Yesterday I went to a semi-local Westchester Knicks game. They're a G-League/minor league basketball team and as you'd imagine, they're the Knick's farm team.
The minor leagues in the basketball world have an interesting dynamic. If you look at the way the rosters are constructed you'll find that not all of the players on it are part of the Knicks organization even though the team is called the Knicks and they're definitely an affiliate for the New York Knicks.
To be sure, most of the guys there are in the Knicks org but there are also a few who aren't and are basically up for grabs if any other team really wants them. I'm still not 100% sure how it works, but I do know that there is a draft for the G-league itself so that the teams can be constructed. Also in a lot of cases you'll find a lot of former NBA prospects who got waived or recent draftees on their first or second year contract playing on these teams. Even a few guys who got on through local tryouts.
I'm pretty sure I botched that entire explainer. When I get a better grasp on it I'll try and restate it in a way that makes sense. The point is that not everyone is a Knicks prospect but the ones worth keeping an eye on are.
As for the game itself it was great. I'm pretty sure it wasn't my first live basketball game ever but it's definitely the first one I actually remember. The Knicks took on the Windy City Bulls, the Chicago Bulls affiliate. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but what I found was that the atmosphere was pretty nice. Plus it's basketball so you know the game is going to go a lot quicker than if it were baseball or even football or hockey.
Also no autographs this time. Then again I wasn't exactly trying. I was still racking my brains about how the assignment system works, and I didn't even bother looking to see if the players had any cards (some might but not all of them I'm guessing). All I really knew that I was supposed to keep an eye on Isaiah Hicks and Luke Kornet. Both had pretty nice games. In the end the Knicks won against the Bulls (it feels weird to write that), 91-72.
All in all I'm glad I got to see a minor league basketball game. Now to see if I'll ever be able to watch every other sport ever live.
As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).
You actually have it pretty accurate. Each team has players under contract that they have in the G-League, but the other players are free agents that can sign with any NBA team. They are technically under contract with the league itself, and just happen to be assigned to the Knicks. Since the New Orleans Pelicans are one of only three NBA teams without a G-League team, when they sent somebody down last week he played for Westchester.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately most do not have cards. The only set ever for the league was back in 2005-06, and I think every player in it is retired now. Like you guessed the ones under contract with NBA teams do usually have some cards, but none are in Westchester uniform.
Glad to know I wasn't completely off I guess. And that bit about the Pelicans certainly explains why Trevon Bluiett is on the roster.
DeleteOut of curiosity I took at a look at who had cards and I found that most had autographs, but zero non-autographs. That kinda floored me.
Panini is doing a really terrible job with the NBA. There are players who have played three or more years without a single card.
DeleteThere's a minor league basketball team in my area (about 45 minutes away). I've thought about going with co-workers... but always end up flaking in the end. Now minor league baseball is a completely different story. Love going to SJ Giants games.
ReplyDeletePersonally I might go to more basketball games as long as I'm with friends or family or co-workers. I'd only go to baseball games alone. A lot easier to navigate that way.
DeleteWow, I never even knew. Cool.
ReplyDelete