eRay Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 http://www.nba.com/dleague/springfield/NBA Development League President Dan Reed announced today at a press conference at the Basketball Hall of Fame that HWS Basketball, LLC will be bringing an NBA D-League team to Springfield, Massachusetts for the 2009-10 season. The team will play at Springfield?s MassMutual Center.Savit and his group have been awarded the right to relocate the NBA D-League team currently playing in Anaheim, California to Springfield. While the local ownership group will have the option to retain rights to current Anaheim Arsenal players, they will announce a new name, colors, and a mascot for the Springfield team later on this spring.After just expanding to Portland, ME this move seems a little suspect, but the Boston Herald had this to say about the move:Savit says the Springfield team?s NBA affiliation is uncertain, but he says it will probably be an East Coast team. He said it is unlikely to be the Boston Celtics, who will probably be affiliated with the D-League?s Maine franchise. Savit said it made sense to locate the team in Springfield because of the city?s basketball history and proximity to Connecticut.Why would it make sense to do because it is close to Connecticut? There are no NBA teams in CT.Discuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintsfan Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 There is a WNBA team in CT isn't there? And isn't Springfield, CT where Naismith invented the game? 2011/12 WFL Champions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintsfan Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My bad, getting my Springfield's confused again! 2011/12 WFL Champions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsox Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Personally, I am pumped about this being that I go to college in Springfield. I was actually thinking about the prospect of the D-League putting a team in Springfield while watching the Division 2 Championship at the Mass Mutual Center on CBS on Saturday. I was thinking how it would be a great idea considering the large African American population, the fact that the Hall of Fame is here, the condition of the recently renovated arena, the fact that the D-League needs another Northeast team or two, and how basketball crazy the area is in general (Springfield is essentially equidistant to UConn and UMass). There are a good deal of college kids in the area too (Amherst, WNEC, AIC, Springfield College, Westfield State, etc) who would probably be likely to attend games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsox Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Savit says the Springfield team?s NBA affiliation is uncertain, but he says it will probably be an East Coast team. He said it is unlikely to be the Boston Celtics, who will probably be affiliated with the D-League?s Maine franchise. Savit said it made sense to locate the team in Springfield because of the city?s basketball history and proximity to Connecticut.Why would it make sense to do because it is close to Connecticut? There are no NBA teams in CT.Discuss.BUT THERE'S UCONN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rams80 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Savit says the Springfield team?s NBA affiliation is uncertain, but he says it will probably be an East Coast team. He said it is unlikely to be the Boston Celtics, who will probably be affiliated with the D-League?s Maine franchise. Savit said it made sense to locate the team in Springfield because of the city?s basketball history and proximity to Connecticut.Why would it make sense to do because it is close to Connecticut? There are no NBA teams in CT.Discuss.BUT THERE'S UCONN!I didn't know NCAA teams were allowed to have farm teams. So....I haven't checked attendance figures. Is the D-League pulling out of the Southwest as part of it's life-long circuit of the country? On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said: You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now. On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said: Today, we are all otaku. "The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010 The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsox Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Savit says the Springfield team?s NBA affiliation is uncertain, but he says it will probably be an East Coast team. He said it is unlikely to be the Boston Celtics, who will probably be affiliated with the D-League?s Maine franchise. Savit said it made sense to locate the team in Springfield because of the city?s basketball history and proximity to Connecticut.Why would it make sense to do because it is close to Connecticut? There are no NBA teams in CT.Discuss.BUT THERE'S UCONN!I didn't know NCAA teams were allowed to have farm teams. So....I haven't checked attendance figures. Is the D-League pulling out of the Southwest as part of it's life-long circuit of the country?I didn't realize that's what he meant by it. Still, NYC is only 3 hours away and NJ's not terribly far either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian in Boston Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Why would it make sense to do because it is close to Connecticut? There are no NBA teams in CT.Mr. Savit's comments could be taken to mean a couple of things. First, he could be referencing the fact that the presence of powerhouse men's and women's basketball programs at the University of Connecticut has established the sport as a fan favorite within the Constitution State. As such, he may be hoping that a D-League franchise located just over the Connecticut-Massachusetts border in Springfield can draw support from amongst those fans.Second, it may be that Mr. Savit knows something about a D-League expansion franchise being awarded to a Connecticut market (Hartford, Bridgeport, Uncasville) and simply revealed said team's impending arrival a bit too soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFoA Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Wait a damn minute, this is the Hawks' D-League team.Not that we use it. I wouldn't care if the Hawks lost the team. Â Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew22 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Wait a damn minute, this is the Hawks' D-League team.Not that we use it. I wouldn't care if the Hawks lost the team.The distance has shrunk! From a 32 bus trip to a 16 hour. Halved the trip!I don't care either. Eagles/Heels/Dawgs/Falcons/Hawks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JH42XCC Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I was hoping for the Knicks to get an NBA D-League team in Harlem, but I think Springfield, MA would be pretty nice, since it's closer to NYC than Reno, NV, where they currently have a D-League affiliation with the Bighorns (shared with the Sacramento Kings). