Next Move Or Expansion

[Brian in Boston]

From the world of minor-pro sports...

The Casper Ghosts of MiLB's Pioneer League have been bought by Charlie and Dick Montfort. Charlie is the Chairman and CEO of the Colorado Rockies, while Dick is the Rockies' Vice Chairman. In the wake of the purchase, there's been some talk that the Montforts may relocate the franchise to Grand Junction, Colorado.

[youcan'tseeme]

For what it's worth, I think that Rider Pride can carry over to an NHL team in the province of Saskatchewan.

In all fairness, the CFL (and I love the CFL, don't get me wrong here) is a different story. A) it doesn't have to worry about the american dollar. the players aren't getting paid as much and C) it's much more affordable to attend CFL games.

What does the American dollar have to about this? It's not the mid-90s anymore.

Isn't our dollar higher currently anyways and supposed to stay there for a while? Plus the salary cap is in place. I feel a team could easily survive in the current system in Saskatoon, that being said. Winnipeg, Quebec City, Hamilton, Hartford, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Seattle, Portland,Toronto, Norfolk, heck maybe even Frankfurt, Kentucky will all get shots before we see the toon's turn.

[McCall]

Just a little update on the Hornets' situation...

Larry Ellison, who lost out in buying the Golden State Warriors, has mentioned buying the New Orleans Hornets and moving them to San Jose. I'm surprised that nobody else noticed this yet.

The Hornets' average attendance (at the time of this posting) is at 14,116, while, according to this article at Bleacher Report, the benchmark seems to have been lowered to 14,213 from 14,735. According to the article, they have until January 17 to reach over 14,213. The home games up to (and including) that date are:

Orlando, Jan. 12 and

Toronto, Jan. 17.

If my math is right, for these next 2 games, the Hornets would need to average 14,262 to hit that lower mark. If it's the older mark, then they need to average 15,045 to hit that mark.

A team in San Jose wouldn't be such a bad idea, as long as the Kings are in fact leaving. While Sactown is not in the Bay Area metro region, it is Northern California, and I don't know if there needs to be 3 teams up there. 3 in Southern Cal could probably work (2 in LA area, 1 in San Diego), but not northern. And San Jose is an underrated sports city. I think the A's would be better off down there and basketball should work too. Plus, since they'd technically be only the second team in the actual city of San Jose, it pleases David Stern's odd goal of being the only team or one of only 2 teams in a market.

[The_Admiral]

They would still be sharing SF/Oakland/SJ media coverage with the Warriors, to say nothing of the 49ers, Giants, Raiders, A's, and Sharks.

[Drakonius26]

As far as relocation is concerned, I would hate to see it, just because unlike most of us I could imagine some kid being a die-hard Florida Panthers fan and getting upset at the prospect of their favorite team moving. That being said here would be my Top Five list for relocation...

1. Minnesota Vikings - No stadium + No team + State Deficits = No Chance (expect it to be gutted, as they have a ton of free agents like Sidney Rice, Chad Greenway, Ben Leber, and Pat Williams seek greener pastures).

2. Florida Panthers - The posterchild for contraction moves north of the border, as the NHL finally admits (because we know Gary Bettman won't) their sunbelt expansion plans (that have been as successful as the CFL-USA plan was in the 1990's) was a failure.

3. Atlanta Thrashers - See above.

4. Carolina Hurricanes - See above.

t5. Phoenix Coyotes - See above.

t5. Jacksonville Jaguars - I just don't like or trust them or their glorified college football stadium to be around for much longer.

[UnclearInitial]

Kings on the move?

[dfwabel]

Even thought AEG has not agreed to terms with the City/County of Los Angeles, they are close to securing naming rights to the proposed downtown stadium

From the story:

Backers of an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles are close to completing a primary naming-rights deal with Farmers Insurance, sources familiar with the negotiations told The Times.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the project, said AEG was originally hoping for a 30-year deal starting at $20 million a year, with annual increases as part of the agreement. The current terms are not known, however.

