What I think should be done for expansion

[ATL96Steeler]

The problem the NBA has is that people are going to watch the games on TV and not pay to see them in person. The NFL would have the same problem if people weren't so obsessed with football and tailgating.

41 games is just too many vs 8 to 10 NFL games.

The NBA would be a much better reg. season product with about 50 games.

 

[Clayton]

The reason people are not going to NBA games is because the product the NBA puts forth is not worth paying to see. The league is too diluted & the game has changed so much to it's own detriment, that it only appeals to a certain demographic. It no longer has a broader appeal to fans. When you have the same few teams recycled in the finals & a third of the league tanking almost every single season, you have a problem. And to add to that, the NBA has lost it's market share in the USA & only is thriving in the oversees markets.

Yeah, the NBA has 4 fundamental problems, imo.

1) Players control the league more than they should and can stack teams
2) There are too many teams
3) College basketball isnt preparing kids for the NBA at all and rebuilding takes too long.
4) Too many teams make the playoffs for a league with a long regular season

But as bad as the NBA is right now, college basketball is much, much worse. I miss the old days of college basketball when there were actually good teams in every conference and great teams in most conferences

 

[ATL96Steeler]

The reason people are not going to NBA games is because the product the NBA puts forth is not worth paying to see. The league is too diluted & the game has changed so much to it's own detriment, that it only appeals to a certain demographic. It no longer has a broader appeal to fans. When you have the same few teams recycled in the finals & a third of the league tanking almost every single season, you have a problem. And to add to that, the NBA has lost it's market share in the USA & only is thriving in the oversees markets.

Wow...where did you gather this info? You opinion on the quality of the product of course.

The reality is the NBA is pretty strong in the major markets...league wide I'm guessing they are operating at about 80% of capacity at the gate.

2013-2014 NBA Attendance - National Basketball Association - ESPN

? NBA regular season attendance 2006-2014 | Statistic

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Yeah, the NBA has 4 fundamental problems, imo.

1) Players control the league more than they should and can stack teams
2) There are too many teams
3) College basketball isnt preparing kids for the NBA at all and rebuilding takes too long.
4) Too many teams make the playoffs for a league with a long regular season

But as bad as the NBA is right now, college basketball is much, much worse. I miss the old days of college basketball when there were actually good teams in every conference and great teams in most conferences

2 & 4...yeah

I think the NBA is in fine shape overall, but growth in the U.S. going to be slower...the game is saturated on TV now...the sport imo will always be 3rd fiddle and I don't know if that's really a problem...the biggest I see is growth opportunities here is going to be a tough sell.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

NBA Hardtimes

For those that remember when the NBA finals were on tape delay...I think that was the low point of the league...heavy drug (coke) use among the players, Rudy T was KO'd on live TV, very little TV money coming in...this is jmo but I really think Bird and and Magic were the catalyst of bringing the league back to respectability...they made passing seem fun and exciting and, they brought TEAM back into the game...just keeping it real...it also helped to have a legitimate white superstar on the east coast.

Nowadays...these are relatively small problems. Once NY or BOS is a serious contender again to couple with a big market WC team the numbers will ease back up. But as mentioned already...the NBA will probably never be more than 3rd fiddle here in the U.S.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Expansion would be a horrible idea at this point. The East is already bad enough, no need to add two more horrible teams (for at least the first few years). There isn't enough talent in the league to do this.