OT: Would a NBA team succeed in Montreal?

[Michelangelo]

A basketball team has 1000% more chance to succeed in Montreal than a baseball team

 

[JianYang]

I don't think it would be too hard to find investors; the NBA is so profitable these days and a quick market study would ensure the feasibility of the project. There are many billionaires in Québec. I also think Montréal would easily be able to fill seats and there is no need to build a stadium.

Maybe their history of having an NBA team has an influence, but I also don't see how Vancouver is a better market than us. I feel like basketball is more popular around here than it is in Western Canada.

Basketball is very big with the younger crowd here on the west coast.

I feel old now because can see that disconnect I have with the younger crowd seeing as most of them would rather talk about nba.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

In the late '90s Canada stepped up to revitalize the state of hockey in this country with their little Open Ice Summit that helped mandate skills development, etc, etc. The time has long since come for the country to step up again to hold a serious discussion on the actual future of the game in Canada.

More access to the less forunate. I kinda get a chuckle when the NHL have their pride nights and pontificate on how the game is for everyone.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Basketball is very big with the younger crowd here on the west coast.

I feel old now because can see that disconnect I have with the younger crowd seeing as most of them would rather talk about nba.

"LeBRoN iS tHe GOAT!!!"

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

Not really a basket ball fan but i would watch if we had a team here

 

[covfefe]

Any word on who is the group from Montreal that reached out to the nba?

Vancouver has been mentioned for a few years now, but the group linked to that has been the aquilini family which owns the Canucks, and I think they had a problem with the price tag back then, and it isn't any cheaper today.

There is money in bc to own one, but for example, the guy who has traditionally been the richest guy in BC is like 95 years old now and he has never invested in a pro sports team.

mtl group was originated by mark scheinberg who invites some obvious PR issues

More access to the less forunate. I kinda get a chuckle when the NHL have their pride nights and pontificate on how the game is for everyone.

i suspect you would also have an issue with them pontificating on how hockey is only for privileged kids. but i digress.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

mtl group was originated by mark scheinberg who invites some obvious PR issues



i suspect you would also have an issue with them pontificating on how hockey is only for privileged kids. but i digress.

They talk about the game being for everyone, but it's not. I don't mind the pride nights, but it's just empty pandering, tidying up their brand and image, when on the other hand they barely slapped the Hawks' wrist for abetting a sexual predator.

 

[FLHabs]

Having a NBA team in a metro market is not just about your team, but also superstars from other teams coming to visit. NBA is a star driven league and people pay to watch stars play on the court. It would 100% work in Montreal.

On the other hand, I think Mexico City is a horrible idea. There's just something about having the cartels down there that could be a disaster waiting to happen imo. Even worse if you start thinking about sports betting.

 

[sandviper]

"LeBRoN iS tHe GOAT!!!"

Showed this to my son the other day.

 

[HuGo Sham]

with the huge popularity of the game in Montreal, the multi-ethnic flavour of the city and the number of local players in the NBA (Dort, Prosper, Mathurin, Birch etc..) imo, it would absolutely succeed

 

[DaBadGuy7]

Any word on who is the group from Montreal that reached out to the nba?

Vancouver has been mentioned for a few years now, but the group linked to that has been the aquilini family which owns the Canucks, and I think they had a problem with the price tag back then, and it isn't any cheaper today.

There is money in bc to own one, but for example, the guy who has traditionally been the richest guy in BC is like 95 years old now and he has never invested in a pro sports team.

From the reports since 2015 when Silver met with the Canadiens ownership on possible expansion team, it’s likely Molson/Bell.

 

[sandviper]

with the huge popularity of the game in Montreal, the multi-ethnic flavour of the city and the number of local players in the NBA (Dort, Prosper, Mathurin, Birch etc..) imo, it would absolutely succeed

I haven’t always been a Raptors fan… i only started watching basketball in my 40’s. I absolutely LOVE it and having been to all 4 major sports live, the fan experience for basketball is pretty tough to beat.

