Which NBA Team Shall Move Next?

[Bronxmet]

If there is any expansion, it could be only 2 teams. One team would go to st. Louis. If the Kings go to KC, Vegas gets the expansion team. But if the Kings go to Vegas, KC gets expansion team.

Here's another suggestion. Since the Sprint Center opens later this year, how about having the Kings move back to Kansas City?

By the way, there would be another realignment.

EAST

Southeast: Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando

Atlantic: Atlanta, Charlotte, Philly, Washington

Northeast: Boston, Toronto, NJ, NY

Central: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana

WEST

Midwest: Kansas City, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minnesota

Southwest: Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio

Pacific: Las Vegas, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Golden State

Northwest: Denver, Portland, Seattle, Utah

The major problem is the separation of two hated rivals, Boston and Philadelphia. Originally, St. Louis would have gone to the Central, but Chicago would have to move to the Midwest and lose rivalries with Cleveland and Detroit.

[rams80]

If there is any expansion, it could be only 2 teams. One team would go to st. Louis. If the Kings go to KC, Vegas gets the expansion team. But if the Kings go to Vegas, KC gets expansion team.

Here's another suggestion. Since the Sprint Center opens later this year, how about having the Kings move back to Kansas City?

By the way, there would be another realignment.

EAST

Southeast: Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando

Atlantic: Atlanta, Charlotte, Philly, Washington

Northeast: Boston, Toronto, NJ, NY

Central: Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana

WEST

Midwest: Kansas City, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minnesota

Southwest: Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio

Pacific: Las Vegas, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Golden State

Northwest: Denver, Portland, Seattle, Utah

The major problem is the separation of two hated rivals, Boston and Philadelphia. Originally, St. Louis would have gone to the Central, but Chicago would have to move to the Midwest and lose rivalries with Cleveland and Detroit.

Just a commentary, but given the NBA's scheduling format, it isn't as critical to have rivals in the same division as in some other leagues (you play everyone in your conference at least 4 times).

What about Portland? Rumor going around is that Paul Allen is going to move the Blazers to Seattle and have a hand in the new arena.

I thought he was looking into re-taking control of the Rose Garden.

[Mac the Knife]

The Clippers were rumored to move to Anaheim into the Duck Pond. The T-wolves are locked into a long-term lease that is pretty air-tight. I would guess that the Sonics and Hornets will "fight" for Oklahoma City. Shortly thereafter, the NBA will announce expansion into KC, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Buffalo, Columbus and Tampa Bay

Would David Stern be committed to an asylum immediately after that announcement? There isn't enough TALENT for 36 teams.

I disagree. In fact, I honestly think the NBA could support as many teams as it wants to have, be that number 30, 32, 40, or 72.

A basketball team roster has what? 15 players? Compare this with Major League Baseball at 25 and the NFL at 53 per team. Now, can anyone in their right mind argue that, especially with the worldwide talent base the NBA taps from, there are only 450 NBA-level players on the Earth at any given time? No.

So if circumstances are right from a business perspective, expand to whatever number. The talent will be there. As for relocations, I think the Sonics are eventually going to OKC once the Hornets return to New Orleans (which they will), but that'll be about it.

[leedsunited]

The Clippers were rumored to move to Anaheim into the Duck Pond. The T-wolves are locked into a long-term lease that is pretty air-tight. I would guess that the Sonics and Hornets will "fight" for Oklahoma City. Shortly thereafter, the NBA will announce expansion into KC, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Buffalo, Columbus and Tampa Bay

Would David Stern be committed to an asylum immediately after that announcement? There isn't enough TALENT for 36 teams.

I disagree. In fact, I honestly think the NBA could support as many teams as it wants to have, be that number 30, 32, 40, or 72.

A basketball team roster has what? 15 players? Compare this with Major League Baseball at 25 and the NFL at 53 per team. Now, can anyone in their right mind argue that, especially with the worldwide talent base the NBA taps from, there are only 450 NBA-level players on the Earth at any given time? No.

