I can not see that the NBA will ever have a "legit affiliated minore league system". The dynamics of an NBA team/game is so much different from the MLB or NHL, that it wouldn't pay to have one. A quick look at the two teams in the finals show that on a 16 & 17 man roster, only 11 or 12 guys play more than 10 minutes a game (out of 48), with 4 or 5 playing 30 or more. The bottom 5 guys on the roster played less than 10 with them very seldom getting starts. First of all, the system works as they have it so why pay 5 more guys a salary to be ready to play just a few games/minutes a season? If the NBA reduced the day to day roster size to say 10, then the bottom 5 or 6 guys listed would be the ones in the minors anyways. MLB has countless number of call ups from their AAA teams with ususally the guys playing more than the NBA counter parts. With games 6 out 7 days a week, they have to have 25 healthy guys ready all the time. Can't say the same for the NBA. I don't know for sure about the NHL, but I do know that the Rochester team's roster is in constant flux, so I assume that Buffalo has a lot of call ups too. So I just can't see finically or practially why the NBA would want a minor league.