OT I-5 Rivalry Renewed Someday?

[dviss1]

Yeah I know it's real GM but it was from the CJ interview:

In an interview in June with C.J. McCollum for The Players Tribune, Adam Silver talked about expansion.

"I think it's just a question of when's the right time to seriously start thinking about expansion," said Adam Silver.
"Think about the state we're in the league right now, where amazing to me, that coming off these Finals you have some fans saying, 'there's only one good team in the league.'
"I'm thinking, if people really believe that even though we have 450 of the best players in the world and 450 players can only form one really good team, it doesn't make sense to expand in terms of dilution of talent.
"I don't want to put a precise timeline on it, but it's inevitable. At some point we'll start looking at growth of franchises. That's always been the case in this league. Seattle will no doubt be on a short list of cities we'll look at."
Before Game 1 of The Finals, Silver was asked by Danny Leroux about expansion. "Expansion is not something we’re looking at right now. It is less a function of labor peace, it more goes to the strength of a 30-team league," said Silver.
Silver cited the financial health for all 30 NBA teams needs to be addressed before expansion. "I have no doubt at some point we’ll turn back to it, but at least in my last discussions with our owners on this, most of them said let’s keep focusing on the health of these 30 teams and the quality of the competition. When we feel we’re in a better place with the 30 teams we have, maybe at that point we can look to expand."

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...ansion-As-Inevitable-But-Not-Sure-On-Timeline

 

[Mr. Robot]

yes, please!

 

[illmatic99]

"Think about the state we're in the league right now, where amazing to me, that coming off these Finals you have some fans saying, 'there's only one good team in the league.'
"I'm thinking, if people really believe that even though we have 450 of the best players in the world and 450 players can only form one really good team, it doesn't make sense to expand in terms of dilution of talent.

Man, fuck GS.

 

[e_blazer]

It was fun having another NBA team within driving distance for those old matchups between the Blazers and Sonics. I'd love to see that happen again. I don't quite buy that there isn't enough talent in the league for a 32 team format. This recent TV deal just put a crazy amount of money into the system and allowed the Warriors to add a 4th top-level player. That's going to resolve itself over time, probably when Klay or Green decide that they need more money in their next deals.

 

[dviss1]

Man, fuck GS.

Why though? They built their team the exact way we should.

They drafted everyone except Durant.

 

[Natebishop3]

I'm not a fan of expansion. I think the league is watered down as it is.

I have spent a lot of time on the trade machine over the past couple months and there's just so much trash in the league right now. Players I would have no interest in acquiring. I feel like the overall talent in the league is much lower than it was in the past.

 

[santeesioux]

I'm not a fan of expansion. I think the league is watered down as it is.

I have spent a lot of time on the trade machine over the past couple months and there's just so much trash in the league right now. Players I would have no interest in acquiring. I feel like the overall talent in the league is much lower than it was in the past.

I'd rather Seattle got an expansion team over stealing ours. You have to think there's some Vulcan execs that have it in the back of their head right now. It might not happen now, but if it gets to a point in the future when PA is no longer owning the team at some point it might come up.

 

[Mr. Robot]

Why though? They built their team the exact way we should.

They drafted everyone except Durant.

yeah I dont get the hate for GSW
they become champions through the draft, kudos to them

 

[Natebishop3]

I'd rather Seattle got an expansion team over stealing ours. You have to think there's some Vulcan execs that have it in the back of their head right now. It might not happen now, but if it gets to a point in the future when PA is no longer owning the team at some point it might come up.

Welp, if the team were to move to Seattle, at least that would finally free me from the bullshit that is the NBA. I would lose all interest in the league at that point.

 

[kjironman1]

I think he has a pretty good point there. Right now there are about 3 or 4 teams that can realistically say they have a chance to compete. There needs to be changes in the way the players are distributed around the league. Super teams are pretty much the way it sits right now. You cannot add a team or pair of teams without this getting worse. There needs to be some changes first.

 

[Natebishop3]

http://www.espn.com/nba/attendance

Here is the attendance for the NBA last year. The attendance in Atlanta is a joke... and that has been consistent for a while, even when they're successful.

We need to disband some of these teams, not add more. Or at the very least move them. The Hawks have shit attendance. The Nuggets have shit attendance. They have had consistently shit attendance. We were 9th in attendance last year and we were struggling to make the playoffs. The Nuggets were dead last and they were right there in the race with us.

 

[dviss1]

http://www.espn.com/nba/attendance

Here is the attendance for the NBA last year. The attendance in Atlanta is a joke... and that has been consistent for a while, even when they're successful.

We need to disband some of these teams, not add more. Or at the very least move them. The Hawks have shit attendance. The Nuggets have shit attendance. They have had consistently shit attendance. We were 9th in attendance last year and we were struggling to make the playoffs. The Nuggets were dead last and they were right there in the race with us.

