NBA to Vegas?

[lawrence]

Please be Vancouver. We have a huge Chinese and Filipino population a long with the local fans that will automatically support a nba team even if they at best win 14 games a season, please bring it back to Vancity oh cmon please, they owe us this one!

 

[lawrence]

NBA isn't giving Canada another team. At least cities that are not Montreal or Vancouver anyway. Too small by NBA standards.

wth, Vancouver has a bigger population base then most current nba cities.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

wth, Vancouver has a bigger population base then most current nba cities.

Reread what I said. I said if NBA is going to Canada its only Vancouver and Montreal, as OTHER cities not Vancouver or Montreal are too small.

 

[Stephen]

What's a natural fit? You think NBA in Utah and Denver are natural fits? I don't see the difference.

By no means do I think it makes sense but its not because of culture. its mostly size and my guess is that NBA doesn't want more Canadian teams, for US TV ratings purposes.

I don’t think it’s a “cultural” issue, as you’re implying. Outside of the NHL, Alberta is a non factor in the Big 4 sports leagues and both cities would be a step down from Vancouver and Montreal. Also trying to convince a multimillionaire NBA player to not only cross the Canada US border on a regular basis, which they don’t seem to enjoy even coming to Toronto, but to have to split time living between two cities 300 km (186 miles) away from one another just seems implausible.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

I don’t think it’s a “cultural” issue, as you’re implying. Outside of the NHL, Alberta is a non factor in the Big 4 sports leagues and both cities would be a step down from Vancouver and Montreal. Also trying to convince a multimillionaire NBA player to not only cross the Canada US border on a regular basis, which they don’t seem to enjoy even coming to Toronto, but to have to split time living between two cities 300 km (186 miles) away from one another just seems implausible.

A lot of NBA players seem to dislike city's that have colder weather in the winter Its not just Toronto.

 

[generalshepherd141]

Vegas is way too small of a market to handle 3 major pro sports teams. Not enough entertainment $ to go around. Imagine in Octobers when all 3 of its teams would be playing at the same time? At least one of the Knights/Raiders/LV NBA team would struggle mightily in this scenario.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

In increasing the number of division games, there would be more games against the teams that fans of each team hate the most. And more division games also benefits the TV networks carrying NBA games, especially when it comes to the Southwest Division, whose teams are frequently on ABC, ESPN and TNT.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

I don’t think it’s a “cultural” issue, as you’re implying. Outside of the NHL, Alberta is a non factor in the Big 4 sports leagues and both cities would be a step down from Vancouver and Montreal. Also trying to convince a multimillionaire NBA player to not only cross the Canada US border on a regular basis, which they don’t seem to enjoy even coming to Toronto, but to have to split time living between two cities 300 km (186 miles) away from one another just seems implausible.

Like I said, the rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton would prevent either city from hosting an NBA team on a full-time basis. And it is helped by the fact that each city would alternate hosting the first 21 home games of the season and the last 20. Thus, players would only need to change homes once a season. And only essential items would travel between the homes.

 

[Stephen]

Like I said, the rivalry between Calgary and Edmonton would prevent either city from hosting an NBA team on a full-time basis. And it is helped by the fact that each city would alternate hosting the first 21 home games of the season and the last 20. Thus, players would only need to change homes once a season. And only essential items would travel between the homes.

It's a bad idea. No Big 4 pro sports franchise splits its home between any cities, let alone 300 km apart from one another, which is like asking a potential free agent to come and play for your team in Pittsburgh AND Columbus. Imagine selling a guy on that.

 

[PCSPounder]

I'm in favor of putting an NBA team in Sacramento.

(Excuse me for going into a time warp for a moment and thinking the Maloofs still owned the Kings, though I'm challenged to see the improvement besides Golden1.)

 

[Leafmealone11]

Vegas is way too small of a market to handle 3 major pro sports teams. Not enough entertainment $ to go around. Imagine in Octobers when all 3 of its teams would be playing at the same time? At least one of the Knights/Raiders/LV NBA team would struggle mightily in this scenario.

They have 2.4 million people in the area and are a 4 hour drive from LA, I think they can handle it.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

I guess since Calgary is the larger city of the two in Alberta they could have an NBA team to themselves. I'm sure those in Edmonton will support it, it would help matters if the team used "Alberta" as its geographic identifier rather than "Calgary". The two NBA teams who use a state as their geographic identifier do so for good reasons.

