Aquilini in talks to purchase NBA Indiana Pacers for Vancouver

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

I thought the whole idea of a draft was to fairly distribute the up-and-comers. They're supposed to work to impress, wherever they were placed, till they attained their free agent status.

This throws the whole point of a draft system out the window.

My point being is this. There are many players eligible for the draft every year. You don't necessarily have to draft a player that has made it abundantly clear that they don't want to be here in this city (ala Steve Francis). Not every player is going to declare that they don't want to play in Vancouver. That's just being absurd and ridiculous.

A lot of NHL draftees don't end up playing with their respective clubs. Many of them actually have to spend a year or two, maybe even a few years in the minors for them to get seasoned to the pro game, and what life is like as a professional as well. Same idea, and same concept. We don't have to look very far to see that Cody Hodgson isn't a Steve Stamkos kind of player. He's got to develop his game down in the minors. The NBA now has a similar system in place. The Raptors, if I'm not mistaken, had just recently called up one of their younger players from their D league team. Same concept.

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by Vancity

My point being is this. There are many players eligible for the draft every year. You don't necessarily have to draft a player that has made it abundantly clear that they don't want to be here in this city (ala Steve Francis). Not every player is going to declare that they don't want to play in Vancouver. That's just being absurd and ridiculous.

It may also be in the league's best interest to get tough with these guys and not let them have their way, otherwise, they may just set a very bad precedent and example for future draftees

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Phusion

One of the kids we drafted from college kicked a chair over when he heard he would be property of the Grizzlies. That says it all right there. No one wants to play here.

Brilliant logic Aristotle. One person kicks his chair, therefore, no one wants to play here.

[BigWilly]

not every player will be like steve francis, i think many good players would love to play in canada, the disturbing trend is not the good players its the franchise players. the raptors have always had difficulty keeping their franchise players in canada (vince carter, chris bosh, tracy mcgrady) ...does anyone honestly think that trend will change if there is another nba team in canada? i dont.

if vancouver were ever to get another nba team i'm sure we will be able to stock the team with good players and if we're lucky enough, a franchise player. come free agency though, history has proven that the percentages are against a canadian team keeping their franchise players. for franchise players, playing in the spotlight in LA, Miami or NYC and the amount of endorsement money players can make in those cities will far outweigh playing in small market vancouver.

[Urban_Genius]

I firmly believe Vancouver should never have lost the Grizzlies.
Having said that part of me thinks the NBA doesn't deserve Vancouver, if they couldn't appreciate this city it's their loss.

The NBA has really become a garbage league where it's incredibly predictable, princess athletes, where they don't play defense, just shoot and pick and roll and just go through the motions until the playoffs.

I'd much rather watch NCAA basketball. I've always believed basketball was a team sport.

[Prometheus]

Originally Posted by Phusion

Um he got mad and started swearing and kicking chairs over. Add that to Steve Francis' comments and we have a pretty clear view of basketball players attitudes towards this city. This is common knowledge among people that are even remotely interested in the NBA and follow it.

Um, it does not matter what exactly the college kid did or what Steve Francis said. They are just two individuals. Just because two individuals at one time did not want to play in Vancouver does not entail that anyone else (let alone everyone else) felt the same way then or (more relevantly) feels the same way now.

And since you follow the NBA so closely, then I am sure you have already read the following:


MONTREAL GAZETTE:

“Hell, yeah, I miss Seattle," says Reggie Evans. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, like damn, I wish Seattle had a team. I hope and pray to God Seattle can get a team. I’d like to see Vancouver with a team, too.”

The area is a popular one among players, coaches and just about everybody associated with the league.

“A couple days don’t go by in the league when someone doesn’t say, ‘Too bad we’re not playing in Seattle anymore. Too bad Vancouver doesn’t have a franchise,’” said Raptors assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo, who coached in both Portland and Seattle. “Everybody feels that way. Everybody loved these cities. Everybody enjoyed playing here.”

“This is real laid-back,” Reggie Evans said of Vancouver, grinning. “This is extremely laid back. I like it like this. Not too outgoing. Just right. It’s perfect for me.”

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/sport...#ixzz17fbTU000


So much for your "common knowledge."