Legitimate question:

What does crowd attendance have to do with expansion? What does attendance in Atlanta have to do with Seattle getting a team? Seattle would probably sell out their arena every night.

Last year's finals was the 3rd highest rated ever:

1. 2010 Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Game 7 15.6/27
2. 2013 San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat Game 7 15.3/26
3. 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors Game 5 13.5/25
4. 2011 Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat Game 6 13.3/23

 

[Natebishop3]

Legitimate question:

What does crowd attendance have to do with expansion? What does attendance in Atlanta have to do with Seattle getting a team? Seattle would probably sell out their arena every night.

Last year's finals was the 3rd highest rated ever:

1. 2010 Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers Game 7 15.6/27
2. 2013 San Antonio Spurs vs Miami Heat Game 7 15.3/26
3. 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors Game 5 13.5/25
4. 2011 Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat Game 6 13.3/23

What does crowd attendance have to do with expansion? If a city isn't supporting a team, like Atlanta isn't supporting the Hawks, then it is better to move that team to a city that will support it.

What does attendance in Atlanta have to do with Seattle getting a team? Because there are a number of teams that are getting shit support from their city. Some of the teams at the bottom of attendance are there because the teams are poorly run and the fans stopped caring. That's not really their fault, but there are some teams that are successful enough that there should be fan support. I mentioned Atlanta and Denver as two teams that really should have better support from their fans. Milwaukee is another good example. They have one of the most exciting young players in the league in Giannis. They were 27th in attendance last year. Meanwhile the Bulls were 41 and 41 last year and led the league in attendance.

I think we can find a team that that could be moved to Seattle rather than create a whole new team that's going to water down the league further.

 

[BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94]

http://www.espn.com/nba/attendance

Here is the attendance for the NBA last year. The attendance in Atlanta is a joke... and that has been consistent for a while, even when they're successful.

We need to disband some of these teams, not add more. Or at the very least move them. The Hawks have shit attendance. The Nuggets have shit attendance. They have had consistently shit attendance. We were 9th in attendance last year and we were struggling to make the playoffs. The Nuggets were dead last and they were right there in the race with us.

I don't understand why Atlanta doesn't have better attendance. They honestly should be a free agent destination too.

 

[Natebishop3]

I don't understand why Atlanta doesn't have better attendance. They honestly should be a free agent destination too.

Too many options.

The Falcons were 14th in attendance last year. The Braves are currently 12th.

They already lost the Thrashers back in 2011. On the other hand, they haven't really had an exciting star player in a long time. They had Mutombo in his prime, and Steve Smith, but their last real star player was Dominique Wilkens. They're horrible at drafting.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Fuck Seattle.

Rivalry not renewed. It's still there.

 

[BlazerWookee]

Seattle can go fuck Raymond Felton.


With Darius Miles.

 

[Haakzilla]

...hmmm, Kevin Durant at the center of it all KD moved the team to OKC and KD bitched out to guarantee Championship ring layup(s) with GS when KD is washed up and at the end of his career he will return to Seattle when the NBA expands in 2040 and retire where it all started

 

[chzbrgr]

If the NBA expands they need to put both teams on the west coast and realign the conferences to make travel equal for all teams. Put Memphis and Minnesota in the East and add teams to Seattle and Las Vegas.

 

[Chris Craig]

If the NBA expands they need to put both teams on the west coast and realign the conferences to make travel equal for all teams. Put Memphis and Minnesota in the East and add teams to Seattle and Las Vegas.

I was thinking along these lines. Along as the NBA doesn't try to hijack the Blazers. I think as long as Allen owns the Blazers the NBA will get a middle finger if they propose such a move, though I'm not sure how much power Allen has vs Vulcan in the matter. I know Silver is a weasel and I wouldn't put it past him to try.

I think Vegas and Seattle are the perfect two spots for expansion teams. After the Raiders move to Vegas it won't be too long before an NBA team is right behind them.

Expansion in the west and a realignment is exactly what the NBA needs.

In my summer bordem I actually created teams in Vegas and Seattle on 2K17. The Las Vegas Luck and funny enough I didn't name the Seattle team the Sonics. I came up with the Seattle Reign.

And I just saw thats the name of a womans soccer team in Seattle damn

Any NBA team in Seattle will be called the Sonics anyway.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I would like to see either VAN or SEA get an NBA team.

Here's an interesting link to historic attendance by franchise. Unfortunately, it only goes up to 2013-14. But, it's still possible to spot some trends.

In addition to ATL - DEN, MIL, MIN all struggle to put butts in seats. One thing all four of these cities have in common is they all also have MLB and NFL teams that are more popular than their NBA teams. DEN and MIN also have NHL teams.

SEA currently has and NFL teams and an MLB team and they didn't exactly support the last NBA team. Yeah, it sucks the way the current hillbilly owners lied and stole that team, but if the fans had supported them better, Howard Schultz might not have sold them in the first place. The fact of the matter is they draw better in OKC than they did in SEA. As much as I'd like to see a division rival that's actually in the same time zone as the Blazers, I'm not 100% convinced the people of Seattle would support an NBA team.

