G League Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Vipers to Draft Fifth in 2007 D-League Draft

Published on October 12, 2007 under NBA G League (G League)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers News Release


McAllen, Texas - The Vipers will draft 5th in the 2007 NBA Development League Draft. Colorado 14ers won the 2007 NBA Development League's draft lottery and will have the first overall selection in the upcoming draft. The lottery took place in Dallas, TX at the League's annual Coaches Conference.

"I am really excited about having the 5th selection," said Bob Hoffman, "Number 5 is my lucky number as well as my college number, so I know we are going to have a great draft."

The defending champion Dakota Wizards own the second selection followed by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Idaho Stampede, Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Sioux Falls Skyforce.

The draft which will be conducted via conference call, will air live on NBA TV on November 1st beginning with pre-draft coverage at 8 pm EST. Marty Blake, the NBA's Director of Scouting and his son Ryan, NBA Assistant Director of Scouting, will once again serve as analysts.

The draft is "serpentine" or "snaked" which means the order will be reversed in each of the ten rounds. For example, after picking first, Colorado's next selections will be the 28th and 29th overall. The Iowa Energy will select last in the first round, but first in the second round, giving them the 14th and 15th picks overall. "It's the best way to evenly distribute the talent in the draft," said Chris Alpert the D-League's Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel.

The order of the first round will be:

1) Colorado 14ers

2) Dakota Wizards

3) Albuquerque Thunderbirds

4) Idaho Stampede

5) Rio Grande Valley Vipers

6) Sioux Falls Skyforce

7) Fort Wayne Mad Ants

8) Los Angeles D-Fenders

9) Anaheim Arsenal

10) Utah Flash

11) Tulsa 66ers

12) Austin Toros

13) Bakersfield Jam

14) Iowa Energy

The NBA Development League, which is the NBA's official minor league, began play in November 2001 with the purpose of developing players, coaches, athletic trainers, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA. Entering its seventh season, the D-League has accomplished its main goals and consistently provides world-class basketball at a great value to its fans.

Last year there were 62 former D-League players on end-of-season NBA rosters, while NBA teams assigned 24 different players to the Development League. Since the beginning there have been 90 players promoted to the NBA and 16 coaches, including five members of the 2007-08 Charlotte Bobcats coaching staff, who have spent time in the D-League. The D-League stresses hard-work, passion for the game and perseverance. These are its core values.

Check out the Rio Grande Valley Vipers Statistics

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