So if circumstances are right from a business perspective, expand to whatever number. The talent will be there. As for relocations, I think the Sonics are eventually going to OKC once the Hornets return to New Orleans (which they will), but that'll be about it.

Considering how the majority of NBA teams (aside from the anointed 5 that always seem to be in the mix) languish in perpetual mediocrity, yes, there's not enough talent to handle 32 teams, let alone 36. For example, check the D-league, and tell me how wide a gulf there is between the level of play there and in the NBA.

[OMMF]

What about Portland? Rumor going around is that Paul Allen is going to move the Blazers to Seattle and have a hand in the new arena.

I thought he was looking into re-taking control of the Rose Garden.

He already did.

http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/s...29/daily41.html

I'm not saying my source was credible but it has been going around a lot up here that he'd like to get out of the Blazers deal that they have with Portland and move them up here if the Sonics go.

[yh]

Thanks to all the people who think enough of St. Louis to believe we're an NBA caliber town.

We aren't and we won't be getting a team anytime soon.

Outside of the top 5-10 TV markets in the country, the NBA isn't going to go to any market where it cannot be the #1 sports attraction. In St. Louis any NBA franchise would be lucky to take the #3 spot, and once the Blues fully right their ship (assuming they do), then even attaining #3 status becomes a formidable challenge.

Oklahoma City is clearly at the top of the NBA's pecking order at this point. Even if the Sonics stay put and the Hornets go back to New Orleans, I think the NBA would grant them an expansion franchise in order to bring the league back into balance with an even number of teams. Beyond that, I don't see the prospects for domestic growth in the NBA.

[rams80]

Thanks to all the people who think enough of St. Louis to believe we're an NBA caliber town.

We aren't and we won't be getting a team anytime soon.

Outside of the top 5-10 TV markets in the country, the NBA isn't going to go to any market where it cannot be the #1 sports attraction. In St. Louis any NBA franchise would be lucky to take the #3 spot, and once the Blues fully right their ship (assuming they do), then even attaining #3 status becomes a formidable challenge.

Oklahoma City is clearly at the top of the NBA's pecking order at this point. Even if the Sonics stay put and the Hornets go back to New Orleans, I think the NBA would grant them an expansion franchise in order to bring the league back into balance with an even number of teams. Beyond that, I don't see the prospects for domestic growth in the NBA.

Uhhhh the NBA has 30 teams right now. (Don't tell me you forgot Charlotte too! )

[harperdc]

Portland's not moving anywhere - that Allen is buying back the arena would allow him to sell the (completely privately funded, btw) Rose Garden and the Blazers together to a local interest. Plus the Blazers are in a deal to play half of their games in the Rose Garden for some stupid length of time. So, regardless of ownership (Allen or somebody else local - former Blazer Terry Porter and the founder of Hollywood Video, a local company, were rumored as interested in buying the team as heads of an ownership group last year), the Blazers will be in Portland - and I couldn't be happier.

The Sonics probably won't move - their ownership group is looking at arena possibilities in the surrounding area, including Bellevue and Renton IIRC. Though that OKC tie is a nasty sword hanging over the teams' and fans' heads, I think they'll be out of Key and into a newer facility in the 206 area code (NOT oklahoma ) sooner rather than later. I hope they don't move, though I hate the Lakers more it's nice having the Seattle-Portland interplay.

the Hornets will return to NO for next year, that's been confirmed, and I hope they can settle there.

This leaves the Kings as the most likely candidates to go elsewhere.

[OMMF]

Portland's not moving anywhere - that Allen is buying back the arena would allow him to sell the (completely privately funded, btw) Rose Garden and the Blazers together to a local interest. Plus the Blazers are in a deal to play half of their games in the Rose Garden for some stupid length of time. So, regardless of ownership (Allen or somebody else local - former Blazer Terry Porter and the founder of Hollywood Video, a local company, were rumored as interested in buying the team as heads of an ownership group last year), the Blazers will be in Portland - and I couldn't be happier.

