European Teams to become offcial NBA in a few years?

[Californication]

I heard it from Sportscenter. Apparently Stern was finally thinking of incoperating 4 or 5 different teams/european cities into the nba the next few years. I think I heard London, Madrid, somewhere in Spain, Germany, and another one.

I hope so badly its true. I've wanted them to make a worldwide basketball association like this for since I was a kid and now it might finally become a reality. The only weird thing is how far the teams will have to travel, especially the West Coast teams. Imagine the Sonics or Blazers flying all the way to Madrid, playing, and then flying back to like Atlanta the next day. Madness. Sorry that I can't find an article for it

What do you guys think, good, bad, or awesome?

[J@3]

This would be beyond horrible. It would completely ruin the NBA for me, I guess money grabbing knows no bounds though.

[Chaser7]

A) David Stern said this a goal within the next 10 years, so its not like its just around the
corner...

B) I think if it were to happen, they wouldn't schedule it so that one night you play in Europe and then they next in Atlanta. This doesn't even happen in the NBA. You never have back to backs with games on opposite coasts. Back to backs happen where you play like the Rockets one night and the Spurs the next. You wouldn't have a back to back with one game, with the Atlanta Hawks playing one game in LA and the next night in New York.

C) I doubt they would call it the WBA, still called the NBA.

D) I think its a pretty bad idea with the technology we have today. For West Coast teams it'll take like 15 hours to fly to Spain or France or whereever. Even if the schedule designs it so that they have extra days to rest, that means they will ahve to makeup for it later. Plus, what if the NBA finals were between teams in Madrid and Paris? A disaster! No one would care in the US, or at least ratings would be even lower than the '07 finals. And its not like European Countries are HUGE on basketball, granted interest is rising, but the American TV market for basketball is much more important, and if the finals were between 2 European cities, it would be a disaster.

[Tuomas]

When this happens my interest in the league will drop significantly. There is no good enough reason except money. It will ruin the conferences, playoff procedures, team levels since the possible new teams will suck... everything will suck.

[BP8]

i hope that doesn''t happen. i just think it wouldn't be good. NBA was always America, if it would go to Europe it would be just bad.
DON'T MAKE THIS STERN.

[BIG GREEN]

We'll get used to it. Change is never easy to accept for some people. Just because the teams are in europe doesn't mean they have to suck....there are NBA rejected americans in the euroleague aren't they?

I don't care that the NBA players have to fly 15 hours or whatever cause they get paid millions of dollars just to play a fuckin sport that billions of people don't get paid for. Suck it up and do your job....if you don't wanna do it then i'm sure there are others who will. (like me )

[Sauru]

i think people are missing the point (or maybe i am for not reading too much into this). i keep hearing the teams will suck, what makes you think that? they would just be basic expansion teams that suck for awhile until they draft better players. brings me to my next point, free agency. no one is gonna sign to play for a overseas team. drafted rookies will hold out forever, soooo i guess you are right, the teams will suck.

now none of that matter if they nba treats the new teams differently from the rest of the nba and they dont draft or sign free agents but instead they use thier own countries players. if that happens this becomes even worse as normal nba teams will be playing olympic teams.

imo no matter how you slice it this ends up bad. you want more money? make a nba over there.

[Patr1ck]

make a nba over there.

Damn right. Have a Euro-NBA. Then have the two champions face off against each other.

There are countless cities in America that could benefit from having an NBA team. What's the point of going overseas, taking over the other leagues with the "NBA" name?

[Leander]

That would be so stupid. Each country should have a league of its own.

[BIG GREEN]

This is was I love about david stern....instead of putting the matter to a vote amoung the nba players and the fans as a whole...he makes all his decisions about the NBA on his own or amoung his yes men. You gotta love democracy.

[Andrew]

You gotta love democracy.

That reminds me of one of my favourite quotes from the Drew Carey Show: "What good is democracy, if you can't get what you want?"

I've never been a fan of the idea of the NBA expanding into other countries and including those teams in the way Stern is proposing. I'd much rather seperate divisions and a champions tournament similar to the old McDonald's Open.

[Fcuk Orlando]

It can work, how do they don soccer?
And i'd would like to see 2 Euro teams make the finals

[Lamrock]

I doubt two Euro teams would make the finals, as the Euro teams would probably be in a different conference altogether. I don't think this would work anyway though.

