New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony thinks the NBA should start investing more into its minor league system, and he wants it to start with the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Anthony spoke to ESPN about his vision for a better development system for the NBA.
If I had it my way, I'd rebrand the whole D-League. I'd rebrand it so it's not seen as a punishment.
Anthony says he has been wanting a better system for younger players and to create jobs for guys who are otherwise out of luck.
In the wake of the upcoming agreement, there isn't much strain between the players association and the NBA, so this may not be the best time to throw controversial demands into negotiations.
Article Continues BelowHis vision consists of two-way contracts allowing players to have spots on both an NBA and a D-League team, which would open between 40-60 jobs in his estimates. He also wants D-League players to earn more money, at least to the level that international teams offer players.
Anthony wants every team to have its own minor league team to grow, develop and produce like other sports such as soccer and baseball.
I'm a big advocate of developing our own players. If you look at soccer for example, a lot of those clubs have top-notch academies. By me being in soccer now, I've started to understand the dynamics of developing your own players. We've got to keep our players here. We don't want them to have to go overseas.
There have been successful stories out of the D-League where players earned NBA success, but not nearly enough.
Many would agree the time is coming for the league to put more support behind the D-League, but that time may not be just yet.