National Basketball Association

[Laramie]

Which city or cities would you like to see added to the NBA as possible relocation or future expansion?

[OSUPeterson]

Seattle...

[C. B.]

Seattle...

/end thread

[gopokes88]

Seattle. It'd be a fun rivalry for once side and a hahahahaha for the other.

[Jersey Boss]

I submit that contraction should be considered. Eliminate the 4 biggest money losers, disperse the players in a lottery and stay that way for a while. Shrinking roster spots means deeper and better teams, less reason to keep head cases, and 40+ players not leaving college early, thereby strengthening the college game.

[Laramie]

Relocation:

Anaheim, Kansas City, Louisville or St. Louis in the event of relocation. These cities have a viable arena which could meet NBA standards with some modifications.

Expansion:

Louisville, Seattle or Norfolk-Virginia Beach for future expansion which probably won't be considered until after 2020.

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[gopokes88]

I submit that contraction should be considered. Eliminate the 4 biggest money losers, disperse the players in a lottery and stay that way for a while. Shrinking roster spots means deeper and better teams, less reason to keep head cases, and 40+ players not leaving college early, thereby strengthening the college game.

Lots of problems with this.

1st and foremost the NBA could care less about strengthening the college game. A nice thought, but not a reality.
2nd the lastest round of labor talks eliminated teams losing money with the new sharing system. Super profitable teams subsidize the unprofitable ones.
3rd the NBA is fixing to sign a TV contract that will more then likely double TV revenue. Not a good time to shrink
4th smart business people (and NBA owners are that) don't ever shrink when the product is increasing in profitability, popularity, and ever other metric possible. They grow it.

Just consider in 2 years the league has gone from this, Sources: NBA going forward with plan to take over New Orleans Hornets - ESPN struggling to find an owner for the Hornets, and then selling them for $338 million Board of Governors approves sale of New Orleans Hornets - ESPN
To this
Kings- $534 million
Bucks $550 million
Clippers $2 billion

The NBA is booming. Companies expand in booms.

[Laramie]

Veteran NBA referee Bavetta retires after 39 years...





http://sports.yahoo.com/news/veteran...0891--nba.html

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[codyt]

Relocation:

Anaheim, Kansas City, Louisville or St. Louis in the event of relocation. These cities have a viable arena which could meet NBA standards with some modifications.

Expansion:

Louisville, Seattle or Norfolk-Virginia Beach for future expansion which probably won't be considered until after 2020.

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

Kansas City's Sprint Center would be a great venue for an NBA team. I've attended a few BIG 12 bball tournaments there and really enjoyed the atmosphere the arena provides.

[dmoor82]

KC would be overextended with three pro teams, plus an MLS team and the Kansas motor speedway. Two million residents in it's metro, another professional team would severely overextend that market.

[Snowman]

I submit that contraction should be considered. Eliminate the 4 biggest money losers, disperse the players in a lottery and stay that way for a while. Shrinking roster spots means deeper and better teams, less reason to keep head cases, and 40+ players not leaving college early, thereby strengthening the college game.

Contraction is probably even more unlikely than expansion (which I doubt will happen anytime soon either). Most of the teams have a legal obligation to play for several more years due to when stadiums were built, for the owners having a team is an ego thing, more often than not who is bad cycles around and most of the owners who's either management flaws or unwillingness/unable to spend made theme perpetual doormats are gone. Now that there is revenue sharing even the worst ran teams are making more money and with a new TV deal in a couple years will only increase that. Also the union would fight it all the way. Then there is the problem that it would take a ridiculous amount of money to buy out four teams to shut them down (which will not help ratings in four of the largest cities of the country), then if the money falls out of TV advertising like it has print then it would be a huge waste of money for nothing. On top of all that for the owners, taking out what are four teams that will likely give you wins will hurt your record.

[Laramie]

KC would be overextended with three pro teams, plus an MLS team and the Kansas motor speedway. Two million residents in it's metro, another professional team would severely overextend that market.

So true!