[SpikePhanta]

Again hire scouts and put them in Asia, I'm pretty sure chinese players wouldn't mind Vancouver.
Also with a possible hard salary cap coming up soon, we might soon be able to see players with no choice but to play in small market teams.

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

Again hire scouts and put them in Asia, I'm pretty sure chinese players wouldn't mind Vancouver.

I have a feeling the talent pool of 7'6" Chinese men isn't as big as Yao Ming makes it appear to be.

[SpikePhanta]

Originally Posted by Nutterbug

I have a feeling the talent pool of 7'6" Chinese men isn't as big as Yao Ming makes it appear to be.

Well out of a huge poulation there should be some great tall bball p-layers.
I was thinking more short people maybe, considering now many highschoolers who play bball are the speedy asians standing at around 5'11 - 6'4

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

Well out of a huge poulation there should be some great tall bball p-layers.
I was thinking more short people maybe, considering now many highschoolers who play bball are the speedy asians standing at around 5'11 - 6'4

you know, there are some pretty good canadian ball players too. very few of them have been given a chance to develop, and play in the NBA. i'm sure we could give them a chance to play in the big show. anyways, this thread is about the possibility of an NBA franchise relocating to Vancouver. I hope it'll be within the next few years. If there's a hard cap in place, that would be perfect for Vancouver, and all the other small market teams.

could Vancouver hold it's own in the NBA? Yes.

do they have a state-of-the art facility ready to go? Yes.

do they have the fans for a new franchise coming up here? Absolutely.

all signs, that an NBA team would, and could work here. definitely yes.

[SpikePhanta]

Originally Posted by Vancity

you know, there are some pretty good canadian ball players too. very few of them have been given a chance to develop, and play in the NBA. i'm sure we could give them a chance to play in the big show. anyways, this thread is about the possibility of an NBA franchise relocating to Vancouver. I hope it'll be within the next few years. If there's a hard cap in place, that would be perfect for Vancouver, and all the other small market teams.

could Vancouver hold it's own in the NBA? Yes.

do they have a state-of-the art facility ready to go? Yes.

do they have the fans for a new franchise coming up here? Absolutely.

all signs, that an NBA team would, and could work here. definitely yes.

Yeah Asian-Canadians.
Its well known that Rogers Arena was built for basketball first.
If we get another one before Seattle, some people from south of 49th can come up and watch a weekend game or something/

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by Vancity

do they have the fans for a new franchise coming up here? Absolutely.

Have they forgiven the NBA for the stunt they pulled on us with the Vancouver Grizzlies?

[Zassk]

Have they forgiven Heisley? No.

I was there the day he sang the Canadian anthem. I was fooled by him along with the rest.

I don't know if the NBA itself is the target of that resentment.

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by Zassk

Have they forgiven Heisley? No.

I was there the day he sang the Canadian anthem. I was fooled by him along with the rest.

I don't know if the NBA itself is the target of that resentment.

I can't speak on behalf of everyone else, but I don't hold any resentment towards the NBA. It's a business. We're not the first city to have lost their team. Minneapolis lost their team (the Lakers), before they relocated to becoming the LA Lakers. Not only did they lose their NBA team, they've only lost their NHL team as well (the Minnesota North Stars, remember?) that became the Dallas Stars. So it's not the first time a franchise has moved. With that being said, I understand the resentment and bitter feelings towards the NBA. but c'mon, let's move on! I'd love to have an entertaining league like the NBA come back to this beautiful northwest pacific city.

But Heisley. That guy's a rat. I hope his franchise (Memphis Grizz) sucks for as long as they are there.

[vanlaw]

Originally Posted by Prometheus

Um, it does not matter what exactly the college kid did or what Steve Francis said. They are just two individuals. Just because two individuals at one time did not want to play in Vancouver does not entail that anyone else (let alone everyone else) felt the same way then or (more relevantly) feels the same way now.

And since you follow the NBA so closely, then I am sure you have already read the following:


MONTREAL GAZETTE:

“Hell, yeah, I miss Seattle," says Reggie Evans. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, like damn, I wish Seattle had a team. I hope and pray to God Seattle can get a team. I’d like to see Vancouver with a team, too.”

The area is a popular one among players, coaches and just about everybody associated with the league.

