing with the media. He will make an entertaining guest week in and week out on the Vipers Coaches Show (Thursday's at 5:00 pm ESPN RADIO 1240 AM) .

As for potential guest on the show. The Rolodex is certainly full.. expect D-league President Dan Reed at some point, Daryl Morey (GM of Houston Rockets), Maybe other memebers of the other Rockets and Hornets Basketball operations department. We may be able to get NBA Commissioner David Stern at some point as well. There are all kinds of guests we can get if you have any suggestions, leave a comment, or send an email vipersradio@gmail.com . We will try to make it happen.

That's it for now... be sure to tune in to get all your Vipers info every Thursday!!

WALSH WINS TWO STRAIGHT FOR DEBUT

Not a bad debut for Brian Walsh as Vipers Acting Head Coach. No one from ownership or from the basketball operations department would admit that this is an audition for Brian Walsh to be the permanent Head Coach of the RGV Vipers, but we all know that it is. Frankly in two games, with the energy that the Vipers have shown, and of course the back to back wins against a team that had won six of seven coming into Dodge Arena, I think Walsh has put himself in a strong position to be named the head coach permanently.

I have been asked by a lot of people in the last week about Brian's credentials and if he should be the coach. I have always begun my answer with, "He has won everywhere he has been." He is a winner, and he knows the minor leagues. I know that Bob Hoffman was probably the right fit last May. Brian Walsh is the right fit this April. He knows the pro game. He is looking to do two things. 1) Put a winner on the floor every night. and 2) Get to the NBA.

We all kind of knew what Coach Hoffman wanted to do when he came back to the RGV last year. We all knew he was going back to the college game at some point. It just happened to be on weird terms. I don't fault Hoffman for doing what he did like some people do. But, here is the thing now, Hoffman was not the right fit, Walsh is.

Walsh won a title in the USBL, been to the final game of the CBA Finals with Dakota, been to the Finals in the D-League with Colorado. I could go on with his resume, but you get the point.

Names aren't going to win you games. They may sell tickets in the beginning, but you know what sells tickets from the midpoint on... WINS. Look at the coaches who are the winners in this league.

Brian Gates (Idaho Stampede)- A long time minor league coach. USBL, CBA, D-League. Never played a minute of college basketball let alone pro hoops, and he is going win (likely) his second straight D-league Coach of the Year award.

Dan Panaggio(LA D-Fenders)-Coached in the CBA and at the NBA level as an assistant. They have also clinched a playoff spot and are plus 30 wins.

Joe Wolf (Colorado 14ers)- Coached in Idaho before Brian Gates...former NBA player but was not a name by any stretch. The were one win from the D-League title last year.

Duane Ticknor. (Dakota Wizards) another minor league guy.... See a pattern here?

I could go on... but you get my point... Give him a chance. He has earned it, and he wants to be here.

FINALLY CLIMBED THE 14ers!!

It took seven tries but Sunday the Vipers were able to finally scale the 14ers with a 114-110 overtime victory at Dodge Arena. It was one of those "Everyone contributed", and "It was a team effort" type games. While this was true, the Vipers rode the backs of two guys. Desmon Farmer and Kris Collins. The game was more about Collins down the stretch. He scored 8 points in the overtime alone and frankly was stellar and just in a zone. In fact he made a sick reverse lay-up a lot like this guy did in his return from basketball in 1995. Broncs' play-by-play man Jonah Goldberg thinks I should embed it in the blog so here it is for all you lazy blog readers who can't click on the link.




The Vipers need continue on this trend if they want any shot of sniffing the playoffs. Hey I know it seems like a longshot. But stranger things have happened. Sorry Frank Mentesana, but the Mets did blow a huge division lead to miss the playoffs last year. Maybe the Vipers can be like the Phillies.

Anyways we get Colorado for the final time tonight. Frankly I do not want to see them again. They have killed us this year. Bring on Tulsa and the ABQ. We have a ton of games left with them.

D-League Expansion

If any of ya'll know me you would know that one of the pieces of news I find most intriguing when it comes to minor league sports is expansion, team movement, and team foldings. I have been in professional sports for six years now. I have worked for two teams that have folded (In Harlingen and in Edinburg), a baseball league that has folded. I have seen a new league formed in the old league's place. I have seen countless teams relocate, added, and fold in the Central Hockey League, Arena Football 2, all over indy baseball and even in the D-League and CBA. It evens happens in the NBA Heck in the last decade this team has played in three different cities and frankly judging by these numbers, they could stand to move again.

Memphis used to be in Vancouver, Charlotte was added after these guys moved, The Nets are supposed to move here. The Sonics are set to move here. So even in the NBA these type of things happen. Heck even this year in the CBA we have seen one team cease operations, and another cancel their remaining home games, when did the CBA become the ABA?

But I digress. The D-League is growing and will continue to grow and will never die at least not on David Stern's watch. The D-League is his baby and his way to pull a fast one on this idiot coach of the New York Team. Remember Isiah Thomas owned the CBA ran it into the ground and tried to sell it to the NBA??? The David Stern said.. yeah um no... let me start my own league.