Minnesota is used rather than Minneapolis, St. Paul, Minneapolis-St. Paul or Twin Cities. Using one city name alone would likely have alienated fans in the other city, which caused the Lakers to move to LA in 1960. Minneapolis-St. Paul together would be too much of a mouthful. And if MLB rejected the use of "Twin Cities" for the Twins, I would think NBA would not have allowed the name "Twin Cities Timberwolves". Thus, they use Minnesota, also to appeal to the entire state, like the other Twin Cities teams do.

In the case of the Jazz, Utah Jazz flies off the tongue better than Salt Lake City Jazz, or even Salt Lake Jazz, plus again, trying to appeal to the entire state.

But the focus now should be getting into Seattle and Vancouver, the former now that Seattle is building a new arena, in which only the roof of the old one still remains.

Once the new Seattle and Vancouver teams are well-established, at least 20 years, the NBA can then look at going to 36.

 

[GindyDraws]

I'd like an NBA team in Louisville. Assuming U of L is okay with it and the Pacers realize their market value is limited to a smaller region than they think, it could work.

Vegas doesn't need any more teams. The gambling helps but the local population can't afford the ticket prices for the pro teams, and would have to settle for Silver Knights/Aviators minor league action.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Louisville would love another pro basketball team.

They lost the Colonels as a result of the ABA-NBA merger.

 

[Voight]

Shaq wants his 'own group' to run NBA expansion team in Las Vegas

Shaq wants back into NBA ownership

www.cbssports.com

Shaqs done well business wise but he'd surely need investors

 

[StreetHawk]

Shaq wants his 'own group' to run NBA expansion team in Las Vegas

Shaq wants back into NBA ownership

www.cbssports.com

Shaqs done well business wise but he'd surely need investors

LeBron also wants in on a LV team. But with the rate being around $4 bill which was the Suns valuation on their sale in 2022, that is likely the minimum bar for expansion fees. So both need investors.

Vancouver won’t get an nba team unless the Canucks are sold to a much wealthier group. And either Rogers arena is sold with it or the new group finds land in Vancouver to build a new arena.

 

[Voight]

LeBron also wants in on a LV team. But with the rate being around $4 bill which was the Suns valuation on their sale in 2022, that is likely the minimum bar for expansion fees. So both need investors.

Vancouver won’t get an nba team unless the Canucks are sold to a much wealthier group. And either Rogers arena is sold with it or the new group finds land in Vancouver to build a new arena.

I'm presuming Shaq meant he wants to be the face/only NBA player involved in it.

LeBron is 100% going to have the first chance so if hes serious hes going to have no choice but to partner with him.

 

[wildthing202]

Lebron is already with Fenway Sports and they are the favorites to get the eventual Vegas team as far as I know.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

I'm presuming Shaq meant he wants to be the face/only NBA player involved in it.

LeBron is 100% going to have the first chance so if hes serious hes going to have no choice but to partner with him.

LeBron would be the face of FSG's Vegas NBA franchise (he's already a partner)

 

[Voight]

Lebron is already with Fenway Sports and they are the favorites to get the eventual Vegas team as far as I know.

LeBron would be the face of FSG's Vegas NBA franchise (he's already a partner)

Correct - my point was the NBA is virtually guaranteed to give him the first chance at Vegas team, regardless of who the other partners are.

I wouldnt be surprised if his ties to FSG are the reason they are the favourite. They're a reputable group that obviously has a wide range of sports teams under their control and would be a top candidate either way, but I imagine him being partner has a lot to do with them being the frontrunners.

 

[LightningStorm]

My gut instinct at the present moment is the NBA will expand to 32 teams by adding Vegas and Seattle to start their new TV deal in 2025. NBA definitely wants Vegas (as mentioned Shaq and Lebron also want to be a part of that team), while the NBA will also want to come back to Seattle with the new Climate Pledge Arena. I think Minnesota moves to the East in this scenario with how the closest teams to them are already Milwaukee and Chicago.

 

[oknazevad]

I think you've got the general idea, but the timeframe is a little off. The teams wouldn't start that soon, unless they announce them this year.