Series Thread: 3) Portland Trailblazers vs 6) OKC Thunder

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

I don't see Balmer moving the Clips up to Seattle...that being said, I do think he wouldn't mind moving them down to Orange County (Anaheim).

As long as he remains in LA, his team will always be in the Lakers shadow and treated like a younger sibling.

He/they need their own place to call home w/o damaging/disenfranchising their current fan base...which would likely happen if they moved 2 states away.


Maybe there are some LAC fans here who can agree or debunk this?

 

[RobToxin]

Next question.

 

[msgkings322]

some people just like to be in LA- and being hte owner of the Clippers give syou a status that other rich assholes just dont have

in Billions- when Axe is denied the chance to get a footbal lteam the guy said in America- getting a pro franchise is like geting "knighted" - its how we "knight" people over here---- to have a basketball team in LA is prob just status for him and he prob lives there and enjoys it.

Seattle is a cool place dont get me wrong, and as Ballmer made his immense loads of cash from microsoft id think hed have substantial ties there

Exactly my point. If all Ballmer wants is to get more cachet owning the afterthought team in LA vs being a hero in Seattle, then he's a total idiot. Which if you believe the colleagues I know that have had business dealings with him, is probably the case.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Also: If the NBA plans on bringing a new team to Seattle, wouldn't they also then have to bring in another new franchise to the eastern conference to keep the balance at 16 teams per conference, instead of 16 in the WC and 15 in the EC?

If so...which city /market will be granted a new team in the East??

Pittsburgh? St. Louis? Cincy? Louisville?

 

[LAD]

Pretty much everyone thinks he's being salty. Just say it was a great shot, congratulate Dame, and move on. This doesn't help PG at all.

I'm wondering when we should be expecting PG to be forcing his way out of OKC. I'm also wondering if he thinks choosing to play with RW vs. LBJ was the wrong choice in hindsight of course.

 

[Mecca]

Of course I do. That would be ridiculous to say otherwise.

So because Dame has won one playoff series in the last three seasons Russ wishes he was as good?

I get Dame has played with subpar talent. I think Dame is a fantastic player. I would take Dame over Russ today.

But if they both retire tomorrow Russ had the better career and its not close. So I don't get the comment.

Westbrook has been in the NBA 4 years longer.

So, that's not really a surprise.

Averaging a triple double 3 years in a row is miraculous.

But, its pretty obvious that Russ is the better athlete and Dame is the better PLAYER.

 

[RobToxin]

Also: If the NBA plans on bringing a new team to Seattle, wouldn't they also then have to bring in another new franchise to the eastern conference to keep the balance at 16 teams per conference, instead of 16 in the WC and 15 in the EC?

If so...which city /market will be granted a new team in the East??

Pittsburgh? St. Louis? Cincy? Louisville?

The Big Apple.

It's been a while since New York had an NBA team.

 

[Mecca]

For the thousandth time I'm gonna say the Clippers need to move there, and I still haven't gotten a good reason why they don't. Is it still a stadium issue?

Seems like Ballmer could finance it privately, like Lacob did with the Warriors. Lacob and the crew are going to make SO much money on that thing.

Because it will devalue his 2 billion dollar investment.

He overpaid.

So, he's already in the red.

Moving to another California Metropolitan area mitigates his loss better.

 

[msgkings322]

Because it will devalue his 2 billion dollar investment.

He overpaid.

So, he's already in the red.

Moving to another California Metropolitan area mitigates his loss better.

He can rebuild the franchise value with a spiffy new stadium that the franchise owns and in being the only basketball team in a very successful city instead of an afterthought in some LA suburb

 

[Mecca]

He can make way more money in Seattle and not be the Lakers' bitch. He'd be a hero up there. And he could spend as much of his time as he wanted in LA

What are you basing this on?

I get the being the Lakers bitch part.

But, financially?

I'm going to guess You've never been to LA Live.

I was there last Monday.

The Seattle area wouldn't be able to support that type of venue due to lack of support, pushback on traffic and lack of political support.

That Clippers are trying to break ground on a stadium, bars, restaurant, housing venue in LA County.

But, the Knicks own a venue in the same city and are blocking it.

Regardless, Clippers have a lease until 2024.

Why in God's name would they break it to play in a rundown key arena?

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

He can rebuild the franchise value with a spiffy new stadium that the franchise owns and in being the only basketball team in a very successful city instead of an afterthought in some LA suburb

HA!
Tell that to the Ducks or the Angels.

Besides..the Dubs have thrived rather nicely in that SF "suburb" known as Oakland for decades.

jus' sayin'

 

[Mecca]

He can rebuild the franchise value with a spiffy new stadium that the franchise owns and in being the only basketball team in a very successful city instead of an afterthought in some LA suburb

He can.

But, he clearly doesn't want to.

He was part of the Seattle contingent that was trying to build an arena in Seattle.

He actually is part owner of the land.

It got blocked.

