2006-2007 Schedule and Divisions

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USBasket_EricE
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2006-2007 Schedule and Divisions

Post by USBasket_EricE » Sun Jul 23, 2006 12:18 am

I'm excited about the new schedule and the new opponents. As a fan of the former CBA Dakota Wizards, I'm used to the division of teams and am glad to see that the D-League decided to split the teams up. Here's my take on a few of the schedules along with a grade:

Anaheim - Way too many road games at the beginning of the season. It's not a good way to start. The second half of the season isn't too bad, but it can be a pain when there's 3 home games in 4 nights. Overall, I'd give it a C.

Arkansas - Four road games to start the season? I'd be really upset if I were a RimRockers fan. Then they've got 5 home games in 9 days, that's too many, in my opinion. Then, they're chased from Sioux Falls to Anaheim/LA and play 4 games in 6 days. It just goes on from there. Then, after the All-Star Game, they've got a 7 game road trip. My grade, D.

Austin - Lots of long road trips (In Dec., Jan., and Mar.). There is a 6-game homestand in Jan.-Feb, which is nice because the dates are spread out nicely. Because of the road trips, C.

Dakota - Not playing favorites here, but I like the schedule. Games are spread out nicely. The only thing is the 6 game road trip in February. The games are spread out nicely, but we go almost an entire month without a home game. The last is on Feb. 6 and the next is Mar. 4. Other than that, great! B.

Idaho - I like the fact that they open at home with 3 games and close at home with 3 games, very beneficial. But, after the openers it's 6 straight road games. They do have a 5 game homestand in the middle of the season, but there are more 4 and 5 game road trips than homestands. I'd say C.

Sioux Falls - November, December, and the first part of January are great, but then come the road games. 5 straight, excluding the showcases. Then they're at home all February and into March, 9 games!!! They are even spread out nicely with about 2 per week. Then it's 5 road, 5 home, and 5 road to close the season. I hated it when the Wizards had to close the season with 4 road games in previous CBA seasons. But the month of February will be an advantage. My grade is a B-.

Tulsa - 5 games to start the season, they could end up starting the season 5-0 if they have a good fan base. A lot of their games are grouped together at home, but it isn't that bad. The longest road trips are 4 games in March, 4 games in February, and 4 games in December. I'd say B because I don't like the cramped up home games. Otherwise, good schedule!

I haven't seen the schedules of Albuquerque, Bakersfield, Colorado, Fort Forth, or Los Angeles yet.

Anyone have other thoughts? Post them. I joined this message forum because the Wizards don't have theirs up on their new site yet. They had one in the CBA days. I'd like to get to know all of you as the season approaches. I like the fact that it's a board for all the teams and not just one.



Eastern Division
Dakota Wizards
Sioux Falls Skyforce
Arkansas RimRockers
Tulsa 66ers
Fort Worth Flyers
Austin Toros
Western Division
Idaho Stampede
Colorado 14ers
Albuquerque Thunderbirds
Bakersfield Jam
Anaheim Arsenal
Los Angeles D-Fenders

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Post by HKF » Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:11 am

Like you, I am not overly impressed with the schedules, however, I feel that come next year with the addition of a good 4-8 more teams, the scheduling will be much better and the road trips will make more sense. You still want to see different players coming to your town, but it's not that easy, since there are only 12 teams and they want to keep traveling costs down. I think in about five years, the D-League will be pretty impressive.

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Post by Mr_Doug_Bug » Sat Jul 29, 2006 9:14 am

HKF wrote:Like you, I am not overly impressed with the schedules, however, I feel that come next year with the addition of a good 4-8 more teams, the scheduling will be much better and the road trips will make more sense. You still want to see different players coming to your town, but it's not that easy, since there are only 12 teams and they want to keep traveling costs down. I think in about five years, the D-League will be pretty impressive.
You are going to find this kind of scheduling in any minor league. Some of these teams are not primary tenants and are forced on long road trips because of rodeos, horseshows, etc that were there long before the DLeague.

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Post by DakotaWizardsFan » Mon Aug 07, 2006 1:22 am

USBasket_EricE wrote:The games are spread out nicely, but we go almost an entire month without a home game. The last is on Feb. 6 and the next is Mar. 4.
I never realized that when I looked at our schedule. What am I going to do during that time? I need NBA TV so I can watch some of our road games.

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Post by mzracing76 » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:18 pm

well, you are too young to remember the good days of the CBA...when there were 16-17 teams. it was nothing for Sioux Falls to have a 5-7 game Road Trip in the middle of a season. or vice versa. a 5-7 game homestand.

that is what the Minor Leagues are all about. you have to group your games whether home or away to cut travel costs.

but then, this is what you Wizards Fans get for wanting to participate in a League with more than 8 teams. nothing wrong with that, but you should have seen this coming.

to me, this is just like old times. but without the great Rivals around us like Rapid City, Omaha, Rochester, and Lacrosse.

I do remember the old Tulsa Fast Breakers from the early 90s in the CBA. great franchise with somewhat good fan support. they were coached by Henry Bibby.

I cant wait for the Los Angeles team to visit sioux falls. their coach is Dan Pannaggio. Mo vs Dan. great rivalry. remember the 1998 CBA Finals, 7 game series (Sioux Falls vs Quad City).

Mo McHone and Dan Pannaggio are two of the best coaches around at the Minor League Level.

MZ

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Post by USBasket_EricE » Tue Nov 28, 2006 1:27 am

[quote=""DakotaWizardsFan""]I need NBA TV so I can watch some of our road games.[/quote]

So far I don't see a game for the Wizards or the Skyforce. I wonder if NBA TV has a full schedule anywhere? Looks like LA is going to get a lot of attention, but is that really surprising? I'm also looking forward to the visit from the D-Fenders here in Bismarck on December 19. Coach Joerger already has two wins on McHone, so bring on Panaggio!!

It's a little difficult to remember the good old days of the CBA when none of us in Bismarck followed the CBA. It was just the IBA back then. It's a good thing we have MZ here to tell us his great memories of the 1990s ;)

It's also going to be difficult to get used to not having quarter points. In some ways it's fine, but then again the games can get long and unexciting until the fourth quarter, as witnessed and heard in the Dakota/Sioux Falls openers. With the quarter points, the games were always intense in the fight for those points that determined the standings. But hey, the Wizards and their fans are used to change. First there was the IBA (in which I only attended 2 games, which I regret), then the CBA, and now the D-League, the closest league to the NBA. I want to say that the Wizards are looking like serious contenders, but they've only played one team. It's too early to tell, but a 2-0 record sure does give a team confidence!

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Post by DakotaWizardsFan » Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:38 am

[quote=""USBasket_EricE""]I wonder if NBA TV has a full schedule anywhere?[/quote]

I've been looking for one and I haven't found one yet.

[quote=""USBasket_EricE""]It's also going to be difficult to get used to not having quarter points.[/quote]

I was keeping track of quarter points with Ro on Saturday. I think it ended up being 5-2.

[quote=""USBasket_EricE""]First there was the IBA (in which I only attended 2 games, which I regret)[/quote]

I think I went to 5 or 6 games the year we won the championship and then maybe 1 or 2 games in previous years.

[quote=""USBasket_EricE""]I want to say that the Wizards are looking like serious contenders, but they've only played one team. It's too early to tell, but a 2-0 record sure does give a team confidence![/quote]

I definitely agree with you. If the players stick around and stay healthy, I think we stand a very good chance. Our team definitely has chemistry and talent. But that still could change. I'm an optimistic person usually so I'm very confident about our chances right now.

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