Fadeaway Friday: Breaking down the new NBA G League franchises

As we head into the 2017-18 NBA season, I thought it would be good to provide a quick breakdown of the new franchises that will appear in the NBA Gatorade League. The NBA is moving towards a 30 team G League, giving each NBA team their own minor league affiliate. As it stands right now, the G League is almost at its goal, featuring 26 teams for the upcoming season. 

The South Bay Lakers are a rebranded version of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, who also were the D-League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers. This isn't really a new team so much as it is the D-Fenders getting a new name. I'm guessing that the switch from D-League to G League prompted this change.  "D-Fenders" was a clever name that tied into the name "D-League", but with the league now known as the "G League" the name "D-Fenders" would just seem obsolete. 

The Los Angeles Clippers used to be affiliated with the Bakersfield Jam, but they moved to Prescott Valley, Arizona to become the Northern Arizona Suns, the G League affiliate of the Phoenix Suns. With the Jam relocated, the Clippers needed a G League affiliate of their own, giving rise to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. It's quite a name, which means "Hot Water Clippers" in Spanish. The team is named after the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a federally recognized tribe of the Cahuilla in Southern California. 

The Memphis Grizzlies were formally associated with the Iowa Energy, who now are known as the Iowa Wolves, associated with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Memphis Hustle will replace the Energy as the Grizzlies' G League affiliate, playing their games in Southaven, Mississippi. The logo is similar to that of the Memphis Sounds, a team that played in the now defunct ABA. 

The Orlando Magic were previously associated with the Erie BayHawks, located in Erie, Pennsylvania. With the desire to have their affiliate closer to Orlando, the Magic moved the BayHawks to Lakeland, Florida, which is located about an hour southwest of Orlando, closer to Tampa. 

The Iowa Energy, formally associated with the Memphis Grizzlies rebranded themselves as the Iowa Wolves, now serving as the G League affiliate for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves will play in Des Moines. 

The Wisconsin Herd will serve as the G League affiliate for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd will play in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which is located about an hour southwest of Green Bay, located right off Lake Winnebago. 

With the BayHawks name now available after the team's departure to Lakeland, Florida,  the Atlanta Hawks took advantage and purchased the team name, keeping the team in Erie, Pennsylvania. At least for now, anyways. 

Note: The Washington Wizards will get their own G League team based in the D.C. area starting in the 2018-19 season. This leaves the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Portland Trail Blazers as the only NBA franchises that do not yet have a single affiliate G League team. 

To connect with NBA Lord on Twitter, click here.

To connect with NBA Lord on Facebook, click here.

To connect with NBA Lord on Google Plus, click here. 

Fadeaway Friday: Expect Anthony Brown to shine with the Erie BayHawks

                                          (Credit: YouTube)

     The #1 overall pick in the 2016-17 NBA Development League draft was Anthony Brown, the former Stanford standout that was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2nd round of the 2015 NBA Draft. During the 2015-16 NBA season with the Lakers, Brown averaged 4.0 points per game on 28.6% shooting from 3-point range in 29 total games played (20.7 minutes per game). Brown didn't have the rookie season he was looking for, but he should prove himself in the D-League this season as a player worthy of another shot in the NBA.

     I watched Anthony Brown play during his senior year at Stanford and I was very impressed with what I saw. He has a good body on him (6'7", 211 pounds) and he has the ability to stroke it from deep, averaging 14.8 points per game on 44.1% shooting from 3-point range during his senior year at Stanford. Anthony Brown is a guy who I expected to get drafted in 2015 and I was certainly not at all surprised to see him go as high as he did. He has all the tools to be an NBA player and just needs to find the right place in order for him to succeed.

     I am confident that with the Erie BayHawks, Anthony Brown will have a very productive season and prove himself worthy of an NBA call up. He's already off to a great start, scoring 31.5 points per game on 66.7% shooting from 3-point range in 7.5 3-point shot attempts per game. In addition to popping 3s, Brown is getting to the rim well and really showing off his full repertoire. He's throwing it down in transition, finishing well around the basket, etc. Anthony Brown is getting the chance to be the feature player with the Erie BayHawks and is so far making the most of the opportunity.

     If you are looking for players to monitor in the NBA Development League, Anthony Brown is definitely one of those guys to keep a close eye on. He's a truly NBA level talent that has all the pieces to be a rotation NBA player given the right situation. Look for him to shine with the Erie BayHawks and be back in the NBA in the very near future.