I harbor a quiet but furious rage about the fact that Portland has never held an NBA All-Star game. The standard line is that (and has been for 30 years) that Portland doesn't have enough "High End Hotel Rooms" in close proximity to the Rose Garden. Well, this is because the All-Star game isn't for the fans of the host city's team by any stretch, it's for the corporate fat-cat sponsors of the league who want to have a weekend of glitz, glamor, and having their ass kissed by the NBA, and that means needing 3000-5000 "Luxury Hotel Rooms" for them and the media whores who write gossip columns about them. What's worse is that every interview done with David Stern where the question is raised, he answers in such a condescending tone, like "How dare you backwater hicks even ask me that?". God Forbid the Blazers actually make it to the Finals, Stern will probably demand that the Blazers play their games in Los Angeles. I don't blame the city of Portland for not bending over and building the high-end "Headquarters Hotel" that would MAYBE get the league to give Portland the All-Star Game, but I have a feeling that Stern's issues with Portland run deeper, and it'd be a cold day in hell before he granted the league's signature celebration to a city that has given their franchise and the league so much blood, sweat, and tears over the years.
Yeah, I gave up on that dream years ago. I don't think it will ever happen. Regardless of what kind or size of hotels are built around the Garden. It honestly has the same marketing punch as: "ALL STAR WEEKEND - MILWAUKEE!!!!" It would be lost on the fans of the NBA, and it's sad, because the actual All-Stars would love it here. Lots of strippers and booze. I'm sure Z-Bo, regardless of any on court participation, would be the grand marshal of the entire weekend.
The weather in February is pretty fucking awful, why in God's name would anybody want to take a "break" in Portland in the winter? Then again the NFL was crazy enough to host the superbowl in Detroit, so I guess anything is possible.
Within the next 20 years, when Portland grows by a million people, I have a feeling that the infrastructure will eventually be in place to host something like this. If we ever get another franchise from any sport, this would also increase our national exposure... I could see it happening in the future.
Considering the NBA held the All-Star game a couple years ago in a non-NBA city (Las Vegas) before giving a chance to a lot of places who hadn't had one, that sort of shows their priorities about where they want the venue.
Thinks of the marketing potential... Portland - Where NFL Players can make it rain on all-star weekend - and NOT get arrested. BNM
The NBA's priorities lie with having refs who gamble and then covering up the aftermath when a phone trail leads to a path that doesn't end at just that one ref. So, Las Vegas was a rational and obvious selection for the NBA.
All star game is a pointless waste of time and energy. We are lucky not to host it, aside from the economic benefit to hotels and bars and taxicabs. /rant barfo
The NBA made a statement and a standard for what they expect for all-star game host sites, and Portland has never met those standards. IF Portland had added the requisite hotel space, etc., and still didn't get it? I could see being upset. A mere continuation of a previously stated policy, though? Why still be upset about that? Ed O.
It'd be cool to have it here, but honestly, the All-Star game has become just a corporate celebration now, and taking care and recognizing the big sponsors and blah blah. Portland is not exactly an entertainment hub to cater to the celebrities and corporate people who would come here So I doubt we'll ever host the All-Star weekend in my lifetime. Probably our best shot was 30 years ago when all that stuff didn't really matter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_All-Star_Game Portland has been around longer than those franchises but its easy to see why none of them have ever hosted an all-star game. Toronto might be cool but if they're going to have an all-star game outside of the U.S. I'm sure much would be made of how basketball is becoming an international game and it would be so symbolic so I think the NBA would make the first international all-star game somewhere more glamorous and profound. China would be cool because they have a shit ton of NBA fans but I think it'd be more likely to be in Paris, Madrid, Rome, etc. These cities are all in big euro basketball countries but they're all venues that are historic, extravagant, have a name brand quality, etc. The players, corporate big wigs, and egotistical writers would all be gung ho for it as mentinoed previously in this thread.
I honestly don't care, because I will never ever be able to afford a ticket or two to the all star game anyhow. I think last year they were a couple of grand apiece. I would rather hold on to that money, and buy my season tickets.
We haven't hosted an All-star game, but we did host the original Dream Team for the Tournament of the Americas.... and I got to see it and I still have my Drexler Dream Team Jersey
Most of the tickets are unavailable for the game anyway i think over half of them go to corporate sponsors, etc. .When they were in LA, I got nosebleeds for the Saturday night slam dunk, and that was only available through a corporate hook-up (got them free though). tix to the game itself usually go for like $300....none of the activities aroudn the ASG were worth going to anyways. I didn't go in vegas but heard it really sucked. All the gangsters went into town and it was like a ghetto convention, lines were long and they doubled the Bottle Service prices at all the clubs.
I don't think Stern would mind at all if Portland made the finals. For one, we are similar in size (market wise) to that of Cleveland and San Antonio. 2ndly, our team has a bunch of youngins that are fun to watch, and have stars who are down to earth and represent all that is good with the league (or at least in my fantasy world)... and finally, with Seattle moving, I think our NBA market has expanded a little, which is cool. We will never be LA or Boston in the ratings of course, but I bet we can beat the ratings that the Spurs were getting.
Toronto would be an awesome place to have an All-Star game. We have a great downtown area, tons of very nice hotels and restaurants. The city of Toronto is actually a pretty awesome place and a lot of players like it. If it came to Toronto, I would buy tickets for sure.
I'd expect Toronto to get one before Portland, heard it was a very cool city. I'd even expect Mexico City, London, Paris and Beijing to host an All-Star weekend before Portland gets one. Oh well.
