In a Year Full of History and Milestones...

... let's not over look the Vipers alumni contributing in the NBA Playoffs. You can follow their progress here.

Last year it was a huge deal that Shannon Brown won an NBA Championship with the Lakers. The first Vipers alumnus to win a title. He's now three wins away from repeating. Is it any less impressive or meaningful? Absolutely not. There's a lot more going on this year... a lot more story lines... but it's still impressive as heck that Brown is in that position again.






Brown has become a key contributor for the Lakers. I've occasionally read criticism of the NBA Development League, saying that it only churns out end of the bench guy who don't get much playing time. Certainly looked like Brown was going to fit that false stereotype early in his career. Until he reached LA. What was the difference in Cleveland, Chicago and Charlotte? I don't know, but I do know this, once Brown reached the Lakers, he became a better player. Call it coaching, call it the system, call it getting a better opportunity to play (which would seem unlikely with a team that is always consistently loaded like the Lakers)... whatever it was, everything clicked.

Guys like Brown, Aaron Brooks and LA's Jordan Farmar are poster boys for the importance of NBA assignments to the NBA Development League. Brown got a chance to play with the Vipers (and later the Iowa Energy) to get his confidence up and work on things that he would have otherwise never gotten. Did that help him to become a better NBA player? You'd better believe it.

We already know the Rockets, Spurs and Thunder recognize this. The Celtics do too. Memphis certainly recognized that when they sent #2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet down to Dakota this year. Other teams do too. The word is spreading, but there is still work to do.

Last year, Brown barely played in the NBA Finals. In game one he played 17:27. Maybe if Brown can be a key contributor in the NBA Finals, particularly while winning a Championship, that will help to spell it out to teams who under-utilize the NBA Development League.

It's a great tool. Take advantage of it or fall behind.