RENO – The Bighorns, huh?

Well, slots and sex aren't selling so well these days, so squeezing an NBA Development League expansion franchise into a downtown corridor of casinos and a bowling stadium might not be such an improbable fit after all, especially in these dire economic times.

The ticket prices are reasonable. The market isn't saturated with sports competition. The product is surprisingly decent and at times spectacular. There also are routine sightings of professional basketball players mingling with the masses at malls, restaurants, movie theaters and, occasionally, even at airport concession stands.

"I missed taking charter flights," said rookie Donté Greene, grinning, after completing his recent five-game assignment with the Kings' D-League affiliate. "Other than that, it was great. I had a good time, got to play 31 or 32 minutes (a game), and I learned a lot from the coaches and just being there."

That's the idea, anyway. The modern incarnation of the D-League is another of Commissioner David Stern's domestic creations, one both simple and ambitious in design, and in many respects long overdue. In theory, the D-League eventually will operate in a manner very similar to Major League Baseball's minor league system. NBA teams will own or be affiliated with one of the 16 D-League franchises, and up to three times per season be allowed to send down their first- or second-year players for extended playing and practice time.

"I think it's a very positive development for the league overall," said Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie. "Going forward, you have some teams that own their own teams, and have control over the coaching, the way you want to play. That may become more prevalent. And it would be a great place to send a veteran player who had been injured and needed to get some rust off."

The D-League's more immediate concern, however, is identifying appropriate markets, securing stable ownership and overcoming the perception that this is just another doomed endeavor. Skepticism toward basketball's succession of minor leagues persists, though according to several NBA executives, resistance began diminishing when the National Basketball Players Association empowered NBA teams to utilize the D–League for rookies and second-year players, beginning in 2005-06.

"That was critical," said David Kahn, whose company owns the Reno and Albuquerque, N.M., franchises. "The other thing is that minor league basketball has coalesced under the NBA, as it should be. There are still satellite leagues out there, but the D-League is the dominant player. Most of us grew up knowing that minor league teams serve as feeder teams for Major League Baseball, but until now, the model for the NBA just hasn't worked. David (Stern) is trying to change that, to get a system in place that everybody understands."

Player salaries for the 50-game season range from $18,000 to $26,000, plus a $30 per diem. Assistant coaches work the phones to sell tickets. Public appearances and autograph sessions are common. Travel is modest, though not miserable. Long bus rides to venues such as Des Moines, Iowa; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Erie, Pa., have been upgraded to commercial air travel, though as the 6-foot-10 Greene suggested good-naturedly, the scramble for aisle seats can become intense.

For players not under NBA contracts, who audition every time a scout or general manager strolls into a gym, the D-League offers an alternative to playing overseas and closer proximity to NBA franchises and officials.

"There are a lot of teams looking to sign guys to 10-day contracts," said Bighorns swingman Patrick Ewing Jr., one of the Kings' 2008 second-round draft picks who later was traded. "I'm trying to show more of a complete game, and because there are so many NBA-caliber players here, that helps me. It's not bad here; it really isn't."

Market demographics fit

Why Reno?

Why not Reno?

Kahn targeted the northern Nevada community that sells itself as "The Biggest Little City in the World" because of its favorable demographics, including a population of approximately 400,000 in the greater metro area, as well as a dearth of competition, unless one counts the casinos. Unlike the Fort Worth, Texas, franchise that Kahn bought and later folded, the Reno market features only Division I sports at Nevada, minor league baseball (Triple-A Reno Aces) and hockey teams (Reno Raiders of the ECHL) approaching their inaugural seasons, and the United States Bowling Congress Championships every three years.

Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.