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The NBA Development League announced that the NBA will no longer operate a team in Roanoke, Virginia. League President Phil Evans would not rule out the possibility of a local ownership group operating the team, although he did indicate that time was of the essence and an acceptable deal would need to be finalized quickly.

“After working extremely hard for five seasons, it is unfortunate and disappointing that we were not able to build the level of support that we needed to continue operations in Roanoke,” Evans said. “The team staff devoted countless hours to making the Dazzle a viable and affordable family entertainment option. We will continue to move forward, however, growing the D-League in new markets as we partner with strong local ownership that is committed to the community, engaged with fans and passionate about the game.”

The D-League has announced seven new markets for the 2006-07 season. Those include Anaheim (Calif.), the Bakersfield Jam (Calif.), the Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, N.D.), Idaho Stampede (Boise), a team to be owned by the NBA Los Angeles Lakers and the Sioux Falls Skyforce (S.D.). Those teams will join the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).