I also agree that the diversity in the sport would appeal to a city like Montreal. That said, the challenges Toronto has with attracting players will be the same, if not harder, in Montreal. If it happens, there needs to be some money backing the team as the first few years are going to be rough.

 

[Canadiens Ghost]

It might work but I would have little to no interest.
Having a NBA team in Montréal would be like having the Expos 2.0.
A farm team for the richer clubs in the league where we would probably often lose our young stars to free agency.

 

[donghabs98]

I think it's questionable whether Vancouver is a bigger market than Montreal. Certainly from a straight up population standpoint, Montreal is a bigger market.

But Vancouver is a legacy market, and I don't think they were given a fair shake the first time around. For example, the league had a rule where the Grizzlies were not allowed to pick 1st overall for the first five years of their existence. Imagine the course of history if the Grizzlies were able to draft tim Duncan first overall, for example. Of course, this is all sentimental talk, and means nothing from a dollars and cents point of view, which is ultimately what matters.

Im always shocked whenever I read the expansion rules the Raps and Grizzlies had because they are just unfair. How can you expect to build a winner when youre unable to compete in free agency, have players/prospects decline to play for your team and arent able to rely on a top pick to build your team. Its really something the Raptors were able to come out of that (thanks Vince).

I think the leather realizes they messed up in Vancouver so it wouldn't surprised me if they get choosen over Montreal. I do think Montreal will get a team one day, especially with the demographic trends of the city and the growing number of Quebec basketball players.

 

[donghabs98]

I haven’t always been a Raptors fan… i only started watching basketball in my 40’s. I absolutely LOVE it and having been to all 4 major sports live, the fan experience for basketball is pretty tough to beat.

I also agree that the diversity in the sport would appeal to a city like Montreal. That said, the challenges Toronto has with attracting players will be the same, if not harder, in Montreal. If it happens, there needs to be some money backing the team as the first few years are going to be rough.

I think a Montreal team will have to build exclusively through the draft and the European free agent market for at least a number of years. The Raptors struggled mightly pre Masai to get even decent star players to go there, still today they arent in the conversation for superstar players to sign there. Montreal will face the same issue.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

I haven’t always been a Raptors fan… i only started watching basketball in my 40’s. I absolutely LOVE it and having been to all 4 major sports live, the fan experience for basketball is pretty tough to beat.

I also agree that the diversity in the sport would appeal to a city like Montreal. That said, the challenges Toronto has with attracting players will be the same, if not harder, in Montreal. If it happens, there needs to be some money backing the team as the first few years are going to be rough.

If it's the case, Montreal NBA team should focus exclusively on European, Canadian, African or even Asian players. You don't need the americans to win anymore.

 

[JianYang]

Im always shocked whenever I read the expansion rules the Raps and Grizzlies had because they are just unfair. How can you expect to build a winner when youre unable to compete in free agency, have players/prospects decline to play for your team and arent able to rely on a top pick to build your team. Its really something the Raptors were able to come out of that (thanks Vince).

I think the leather realizes they messed up in Vancouver so it wouldn't surprised me if they get choosen over Montreal. I do think Montreal will get a team one day, especially with the demographic trends of the city and the growing number of Quebec basketball players.

Raptors hit the jackpot, and they also got rewarded with another ballsy pick in Tracy McGrady out of high school.

The Grizzlies problem was compounding by all time bad management. Their GM was hired based on a recommendation from David stern, and he never got a sniff of another GM job since.

Another missed opportunity was the chance to bring in the local kid in Steve nash who was buried at the time behind insane depth at the point guard position with the Phoenix suns

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Showed this to my son the other day.

I've seen both players at work and even after 25 years, MJ still amazes me. I rewatch games and analysis videos and wow, I'm still awestruck. He'd be an even more dominant force today with the lax in rules. The way he could cut through 3-4 players all the way to the net in such a physical era was simply unique.

People think it's nostalgia, but it's not. I can't wait to see a player who dominates in a similar fashion. Lebum wasn't that. Close in some regards, but not nearly as close as his fans think.

 

[bcv]

"LeBRoN iS tHe GOAT!!!"