[Drakonius26]

Even thought AEG has not agreed to terms with the City/County of Los Angeles, they are close to securing naming rights to the proposed downtown stadium

From the story:

Backers of an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles are close to completing a primary naming-rights deal with Farmers Insurance, sources familiar with the negotiations told The Times.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the project, said AEG was originally hoping for a 30-year deal starting at $20 million a year, with annual increases as part of the agreement. The current terms are not known, however.

Well, in response to my last post, it looks like the Vikings are done, and now the Florida Panthers are on the clock.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

I know this topic has been beaten dead, but the Maloofs are now exploring Anaheim as a possible relocation site.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/260212-maloof-open-to-relocating-kings

[DustDevil61]

I know this topic has been beaten dead, but the Maloofs are now exploring Anaheim as a possible relocation site.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/260212-maloof-open-to-relocating-kings

I sure hope that the Kings don't give up Sacramento for Anaheim. There's already 2 teams in the greater LA area, one of which is already the red-headed stepchild of the market (though historically it's not just because of market size, but rather ownership)*, and there are other cities that would be more than glad to have an NBA team (Seattle, Kansas City, Las Vegas).

I would find it interesting if an NBA team moved to Las Vegas; I could see a rivalry of sorts start up between the Phoenix Suns or Utah Jazz and the Las Vegas Kings, and it could work...if done right.

Wasn't Steve Ballmer, who's the head candidate for a Seattle ownership, thinking about buying a struggling team and moving it there?

*Keeping in mind that recently Clippers ownership has only recently started to make efforts towards fielding a competitive team, or at least give fans a reason to come out to watch the Clip Show...

[dfwabel]

I know this topic has been beaten dead, but the Maloofs are now exploring Anaheim as a possible relocation site.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/260212-maloof-open-to-relocating-kings

I would find it interesting if an NBA team moved to Las Vegas; I could see a rivalry of sorts start up between the Phoenix Suns or Utah Jazz and the Las Vegas Kings, and it could work...if done right.

The Thomas&Mack Center is not a facility which Stern thinks is viable. There were three different arena proposals by three developers, but in June 2010 they were told no public money.

[ns80]

NHL

Phoenix Coyotes ---------> Winnipeg Jets

Atlanta Thrashers--------> Quebec Nordiques

Put Phoenix and Atlanta in the ECHL with the Roadrunners and Knights. Yes, there should be hockey in the south, but in the minors, not the pros.

For the future, possible two team expansion and go back to four divisions. Put a team in Hamilton and one out west in either Seattle or Portland.

NFL

A team in Los Angeles, whether it be the Vikings or Jaguars, as the latter would be the better fit.

MLB

Go back to four divisions instead of six. It was a lot better back then. Would give teams like the Rangers (not that they didn't defy most odds last year) a fair shot where they would play more teams in their time zone.

NBA

It still exists??? The NBA has not been the same since Jordan retired.

[rams80]

As an avid hockey fan, and no disrespect to some fans... but something has got to give.

Everytime you watch highlight film of a Phoenix or Atlanta home game the seats are empty. I know things aren't going to change with Bettman in charge, as he is more stubborn than a bull. But c'mon isn't it time to stop financial losses and try new cities? These cities have had more than their fair share of time to get the ball rolling.

The people of Winnipeg and Quebec City and begging and pleading for the NHL to come back. Send the Coyotes back to Winnipeg and find a suitable owner for the Thrashers in Quebec City. Dust off the old Jets and Nordiques uniforms and be done with it. Maybe then the NHL fans would shut up about relocation and be done with it. No other teams in the league needs to move.

Go back to four divisions, and make each conference 8/7. That IMHO would fix the NHL and make it top-notch, not that it isn't far from it.

And the Le Colisee replacement is where Mr. Avid Hockey Fan?

[ns80]

rams80 wrote:

And the Le Colisee replacement is where Mr. Avid Hockey Fan?

...a frozen pond with a hot dog stand would draw more people than in Atlanta

[rams80]

rams80 wrote:

And the Le Colisee replacement is where Mr. Avid Hockey Fan?

...a frozen pond with a hot dog stand would draw more people than in Atlanta

Yes, but the NIFL route doesn't exactly present a good league image either.

