:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12224113/20130410_hcs_sy4_051.0.jpg)
The 76ers are scheduled to hold a news conference tomorrow (2 pm) at the Bob Carpenter Center, the sports complex for the University of Delaware.
Dan Reed, the president of the NBA Development League, is scheduled to be in attendance.
The press conference, presumably, will be to announce that the 76ers have acquired an NBA D-League franchise. Michael Levin was first to report the 76ers interest in acquiring a team back in November, and Joshua Harris confirmed that there was movement on the front during the exit interviews after the season.
Having our own D-League team is something that we here at Liberty Ballers have been hoping would happen for quite some time. In the past, the team has used the D-League sparingly, much to our chagrin. With the greater flexibility that owning a team provides, that will hopefully change.
Michael provided a good summary of some of the benefits to owning a D-League franchise, which includes being able to place our own coaches there, which will allow more control on how the players are used, what systems they run, and the playing time they see. With the NBA removing the restriction on experience, we can also now send players down to the D-League for injury rehab assignments.
The team will reportedly play in Newark, Delaware, which makes sense given the location of the press conference. Reports are that the team will not be an expansion team, although no word yet on which team the 76ers will acquire.
The press conference will be streamed live on Sixers.com
We will post more information on the development as we get it.
*Update* 5:02 pm
I have been told that the D-League team the Sixers are acquiring will be able to play in the upcoming 2013-2014 season.
*Update* 6:28 pm
Back in November, Michael and I had both heard from independent sources that one of the teams the Sixers were seriously considering was the Utah Flash, which folded after the 2011 season. While I have not yet confirmed tthat this is the team they are goign to announce tomorrow, it does fall in line with this tweet from @KBergCBS that it will be the relocation of a dormant team. I am working on a confirmation on which team it is.