MMC
Global Moderator
Which Canadian cities (other than Toronto obviously) could support an NBA team? Montreal? Vancouver? Calgary?
Which Canadian cities (other than Toronto obviously) could support an NBA team? Montreal? Vancouver? Calgary?
I dont think 2.5M metro population is too small for NBA.NHL and MLS team.In the short term, I don't think there are any possibilites.
Montreal may be big enough though I believe MLB will eventually return. Not enough corporate dollars to add both so soon. Plus the Molson family has no interest and they own the only suitable be venue
Vancouver, I think it's a tad on the small side to handle both NHL and NBA. If metro hits around the 3 million mark then the conversation starts. From there, I think Seattle is a higher in the pecking order plus the Aquilinni family has stated they will need investors to buy an NBA team today.
For now, We The North is just Toronto.
The 8 players were the same rules for Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, and Minnesota when they entered the league.Montréal and Vancouver.
Vancouver would still have a team had the greedy NBA hadn't imposed on them (and the Raptors) the most insanely unfair, evil, self serving, and arbitrary expansion rules ever in the history of pro sports.
Let me remind you what they were:
For the expansion draft: "Each of the twenty-seven other NBA teams had protected eight players from their roster, and the Raptors and the Grizzlies selected fourteen and thirteen unprotected players respectively, one from each team."
In NBA terms it means they got incredibly terrible players. But, you'll say they'll get good draft picks then if they are so terrible? Right? WRONG!
"Both the Canadian teams were hampered by the NBA's decision to deny them one of the top five picks in the draft.
In 88, Charlotte and Miami selected 8th and 9th. In 89, Minnesota and Orlando drafted 10th and 11th. In 88-89, the Hornents and Heat had the 2 worst records in the league, but drafted 4th and 5th. In 89-90, the Nets had the worst record in the league. The Heat, Magic, Hornets, and Timberwolves had the 2nd-5th worst, but drafted 4, 5, 6, and 9.The teams would not be allowed a top draft pick in the following three seasons, even if they should win the lottery. The teams were also hindered from using their full salary cap the first two seasons."
Do you know what that means? It means instead of taking about 5 or so years to build a remotely competitive team after expansion, Toronto and Vancouver would take a decade.
In a small marker like Vancouver that was a death sentence.
It was an insane thing to do. And by doing so the NBA pretty much destroyed Vancouver as an NBA market.
I dont think 2.5M metro population is too small for NBA.NHL and MLS team.
AD wants out of New Orleans because they are a bad basketball team. Not because they play in New Orleans.Any other Canadian team would not be any better off than teams like Indiana, Milwaukee, Utah, etc. You have a few year if you draft a great player to build a team around him. Have to nail 3 straight drafts to have the talent needed to make a run.
AD wants out of NO. How many years left before the Greek Freak wants out of Milwaukee?
AD wants out of New Orleans because they are a bad basketball team. Not because they play in New Orleans.
These small to mid market teams can draft 1 top level player, but they generally lack the ability to add to it via free agency.
See if New Orleans was competently ran I don't think FA would be an issue for them, its an amazing city.These small to mid market teams can draft 1 top level player, but they generally lack the ability to add to it via free agency.