Ramon Sessions is one of many recent NBA Draft picks who went on to play in the NBA D-League. Gary Dineen/Getty Images/NBAE

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Last year, 18 of the 60 NBA draftees spent time in the NBA D-League - 30% on the nose! So my presentation was very relevant to the audience -- in fact, I started the presentation by asking 1/3 of the room to stand up, to visually show how many players would be impacted. It was pretty powerful, and certainly got their attention.

I always love giving this presentation, because it immediately changes the perception of the league in players' minds. Guys come in thinking that playing in the NBA D-League is a "demotion", when in fact it's the exact opposite -- its a sign that their NBA team is investing in their development and wants to give them every opportunity to play to get better. To drive home the point, I told them the story of Ramon Sessions, who went from #56 overall pick with the Bucks to assigned player with the Tulsa 66ers to NBA Rookie of the Month and now highly-sought after free agent. I showed them how Aaron Brooks and Marcin Gortat -- to name two -- saw their playing time and contribution improve dramatically at the NBA level after being assigned to play in the NBA D-League. Of course this has paid off handsomely for Marcin, and I'm sure it will for Aaron as well. I showed them quotes and videos from prominent GMs, coaches, and players who all speak very highly of the NBA D-League as a way to advance one's basketball career. And for those players who may find themselves out of an NBA job -- and there are always a few draft picks every year who get caught in the numbers game -- I pointed out our track record of helping them get back to the NBA, and that we've produced 4X more NBA players than any other pro basketball league in the world. I explained that it's our JOB to give them every opportunity to succeed in the NBA, and the fact that we've produced nearly 20% of NBA players means we're doing a pretty good job of this.

Otherwise, we've been working hard on getting the schedule ready, and planning for the upcoming season along with all of our teams. Big shout out to the Maine Red Claws and the Springfield Armor, who are already developing a nice off-the-court rivalry with their season ticket sales efforts. Maine crossed the 1000 season ticket mark a couple of weeks ago, and Springfield just followed suit! Just wait til the games start!