Not too far away from the outskirts of Philadelphia, home of the Sixers, is the new NBA D-League team for the Liberty Ballers, the Delaware 87ers. Playing in their inagural season, the 87ers can been seen at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark, Delaware, only 45 miles away from Philadelphia.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the D-League, or the NBA Developmental League, it began play in the 2001-02 season, with eight teams. It has expanded to 17 since, with some teams feeding into more than one NBA team.
Players for D-League teams don't sign contracts with the individual teams, but with the league itself.Team rosters consist of a total of 12 players, 10 (or fewer) being D-League players and two (or more) NBA players. The rosters are made up in a number of ways: the previous years' players, players taken in the D-League draft, allocation players (meaning players who are assigned to a team with which they have a local connection), NBA team assignments, and local tryouts.
Currently with a roster of 11 after the Boston Celtics signed Vander Blue, the 87ers are experiencing the same, if not worse, issues of the father team. With a dismal record of 4-20, the 87ers play teams as close as Erie, PA and as far as Reno, NV. Although they only have four wins, the team is based soley on development and have scored 100+ points in eight of their nine games in January.
The roster consists of the following:
G Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga)
G Mfon Udofida (Georgia Tech)
F Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Greece)
F Tiny Gallon (Oklahoma)
F JR Inman (Rutgers)
F Norvel Pelle (Iona)
F Damian Saunders (Duquesne)
F Steve Weingarten (La Salle)
F Rodney Williams (Minnesota)
C Kyrylo Fesenko (No College)
C Ben Strong (Guiliford)
The man with the best name on the team, Tiny Gallon, is averaging almost a double-double per game with 15.7ppg and 9.6rpg. Damien Saunders is scoring just over 10 per game and grabbing 7.8 rebounds per contest as well.
The 87ers (4-20) are in the Eastern Division of the D-League with Canton Charge (15-8), Erie Bayhawks (6-16), Fort Wayne Mad Ants (14-9), Maine Red Claws (9-13) and Springfield Armor (6-15).
Led by head coach, Rod Baker, the 87ers have 26 games remaining on their schedule, 16 of them at home on the campus of the University of Delaware. Coach Baker has seen head and assistant coach time at nine colleges, including Brown, St. Joe's and most recently, Rutgers in 2000-01. He has also seen time with the Globetrotters. Before accepting the job as head coach of the 87ers, Baker was Assistant Coach with the Bakersfield Jam in California.
The Sevens welcome the first place Charge to the Bob Carpenter Center this Friday & Saturday with games at 7PM both nights.
Make sure to check back weekly for an update on the Sevens.
Brandon Apter is a contributor to Sixerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ApterShock