We have already hear the announcement of one team for next season. Reno, Nevada. Which technically isn't really an expansion team, it is basically a re-location of the dormant Ft. Worth franchise, but its a new town. Reno is a rapidly growing city, they will be getting a Triple-A baseball team down the road and frankly indoor sports make much more sense in Reno than baseball. Just my opinion. I love baseball, but Nevada is a desert. I am not going to watch a game in the desert. Sorry not happening.

There will be a second new team. Yes Two New NBA D-League Teams...AH AH AH AH although there is talk the league will still have 14 teams next year. Does that mean the end for Bakersfield or Anaheim who frankly have more people on staff than in the stands? But if the league is at 16 next year, the D-League will be officially past the halfway point of a one-to-one affiliation. Which is the D-League's eventual goal. Also expect the 09-10 season be another 4 team boom. There are plenty of markets interested and a lot more NBA teams interested in a set-up like Los Angeles and San Antonio have with their D-League teams. Don't be surprised to see Toronto, Cleveland, and Dallas get involved sometime soon.

There are many rumors as to who the other expansion team is for next year. Portand, ME? Frisco, TX? Youngstown, OH? Harlem, NY? Trenton, NJ? Manchester, NH? Buffalo, NY? Hamilton, ONT? Or maybe some old CBA towns like this one or this one?

I have a hunch that this town in Pennsylvania will be the lucky winners this year. However don't expect the rumored Cleveland affiliation to last for more than one season, if the Cavs succeed in taking over this building.

Coach Hoffman and I discussed expansion on last week's coaches show.

WARNING!! SHAMELESS PLUG: Vipers Coaches Show Friday's at 5:00 pm on ESPN RADIO 1240AM

It is always exciting to see the new towns join the league. It will add some variety to the league and maybe ease on the travel. I can see a scenario in which the League changes the Divisions around a bit and perhaps have a Northen and Southern Conference. 16 teams might also see a playoff expansion. Obviously if the league also ever went to a one-to-one affiliation the Rockets would be our team. It would be nice to see more people embrace the Rockets down here. I know, I know this is Spurs country. But, you can't tell me you didn't root for the Rockets during their title years. In fact a lot of Spurs fans were freakin Bulls fans in the 90's anyway. But logistically the Rockets would be our team farm system wise. The Spurs have Austin. The Mavs will likely place a team somewhere, probably in Frisco. The Rockets have the Valley. To me that is just perfect.

OH HOW SWEET IT IS!!

Well it finally came. the nasty 10-game winning streak is over. I have to say it has been a long time coming. The guys certainly have earned wins a long time ago, but for some odd reason the scoreboard always seemed to favor the Vipers opponents. However, one win is fine and dandy like sour candy. But, it is still just one win. The Vipers have to build on this. I am reminded by Lou Brown's speech in Major League. "We won yesterday, if we win today that's 2 in a row, we win tomorrow that's called a winning streak. It has happened before!" I know we can turn this thing around and make it interesting. It will be a tough road to climb. But, the Vipers play a ton of games within the division and still a ton left at Dodge Arena. They may need to play .850 basketball the rest of the way. Stranger things have happened. It should be a fun ride.

The Indians of course made the playoffs and movie baseball history was made. I think there are 3 elite teams in this league (Los Angeles, Idaho, and Austin). Everyone else I think is a beatable team for the Vipers, but as we saw in the game on February 8th, the Vipers can match Austin hoop for hoop at times to. So going on a streak like Idaho went on, may be unlikely, but certainly very possible. I believe in these guys. I always chat with Quannas White, he is kind of my buddy on the team. We'll eat lunch together or what have you on the road. Anyways, he is a true floor general and although he doesn't light up the stat sheet, he makes his presence felt. He is an extension of Bob Hoffman on the court. Bob and Q have a great relationship, you can tell just by watching them in game situations. There is a reason Quannas has been MVP of minor league clubs in the past. He will be one of the big reasons this thing gets turned around.

By the way I have to say that FOB, Todd Mavreles our Vipers beat writer, who like me has covered every single pro sports team, is the ultimate flirt. I don't remember the exact quote from last night, or who it was directed towards. But, Todd "The Todd" Mavreles" is a ladies man.. so girls.. watch out.

Well we have reached the All-Star Break.. If you want to call it that. We have games bookending the break. We aren't sending anyone, which sucks in a way. But lets face it none of our starters were full time starters all season so it would have been tough for any of them to beat out any of the deserving guys that made it and CJ... although selected is an NBA guy now.. he isn't going to the game. So our guys actually get some much needed rest, unlike LA who has two of their best players competing in the game and having to fly in from New Orleans early Sunday to join them here in the Valley for their 5:00 pm game with us. Advantage RGV I think??

If you have a chance check out the D-League Dream Factory.. which is the D-League version of All-Star Saturday. It is all tonight the details are on the link above. It will stream live on D-League.com at 9 pm ET. The D-League All-Star Game will also stream live and be aired on NBA-TV at 3pm ET.

More posts this weekend guys...