Quote:
Originally Posted by mezzanine
No love lost here. the first time around was a disaster - our new draft big country turned out to have a bad hip, stu 'inaction' jackson and steve francis. then michael helmsley moving the team.
and i agree, more shockingly, this happened to seattle, a much larger city with a larger season ticket base, with more deep pockets, to a team with a very deep history.
If the NBA did this to a place to seattle, to move the team to OK city, then i would worry about vancouver's chances with a new team.  |
Is Seattle really much larger?
The reason the Sonics failed was mostly because Seattle's sports market was saturated. It isn't that big. And Seattleites are fair weathered. There has always been a black horse team as long as it had 3, first it was the Seahawks in the 80's, then the Mariners in the 90's, then the Sonics in the 2000's.
Having big pocket residents in suburbs has nothing to do with it, working class people make up the bulk of a sports team's revenue and attendance - and with Seattle having two other competitors; the writing was on the wall (not to mention KeyArena could NEVER capture the prices necessary to lighten the pockets of the stock wealthy Eastsiders). Even Seattle's junior hockey team plays in the suburbs (Kent) in a virtually empty arena (yet they think they should get the NHL???).
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I think Vancouver is in an excellent position to get an NBA team. Like was said earlier, Vancouver has an already top 10 NBA arena (that can be easily reconfigured if needed). If ownership in Vancouver does combine to have all sports under one hat (NHL, CFL, MLS) - and they scrape together the $30M needed to move a team (and the bargain basement price to buy a team, say $150M); Vancouver could EASILY get a new team next year.
It would be more than appropriate, if the Aquilini's were to purchase the Grizzlies and move them BACK to Vancouver where they belong. The Aquilini's could then focus the Vancouver Grizzlies being the NBA's China/Japan/Korea market city. The team in Vancouver would be immediately more successful than it has ever been in Memphis, it just really isn't a major league city.
Oklahoma City on the other hand has proven that you don't need to have a huge media market to be successful. OKC also successfully hosted the New Orleans Hornets for two seasons (and actually that owner wanted to stay, but was "forced" to return). Arenas are only 18,000 seats or so with 50 or so luxury suites; I think most metros above 1M can handle that especially if it is the only major sport and doesn't compete with the colleges. This and having the Ford Center is why OKC is a success.
OKC isn't even the smallest market in the NBA; New Orleans, MEMPHIS, and Salt Lake are smaller.
Vancouver is much bigger and if we get good ownership, a Sam Presti like GM finding talent from China/Japan/Korea, and perhaps a rather small refurbishment of GM Place (adding in some luxury suites) - the NBA could return immediately. The success of the Olympics certainly helps and definitely add's to Vancouver's worldwide marketability.....
The NBA needs two (at least) franchises in Canada, especially given Vancouver's position as the primary Pacific Rim gateway. If/when an NBA team does return to Vancouver under proper CANADIAN ownership, we could give a d-league team to Seattle (hahaha).
(but maybe Calgary would be more appreciative). ...
Then again, I don't think most Seattleites care about the NBA anymore. It is a two sport town.
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Seriously, though, it's not happening by 2011. Sorry to burst your bubble. I sincerely hope that an NBA team relocates to Vancouver. Not sure if David Stern would allow a team to come up here, and I think the exposure of the winter olympics is overrated. Just because we've held an olympics, and receive worldwide recognition, doesn't mean that the chances are higher that we get an NBA franchise. Stern isn't soo..willing. 
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