MJ probably had a higher peak (can't confirm, wasn't watching bball then) but LeBron has been doing his thing twice as long as MJ and that, to me, is very valuable and it's why I think I'd take Bron over MJ.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

MJ probably had a higher peak (can't confirm, wasn't watching bball then) but LeBron has been doing his thing twice as long as MJ and that, to me, is very valuable and it's why I think I'd take Bron over MJ.

They are not even comparable. Longevity means nothing when you realize Lebron has dominated less and won less while playing far more games. That longevity didn't get him close to matching Jordan's most impressive feats. Longevity also often happens when players are chasing something, which MJ didn't need, as he had already conquered everything.

Seasons where MJ lead both ppg and total points in both season and playoffs, while also being named defensive 1st team: 8

He also did it 5 times in a row. It will take a long time before anyone gets close to either record. Would probably have done it 10 times in a row if he didnt quit for baseball.

Lebron: 0
Actually, remove the Defensive 1st team nominations and it's still a big fat zero. Lebron had the 2nd most season points 8xtimes, leader only once. 2nd in season ppg 3xtimes, lead only once. Lead playoff points 6xtimes, ppg 3xtimes and lead both only two times. All this in 10 finals appearance.

Wait, you might say! Jordan lead playoff PPG and points 8 times, but only went to the finals 6 times, what gives??? Well Jordan was so dominant he lead both ppg and points while losing in the conference finals the last two years before he won it all. In 89, he lead by 219 points over James worthy. In 90, he lead by 138 points over Drexler. Only Kevin Durant has accomplished this feat once, by 15 points over Lebron in 2014.

In the playoffs, MJ (179 gp) beat both his best opponent and best teammate in points 72% of the time. Lebron 266 gp (before this past season, one which doesnt help Lebron's case) did it 58% of the games. MJ beat his best opponent in 75% of games . Lebron 63%. MJ beat his best teammate 92% of the time. Lebron 75%.

The differences become even more glarring in the finals. MJ beat both (opp & teammate) 71% of the games. Lebron 42%. MJ beat his best opponent 74% of games. Lebron 48%. MJ beat his teammate 92% of the games. Lebron 73%. Lebron's pre-finals vs finals shows he performs much better in pre-finals. For Jordan, it's the opposite.

Contrarily to popular belief, MJ's #1 opponent scored more (24.8 ppg) than Lebron's #1 opponent in the finals (23.0 ppg). For the rest of the playoffs, it's the opposite.

Jordan had 35 finals games. Lebron had 50. Most 35+ pts games 13vs4. Most 30+ pts games 28vs18. Most games under 25 pts 0vs10. Most games scoring 35+% of team points 12vs4. Most games scoring 30+% of team points 30vs16. Under 25% of team points 0vs12.

In his 6 championships, MJ had to go through a top 3 team 10xtimes. In 4 championships, Lebron went through top 3 teams, 3xtimes.

Jordan is the only finals MVP who had only one 10+ ppg teammate in both the entire playoff and finals (1997).

Even if you include a 2ppg for each assist in the playoffs, Jordan still beats Lebron. In fact Jordan had the best finals appearance between the two in terms of assists, with 11.4 apg in 1991.

I could spend hours giving you other stats and arguments.

When it comes to dominating and winning, Jordan's peak flatout beats the entirety of Lebron's long career.

Also, if you pick Lebron, expect him to leave way sooner for another team.

 

[Stoneburg]

The Montreal Canadiens ownership group should be behind an NBA application because they already own the building and this is one more use for the building. Otherwise, it gets complicated.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Showed this to my son the other day.

Lebron wanted to win championships, MJ wanted to will his team to championships.

Two different sports.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Lebron wanted to win championships, MJ wanted to will his team to championships.

Two different sports.

You're quite tame compared to the real Skip when it comes to the GOAT debate.

 

[Skip Bayless]

You're quite tame compared to the real Skip when it comes to the GOAT debate.

I don't consider Lebron James part of the GOAT debate. Not even close.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I don't consider Lebron James part of the GOAT debate. Not even close.

That's more like it.