pf9 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 The NBA is thinking about expanding again, and Seattle seems like a shoo-in. The team will probably be a revival of the SuperSonics, but it should be in more than just name. The history (1967-2008) of the original SuperSonics should belong to the new version exclusively. This would make the Thunder an expansion team that began play in 2008. Yes I know a 15+-year suspension of operations (depending on when expansion happens) would look weird. But the Thunder owners were wise to not take the Sonics name with them to OKC. So it would be like the Sonics went into hibernation in 2008, and didn't come out of it for more than a decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingo18287 Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I think the Charlotte Hornets got their old stats and records back from the New Orleans Pelicans when they restarted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 3 minutes ago, Dingo18287 said: I think the Charlotte Hornets got their old stats and records back from the New Orleans Pelicans when they restarted. yes Quote On May 20, 2014, the Bobcats became the second incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets. At a press conference, team officials also announced that the renamed Hornets reclaimed the history and records of the 1988–2002 Hornets, while all of the Hornets' records during their time in New Orleans from 2002 to 2013 remained with the Pelicans. Charlotte had already been using footage of the original Hornets as part of the "Buzz City" campaign. To summarize: after the 2002 season, the original Hornets moved to New Orleans. In 2004, Charlotte was granted a new franchise, the Bobcats. After the 2013–14 season, the Bobcats changed their name back to the Hornets and reclaimed the history and records of the 1988–2002 Hornets. As a result, the Hornets are now deemed as having suspended operations from 2002 to 2004, while the Pelicans are deemed as having joined the league in 2002 as an expansion team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billking Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 I wish they would have done the same thing with the Jazz, I just can't relate jazz music and the state of Utah having anything in common. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRaider Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 On 1/28/2021 at 5:40 PM, billking said: I wish they would have done the same thing with the Jazz, I just can't relate jazz music and the state of Utah having anything in common. How many lakes do they have in Los Angeles? I live here and I will tell you there aren't very many. If we're being honest though Utah should've been the Hornets considering Utah is the beehive state. And New Orleans should've been the Jazz as that's the Jazz capital of the world IIRC. But it's too late for all of that now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRaider Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 If the NBA is really going to expand you'd have to assume that they add two teams to keep the conferences balanced, right? I'd say you bring back the Seattle Supersonics and also create an expansion team in Las Vegas. Let both of those teams join the Western Conference and move Minnesota and New Orleans to the Eastern Conference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 1 hour ago, NYRaider said: If the NBA is really going to expand you'd have to assume that they add two teams to keep the conferences balanced, right? I'd say you bring back the Seattle Supersonics and also create an expansion team in Las Vegas. Let both of those teams join the Western Conference and move Minnesota and New Orleans to the Eastern Conference. not 100% confident Adam Silver will want to let a franchise in Vegas. I think Kansas City is the obvious spot when you look at the map. It is smack dab in the middle of a gaping hole in the East with a strong fan base for sports. Given where other teams are conferenced you could put them in the West as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRaider Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 2 minutes ago, Deadpulse said: not 100% confident Adam Silver will want to let a franchise in Vegas. I think Kansas City is the obvious spot when you look at the map. It is smack dab in the middle of a gaping hole in the East with a strong fan base for sports. Given where other teams are conferenced you could put them in the West as well. I live in Los Angeles but I travel to Vegas for work 2-3 times a month. The people in the city there want a team and I've heard from a couple of locals that they're pretty confident they'll get one soon. One major benefit of starting a team in Las Vegas is that they already have T-Mobile Arena on the LV Strip which holds like 18,000 people and is perfect for an NBA team. IIRC the NBA has a ton of their summer league stuff at T-Mobile and the league obviously likes the city with how committed they've been to having the Summer League played there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Just now, NYRaider said: I live in Los Angeles but I travel to Vegas for work 2-3 times a month. The people in the city there want a team and I've heard from a couple of locals that they're pretty confident they'll get one soon. One major benefit of starting a team in Las Vegas is that they already have T-Mobile Arena on the LV Strip which holds like 18,000 people and is perfect for an NBA team. IIRC the NBA has a ton of their summer league stuff at T-Mobile and the league obviously likes the city with how committed they've been to having the Summer League played there. Always viewed that as more of a concession for not ever putting a team there than anything else. They'd have to find a new spot for summer league lol I don't have anything to back this up, but Adam Silver's tenure has been about perception of the league and changing the culture of the NBA and its players. A team in Vegas would go in opposition to that. Personally, I would love a Vegas team. They'd only be missing baseball at that point. #VegasAthletics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRaider Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 @Deadpulse https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/01/08/nba-expansion-seattle-las-vegas/ Quote Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan (D) told King5.com this week that she was “pretty optimistic” about an NBA return to the city after a recent conversation with Silver. Durkan said she believes the owners “are very seriously considering” expansion and that she “[didn’t] think it’s going to be a long, multiyear process.” Quote The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported in December that Mayor Carolyn Goodman (I) also spoke with Silver after his preseason comments. Goodman said her city “would look forward” to being an expansion destination and that Las Vegas was a “perfect fit” and “ready, willing and able” to host a team “as soon as we could get it going.” Quote Seattle and Las Vegas have been mentioned as possible NBA destinations for years, and both check the most important boxes: They are top-30 U.S. cities by population with vibrant local professional sports markets and NBA-ready arenas. Fans in Seattle have clamored for the NBA’s return since the SuperSonics departed, and billion-dollar Climate Pledge Arena soon will host the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, an expansion team. Las Vegas has recently welcomed the NFL’s Raiders and the NHL’s Golden Knights, and T-Mobile Arena opened just off the Strip in 2016. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRaider Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Just now, Deadpulse said: I don't have anything to back this up, but Adam Silver's tenure has been about perception of the league and changing the culture of the NBA and its players. A team in Vegas would go in opposition to that. How does bringing a team to Vegas hurt the perception of the league or negatively change the culture of the NBA and its players? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 Just now, NYRaider said: How does bringing a team to Vegas hurt the perception of the league or negatively change the culture of the NBA and its players? Its the gambling capital of the world and the debauchery capital of the USA. Fair or not. Not surprised the Mayor of Vegas talked to Silver, wouldn't be doing her job if she didnt. Doesn't say in that article what Silver thinks of the idea though. Also, that Mayor is a whack-a-doo who tried to use her constitutes as lab mice early in the pandemic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seminoles1 Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Deadpulse said: Its the gambling capital of the world and the debauchery capital of the USA. Fair or not. So? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 1 hour ago, seminoles1 said: So? Stigma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRaider Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 3 hours ago, Deadpulse said: Its the gambling capital of the world and the debauchery capital of the USA. Fair or not. Not surprised the Mayor of Vegas talked to Silver, wouldn't be doing her job if she didnt. Doesn't say in that article what Silver thinks of the idea though. Also, that Mayor is a whack-a-doo who tried to use her constitutes as lab mice early in the pandemic. You can bet on sports in 21 other states around the country. That's why they said they'd never have any teams yet they've gotten an NFL team and an NHL team in the past 5 years. Vegas is one of, if not the, fastest growing cities in the world. They already have an arena in a prime location for a team as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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