<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">In the next few days the owners of the Vancouver Canucks, Francesco Aquilini and John McCaw, are expected make an official proposal to both the Trail Blazers and the NBA. This is the second time in the last six months this pair have chased an NBA franchise. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina they made a pitch for the New Orleans Hornets, only to lose out to Oklahoma City.</div> http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/spo...d1-f041f768c9c7 Do any of you think a second NBA franchise for Vancouver could work? the first one was a dissaster but it had so many bad things going for it. Steve francis, the fact that "big counrty" reeves was their franchise player etc.
I've been to Vancouver lots of times, and I can honestly say there's very little support there for a basketball team. Most people didn't care either way, when the team moved to Memphis. There are much better locations in the US (Las Vegas for one). I mean, just look at the tone of that article: that type of negative attitude towards basketball and the NBA is all over Vancouver.
No one could do any worse with that team than that moron Paul Allen, so maybe it would do the Blazers well to get a change of scenery; they have the young talent to be a good franchise down the road if they get the right people in charge. I would feel bad for Blazer fans, though; that was their team and they've got some real history in Portland. It's too bad that the franchise has been allowed to rot like it has
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Johnnybrasco:</div><div class="quote_post">the fact that "big counrty" reeves was their franchise player etc.</div> This would have to be the one thing that pisses me off most. Bryant Reeves copped plenty for his look, but since his retirement the myth that he couldn't play the game have become folklore. The guy was a more than competent NBA player prior to injury, even though he never got a chance to reach his potential. In the best season of his short career he averaged 16ppg, 8rpg, 1bpg. Hardly bad figures, but if you listen to anyone who ever mentions him you'd think he was a poor mans Kwame Brown. Rant over
Actually watching big county was the problem, if you ask me.. His numbers are deceptive given he got them in the first couple years of an expansion franchise that had a particularly bad roster.. I live near Vancouver, and to be honest it doesn't seem like much of a basketball city (like everyone knows, Canada loves it's hockey).. BUT.. it's a whole different thing to have an NBA team in a different country. Like mentioned above, the Grizzlies never really had a chance to make any noise.. But if you imagine a team with actual youth and potential (see the current Hornets or even Bulls), they could be incredibly popular. For what it's worth, nearly every canadian bball fan I know loved Vince Carter (though with the drama around his leaving it died down a lot of course).. and this is talking about a city (vancouver) that is nowhere near Toronto.. Vancouver definitely has the fan base, it's just a question of whether or not the team will be able to get them interested in the first place.
If the team had smart management and put a winning team on the court within 3-5 years, I think Vancouver could be worthy of an NBA franchise.
