Vancouver Pacers?

[BB61]

(Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pacers... )

[The_Admiral]

Oh, I guess Indianapolis is paying the Pacers to stay put.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Yes, the new deal ensures they stay through 2013. After that, the team can pay a declining penalty every year though 2020 to leave. I'd say it doesn't look good, but aren't the Kings (arena), T-Wolves (arena (?) and GM is destroying team), and apparently now Pistons bigger threats to move?

[ltjets21]

Pro sports is becoming freaking ridiculous. Let's build a new arena or stadium for each team every 5 years! Lame.

I'm not disagreeing with the sentiment (although if most of the 20-year-old parks are being torn down or remodeled there's a reason for that).

That's not what's going on in this case, though.

I don't want to be an ass, but what 20 year old stadiums are being torn down or remodeled?

[IceCap]

Yes, the new deal ensures they stay through 2013. After that, the team can pay a declining penalty every year though 2020 to leave. I'd say it doesn't look good, but aren't the Kings (arena), T-Wolves (arena (?) and GM is destroying team), and apparently now Pistons bigger threats to move?

The Pistons? They may get a new building in the greater Detroit area, but they aren't leaving the market. If they do I'll eat my keyboard.

[The_Admiral]

It's unbelievable and sad that the NBA is failing in Indianapolis. They gotta get over the Stephen Jackson thing already.

[crashcarson15]

It's unbelievable and sad that the NBA is failing in Indianapolis. They gotta get over the Stephen Jackson thing already.

They're trying to rebuild their image with boring, slow white guys.

That said, I'm not the only one that'd rather go to a high school basketball game (or play in one in my case) on a Friday or Saturday night than go down and watch the Pacers.

[rams80]

It's unbelievable and sad that the NBA is failing in Indianapolis. They gotta get over the Stephen Jackson thing already.

Not really. Indiana's love for basketball seems to have always had an inverse relationship to the age and skill of the players. High School-WOOHOO that is awesome, although not as awesome as when they had one tournament. College: We are loyal to our myriad universities, especially when they are good. But we aren't paying for garbage; if you suck, we won't be there. NBA: There's basketball after college? Why? Well, if they're good we can support them. Except they aren't good.

[TBGKon]

Yes, the new deal ensures they stay through 2013. After that, the team can pay a declining penalty every year though 2020 to leave. I'd say it doesn't look good, but aren't the Kings (arena), T-Wolves (arena (?) and GM is destroying team), and apparently now Pistons bigger threats to move?

Out of your 3 options, I'd say the Kings are top option to relocate. The Pistons would look in Metro Detroit first, possibly teaming up with the Red Wings on a venue. As for Minny, if they were to look for a new arena, I'd look no further than St. Paul and the Wild's arena.

[The_Admiral]

Well then they're a bunch of gomers if they'd rather watch awkward teens than NBA players, even if their NBA players suck. What an odd state.

I'd love to see the Timberwolves exiled from the Twin Cities after they made it prohibitively difficult for the North Stars to move into the Target Center. :censored:heels.

[chuckymack]

I've never understood Indiana's fascination with high school sports. I know the majority of people around here would absolutely rather watch the Salem Lions than the Indianapolis Colts or the Indiana Pacers. I've been asked on numerous occasions to go to a sporting event at my old high school, and my only response is, "Why?"

I never get a decent answer.

[The_Admiral]

Real talk: you can't support a high school sports team after you've graduated.

[dfwabel]

Pro sports is becoming freaking ridiculous. Let's build a new arena or stadium for each team every 5 years! Lame.

I'm not disagreeing with the sentiment (although if most of the 20-year-old parks are being torn down or remodeled there's a reason for that).

That's not what's going on in this case, though.

I don't want to be an ass, but what 20 year old stadiums are being torn down or remodeled?

Torn down: Charlotte Coliseum II

Mothballed: Great American Pyramid (Memphis)

[CubsFanBudMan]

Yes, the new deal ensures they stay through 2013. After that, the team can pay a declining penalty every year though 2020 to leave. I'd say it doesn't look good, but aren't the Kings (arena), T-Wolves (arena (?) and GM is destroying team), and apparently now Pistons bigger threats to move?

The Pistons? They may get a new building in the greater Detroit area, but they aren't leaving the market. If they do I'll eat my keyboard.

I would have thought the same thing a few days ago, and had heard as much (new downtown arena for Red Wings-Pistons) but the Detroit Free Press just did a story on David Stern refusing to say the Pistons would be staying (they're for sale) and now the Las Vegas Sun came out today saying that a Vegas group has an NBA team "under contract" to move if an arena is built. I've always thought the Kings were the most likely to move to Vegas because of the Maloofs, but who knows. I figure if the Free Press is taking relocation seriously, then maybe it is. I've wondered if cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh with 3 or more major teams would be able to sustain all of them indefinitely in this economy...

(Sorry for no links...on the run using BB.)

