Over the years, Steve Haney has watched minor league basketball sprout and then fade quicker than the Pittsburgh Pirates in August. Only the strong-shouldered support of the NBA has kept the NBADL from folding.

But Haney, a former agent for Magic Johnson and sports business mogul, believes a minor league can not only survive but thrive — if it doesn’t follow the model of leagues such as the CBA, USBL, or new ABA.