[UnclearInitial]

Even thought AEG has not agreed to terms with the City/County of Los Angeles, they are close to securing naming rights to the proposed downtown stadium

From the story:

Backers of an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles are close to completing a primary naming-rights deal with Farmers Insurance, sources familiar with the negotiations told The Times.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the project, said AEG was originally hoping for a 30-year deal starting at $20 million a year, with annual increases as part of the agreement. The current terms are not known, however.

Naming rights of a stadium that doesn't exist, for a team that is not there and might choose a different stadium? This is getting ridiculous

[CubsFanBudMan]

We all lose? The UFL's Florida Tuskers are becoming the Virginia Destroyers.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Just a little update on the Hornets' situation...

Larry Ellison, who lost out in buying the Golden State Warriors, has mentioned buying the New Orleans Hornets and moving them to San Jose. I'm surprised that nobody else noticed this yet.

The Hornets' average attendance (at the time of this posting) is at 14,116, while, according to this article at Bleacher Report, the benchmark seems to have been lowered to 14,213 from 14,735. According to the article, they have until January 17 to reach over 14,213. The home games up to (and including) that date are:

Orlando, Jan. 12 and

Toronto, Jan. 17.

If my math is right, for these next 2 games, the Hornets would need to average 14,262 to hit that lower mark. If it's the older mark, then they need to average 15,045 to hit that mark.

Interesting. Thanks for the stats, I'd been meaning to look those up. Seems they're close enough to get it done. If New Orleans can't sellout two games to lock the franchise in...

As for San Jose, that wasn't on anyone's short list that I saw, and understanably so as you'd think the N. Calif. market is already at capacity. Money talks though, and that article makes some sense out of the Warriors' high sale price.

Perhaps the thought is that any Warriors fanbase lost in one direction might be made up for by an eventual Kings exit from another?

EDIT: Found the edit button on mobile and cleaned up this sloppy post.

13,688 for the first game.

So if I'm adjusting DustDevil's numbers correctly, now they need either 14,836 or 16,402 on Jan. 17, depending on which target they must hit (14,213 from 14,735).

[Still MIGHTY]

I know this topic has been beaten dead, but the Maloofs are now exploring Anaheim as a possible relocation site.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/260212-maloof-open-to-relocating-kings

While Anaheim Ducks and Anaheim Arena Management owner Henry Samueli has stated numerous times his goal to bring an NBA team to Anaheim, it would just be weird to have a team there with the Lakers and Clippers in LA.

The Lakers have cornered the market for professional basketball in the area. And whatever anti-Lakers sentiment that isn't held by transplant fans is filled by the Clippers. I just don't see where these new fans would come from, especially if the team sucks, and especially if they're going to be worse than the Clippers. I really don't know how many fans you could steal from the Lakers and Clippers. Sure there is a ton of people in the LA/OC area, but I don't know if there's enough actual basketball fandom for 3 teams. San Diego would be perfectly fine for another SoCal team, because really San Diego is in it's own bubble with the buffer zone of Camp Pendleton.

And plus, they would really have to change the Kings name. You can't have a team named the Kings playing in the same arena as the Ducks, when the Ducks SoCal rival is the Kings and plays in downtown LA. That would need to be changed or be really awkward to have Ducks and Kings ads/signage next to each other, even if it's the other Kings.

[dfwabel]

Even thought AEG has not agreed to terms with the City/County of Los Angeles, they are close to securing naming rights to the proposed downtown stadium

From the story:

Backers of an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles are close to completing a primary naming-rights deal with Farmers Insurance, sources familiar with the negotiations told The Times.

The sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the project, said AEG was originally hoping for a 30-year deal starting at $20 million a year, with annual increases as part of the agreement. The current terms are not known, however.

Naming rights of a stadium that doesn't exist, for a team that is not there and might choose a different stadium? This is getting ridiculous

It is all about getting your financing in line before you hit the city/county. Sadly, the 49ers did not do this with their Santa Clara project. The city voted for their share and their contribution should not go up every year this project is delayed. The 49ers, on the other hand, are still looking for primary financing, not just naming rights.