Kansas City, MO-KS is currently an overextended market with 2.1 million; they support

MLB: Kansas City Royals
NFL: Kansas City Chiefs
MLS: Sporting Kansas City (Stadium located on the Kansas City, Kansas side)

Denver is currently an overextended market with 2.7 million; they support

MLB: Colorado Rockies
NFL: Denver Broncos
NBA: Denver Nuggets
NHL: Colorado Avalanche
MLS: Colorado Rapids

Using the rule of having a minimum of 1 million persons per major league sport (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) and 500,000+ to support MLS; Kansas City is overextended along with Denver. These cities are among the highest in per capita income: Denver $51,088, Kansas City $46,193. These cities have the potential to support probably one additional franchise which means they would be and marginal to support those additional teams long-term.

Top Ten Overextended Sports Markets (2003 data):

1. PHOENIX
2. TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG
3. PITTSBURGH
4. KANSAS CITY
5. DENVER
6. MILWAUKEE
7. CINCINNATI
8. BUFFALO
9. INDIANAPOLIS
10. RALEIGH-DURHAM

The 10 most overextended sports markets in America - SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal | SportsBusiness Daily Global

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[Mel]

San Diego? Give the military a wee break on ticket prices.

[Teo9969]

Expand by adding 10 teams.

Cut it into 2-tiers. NBA Premier, and then just the NBA.

Each tier has 4 divisions of 5.

Play your four division opponents 4 times, play 3 times vs. the other 15 teams (totals 61 games). Play all 20 teams in the other league once or play half of the other league 2 times, I don't care.

The playoffs are the top teams from each division + 2 wild cards. Still best-of-7 series.

Lowest team in each division in the Premier every season gets booted to the NBA, and the reverse for NBA to Premier. In addition then next 2 worst Premier teams and 2 best NBA teams move up, regardless of division…winning the regular NBA championship guarantees you move to the Premier.

Expand to:

Seattle
Chicago (2nd)
Tampa
Kansas City
St. Louis
Austin
Raleigh/Durham
Pittsburgh
???
???

[Snowman]

Expand by adding 10 teams.

Cut it into 2-tiers. NBA Premier, and then just the NBA.

Each tier has 4 divisions of 5.

Play your four division opponents 4 times, play 3 times vs. the other 15 teams (totals 61 games). Play all 20 teams in the other league once or play half of the other league 2 times, I don't care.

The playoffs are the top teams from each division + 2 wild cards. Still best-of-7 series.

Lowest team in each division in the Premier every season gets booted to the NBA, and the reverse for NBA to Premier. In addition then next 2 worst Premier teams and 2 best NBA teams move up, regardless of division…winning the regular NBA championship guarantees you move to the Premier.

Expand to:

Seattle
Chicago (2nd)
Tampa
Kansas City
St. Louis
Austin
Raleigh/Durham
Pittsburgh
???
???

Seattle (even by their own analysis in what support they will do for Hanson building an arena with his own money), Tampa, Kansas City, St. Louis and Pittsburgh are all either right at the border of being over extended now or already over it, none of them are in a good position to support another team.

I really doubt that any of the current owners would be open to getting into a system that could drop them down to second tier league any given year, let alone ten dropping immediately. The schedule only having 61 'Premier' games seems like a good way to loose both ticket and TV revenue, having a Premier team play a non Premier team sounds about as appealing as watching an NBA team play a d-league team. This may violate every contract from arena deals to the TV contracts, I have some doubts you will get everyone all that interested in this to change them. The owners even before the Thunder were purchased have been highly opposed to expanding as much as two teams, expanding 10 teams would be huge undertaking and extremely risky even if some of them thought it was in their best interest to do so.

It probably would be a hard sell to the player's union, less tier one teams means less star contracts, it might balance out with more assurance of veteran year to play but that is hard to say which way they go. Lower tier teams do not have great reputations for paying a lot.

[Teo9969]

Hey…I didn't say it would happen or would even have much of a shot.

Seriously there is absolutely no reason to expand right now

[Laramie]

Derrick Rose out of U.S. exhibition

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose was a last-minute scratch Wednesday night from Team USA's exhibition game against the Dominican Republic at Madison Square Garden.