“A couple days don’t go by in the league when someone doesn’t say, ‘Too bad we’re not playing in Seattle anymore. Too bad Vancouver doesn’t have a franchise,’” said Raptors assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo, who coached in both Portland and Seattle. “Everybody feels that way. Everybody loved these cities. Everybody enjoyed playing here.”

“This is real laid-back,” Reggie Evans said of Vancouver, grinning. “This is extremely laid back. I like it like this. Not too outgoing. Just right. It’s perfect for me.”

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/sport...#ixzz17fbTU000


So much for your "common knowledge."

Nice find. And we have to remember, we have a lot of something in Vancouver that lots of basketball players really, really like

I remember early on in the Grizzlies days, Atlanta (i think) had just played a game here and flew out the next morning. One of their players got busted with just under an ounce of weed.....like 1 gram under or somehing. It made me laugh - they played their game, he got hooked up with an O after, smoked a big one and packed the rest in his bag

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by Vancity

I can't speak on behalf of everyone else, but I don't hold any resentment towards the NBA. It's a business. We're not the first city to have lost their team. Minneapolis lost their team (the Lakers), before they relocated to becoming the LA Lakers. Not only did they lose their NBA team, they've only lost their NHL team as well (the Minnesota North Stars, remember?) that became the Dallas Stars. So it's not the first time a franchise has moved. With that being said, I understand the resentment and bitter feelings towards the NBA. but c'mon, let's move on! I'd love to have an entertaining league like the NBA come back to this beautiful northwest pacific city.

But Heisley. That guy's a rat. I hope his franchise (Memphis Grizz) sucks for as long as they are there.

Any blame for Stern as well?

[phesto]

A few thoughts:

-As long as David Stern is still NBA commissioner, I don’t see a team coming to Vancouver. There are other cities who would be vying for a relocated franchise and while the league doesn’t necessarily make the final determination, nor can they truly prevent a committed owner from moving a team, it won’t help that the league brass still feels that Vancouver was a mistake for expansion. The way things are going in the NBA though, I can see changes taking place that will ultimately lead to a fresh viewpoint, but even still…

-The NBA owners and the league are actually talking about contraction right now as a means of improving the quality of players and increasing profit. I’m not sure that will actually happen, but it just shows the level of risk that the owners are seeing and would they prefer that over relocation. Would Aquilini or another group really think the NBA in Vancouver is a ‘slam dunk’ as some here would seem to suggest? Obviously if contraction were a preferred option Vancouver’s hopes would diminish.

-I don’t really buy the whole argument that Vancouver has really changed in some fundamental way since the team left in 2001. Sure Vancouver has slightly more recognition and has grown moderately in population, but the TV market isn’t really any bigger, nor is the potential for corporate sponsors, which were both problems last go around. Season ticket sales cannot just rely on “the Richmond Chinese market” and it still competes with the Canucks for interest (who are much better than 2001 by the way).

- I was in Toronto last week to watch a Raptors game for the first time. It was actually the first NBA game I’d been to since the Grizzlies left town. Attendance was okay, but it goes without saying that the novelty of NBA in Toronto wore off close to 10 years ago and the team is still struggling somewhat to generate a consistent fan-base (albeit the loss of Chris Bosh and a rebuilding franchise should expect some difficulties). The TV market there is much larger. I don't have actual stats to prove anything here, but the lack of raptors jerseys and actual presence of leafs jerseys at an NBA game really speak to what takes first priority for live sports in this country, which will always be the case.

-As far as other factors that may have changed…The loonie is higher which is good. Seattle left which is bad because now Vancouver is more geographically isolated from a league that is predominantly located in the East and Midwest US.

-Ultimately I think the NBA would work here again with the right owner and proper management, but it will have to do so in a much different environment than in the mid-90’s.