[The_Admiral]

Stern's just talking a good game. The Pistons had league-leading attendance until the team got terrible this year, and they're one of the most profitable teams in the league: they make more, much more, than the Celtics, Heat, Knicks, 76ers, and pretty much everyone that's not the Bulls or Lakers. They have one of the best and most lucrative arenas in the league. They're way more valuable in greater Detroit than they are in Las Vegas.

I can see the Cavaliers moving, though.

[dfwabel]

Yes, the new deal ensures they stay through 2013. After that, the team can pay a declining penalty every year though 2020 to leave. I'd say it doesn't look good, but aren't the Kings (arena), T-Wolves (arena (?) and GM is destroying team), and apparently now Pistons bigger threats to move?

The Pistons? They may get a new building in the greater Detroit area, but they aren't leaving the market. If they do I'll eat my keyboard.

I would have thought the same thing a few days ago, and had heard as much (new downtown arena for Red Wings-Pistons) but the Detroit Free Press just did a story on David Stern refusing to say the Pistons would be staying (they're for sale) and now the Las Vegas Sun came out today saying that a Vegas group has an NBA team "under contract" to move if an arena is built. I've always thought the Kings were the most likely to move to Vegas because of the Maloofs, but who knows. I figure if the Free Press is taking relocation seriously, then maybe it is. I've wondered if cities like Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh with 3 or more major teams would be able to sustain all of them indefinitely in this economy...

(Sorry for no links...on the run using BB.)

One month ago, the Clark (Las Vegas) County Commission heard from three different arena groups.

Group #1: The Arena Foundation, a nonprofit group, sought to build a $488 million arena on land that Harrah?s Entertainment owns behind Imperial Palace.

Group #2: Led by Vegas developer Gary Goett wanted to build a $600 million arena on property he owns on the Strip.

The groups 1 and 2 aimed to finance their projects through a sales tax on the resort corridor and bonds. They both proposed putting an advisory question on the ballot asking residents about creating a sales tax that would mainly affect tourists. The County Commission said no.

Group #3: Chris Milam is the guy who has said that he has a team in place to move if a facility is build. He does not want immediate tax dollars, but rather wants the county to revive the mothballed redevelopment district off Sahara Avenue. Tax money from the district would begin flowing to the arena after it opened and total $125 million over two decades. No bonds would be used. His estimate was that this would only cost taxpayers 15-20% of the total cost. He also got a no.

I say bullsh since he did not tell them 30 days ago that he had a team ready to move.

[chakfu]

Oh, and what's the town here that's been associated with all the KKK stuff?

Terre Haute IIRC.

Elwood.

Suburban Detroit seems racist in a different, maybe worse, way to me. Rural Indiana seems like it's openly racist people who don't know any minorities. Suburban Detroit seems like covertly racist people who are surrounded by diversity. I'm not sure which I like less.

[chakfu]

It's unbelievable and sad that the NBA is failing in Indianapolis. They gotta get over the Stephen Jackson thing already.

Not really. Indiana's love for basketball seems to have always had an inverse relationship to the age and skill of the players. High School-WOOHOO that is awesome, although not as awesome as when they had one tournament. College: We are loyal to our myriad universities, especially when they are good. But we aren't paying for garbage; if you suck, we won't be there. NBA: There's basketball after college? Why? Well, if they're good we can support them. Except they aren't good.

I've always suspected a racial component when I hear people talk about how they like college basketball but not pro.

Another thing that I've always thought about is the old "Hoosiers" argument for a single state basketball tournament without classes. I think proponents of that system were always big schools who are amused at the thought of seeing an occasional Cinderella run. As a student from a small school, I know we didn't like seeing our school with a near guaranteed exit in the 2nd round or so, the first moment we met a school 10x our size.

[The_Admiral]

I've always suspected a racial component when I hear people talk about how they like college basketball but not pro.

This according to a new study in the medical journal "DUH."

[crashcarson15]

It's unbelievable and sad that the NBA is failing in Indianapolis. They gotta get over the Stephen Jackson thing already.

Not really. Indiana's love for basketball seems to have always had an inverse relationship to the age and skill of the players. High School-WOOHOO that is awesome, although not as awesome as when they had one tournament. College: We are loyal to our myriad universities, especially when they are good. But we aren't paying for garbage; if you suck, we won't be there. NBA: There's basketball after college? Why? Well, if they're good we can support them. Except they aren't good.

I've always suspected a racial component when I hear people talk about how they like college basketball but not pro.

Another thing that I've always thought about is the old "Hoosiers" argument for a single state basketball tournament without classes. I think proponents of that system were always big schools who are amused at the thought of seeing an occasional Cinderella run. As a student from a small school, I know we didn't like seeing our school with a near guaranteed exit in the 2nd round or so, the first moment we met a school 10x our size.

As someone who (reluctantly) goes to a small private school in Indiana, I wouldn't want to be playing Carmel or North Central (both enrollment over 4,000 students) being from a school with 200 kids. It'd feel like there would be nothing to play for. There's no way in hell there'd ever be another Milan. The only way it'd happen would be with a private school (which most people around here hate anyways when it comes to sports).