Mathradio
Drive for 25
Toronto tried that, too... but FWIW I remember a newspaper article stating that basketball would work better in Montreal vs. Vancouver.
However, a D-League team would perhaps be viable here.
OT: Would a NBA team succeed in Montreal?
- Thread starter Undertakerqc
- Start date
Toronto tried that, too... but FWIW I remember a newspaper article stating that basketball would work better in Montreal vs. Vancouver.
However, a D-League team would perhaps be viable here.
Well that's the thing... you have to keep scoring or else, you'll eventually fall behind. In hockey or soccer, you can score and have a legit chance at defend your lead. In basketball, you can defend but at one point, you'll have to keep scoring because it's impossible to keep the other team at bay.
CaptainBenn
Registered User
- Sep 8, 2012
- 5,512
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MMA scene and F1 are very popular...
Anyway to answer the OP I think a lot of people are voting "do you love nba yes/no"
If the media lets say RDS started talking non stop about the NBA lot of people would follow (sorry to say but a lot of people are like sheep)
It would some pressure off the habs org and players and maybe then we will get a contender team...
Mathradio
Drive for 25
Yes, but only if we can have our team to be better-run than the Raptors, as well as get sound scouting (as we did for baseball and hockey)
Bourne Endeavor
Registered User
And Basketball in Vancouver was a colossal disaster. Granted, ownership was beyond inept and the city itself is quite fickle - you win or we ignore you. But the NBA just could not compete with the Canucks. I suspect a similar issue would arise in Montreal, never mind the language barrier and many player's indifference to Canada. The NFL I could see being successful due to the immense popularity and existing proof Canadian like football, but otherwise this is a hockey country.
Noisespektrum
Registered User
The NBA would fail i believe. The Expos although nostalgic would not work either after a few losing seasons. And i imagine most in Montreal consider baseball a gawd awful nightmare to watch when compared to whats in town now. That and whatever new team comes to Montreal better be able to provide Francophone players on the roster.
That wouldn't be hard that franchise is a walking cluster**** just like all toronto teams.
Mathradio
Drive for 25
Baseball had one bright spot in Montreal, and that was scouting.
Basketball, on the other hand, it is true that the Raptors are not that hard to beat with respect to management but every new team has its growing pains.
Noisespektrum
Registered User
I'm a huge NBA fan, but there's no way basketball is more exciting than hockey, especially the NBA. NCAA basketball is a lot more exciting, but because of the lack of "Star" power, the average person doesn't watch college ball.
Price My Man Crush
Registered User
I watched the March Madness this year for the first time, really liked it! Sucks I don't know a lot about the NCAA...
Growing pains I can understand but that franchise is 18 years old now it's hardly new. I think it's due to horrible management and the fact that no NBA player wants to play there.
Go Habs Go
Registered User
I think the Montreal the NFL but not the NBA. The NBA doesn't seem to work anywhere in Canada either way.
Le Tricolore
Boo! BOOOO!
Haha, I watch March Madness every year, and look forward to it... I know nothing about it, really.
deandebean
Registered User
It would never work. Fan base is too small. Soccer is tenfold more popular and the Impact can't even get 18,000 in the stadium. And tickets are way cheaper.
Montreal is a very small sports town. Like Serg Savard once told me, they love the Habs, not even hockey, and that's about it.
Montreal is a very small sports town. Like Serg Savard once told me, they love the Habs, not even hockey, and that's about it.
Hackett
BAKAMAN
The Grizzlies really had the most inept management of our time. I thought they had a great chance to grasp this market because the canucks were in the midst of that messier/keenan circus show, where they were drawing about 13,000 fans for some games
Unfortunately, the NBA had this rule where the grizzlies were not allowed to have a #1 pick for the first 5 years, and if you go down the list of trades, its downright appalling in terms of asset management. There's enough problems trying to attract nba talent north of the border, but to multiply that problem with wretched mangement, and the nba draft rules working against them, the grizz never had a chance.
If the grizz were allowed to draft #1, they would have Tim Duncan. Local kid Steve Nash was available for cheap, but the GM thought he wasn't even worthy of a flyer (I don't have enough finger power to go through all his mistakes).
I personally think this team would still be here if they had semi competent management, but eventually, they would be in trouble again, unless the attitude that NBA players have towards Canada changes
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AllanMTL46
Registered User
IMO, MLB is the only major sports league we don't have a franchise of as of now that could succeed here.
Price My Man Crush
Registered User
Kimota
ROY DU NORD!!!
It would attract the multicultural fans of Montreal but not the french and anglos that have deep roots into hockey and baseball. And amongst the multicultural fans, most of them are more attracted by Soccer than Basket.
RealityBytes
Trash Remover
- Feb 11, 2013
- 2,955
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... but Montreal would never get an NFL team before Toronto and its hard for even Toronto to get one and that is with their 12 million fan base in the Golden Triangle, which is considered one of the best markets in sports.
MLSE hired Tim Leiweke (supposedly the best exec in sports business) as the head of MLSE and I'm sure one of his duties is to push to get an NFL team in Toronto but even he may not have success in that area. The NFL prefers single/private owners and not corporations.
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It works in Toronto, the team has just sucked big time. For a team that's made the playoffs like 4 times in almost 20 years and only gone past the 1st round once our fan base has done a tremendous job supporting the team. And it does work in Canada, just look at all the Canadians getting noticed in the NCAA the game is growing here, we just had Andrew Wiggins become the first Canadian to be named the top recruit in the U.S ever. This is going to become bigger and bigger.
Raimu
That weird Dragon girl
Montreal won't even support a junior hockey team (like, 3 have moved out of there now?)... I don't see them supporting an NBA team.
Habs 4 Life
No Excuses
Junior and Pro are 2 completely different things
Would you pay to go watch Lebron James or a 16 year old junior hockey player?
Raimu
That weird Dragon girl
Me personally? I'm from Halifax so.. last 2 seasons I haven't even watched the Canadiens that much because well, Nate and Jo are amazing.
But from the responses of this board, I would rather watch junior hockey than Lebron cause I don't give 2 ***** about Lebron and I don't think most of montreal does either.
My point was not even hockey can compete with hockey in Montreal, basketball doesn't have a snowballs chance in hell.