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by phesto

A few thoughts:

-As long as David Stern is still NBA commissioner, I don’t see a team coming to Vancouver. There are other cities who would be vying for a relocated franchise and while the league doesn’t necessarily make the final determination, nor can they truly prevent a committed owner from moving a team, it won’t help that the league brass still feels that Vancouver was a mistake for expansion. The way things are going in the NBA though, I can see changes taking place that will ultimately lead to a fresh viewpoint, but even still…

-The NBA owners and the league are actually talking about contraction right now as a means of improving the quality of players and increasing profit. I’m not sure that will actually happen, but it just shows the level of risk that the owners are seeing and would they prefer that over relocation. Would Aquilini or another group really think the NBA in Vancouver is a ‘slam dunk’ as some here would seem to suggest? Obviously if contraction were a preferred option Vancouver’s hopes would diminish.

-I don’t really buy the whole argument that Vancouver has really changed in some fundamental way since the team left in 2001. Sure Vancouver has slightly more recognition and has grown moderately in population, but the TV market isn’t really any bigger, nor is the potential for corporate sponsors, which were both problems last go around. Season ticket sales cannot just rely on “the Richmond Chinese market” and it still competes with the Canucks for interest (who are much better than 2001 by the way).

- I was in Toronto last week to watch a Raptors game for the first time. It was actually the first NBA game I’d been to since the Grizzlies left town. Attendance was okay, but it goes without saying that the novelty of NBA in Toronto wore off close to 10 years ago and the team is still struggling somewhat to generate a consistent fan-base (albeit the loss of Chris Bosh and a rebuilding franchise should expect some difficulties). The TV market there is much larger. I don't have actual stats to prove anything here, but the lack of raptors jerseys and actual presence of leafs jerseys at an NBA game really speak to what takes first priority for live sports in this country, which will always be the case.

-As far as other factors that may have changed…The loonie is higher which is good. Seattle left which is bad because now Vancouver is more geographically isolated from a league that is predominantly located in the East and Midwest US.

-Ultimately I think the NBA would work here again with the right owner and proper management, but it will have to do so in a much different environment than in the mid-90’s.

There's no doubt that hockey is the first sport here in this country. Nobody is denying that. But surely, hockey is not the only sport we enjoy. Basketball has a decent following as well, and an NBA franchise, could go a long way in helping the grassroots level grow.

Tickets won't be simply on the richmond chinese people. that would simply be ludicrous. with that being said, management last time, barely did any kind of advertising towards that demographic. i agree with you, though, that with the correct owner (local preferrably), and the right management team in place, an NBA franchise here in this town could flourish. would the franchise have some difficulties like the Raptors are facing? sure they would. but I also think there is a lot of things to market to players from a Vancouver point of view.

I would think that the Aquilini's would want to try to fill in Rogers Arena with the other 41 home dates, when the Canucks are out of town. It makes financial sense (if they can manage the NBA franchise well, that is).

[mezzanine]

Francesco would not want to to fill Rogers Centre for a loss, though. I suspect that a large chunk of the attendance when the grizzlies were here were from comp'd tickets. I was still a student when they were here and played some rec-level basketball, getting promo tickets wasn't that hard to come by (free NBA tickets! i still wonder at it all...)

If you look at the numbers, the NBA is doing a lot more poorly than the NHL, and that's ignoring the NHL's salary cap and revenue-sharing.

If anything, if the aquellinis bought an NBA franchise, i would immediately worry about the viability of the ownership group and the canucks.

The five worst (NBA paid attendance):

Memphis: 6,879,
Sacramento: 7,606,
Milwaukee: 8,331,
Philadelphia: 8,701,
Charlotte: 8,969,
............

Lowest average (paid attendance) per NHL game
Islanders (19) 13,462
Thrashers (21) 14,372
Blue Jackets (20) 14,373
Predators (20) 14,427
Coyotes (23) 14,734

http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.co...38893/18850386

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/61172

[Vancity]

Originally Posted by mezzanine

Francesco would not want to to fill Rogers Centre for a loss, though. I suspect that a large chunk of the attendance when the grizzlies were here were from comp'd tickets. I was still a student when they were here and played some rec-level basketball, getting promo tickets wasn't that hard to come by (free NBA tickets! i still wonder at it all...)

If you look at the numbers, the NBA is doing a lot more poorly than the NHL, and that's ignoring the NHL's salary cap and revenue-sharing.

If anything, if the aquellinis bought an NBA franchise, i would immediately worry about the viability of the ownership group and the canucks.

Could you explain why you'd be worried the viability of the ownership group and the canucks?