He moved on.

This is not brain surgery.


I'd rather be a gold fish in the Atlantic Ocean bringing in millions over being a Megladon bringing in thousands in a koi pond.

 

[Robotech]

Also: If the NBA plans on bringing a new team to Seattle, wouldn't they also then have to bring in another new franchise to the eastern conference to keep the balance at 16 teams per conference, instead of 16 in the WC and 15 in the EC?

If so...which city /market will be granted a new team in the East??

Pittsburgh? St. Louis? Cincy? Louisville?

Yeah, it would make sense to make it 32 teams instead of 31. It would be cool for it to be another vintage team, too. Seattle Supersonics and Cincinnati Royals. Or, Supersonics and St. Louis Hawks. Just make Atlanta change their name to something else. LOL.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Yeah, it would make sense to make it 32 teams instead of 31. It would be cool for it to be another vintage team, too. Seattle Supersonics and Cincinnati Royals. Or, Supersonics and St. Louis Hawks. Just make Atlanta change their name to something else. LOL.

What...no love for the Syracuse Nationals or Buffalo Braves??

 

[msgkings322]

What are you basing this on?

I get the being the Lakers bitch part.

But, financially?

I'm going to guess You've never been to LA Live.

I was there last Monday.

The Seattle area wouldn't be able to support that type of venue due to lack of support, pushback on traffic and lack of political support.

That Clippers are trying to break ground on a stadium, bars, restaurant, housing venue in LA County.

But, the Knicks own a venue in the same city and are blocking it.

Regardless, Clippers have a lease until 2024.

Why in God's name would they break it to play in a rundown key arena?

The numbers only work if they build and own a mixed use modern stadium like the Warriors did. Maybe that's the issue, Seattle won't allow it.

 

[Mecca]

Yeah, it would make sense to make it 32 teams instead of 31. It would be cool for it to be another vintage team, too. Seattle Supersonics and Cincinnati Royals. Or, Supersonics and St. Louis Hawks. Just make Atlanta change their name to something else. LOL.

Suprisingly, There have been a odd number of teams quite a few times.



Years No. of teams
1946–1947 11
1947–1948 8
1948–1949 12
1949–1950 17
1950–1951 11
1951–1953 10
1953–1955 9
1955–1961 8
1961–1966 9
1966–1967 10
1967–1968 12
1968–1970 14
1970–1974 17
1974–1976 18
1976–1980 22
1980–1988 23
1988–1989 25
1989–1995 27
1995–2004 29
2004–present 30

 

[msgkings322]

He can.

But, he clearly doesn't want to.

He was part of the Seattle contingent that was trying to build an arena in Seattle.

He actually is part owner of the land.

It got blocked.

He moved on.

This is not brain surgery.


I'd rather be a gold fish in the Atlantic Ocean bringing in millions over being a Megladon bringing in thousands in a koi pond.

Your metaphor is off. He's the shitty younger brother fish getting the castoffs the big fish doesn't want. With a new arena he'd make as.much or more. But then that's probably the issue, Seattle won't let him

 

[msgkings322]

HA!
Tell that to the Ducks or the Angels.

Besides..the Dubs have thrived rather nicely in that SF "suburb" known as Oakland for decades.

jus' sayin'

Yeah the Dubs did pretty well competing in the Bay Area with that other more popular team, the, uh, wait I know this, the Kings?

 

[Mecca]

The numbers only work if they build and own a mixed use modern stadium like the Warriors did. Maybe that's the issue, Seattle won't allow it.

Bingo


That's why he doesn't want to go there.

Ballmer was pat of the push to bring the King's to Seattle.


The future of NBA in Seattle

Although he won’t be leading the NBA’s return to Seattle, Ballmer said he was optimistic about that possibility.

“I’m sure it will happen sometime and I can’t predict when it would happen,” he said. “Seattle’s a great market, people around the NBA know that but there are no plans for expansion.”

When asked whether Seattle has the “political talent” to bring a team to town, Ballmer stated: “Part of the reason we lost our team was the lack of political support. I’m not sure whether political support is the key thing to bring a team back here.” In the absence of NBA expansion, Balmer noted that the city still needs the following:

1. A franchise owner to bring a team to Seattle.
2. A franchise owner must be at the end of his current lease.
3. “They have to try to get their new arena situation fixed in the city in which they’re based, because the league doesn’t want teams to move hither and yon, particularly after the Sonics (moved).”

Ballmer added: “And, oh, by the way, then you’d better own some land if you need to build an arena or remodel Key, whatever the solution is. And, oh, by the way, the people who permit these things have to … this traffic situation when people debate these two arena locations, it’s pretty crowded there in South Lake Union.”

 

[thunderc]

He can make way more money in Seattle and not be the Lakers' bitch. He'd be a hero up there. And he could spend as much of his time as he wanted in LA

Let’s take the saveoursonics talk elsewhere, at least until the thunder pity party is over.