Reuters PARIS -- The NBA could expand overseas, probably to Europe, by the end of the decade and teams might hold pre-season training camps on the continent within two years, NBA commissioner David Stern said on Wednesday. Stern told a news conference the increasing influx of foreign players into the NBA, wider television coverage of NBA overseas and basketball's introduction to the Olympics had made it a much more international and popular sport. For the NBA to expand overseas there would need to be an infrastructure of new stadiums large enough to host games and a consistent level of fan support in target countries, he said. On a scale of one to 10 of whether the conditions existed for NBA expansion, Stern said: "We are now at five and picking up a notch very couple of years. It could happen by the end of the decade." As an interim step NBA officials are considering giving teams the option of staging their pre-season training camps outside the U.S. Up to four could train in Europe and play other NBA and European teams, Stern said before an exhibition game between the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies. He thought this idea might be ready to start in 2005 or 2006. "It would be short of expansion but give us a more continuous presence for a shorter period of time," he said. "We are mindful of the fact that in the coming year 20 percent of our players will be international -- it makes the league stronger, raises the level of competition and reaches out to fans in all markets." Stern said there might be room for an exhibition game on the lines of the NBA's American players versus the Rest of the World or Europe, but not in the context of the All-Star games. "We are happy with the All-Star structure and don't want to trifle with it at this time," he said. Now does this mean that teams will need to travel to europe to play away games? Unless teleportation becomes reality long trip flying would jet lag players pretty badly.
The market in Canada (vancouver and toronto, and probably montreal) is large enough, it's just a matter of corporate sponsorship... and not f***ing over the expansion teams so that they don't win. (Grizzlies never won...plain and simple, and they still had decent attendance). The NBA needs to develop corporate partners before moving a team in...because that is what will make or break a teams success in the market.
As Wilbon said on PTI: "Out of the four major sports leagues in the US, the only one not in need of contraction is the NFL."
NBA in Europe is a pipe-dream. I don't see it happening. I don't think it'll work to: 1. Have teams travel across the Atlantic for games. The trip is too long for the season schedule; or 2. Have some sort of divide between US and European conferences. The European side would feel cut off from the rest of the league and would not have fan-support as a result 3. I know they made a system to equalize the playing field somewhat to account for differences in tax shemes between the US and Canada. I'd like to see them try that with European socialist-style tax systems. 4. Unless they're thinking England when they say Europe, the langauge barrier will kill them. 5. Free agency would make European teams second-class. Some guys will want to play in Europe, some won't care, and some will definitely avoid it. 6. That's enough for now, though I wonder how the European cities would feel about building NBA-style palaces.
That would be cool to have NBA teams in Europe... and maybe even in China too! you'll start seeing teams like Berlin Mavericks, Barcelona Grizzlies, Paris Spurs, SHANGHAI ROCKETS! Yao Ming/Houston site:http://68.121.172.186:82
I think their could be WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS every year. . .just sync up every league. . then After the NBA Championship . . .and the other LEague Championships THen Have a World Championship . . . .with all of the leagues to the EVENTUAL CHAMPION Unlike other Sports. . Basketball CAN be a YEar round sport Rocket River
I think, for all the practicality issues already mentioned, that the only way to successfully pull off a few European squads would be for the the other countries to set up franchises here in US or Canadian cities (e.g., an entirely British team playing in a larger city in Canada or America). Of course, this would raise an entirely new issue of how much fan support could they really expect with all of their real fans across an entire ocean? As an aside, I wonder what the practicality of setting up Central and South American franchises would be? It seems like at least the jet lag issues from switching between too many time zones could be overcome by countries with similar longitudinal positions.
Why exactly would they have team names like the Berlin Mavericks, and the Barcelona Grizzlies, and the Paris Spurs? Just because they players from that country playing? The Bareclona Toros make sense. The Berlin Cabbage makes sense. The Paris White Flags make sense.
expansion to Europe? Why not move a pre existing team there. It sure seems like Les Alexander is worried more about the Asian Market than the houston fanbase. Seriously though, it won't happen. To many logistical problems, and really the NBA has been watered down enough. This isn't the world cup, the NBA should stay in North America and expand no further.
Upon what do you base that statement? Toronto averages close to a sell-out every game, and has for a while. Vancouver, while consistently finishing last or next to last in the league in wins consistently finished ahead of many other teams in attendance, including Houston. And also take into account that they were absolutely screwed by the league upon entering; * Not eligible for the 1st overall pick for their first 5 years ( Raptors actually won the Iverson draw, but it was passed on to the next team, Philly)...which considering how bad a team is when starting out, sort of hampers the level playing field. * Extremely lowered salary cap gradually rising to equal other teams over the first 4 years. ...ect. Basketball in Canada is given a lot of bad press in the US, but the numbers just don't back it up.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't work this way. There is too much national pride among people. Europeans would want to play for the European teams and Americans would want to play for an American team. It would be a draft nightmare. The only way to make it happen is if there was a European NBA and an American NBA that met once the playoffs started. For example, you could have a European division that played for 2 berths in the American Championship. Those two teams would face the #1 seeds in each conference until the European NBA proves they can win a few playoff games. Then maybe we give them a regular seeding and a chance at glory. You could have a a few games cross during the season just to spice it up. But for the most part Euros should play Euro's. It just makes sense to do it that way.