The Sonics probably won't move - their ownership group is looking at arena possibilities in the surrounding area, including Bellevue and Renton IIRC. Though that OKC tie is a nasty sword hanging over the teams' and fans' heads, I think they'll be out of Key and into a newer facility in the 206 area code (NOT oklahoma ) sooner rather than later. I hope they don't move, though I hate the Lakers more it's nice having the Seattle-Portland interplay.

the Hornets will return to NO for next year, that's been confirmed, and I hope they can settle there.

This leaves the Kings as the most likely candidates to go elsewhere.

I'll let you slide because, outside of Portland and Eugene, I couldn't tell you anything about Oregon area codes, but there is no possible way the new Sonics arena would be in the 206. 253 or 425, yes, but no 206. Speaking of, there was a bill proposed today or yesterday that will let the state spend $300 million on a new arena for the Sonics.

edit: J H. C 3200 posts? I need a hobby.

[harperdc]

there's only one other area code in Oregon besides 503 and 541, and it's for Portland cell phones. Seattle's got more then the entire state. Just trying to say that they'll be in Seattle as opposed to the Central time zone, you know?

I guess $300 mil is a nice way to try and ensure the team stays. Funny, I thought just a year and a half ago they were against public money for that...hmm. Ah well. and if it's state money, I guess it wouldn't matter what county the stadium would be in, right?

[OMMF]

there's only one other area code in Oregon besides 503 and 541, and it's for Portland cell phones. Seattle's got more then the entire state. Just trying to say that they'll be in Seattle as opposed to the Central time zone, you know?

I hear ya. Just giving you a small hard time.

I guess $300 mil is a nice way to try and ensure the team stays. Funny, I thought just a year and a half ago they were against public money for that...hmm. Ah well. and if it's state money, I guess it wouldn't matter what county the stadium would be in, right?

Here's the article. Kind of sucks that on the same day as that hearing, the Thunderbirds (WHL) also have their hearing to get a small amount of state funding for their arena in Kent. By the way, the senator who proposed the bill is from Renton, one of the locations on the very short list to build the new arena. So, I guess she has ulterior motives than saving her favorite basketball team?

Washington state Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, will sponsor a bill in the next few days that calls for a $300 million tax package to help pay for a new arena for the Seattle SuperSonics.

The bill to finance the new arena, which is estimated to cost more than $500 million, will call for the extension of taxes on rental cars, hotels and restaurants in King County, according to staff members in Prentice's office.

Prentice sought to minimize the effect the extension of those taxes would have on most Washington residents.

"The taxes on hotels, motels and rental cars are not the taxes most of us pay," Prentice said. "But we do eat out. If I were to go out twice a week and spend $100 each time, how much additional tax will I have paid at the end of the year? Not much."

Sonics spokesman Jim Kneeland said a rough version of the funding package and arena plans will be introduced this week in preparation for a Feb. 13 hearing of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Sonics Chairman Clayton Bennett will appear at the Feb. 13 hearing. It's possible Bennett will announce the site for the new arena, but not certain, Kneeland said.

The team is currently considering two sites for the proposed arena. One is in Renton, near The Landing, the city's mixed-use retail and housing development. The other, in Bellevue, is on "auto row," near the Bellevue central business district.

"If we get the site selected by the 13th, then that's great," Kneeland said. "But there are issues with both cities that we're still contending with."

Those issues include parking, traffic and pedestrian access to and from the proposed arena, Kneeland said.

Prentice has been the sole voice of support in the Legislature for the Sonics. However, she thinks that once the complete package is unveiled, more legislators will throw their support behind it.

