Flash Affiliated With Jazz and Hawks for 2009-10
June 29, 2009 - NBA G League (G League)
Utah Flash News Release
PROVO, Utah, June 29, 2009 - The National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League, the official minor league of the NBA, today announced the affiliation system for the 2009-10 season. The Utah Flash will be affiliated with the Utah Jazz for a third consecutive season and the Atlanta Hawks will replace the Boston Celtics as the second affiliate for the Flash.
For the fifth consecutive year, each NBA team has at least one NBA D-League affiliate to which it may assign players in their first or second NBA season.
"We have developed a great working relationship with the Jazz over the last two seasons, one that has been very beneficial to us and I believe to the Jazz as well," Flash team president Joe Brown said. "We look forward to developing a strong relationship with the Hawks as we move forward."
Three players from the Jazz, as well as four from the Celtics, have been assigned to the Flash over the last two seasons. Guard Morris Almond (48 G, 25.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and center Kyrylo Fesenko (51 G, 10.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg) have spent time in a Flash uniform in each of the last two seasons, while post player Kosta Koufos (10 G, 16.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg) was assigned this season as a rookie. Guard Gabe Pruitt (18 G, 18.6 ppg, 3.9 apg) and forward Brandon Wallace (6 G, 12.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg) spent portions of the 2007-08 season with the Flash, while rookies Bill Walker (15 G, 18.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and J.R. Giddens (26 G, 17.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg) played in Utah this past season.
The NBA D-League will again have 16 teams playing in 2009-10, including two new teams playing in the North East - the Maine Red Claws, who will play in Portland, Maine, and a team in Springfield, Mass. The Red Claws will be affiliated with the Charlotte Bobcats and neighboring Boston Celtics, while the team in Springfield will be affiliated with the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.
Current players from the Jazz eligible for assignment in the upcoming season include Koufos (C, 7-0, 265, Ohio State) , along with 2009 draft selections Eric Maynor (G, 6-3, 175, VCU) and Goran Sutton (C, 6-10, 245, Michigan State). Hawks players eligible for assignment to the Flash include second-year pro Othello Hunter (F, 6-8, 225, Ohio State), as well as 2009 draft picks Jeff Teague (G, 6-2, 190, Wake Forest) and Sergiy Gladyr (G, 6-5, 190, Ukraine).
The NBA D-League's affiliation system is having a positive impact on recent NBA Draft picks, who are increasingly utilizing the system as a springboard to NBA success. More than 30 percent of players from the last three NBA Draft classes have played in the NBA D-League. Last season, 18 prospects from the 2008 NBA Draft played in the NBA D-League, including first-round selections Alexis Ajinca (No. 20), Kosta Koufos (No. 23), Donte Green (No. 28) D.J. White (No. 29) and J.R. Giddens (No. 30).
2009-10 NBA DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE TEAM AFFILIATIONS
Albuquerque Thunderbirds (NM)
Dallas Mavericks
New Orleans Hornets
Austin Toros (TX)
San Antonio Spurs
Bakersfield Jam (CA)
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, ND)
Memphis Grizzlies
Washington Wizards
Erie BayHawks (PA)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors
Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IN)
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks
Idaho Stampede (Boise, ID)
Portland Trail Blazers
Denver Nuggets
Iowa Energy (Des Moines, IA)
Chicago Bulls
Phoenix Suns
Los Angeles D-Fenders (CA)
Los Angeles Lakers
Maine Red Claws (Portland, ME)
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Bobcats
Reno Bighorns (NV)
Orlando Magic
Sacramento Kings
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (TX)
Houston Rockets
Sioux Falls Skyforce (SD)
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
Springfield, Mass.
New Jersey Nets
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Tulsa 66ers (OK)
Oklahoma City Thunder
Utah Flash (Orem, UT)
Atlanta Hawks
Utah Jazz
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NBA G League Stories from June 29, 2009
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- Mad Ants Keep Pistons, Pacers, and Bucks as NBA Parent Clubs - Indiana Mad Ants
- Flash Affiliated With Jazz and Hawks for 2009-10 - Utah Flash
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