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rams80 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I was hoping for the Knicks to get an NBA D-League team in Harlem, but I think Springfield, MA would be pretty nice, since it's closer to NYC than Reno, NV, where they currently have a D-League affiliation with the Bighorns (shared with the Sacramento Kings).Wait...why do the Knicks get a D-League team? They're a D-League team! On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said: You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now. On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said: Today, we are all otaku. "The city of Peoria was once the site of the largest distillery in the world and later became the site for mass production of penicillin. So it is safe to assume that present-day Peorians are descended from syphilitic boozehounds."-Stephen Colbert POTD: February 15, 2010, June 20, 2010 The Glorious Bloom State Penguins (NCFAF) 2014: 2-9, 2015: 7-5 (L Pineapple Bowl), 2016: 1-0 (NCFAB) 2014-15: 10-8, 2015-16: 14-5 (SMC Champs, L 1st Round February Frenzy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JH42XCC Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I was hoping for the Knicks to get an NBA D-League team in Harlem, but I think Springfield, MA would be pretty nice, since it's closer to NYC than Reno, NV, where they currently have a D-League affiliation with the Bighorns (shared with the Sacramento Kings).Wait...why do the Knicks get a D-League team? They're a D-League team!I'm not saying that the Knicks are a D-League team or that they are getting one (well, at least, not yet). I'm just saying that they are one of the possible NBA East Coast teams (excluding the Boston Celtics) that the Springfield (Mass.) NBA D-League franchise might have an affiliation with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddball Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I just wonder if there were more people at Anaheim Arsenal games or Disneyland's California Adventure... Arsenal wins! Â Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannerman Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I just wonder if there were more people at Anaheim Arsenal games or Disneyland's California Adventure... Arsenal wins! Finally, some Disney theme park humor on a sports logos forum! Nice Olympic Broadcaster Logos - BevReview.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtthasportfreak Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I just wonder if there were more people at Anaheim Arsenal games or Disneyland's California Adventure... Arsenal wins! Thanks for the shout-out oddball. I am the Public Address Announcer for the team and btw "great seats are still available" for the Home Finale next Wednesday on 8apr09 7pm versus the Utah Flash at the Anaheim Convention Center. About a month ago I thought the writing was on the wall when the VP up and left the team. Also today a sales exec is starting his new position with the San Diego Chargers. The Arsenal were once owned by John Younesi who owned the once popular Long Beach Summer Pro League. In year two when I came in it seemed that there was new ownership. This year the team had a President who ran the operations of the team as it had no owner and the NBA had control of it. In order to stay it seemed that the Arsenal needed a local owner to stay. As of last month it did not come through and here we are at this position today. Basketball will do well here in Anaheim given the right model. Fans supported the Clippers well when the Pond served as home away from home in the mid '90s. The Lakers draw well for preseason games. It is rumored that Sacramento is looking for a new arena and might jump ship and head south. The fans helped the Arsenal beat their own attendance record set on the first game of existence on March 20th with 5,228 on hand. IT CAN HAPPEN. But pro basketball will definitely do better here. There are three NHL teams within a 30 mile radius in NY\LI\NJ right ? OC is a completely different market than LA and a pro hoops team can be accepted well here.From an asthetic standpoint, sports is losing a great logo and jersey overall. Most of the D-League teams' jerseys have number fonts the NBA teams use (Iowa uses the Sonics #'s, Bakersfield uses the Knicks #'s, Sioux Falls uses the Cavs #'s, Reno and Erie use the Pistons #'s, Idaho uses the Heat's #'s, etc.). The Arsenal and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers have a unique number font. I love our jersey logo and colorsThere are great people who work for the team with fantastic talents who brought a lot to the table. I'm going to miss them, they're like family to me. I have called 16 seasons of basketball at the High School, College and Pro level including a season with the Globetrotters. I hope to be on board with another team soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eRay Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 The Springfield NBA D-League team is now holding a naming vote here.Choices are:ARMOR ? honoring the historic Springfield ArmoryCOLONIALS ? paying tribute to Massachusetts being one of the original 13 British colonies that formed the United StatesFOUNDERS ? recognizing Springfield as the place where basketball was invented.SPIRIT ? celebrating the great history and civic pride embodied by Springfield, which was founded in 1635.Write-in candidate ? enabling the community to weigh in with original ideas.I went with Founders, as it is a unique name that could only be used by this area. I like it. I can't picture a logo, but a lot of D-League teams just use a stylized basketball anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilbert Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Springfield already had the Spirit. A NWBL womens basketball team. Id go with Founders Signature intentionally left blank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patsox Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 As someone currently living in Springfield, Armor's got my vote. It has the most historical significance and fits the city the best IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAK47 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 The Springfield Fighting Naismiths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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