Also at the Feb. 13 hearing, public funding will be discussed for a proposed $80 million rodeo facility in Centralia and the proposed $50 million Kent Event Center, which would be anchored by the Seattle Thunderbirds hockey team.

[Guest]

Kings have a good shot, and nobody would really miss em. And itd give Sac the motivation it needs to take a shot at trying to grab an MLB team.

Does getting rid of the basketball team in Sacramento somehow get rid of the baseball teams in San Francisco and Oakland?

I think the Hornets need to stay in Oklahoma City. They never really worked in New Orleans before, and they're certainly not going to work now. I mean, the Saints have been a part of New Orleans for over 40 years. Hornets? Three. Plus, we're dealing with eight home dates rather than 41. I just think this is ill-advised, especially if the Hornets are going to be tax-supported the way the Saints are. There are so many priorities for tax dollars above the New Orleans Hornets.

[leedsunited]

This leaves the Kings as the most likely candidates to go elsewhere.

And this is what sucks about pro sports. The Kings fans don't deserve one bit of that. They've sold out the place every night, even when the team wasn't worth even watching.

And yes, they'd be missed. The Kings are the only game in town up there in the metro Sacramento area.

[MadmanLA]

Given that they play in the nation's 9th-largest TV market and one of the NBA's TV partners is based there (TNT), the Hawks for above reason alone won't leave Atlanta. Yeah, the Hawks have sucked the last eight years now, plus the fact for a market of its size and its historically-horrible fan support (even through the Dominique years), but to the NBA, Atlanta is too big of a market for the NBA to abandon.

The Magic are staying put in Orlando...back around December, the Magic and the Orlando local government signed a deal to build a new arena in or around the area where the current arena is located.

Sacramento is a different case altogether. For a season in the mid-90s, the Kings have regularly sold-out their home games in the 22 years they've been in the State Capital. They're a mid-sized market as well (they're the 19th or 20th largest TV market in America; they usually flip-flop positions every year), so they're certainly bigger than San Antonio, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, Memphis, Oklahoma City, New Orleans. To me, it's kinda iffy if they do get a new arena...in fact, the last ballot measure back in November to help fund the money for the potential arena got voted down, so the Maloofs and the Sacramento government are trying to save face and come up with solutions. It can also be tied into the fact the Maloofs and the local Comcast cable system created this new cable sports network centered around the Kings, University of California (Berkeley), and other sports they took from FSN Bay Area. If I were Comcast, and the Kings left Sacramento for another market, I wouldn't be too happy.

[Original6]

The kings moving would be bad because they have some of the best fans in the NBA (Arco is a nut house in the playoffs).

If ANY team moves, move those grizzlies somewhere, their best average season attendance still belongs to the city of Vancouver, and Memphis has had playoff teams! Something the grizzlies fans in Vancouver could only dream about.

Other than that, I don't think we should pick on fan bases just because they are in markets that are smaller or you may not desire. I mean look at the sixers attendance this year, but no one's going after them.

[rams80]

The kings moving would be bad because they have some of the best fans in the NBA (Arco is a nut house in the playoffs).

If ANY team moves, move those grizzlies somewhere, their best average season attendance still belongs to the city of Vancouver, and Memphis has had playoff teams! Something the grizzlies fans in Vancouver could only dream about.

Other than that, I don't think we should pick on fan bases just because they are in markets that are smaller or you may not desire. I mean look at the sixers attendance this year, but no one's going after them.

You truly are an idiot

Look at the Sixer's record this year. Look at the Sixer's current roster. THAT'S WHY ATTENDANCE IS DOWN!!!

(Finally, consider their market size and their relatively new arena).

[infrared41]

Jesus, expansion has been the death knell for both the NFL and the NHL.