VAN, on the other hand, is the city that really got fucked out of an NBA team. In spite of having the worst team in the league and a shitty arena, that city supported that team - until the owners put them up for sale and it became obvious they were a lame duck franchise that was going to be moving. Those first 4 years in VAN, they drew better than they ever have in MEM, even though the team has been much better, on the court, since the move.

One thing working in VAN's favor is they already have an NBA quality arena. Rogers Arena was completed in 1995, same year as the Rose Garden with comparable seating capacity (19,700 vs. 19,393 for basketball). SEA still doesn't have an NBA caliber arena.

I would like to see the league expand to an even 32 teams and then a realignment of the divisions, but before that happens, they need to address the parity issue. It's costing the league money. The ratings for the finals may have been fine, but total revenue from the playoffs was much lower than forecast due to the fewer number of games. GSW and CLE played a total of 25 games to reach the finals, one more than the minimum of 24 and the fewest ever combined total for the NBA finalists.

In 2016 there were a record 5 sweeps and the total number of playoff games was 79, which tied the low since the current playoff format was adopted in 2002. This is down 6 games from the average of 85 playoff games from the preceding five seasons, including a record of 79 playoff games in 2014. That year there was only one sweep and a record of five 7 game series. 6 to 10 fewer playoffs games represents a significant loss of revenue for the league. This lack of competitiveness caused the NBA to revise the projected salary cap downward four times in the first year of the new TV deal. A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation shows basketball related income during the first year of the new TV deal was $540 million less than originally projected and at least one fourth of that lost revenue was due to fewer than expected playoff games.

It makes no sense to expand the league with the current noncompetitive climate. Fans are going to stay away in droves when their team has no chance at winning.

So, either move a couple of the teams that have historically poor fan support, or address the competitive issue and expand. Better still address the competitive issue AND move a couple of the under-supported teams.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

If the NBA expands they need to put both teams on the west coast and realign the conferences to make travel equal for all teams. Put Memphis and Minnesota in the East and add teams to Seattle and Las Vegas.

Actually, if they put two expansion teams in the West, they only need re-align one team (MEM) to the East to end up with 16 teams in each conference. Currently, there are 15 teams per conference. Add two expansion teams to the West and move MEM to the East and you have 16 teams per conference:

West: 15 + 2 - 1 = 16
East: 15 + 1 = 16

BNM

 

[TBpup]

If Portland gets an NFL team....

 

[chzbrgr]

Actually, if they put two expansion teams in the West, they only need re-align one team (MEM) to the East to end up with 16 teams in each conference. Currently, there are 15 teams per conference. Add two expansion teams to the West and move MEM to the East and you have 16 teams per conference:

West: 15 + 2 - 1 = 16
East: 15 + 1 = 16

BNM

youre right I just hate having the Northwest Division including OKC and MIN we do by a wide margin the most traveling of any team and its bullshit. The only reason they havent realigned it is "because this is the way we've always done it" and it unfairly hampers exactly one team the portland trail blazers

 

[Natebishop3]

If Portland gets an NFL team....

I will seriously consider abandoning the NBA.

 

[riverman]

I dunno about all this....I kind of like being the TRUE NORTH!!!

 

[Boob-No-More]

youre right I just hate having the Northwest Division including OKC and MIN we do by a wide margin the most traveling of any team and its bullshit. The only reason they havent realigned it is "because this is the way we've always done it" and it unfairly hampers exactly one team the portland trail blazers

Well, this isn't ALWAYS the way we've done it, just for the last 12 years. That was when the last realignment happened. At the time, there were still two NW teams in the NW division (VAN had already moved to MEM), but even then it didn't make sense to have MIN, two times zones away in the same division as POR and SEA.

There have been several proposals for re-alignment, but I think the best would align the divisions based on times zones. It helps reduce jet lag and also helps schedule the road games so that they will be broadcast during prime time in the visiting team's home market, and higher TV ratings == more money. Right now, POR is the only team that doesn't have a single division rival in the same time zone, and half of our division rivals are two time zones away. That's bullshit.

BNM

 

[SIeepwalker]

What if we moved all NBA teams to Portland ? That would solve the travel and timezone issues.

 

[Boob-No-More]

The DJ on 105.9 just mentioned that SEA may be getting an NBA expansion team. I don't usually listen to this station, but thought it was interesting that even a DJ on a local classic rock station is aware of the former Blazers/Sonics rivalry.

BNM

 

[kjironman1]

If the NBA expands they need to put both teams on the west coast and realign the conferences to make travel equal for all teams. Put Memphis and Minnesota in the East and add teams to Seattle and Las Vegas.

I like this idea. Then also re-align the divisions so teams like OKC are not in the Northwest.