Sacramento Kings moving franchise to the OC, CA.

I was devastated - as a 10-year-old boy - when the Kings left KC and Kemper Arena to move west. But, the next year, I sat, arms folded, watching the Kings in Sacramento when they played on TBS in Arco Arena I.

A sell out (I never attended a sell-out at Kemper) at the Arco Warehouse. Immediately, I appreciated the Sacramento fans for showing up.

This is horrendous for what the NBA is trying to sell. It's "fantastic"? Not with this. Seattle supported their team. Sacramento support a LOUSY team for 15 years, got five good to great years and then five more lousy teams.

Now the NBA has allowed teams to leave Market #13 (Seattle and upscale) and #20 (Sacramento). Their recent moves are now to New Orleans (#54) and Memphis (#43 and horrendously poor outside of whatever FedEx pays for).

What I don't understand is what markets Stern insists on replacing (Charlotte, New Orleans) and which ones he doesn't. (Seattle). Charlotte drew 22,000 a game for the Hornets before the ownership mess. They got another team.

Will Sacramento get another team? They also supported the Kings like crazy.

Sure, the NBA is a glamour league. Plays GREAT on the coasts. But with no teams in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Louisville, Nashville, Seattle and, soon, Sacramento, the NBA is keeping teams in places like New Orleans and Memphis instead -- where there is no money. Louisville doesn't have population but it does have a lot of rich people who love basketball. Nashville has a ton of money. KC has a new arena -- but not a lot of corporate money. STL already has a winter sport.

 

Louisville will be the next NBA "I'm gonna move if I don't get an arena" city.

KC won't get a team due to lack of corporate support. St. Louis won't because the team would have to share a building with the Blues or play at the Dome.

 

Kansas City is going to be to the NBA and NHL what Tampa-St. Pete was to baseball for years, a good city to use at a threat, but one that built it before they came. How many Big-12 tournaments and RV shows can they host?

The Grizzlies have been a glorified D-League team from the start. The management in Vancouver was dreadful and they were third fiddle behind the Canucks and BC Lions. Only thing that's gotten better in Memphis has been the barbecue.

In the case of Sacramento and Seattle, there's one common thread: Taxpayers are tired of financing some of the playpens owners want. The Giants learned this the hard way after being rebuffed several times at the ballot box and privately financed AT&T Park. Arlington put a cap on its contribution to Jerry's World (IIRC) and Jerry paid he rest. Did the Maloofs get government funding when they built the Palms? If they were really interested in staying in Sacramento, blow some dust off that checkbook!

 

Agreed. In 2001, the Grizzlies would have been far better off in Louisville.

I'll never understand Memphis. Birmingham has more people, better demos (more money) and that town is never considered -- which is fine. But Memphis... seriously?

 

An acquaintance of mine who worked for an NBA team back when the Grizzlies moved summed it up like this:

"We traded one of the most beautiful cities in North America for a trailer park."

 

Louisville doesn't have that much more money than Memphis.

 

The middle class in metro B'ham hates the city proper with a passion and actively roots for it to fail at any project.

 

The Sprint Center seems to be doing fine without the NBA and NHL. Who knows if AEG wants an anchor tenant that would demand a cut of non-game day revenue?

 

Hell, how many ABA franchises failed in Memphis???

 

Where did I wish the league would go away? I want it to collapse under the weight of Stern and re-emerge as a better league. Please read harder. And as Mizzou and Carlton note: If you don't think the NBA is fixed, at some level and very likely at every level, you are naive.

And MLB seems to be doing pretty fine for itself. Can you name one other league that doesn't have labor issues looming, or has not been reduced to rubble by past labor issues? Do you care to guess which of the four major leagues has had the most teams win it all this century?

"Awesome minor league teams being passed off as major league teams." Do you even pay attention to the NBA?

 

In the last 25 seasons, seven different teams have won NBA titles.
In the last 25 seasons, 14 different teams have won Super Bowls.
In the last 25 seasons, 18 different teams have won the World Series.
In the last 25 seasons, 13 different teams have won the Stanley Cup.

That's a big reason why the NBA sucks.

Of the seven teams that have won NBA titles, only two are from non-major markets and one of those would not have sniffed a title if Jordan hadn't taken a year and half off to go practice striking out.

If you want people to stop thinking the NBA is rigged, I think if you ditched the draft lottery and started to see smaller market teams get competitive, that would be a step in the right direction.

Of the big four leagues, it should be the easiest for the NBA to have parity, but it doesn't have it because Stern doesn't want it to have it.

 

In no other sport does one player make such a significant difference than the NBA. Free agents gravitate to big markets. This is no different than other sports.