Malcolm Turner, president of the NBA D-League, made his first visit to the Portland Expo on Sunday. He was scheduled to visit over the winter holidays but ruptured his patella tendon and still wears a brace on his left knee.

Turner said the playoff schedule is likely to be announced April 5 but that “it’s going to be a little bit fluid,” due to potential venue conflicts as well as a deal with ESPN to televise some or all of the games on its family of channels.

Four teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs, resulting in three best-of-three rounds that should begin April 7 and conclude before the end of the month. As top seed in the East, the Red Claws will open their first-round series in the Midwest (Fort Wayne seems the likely opponent) before returning to Portland for two games, if necessary, scheduled to avoid the Sea Dogs opener.

“It’s a healthy league,” said Turner, who assumed his position on the eve of the season in mid-November. “That’s a function of having healthy teams. We have a record number of corporate partners and a record number of teams, 18.”

Seventeen of those D-League franchises (all but Fort Wayne) are affiliated with a single NBA parent club. With the Utah Jazz recently purchasing Iowa, eight NBA teams own their affiliates.

Turner said expansion by at least two teams is planned for the 2016-17 season, with the Southeast being an obvious gap in the D-League map.

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RODNEY McGRUDER, who requested his release from the Red Claws last week, is due to clear waivers Monday and likely will sign with another D-League team. “Obviously, we’re disappointed with his decision to leave the team this late in the season, especially with all the work he’s put in, and he’s been working here really since the middle of August,” Red Claws Coach Scott Morrison said. “But definitely wish him the best wherever he ends up and hopefully it’s not someone we play in the playoffs.”

JASON TYLER made his D-League debut Sunday after playing overseas since finishing high school in 2008. The 7-2, 330-pounder had six rebounds, blocked two shots and picked up two fouls in 11 minutes.

“I thought he has some potential,” Morrison said. “It’s tough coming in this late in the season. He doesn’t know any of our plays. Our assistant coaches who were home last week did a good job working him out, getting him ready. If he’s willing to stick around, I think he has potential to be an impact player.”

ALL THE RED CLAWS stuck around after the game to sign autographs. Several made it a point to express their appreciation to those who buy tickets.

“I just want to say thank you to all the fans,” said point guard Tim Frazier. “We had a tremendous season, and everybody was a part of that from top to bottom, even guys who aren’t here who started here or played most of the season. They all contributed, especially (Christian) Watford and Rodney (McGruder) and all those guys who spent most of their time here. They really deserve this as well.”

Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or

Gjordan@pressherald.com

Twitter: GlennJordanPPH


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