Grand Rapids Drive

The Grand Rapids Drive are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League and an affiliate of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The franchise began as the Anaheim Arsenal in 2006, before relocating to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2009, becoming the Springfield Armor. After five seasons in Springfield, the franchise moved to Grand Rapids in 2014 and were subsequently renamed the Grand Rapids Drive. They play their home games at the DeltaPlex Arena in Walker, Michigan.

Franchise history

2006–2009: Anaheim Arsenal
The franchise began in 2006 as the Anaheim Arsenal as an expansion team in the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). Based in Anaheim, California, and playing at the Anaheim Convention Center, the Arsenal were an affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers. However, the Arsenal era was mainly marked by futility, never having a winning season or a playoff berth. On March 31, 2009, the Arsenal announced that they would relocate to Springfield, Massachusetts.

2009–2014: Springfield Armor
On July 29, 2009, it was announced that Dee Brown would become the head coach. On September 2, the Armor picked first in the 2009 NBA Development League Expansion Draft, selecting center Marcus Campbell. The team ended their inaugural 2009–10 season with a record of 7–43, the worst record in D-League history.

During the 2010–11 season, the Armor started by picking fifth in the D-League Draft, and selected La Salle's Vernon Goodridge. The Armor would end up finishing with a record of 13–37, sixth in the seven-team Eastern Conference. After the season, head coach Dee Brown opted to leave the team to join the Detroit Pistons. Brown was replaced soon after by Bob MacKinnon Jr. During the 2010–11 season, the team was an affiliate of the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers.

For the 2011–12 season, the Armor entered into a single affiliation partnership with the Brooklyn Nets, giving the Nets full control over the basketball operations of and making them the sole affiliate for the Armor. The Nets became the second NBA team to enter into a single affiliation with an NBA D-League team, joining the Houston Rockets and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

2014–present: A new beginning in Grand Rapids
On April 15, 2014, it was announced that the SSJ Group purchased the Springfield Armor and would relocate the team to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the 2014–15 season. The Grand Rapids franchise would be locally owned and established a single-franchise "hybrid" affiliation with the Detroit Pistons. The affiliation between the Pistons and the Drive is the third between the two cities as the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League also share an affiliation, as do the Detroit Tigers of the American League and the West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League.

The team launched a name-the-team contest shortly after the formal announcement. The contest produced four finalists: Drive, Chairmen, Horsepower, and Blue Racers. The community was encouraged to vote online in order to determine which of the four names would become the official team name. Out of those names, the Grand Rapids Drive was selected.

Season-by-season

Current roster

Head coaches

NBA affiliates

Grand Rapids Drive
Detroit Pistons (2014–present)

Springfield Armor
New Jersey / Brooklyn Nets (2009–2014)
New York Knicks (2009–2011)
Philadelphia 76ers (2009–2011)

Anaheim Arsenal
Atlanta Hawks (2006–2009)
Los Angeles Clippers (2006–2009)
Orlando Magic (2006–2008)
Portland Trail Blazers (2006–2007)

References

External links
Official team website

 
Category:Basketball teams established in 2006
Category:Basketball teams in Michigan
Category:Sports in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Springfield Armor