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose sitting out Team USA exhibition at Madison Square Garden - ESPN Chicago

Just couldn't see why Derrick Rose would be out on the court to represent team USA. Rose has been off the court more than on since becoming a member of the Chicago Bulls.

Bulls' Coach Tom Thibodeau is one of the assistants for team USA. You would think that with Derrick Rose's history of injuries that he would be encourage Rose to sit his hips out and go home permanently.

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[OKCretro]

I don't think St Louis will ever get an NBA team again or they have to offer it to the guys who owned the old ABA.

which is a really neat story
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/sp...anted=all&_r=0

[NWOKCGuy]

Lots of rumors about Seattle and Louisville getting teams through expansion around the time the next TV contract is negotiated.

[PWitty]

KC would be overextended with three pro teams, plus an MLS team and the Kansas motor speedway. Two million residents in it's metro, another professional team would severely overextend that market.

I'm from KC, and as much as I would LOVE for them to snag an NBA team, I have to agree. The professional teams they have now only get strong fan support when the teams are winning games, with the exception of Sporting which is the new-kid-on-the-block. Although, the KC metro as a whole is so basketball crazed (mainly due to KU and their bball team being so close) that I do think an NBA team there would flourish. It would just come at the expense of the existing professional teams.

[Jersey Boss]

I'm from KC, and as much as I would LOVE for them to snag an NBA team, I have to agree. The professional teams they have now only get strong fan support when the teams are winning games, with the exception of Sporting which is the new-kid-on-the-block. Although, the KC metro as a whole is so basketball crazed (mainly due to KU and their bball team being so close) that I do think an NBA team there would flourish. It would just come at the expense of the existing professional teams.

The Sacramento Kings trace their ancestry through KC when they were the KC and KC/Omaha Royals.

[Jersey Boss]

I don't think St Louis will ever get an NBA team again or they have to offer it to the guys who owned the old ABA.

which is a really neat story
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/07/sp...anted=all&_r=0

Good article, but could not find any follow up on either a ruling or a settlement. Pro basketball in the 60's and 70's was quite interesting and both leagues had their strong points as well as deficiencies. Some of the possible expansion cities I see posters putting out there had franchises in the ABA. Louisville, Pittsburgh, Virginia, St. Louis, Chicago(2nd), San Diego, all former ABA cities.

[Laramie]

The ten largest markets without an NBA franchise:

1. Seattle
2. San Diego
3. Tampa-St. Petersburg (Orlando Magic's area)
4. St. Louis
5. Baltimore (Washington Wizards' area)
6. Pittsburgh
7. Cincinnati
8. Kansas City
9. Las Vegas
10. Columbus

The five largest potential 'break-through' cities without an NBA franchise:

1. Austin, TX 1.9 million
2. Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA 1.7 million
3. Providence, RI 1.6 million
4. Louisville, KY 1.3 million
5. Richmond, VA 1.2 million

Recent 'break-through' cities:

1. 2007: Oklahoma City 1.3 million (NBA - Oklahoma City Thunder)
2. 2000: Columbus 2.0 million (NHL - Columbus Blue Jackets)
3. 2001: Memphis 1.3 million (NBA - Memphis Grizzlies)
4. 1997: Raleigh-Durham 1.3 million (NHL - Carolina Hurricanes) Note: Greensboro metro area (800,000) just 70 from Raleigh.
5. 1974: Hartford 1.2 million (loss NHL Hartford Whalers to Raleigh-Durham)

Break-through city: City acquires their first major professional franchise (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL).

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[Laramie]

Love traded to Cavaliers, joins LeBron

Now the league's best player has another superstar as a running mate. Add in All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and James again finds himself the ringleader of a star-studded trio after leaving Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade behind with the Heat.

Love traded to Cavaliers, joins LeBron | NBA.com

Another three headed monster for the NBA teams to challenge:

LeBron James & the Extremes

Pictured from left to right: Kevin Love, LeBron James (center) & Kyrie Irving.

"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[OKCRT]

They group Raliegh with Greensboro to create a market. Well Tulsa is about the same distance from OKC so why isn't OKC claiming a pop of 2.3 mil? Just interesting to see how some of these smaller cities make claims. Seattle does much the same to make their pop look larger. SLC does as well.