MLB too. The quality of play has suffered something awful in "the Big Four" since the expansion craze of the 90's. The NFL has fared the best and The NBA has been the worst but overall expansion has made every league worse that it was before expansion. I know it's going to sound like I'm just an old guy longing for the "good old days" but if you watch any of the sports from the 80's and compare them to today it's readily apparent what all the expansion has done to the quality of the product. No where is it more obvious than in the NBA. The last thing the NBA needs is more bad teams filled with bad players. All the proof you need is in the "oh yeah I forgot Charlotte even had a team" posts.

[Mac the Knife]

The Clippers were rumored to move to Anaheim into the Duck Pond. The T-wolves are locked into a long-term lease that is pretty air-tight. I would guess that the Sonics and Hornets will "fight" for Oklahoma City. Shortly thereafter, the NBA will announce expansion into KC, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Buffalo, Columbus and Tampa Bay

Would David Stern be committed to an asylum immediately after that announcement? There isn't enough TALENT for 36 teams.

I disagree. In fact, I honestly think the NBA could support as many teams as it wants to have, be that number 30, 32, 40, or 72.

A basketball team roster has what? 15 players? Compare this with Major League Baseball at 25 and the NFL at 53 per team. Now, can anyone in their right mind argue that, especially with the worldwide talent base the NBA taps from, there are only 450 NBA-level players on the Earth at any given time? No.

So if circumstances are right from a business perspective, expand to whatever number. The talent will be there. As for relocations, I think the Sonics are eventually going to OKC once the Hornets return to New Orleans (which they will), but that'll be about it.

Considering how the majority of NBA teams (aside from the anointed 5 that always seem to be in the mix) languish in perpetual mediocrity, yes, there's not enough talent to handle 32 teams, let alone 36. For example, check the D-league, and tell me how wide a gulf there is between the level of play there and in the NBA.

The D-League is a poor example; those who just miss the cut in the NBA nowadays are going to European leagues. The D-League is at best the AA level of basketball worldwide.

[PittsburghSucks]

The Clippers were rumored to move to Anaheim into the Duck Pond. The T-wolves are locked into a long-term lease that is pretty air-tight. I would guess that the Sonics and Hornets will "fight" for Oklahoma City. Shortly thereafter, the NBA will announce expansion into KC, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Buffalo, Columbus and Tampa Bay

The NBA will NOT go to Columbus. The Cavaliers market to Columbus and would not let that happen.

[Original6]

The kings moving would be bad because they have some of the best fans in the NBA (Arco is a nut house in the playoffs).

If ANY team moves, move those grizzlies somewhere, their best average season attendance still belongs to the city of Vancouver, and Memphis has had playoff teams! Something the grizzlies fans in Vancouver could only dream about.

Other than that, I don't think we should pick on fan bases just because they are in markets that are smaller or you may not desire. I mean look at the sixers attendance this year, but no one's going after them.

You truly are an idiot

Look at the Sixer's record this year. Look at the Sixer's current roster. THAT'S WHY ATTENDANCE IS DOWN!!!

(Finally, consider their market size and their relatively new arena).

Yeah I know why they aren't being supported right now, I'm just saying they get the benefit of the doubt while people have the tendency to point out small markets that should move who have played bad in recent years. Even with a crappy team, there is no reason that the sixers should have that miserable of attendance seeing how many people live in that city. I mean dead last in the NBA?

Jesus, expansion has been the death knell for both the NFL and the NHL.

MLB too. The quality of play has suffered something awful in "the Big Four" since the expansion craze of the 90's. The NFL has fared the best and The NBA has been the worst but overall expansion has made every league worse that it was before expansion. I know it's going to sound like I'm just an old guy longing for the "good old days" but if you watch any of the sports from the 80's and compare them to today it's readily apparent what all the expansion has done to the quality of the product. No where is it more obvious than in the NBA. The last thing the NBA needs is more bad teams filled with bad players. All the proof you need is in the "oh yeah I forgot Charlotte even had a team" posts.

I have to disagree, the NHL faired the worst. There is not enough talent in hockey to field 30 good teams and that's why it has been so god awful boring the last decade.