I was reading Jason Whitlock's column on FoxSports.com about changing the economic structure of the NBA. It's a great read and has a lot of radical changes to keep the league prosperous. One thing I found interesting (because I've been saying this for quite a while) is the NBA having satellite home cities. Meaning each team would have a second home court.
I like it as it does a couple of things. One, it helps with the ticket burden on both teams and fans. For teams, it would be easier to sell a home game against, say, the Raptors if you held it in a city that only gets a taste of the NBA each year. They do this for preseason games so I don't see why they couldn't do the same for the regular season.
It would also expand the fan base.
For fans, it would also help with the season ticket plans. If there were 2 to 4 less home games you had to pay for, it would be an easier buy for you.
So what cities would the NBA go to?
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (Las Vegas): The Lakers and Vegas go together.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (San Diego): The Clippers used to call San Diego home.
SACRAMENTO KINGS (Anaheim): Or vice-versa when it happens.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (San Jose): Not much of a move, but it would solidify the area.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (Seattle): Well, until the Sonics come back home.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (Kansas City): This would also serve as a nice tester for the NBA to see how NBA-ready cities and arenas are before a team relocates.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (Winnipeg): This could also help the NBA expand its international footing.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (Pittsburgh): Nice that they'll be able to share something for the first time since the WWII-era Steagles of the NFL.
BROOKLYN NETS (Newark): May as well keep New Jersey loving the Nets. When they move to Brooklyn in a couple of years, make Newark the team's satellite city.
INDIANA PACERS (Louisville): The Ville wants a team? Here is their tryout.
Here are some other cities that seem possible:
ATLANTA HAWKS (Columbia, SC), BOSTON CELTICS (Providence), CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (Raleigh), CHICAGO BULLS (St. Louis), CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (Cincinnati), DALLAS MAVERICKS (Little Rock), DENVER NUGGETS (Omaha), MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (Nashville), MIAMI HEAT (Jacksonville), NEW YORK KNICKS (Buffalo), ORLANDO MAGIC (Tampa), PHOENIX SUNS (Albuquerque), SAN ANTONIO SPURS (El Paso), TORONTO RAPTORS (Montreal), UTAH JAZZ (Boise) and WASHINGTON WIZARDS (Baltimore):
Now, I don't have a natural satellite for Houston, New Orleans, Milwaukee or Detroit. Cities like Knoxville, Birmingham or somewhere like that could fit. I dunno, just a thought.
I've loved this idea and it isn't like this hasn't happened before. Remember that the Boston Celtics played a few games each season in Hartford, CT and the Washington Bullets would go to Baltimore for a few games. On a more extreme note, we had the Kings playing in both Omaha and Kansas City.8. I’d contract two to four teams. I’d make the remaining teams play four games per season in a satellite home city. The Lakers would partner with Las Vegas. The Clippers would partner with San Diego. The Pacers could play in Cincinnati, the Cavaliers in Columbus.
I like it as it does a couple of things. One, it helps with the ticket burden on both teams and fans. For teams, it would be easier to sell a home game against, say, the Raptors if you held it in a city that only gets a taste of the NBA each year. They do this for preseason games so I don't see why they couldn't do the same for the regular season.
It would also expand the fan base.
For fans, it would also help with the season ticket plans. If there were 2 to 4 less home games you had to pay for, it would be an easier buy for you.
So what cities would the NBA go to?
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (Las Vegas): The Lakers and Vegas go together.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (San Diego): The Clippers used to call San Diego home.
SACRAMENTO KINGS (Anaheim): Or vice-versa when it happens.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (San Jose): Not much of a move, but it would solidify the area.
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (Seattle): Well, until the Sonics come back home.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (Kansas City): This would also serve as a nice tester for the NBA to see how NBA-ready cities and arenas are before a team relocates.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (Winnipeg): This could also help the NBA expand its international footing.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (Pittsburgh): Nice that they'll be able to share something for the first time since the WWII-era Steagles of the NFL.
BROOKLYN NETS (Newark): May as well keep New Jersey loving the Nets. When they move to Brooklyn in a couple of years, make Newark the team's satellite city.
INDIANA PACERS (Louisville): The Ville wants a team? Here is their tryout.
Here are some other cities that seem possible:
ATLANTA HAWKS (Columbia, SC), BOSTON CELTICS (Providence), CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (Raleigh), CHICAGO BULLS (St. Louis), CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (Cincinnati), DALLAS MAVERICKS (Little Rock), DENVER NUGGETS (Omaha), MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (Nashville), MIAMI HEAT (Jacksonville), NEW YORK KNICKS (Buffalo), ORLANDO MAGIC (Tampa), PHOENIX SUNS (Albuquerque), SAN ANTONIO SPURS (El Paso), TORONTO RAPTORS (Montreal), UTAH JAZZ (Boise) and WASHINGTON WIZARDS (Baltimore):
Now, I don't have a natural satellite for Houston, New Orleans, Milwaukee or Detroit. Cities like Knoxville, Birmingham or somewhere like that could fit. I dunno, just a thought.
2 comments:
In Japan all of the baseball teams play quite a few games in what's called "Country Towns" to allow people from all over to see the games every year.
Anything to make the NBA more interesting. What a shit league they have.
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