2010–11 NBA Development League season
Former NBA second-round draft pick Nick Fazekas was selected first overall by the Reno Bighorns.
The defending champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who was seeded third, defeated the Bakersfield Jam and the Reno Bighorns in the first and second round respectively.
The Austin Toros and the Tulsa 66ers, which is owned by the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder respectively, continued their single-affiliation partnerships with their parent teams.
[6] An NBA D-League team roster consists of draftees, returning, allocation and tryout players.
The new rule increased the bond between the NBA teams and their D-League affiliates, while sacrificing the marketing effect from local allocation players.
Several players with NBA experience who returned to their previous teams are JamesOn Curry, Reece Gaines, Orien Greene, Steven Hill, Chris Hunter, Cedric Jackson, Othyus Jeffers, Dontell Jefferson, Trey Johnson, Renaldo Major, Chris McCray, Courtney Sims and Mario West.
D-League All-Stars Walker Russell Jr., Mustafa Shakur and Curtis Stinson were also named on the returning players list.
[24] McCants and Williams, who were NBA first-round draft picks, were intentionally signed by the Dallas Mavericks towards the end of the training camp period and were waived on the day after, solely for the purpose of allocating them to the Texas Legends.
[26][27] Similar situation occurred with NBA second-round draft pick Tiny Gallon, who was waived by the Boston Celtics only two days after he was signed.
Former NBA second-round draft pick, Nick Fazekas, was selected first overall by the Reno Bighorns.
Magnum Rolle, the 51st pick in the 2010 NBA draft was selected third by the Maine Red Claws.
[30] In the second round, two former NBA draft picks, Walter Sharpe and Antonio Daniels, were selected.
[34][35] Hasheem Thabeet, the second overall pick in 2009, was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for seven games in March and April.
[37] The sixth pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Jonny Flynn, was assigned twice and played two games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
[39] Four other former lottery picks, Terrence Williams, Cole Aldrich, Ed Davis and Patrick Patterson, were also assigned to the D-League.
[1][33][35] 2009 NBA first-round picks, Rodrigue Beaubois and Terrence Williams, both earned the distinction of being assigned to the D-League for unusual reasons.
On November 30, 2010, Beaubois was assigned by the Dallas Mavericks to the Texas Legends even though he was still inactive due to an injury suffered in the off-season and was not expected to return until January.
[41] On the other hand, Williams was assigned to the Springfield Armor after he was suspended by the New Jersey Nets due to repeated violations of the team's policy.
This rule applies for three Tulsa 66ers players, Ryan Reid, Robert Vaden and Latavious Williams, whose draft rights are still held by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA affiliate of the 66ers.
NBA veteran Antonio Daniels, who returned to professional basketball after one-year absence, played for the Texas Legends until he was called up to the Philadelphia 76ers in April.
Six players, Marcus Cousin, Zabian Dowdell, Patrick Ewing Jr., Chris Johnson, Larry Owens and Mustafa Shakur, made their first NBA appearance during the call-ups.
The event was designed to allow the NBA teams to evaluate the D-League's prospects for future call-ups.
In the Slam Dunk Contest, the reigning champion Dar Tucker of the New Mexico Thunderbirds retained his title as the D-League Slam Dunk Champion after defeating Dakota Wizards center Chris Johnson in the final round with a score of 96–93.
The Shooting Stars Competition was won by the team of Shane Edwards (New Mexico Thunderbirds), Orien Greene (Utah Flash) and Jeremy Wise (Bakersfield Jam).
