Another team in Canada won't work. The only reason it works in Toronto is beacuse of it's diversity. I've lived in the Toronto area my whole life but never really followed the leafs. There are thousands of people just like me. The only reason Toronto is a hockey town was because people like myself didn't have anything else. The Jays were a hot item but losing and contract disputes really turned most people off the sport in general, not just the Jays. If you look at the people that attend raptor games they are young and very diverse. Leaf games are attended by older white men. There isn't another city like Toronto in Canada which is why the NBA failed in Vancouver.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Originally Posted by purehoops Players don't want to play in Canada... classic (baby) example is Steve Francis...</div> Maybe now that weed has been decriminalized more NBA player will want to play in Canada...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Plushlux:</div><div class="quote_post"> If you look at the people that attend raptor games they are young and very diverse. Leaf games are attended by older white men. There isn't another city like Toronto in Canada which is why the NBA failed in Vancouver.</div> for both the leafs and raps the whole lower bowl is filled with white guys in suits, thats the way it works almost everywhere though, cuz they got the money
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Originally Posted by go_duke21 for both the leafs and raps the whole lower bowl is filled with white guys in suits, thats the way it works almost everywhere though, cuz they got the money</div> Even the lower bowl is more diverse. Don't get me wrong though, the majority are still white suits but you couldn't find someone like "super fan" at a leaf game.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Plushlux:</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe now that weed has been decriminalized more NBA player will want to play in Canada...</div> Sure, but a team of Shawn Kemp and Damon Stoudimire with a bunch of other NBA druggies wont draw to many fans... real players like Shaq, KG, Iverson, Francis ect ect do not want to play in Canada. Period. I dont blame them either.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Originally Posted by purehoops Sure, but a team of Shawn Kemp and Damon Stoudimire with a bunch of other NBA druggies wont draw to many fans... real players like Shaq, KG, Iverson, Francis ect ect do not want to play in Canada. Period. I dont blame them either.</div> I was just joking... Why don't you blame a player for not wanting to play in Toronto? I'd rather be in T.O. than a lot of other NBA cities i.e. Utah, Minnesota, Cleveland, Portland, Memphis, Milwaukee and so on
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Plushlux:</div><div class="quote_post">I was just joking... Why don't you blame a player for not wanting to play in Toronto? I'd rather be in T.O. than a lot of other NBA cities i.e. Utah, Minnesota, Cleveland, Portland, Memphis, Milwaukee and so on</div> No US player that was born here has wanted to go to Toronto in FA, noone wants to go to Toronto or Canada... The NBA is supposed to bring greater things... why would you reverse that idea and move from the US to Canada?
An attack on Canada isn?t necessary. Once again I?d like to point out that this is meant to be a place for intelligent conversation about Basketball. While it may be true that some players (maybe even many players) don?t want to play in Canada, it is not true that Canada would represent a step back in quality of life. If your point was that it was perceived to be this way by some players then fine. I have nothing to say to those who do not have the sense to realize that there is life beyond their borders. Back to the Topic. Toronto works as a Basketball city because Toronto is a great sports city. Yes attendance for the Blue Jays has not recovered from the strike, and a number of bad years on the field, but it will. The people of Vancouver seem to be a passive bunch and yet I think they could make a go of it with another team. Montreal?well I?d LOVE to have a team here. Basketball is increasing in popularity here and the people of Montreal are as active and supportive as any I?ve seen. One very real obstacle lies in the exchange rate and the limits of being paid in Cdn funds and then paying your employees in American. Shapecity brought up a point however debating the merits between expansion and contraction. I?m all for having a team in my city but not at the risk of spreading the league too thin and hurting the on-court product.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Plushlux:</div><div class="quote_post">I'd rather be in T.O. than a lot of other NBA cities i.e. Utah, Minnesota, Cleveland, Portland, Memphis, Milwaukee and so on</div>Have you ever been to Utah? It is amazing out there. I would give a lot to move out into the mountains. Of course, I understand that the average NBA youth wouldn't even think about moving to a cold, beer and drug free, and mostly white Salt Lake City. I have never been to Minnesota, but why wouldn't you want to live up there? They have decent nightlife so I have heard. And the Timberwolves are a perennial playoff team. Cleveland...hmm...what good things can you say about Cleveland? I don't know because I have never been there, but I am sure there are Cleveland residents on this board (ie: King James) that could make a case for Cleveland being a great place to live in. Portland would be my favorite city personally to live in out of all of the other NBA cities. It has unsurpassed beauty and a nice community feel to it. Again, the average NBA player wouldn't want to move here though unless they are like Rasheed Wallace, Zach Randolph, Damon Stoudamire, etc. and find it the easiest city to access illegal drugs from. Milwaukee is an amazing city and it seems like one of the best places for a NBA player to reside. Downtown is nothing but bar after bar. I love Milwaukee. Now let's discuss Memphis. I live in Memphis right now and I am enjoying every minute of it. What could you possibly not like about Memphis other than the SEC support?
vancouver and BC are one of the biggest pot producers in the world so maybe that is some incentive for an nba player to go there.........and ive been to portland and minneapolis and both are very nice cities, especially portland, id love to live there
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting purehoops:</div><div class="quote_post">Sure, but a team of Shawn Kemp and Damon Stoudimire with a bunch of other NBA druggies wont draw to many fans... real players like Shaq, KG, Iverson, Francis ect ect do not want to play in Canada. Period. I dont blame them either.</div> Just wondering... Have you ever been to Canda?
Canada does not attract top big name free-agents..proof of that is this off-season with the Raptors.Although as some will tell you they didn't have much to spend.Canada/Toronto is a great place...It's just the big name players like to live in the USA...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting allnet:</div><div class="quote_post">Canada does not attract top big name free-agents..proof of that is this off-season with the Raptors.Although as some will tell you they didn't have much to spend.Canada/Toronto is a great place...It's just the big name players like to live in the USA...</div>Vince Carter likes Toronto
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Kid Canada:</div><div class="quote_post">Vince Carter likes Toronto </div>Sure, Vince likes Toronto, but the truth is that he would rather be a Bobcat, Knick, etc. It's just an American thing. We tend to have great pride in our country. Also, Vince may be on the Raptors, but he is an American citizen too. Don't take this as an attack on Canada. I was born in a Canadian hospital and I love the country but these are just the facts. This could also apply for other countries. I am sure that Gasol would rather be playing in Spain right now and Nash would rather be in Canada.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">My answer is a two part answer depending on how Canada would obtain a new team. If we are talking about a team re-locating, for example the Los Angeles Clippers (because no city should have 2 teams of the same sport), the city I would choose is Vancouver, and then Montreal. The reason I would choose Vancouver is because of it's already strong U.S. influence and the fact it attracts a lot of tourism. There are a lot of businesses and sports fans to support the team, if they market it properly. One of the problems with the original franchise was the fact they had no marquee player, and had to market Bryant Reeves as their franchise player. His shaved head trend lasted a little while, but the franchise is still suffering the repurcussions of over investing in the "Big Country" Bryant Reeves. </div> I would go crazy if the Clippers relocated. I could never live with the Lakers being the only team close to where I live.
I think Sterling proved this off-season he is far from cheap....This year is the only real time he needed to spend big money...And he is in talks with two good FA's now