[diddy]

Moscow has near 5 or 6 huge basketball arenas! so at least 2 teams could become nba teams there! CSKA for sure!

Lamrock93, don't forget about 2007 Euro championship champs - Russia! and 80% of Russian team were from CSKA!

[Chaser7]

I doubt two Euro teams would make the finals, as the Euro teams would probably be in a different conference altogether. I don't think this would work anyway though.

I was just throwing out a hypothetical situation...

[Andrew]

It can work, how do they don soccer?

It's doable but that alone doesn't make it a good idea.

[Jing]

Traveling is gonna suck, and the time zone differences are going to play a big factor. Games will be going on in Europe when when people are like eating Lunch or something, and when they play in the the states, its gonna be like 2 or 3 in the morning in Europe. Televising the games are going to be pretty tedious.

[Andrew]

I'd also assume that trades between the teams located in North America and the European division wouldn't be possible. After all, there's players who aren't keen on being traded across the North American continent or to a specific part of it, let alone to another continent entirely.

[Sauru]

the hassel in getting every single player a visa and shit would be unreal also

[shadowgrin]

Agree. Not everyone is as good as Devean George to refuse a trade.

[Scrazynet]

David stern is an bussiness addicted who can´t get enough money.

I´ve never seen a honest and truth statement of his personality. It´s like he always following an protocol of how a nba commissioner should make statements. There is no humanity there.

I bet when he get´s home for a cup of coffee, he talks the same stuff to his wife
"I`m glad you allowed to me have this cup of coffee and by serving me this you allow me to contribute to the bussiness community of coffee makers. I´ve appreciate all you´ve done for the coffee drinkes association, yatta yatta yatta..."

[Andrew]

Isn't it Stern's job, amongst other things, to make business decisions and ensure that the NBA is profitable? Again, I don't agree with the idea of a European division being part of the league but it's in his best interests to explore ways of increasing and maintaining the NBA's revenue.

I´ve never seen a honest and truth statement of his personality. It´s like he always following an protocol of how a nba commissioner should make statements. There is no humanity there.

Isn't protocol supposed to be followed? He's not supposed to be funny or witty when he's making official statements, he's supposed to be professional.

[Scrazynet]

NBA is way profitable. I just don´t like the hear a bussiness man talking about basketball cuz he doesn´t say anything interesting from the game perspective, and yet he gets to talk a lot.

My point is it´s useless to interview stern or try to understand any of this toughts, because it´s never about the game. The quality of the game or the teams, the rule changes are never brought to the sports benefit, but to nba profit.

I understand that NBA is a bussiness , and like everyother needs to increase it´s incoming, but all the suits and protocol appatheids bball from the league in my opnion.

The only reason nba wanting to expand around world is to legitimate the so called "world champions" to past nba teams winners.

Keep nba american.

[BIG GREEN]

David stern is an bussiness addicted who can´t get enough money.

I´ve never seen a honest and truth statement of his personality. It´s like he always following an protocol of how a nba commissioner should make statements. There is no humanity there.

I bet when he get´s home for a cup of coffee, he talks the same stuff to his wife
"I`m glad you allowed to me have this cup of coffee and by serving me this you allow me to contribute to the bussiness community of coffee makers. I´ve appreciate all you´ve done for the coffee drinkes association, yatta yatta yatta..."

Good post there...made me chuckle. BTW....we should all know why stern is so business addicted.

[Andrew]

NBA is way profitable. I just don´t like the hear a bussiness man talking about basketball cuz he doesn´t say anything interesting from the game perspective, and yet he gets to talk a lot.

My point is it´s useless to interview stern or try to understand any of this toughts, because it´s never about the game. The quality of the game or the teams, the rule changes are never brought to the sports benefit, but to nba profit.

Yes, the NBA is profitable. I never said it wasn't. I said it was Stern's job to ensure it remains that way and seek out means of making it even more profitable.

As for his statements, the bottom line is that he runs the league and there are some issues he's going to comment on and announcements he's going to make. If you want colourful or interesting quotes about the game, look to the players, coaches and broadcasters, not the commissioner.