Rockford Expansion

[not so fast]

Rockford will do just fine, in spite of the gloom and doomer ken steelheads fan, he still wants to turn every town in America into Gary indiana. Yes it helps to have prime nights for games, but it can still work, and secondly, if the NBA wants the team to be there, it will be there. The country might be broke ken, but the NBA is not broke. And they have great influence over a lot of potential owners and investors. they are not joe nueman.

And ken will please stop with the unemployment statistics of every city. I think you must be part of the main stream media, always spreading bad news. Finally, I was in Rockford not too long ago, I didn't see the homeless, starving beggers, I didn't see boarded up stores everywhere. Now on Broadway Ave in Gary Indiana? Well that looks like the depression.

[panchess]

The Lakers folded their franchise in the D-League. If they don't have money, who does? While the NBA wants a farm system, it's never going to be at the same cost and support as MLB. If they had to self-support, half the affiliated minor league teams would be gone in two seasons.

The CBA never got much past 16 teams, and I think the D-League is near its natural limit of teams as well. Will there be some shuffle in the cities? Sure. The days of natural D-League expansion are pretty much over, though.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

not so fast,
Stop shooting the messenger. The NBA is affected by the economy just like everyone else.

[nksports]

Originally Posted by panchess

The Lakers folded their franchise in the D-League. If they don't have money, who does? While the NBA wants a farm system, it's never going to be at the same cost and support as MLB.

Allow me to disagree. The LA Defenders costs less to operate than the one average NBA wage. I don't think the Defenders hurt the Lakers bottom line much at all, especially after winning an NBA title. The Lakers could own and operate the Clippers with little impact on the bottom line.
What the Lakers (and some of the other top owners) are angling for is an elimination of the salary cap. That would eliminate the need (in the owner's mind) of player development.
Yes that would destroy what competitive balance in the league there is, but what would happen is if the Lakers needed a player, it would simply buy what it needed with no worries.

[Buffalo Super Fan]

Yes the economy isn't great Ken but that doesn't mean sports teams can't survive and do well. I would bring up my city of Buffalo as a example. For the D-League and sports fans that bring up the economy as a excuse yes it is a factor no doubt. But how do you explain Buffalo then that has had a shrinking economy for over 40 years one? And two has lost alot of jobs over the past 40 years but we keep on trucking.

We support well the Buffalo Bills NFL, Sabres NHL, Bisons IL, Bandits NLL and UB Bulls MAC football. How do you blame everything on the economy for a city if Buffalo continues to draw even through we are shrinking, aging and our economy has been bad so long I have to go back to childhood to remember when the Buffalo economy was good and I am 42 years old.

See part of it I think that Not So Fast is getting at Ken I don't want to put words in his mouth or speak for him. Is that the economy also can be psycological for people that have jobs that worry because of the news in the media I would suggest listen to it but also put it in proper prospective. Meaning in Buffalo our economy has been bad for 40 years and we hear so much on the news oh this company is leaving or that company is down sizing that we tend to ignore it and go about the day that in my opinion would be my advice for other cities outside of Buffalo to try and do like I said.

You can't in my opinion let the economy get to you so much with worring that you don't take time to enjoy yourself and get away from it once in a while. See that is one of the keys with Buffalo I really believe Buffalonians are so use to it because our economy has been bad so long that it is just like the Peanuts Cartoon when someone is on the phone blah blah! blah blah! from the news media and we then go about our day and enjoy ourselves making the best of it that is what I love about Buffalo.

Part of that enjoyment is sporting events attending games in my opinion. We do what makes us happy to get away from the doom and gloom talk and that is called sports the sandbox of life in my opinion. See that is the thing in my opinion you can't blame every teams failure in the past or present on the present economy. If that was the case Buffalo would have no teams and no fans which isn't the case we do very well in my opinion.

At the end of the day you either give the team a try if you like sports whatever league your in or you stay home watch it fail and say oh it is the economy or whatever you do in that city. The community plays a big part in this in my opinion are you going to come up with 100 excuses or are you going to go to the games.

Economy in my opinion seems to me to give a city a build in excuses if you can't explain why some big cities team is failing like the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL, Phoenix Coyotes NHL or Florida Panthers NHL. Oh it must be the economy that is it to wrap it up in a little box with a bow on top. How about that the city failed for a number of reason and at the end of the day the community didn't get behind the team. But even with that failing that doesn't mean someone shouldn't try again in a different time and place if a owner wants to it is his or her money to spend.

I never make excuses for Buffalo we failed with the Buffalo Stampede PBL and I take responsiblity for it as a city. But it doesn't mean with a different league and different time and situation that Buffalo might work in minor league basketball. If a team fails it fails for a number of reasons but it doesn't mean you don't pick yourself up and try again with another team in another league in my opinion.

I wish Rockford well if they get D-League but I am concerned with the city of Rockford failing so badly in MISL the Rockford Rampage MISL this year and the Rockford Ice Hogs AHL struggling that Ken might be right. To me Rockford doesn't seem like a good fit for D-League at this time. But who I to take away from a cities dreams so go for it Rockford. If Rockford wants D-League good for them. But I would suggest Rockford that you go to the games take the CBA and MISL experiences as learning experiences. Because minor league sports in what ever the sport or league needs gate support in my opinion that plays a big part along with merchandise sales etc. Let's Go Buffalo

[wasteland]

Originally Posted by Buffalo Super Fan

I wish Rockford well if they get D-League but I am concerned with the city of Rockford failing so badly in MISL the Rockford Rampage MISL this year and the Rockford Ice Hogs AHL struggling that Ken might be right. To me Rockford doesn't seem like a good fit for D-League at this time. But who I to take away from a cities dreams so go for it Rockford. If Rockford wants D-League good for them. But I would suggest Rockford that you go to the games take the CBA and MISL experiences as learning experiences.

What are you basing your comment about the Icehogs on? They are in fact a very solid franchise.

And what are you basing your Rockford Lightening comment on? The franchise was active for 20 years before folding. Had the owner not died I'm pretty sure he would of been there till the end of the CBA. Show me how minor league teams outside of baseball stick around in one location for 20 years. You won't find many at all.

It is odd that the Rampage don't do better. Rockford has top flight soccer facilities and youth programs. My guess is the league usually runs games on sunday afternoons locally. But of course, now of the previous indoor soccer teams lasted very long.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Buffalo Super Fan,
The rust belt in general had a shrinking economy in the past 40 years. It's not just Buffalo. The recession of 2008 was the worst since the Great Depression, so it is difficult to compare the past four decades with now. Also, the media isn't causing the economic problems. They simply report on it. Ironically, you mentioned teams in Arizona and Florida with severe problems. These are the very states with the nation's highest glut of housing inventory. A housing glut means the recovery has stalled until people start buying houses to reduce inventory. Problem is, so many jobs were lost that there aren't enough people to buy the homes. I'm a very positive type of person, but there are a lot of realities out there. I don't have the kind of vision to see the country avoiding a Double-dip recession (IMO). BTW, did you check out the attendance for the Brickyard 400? 140,000 fans announced. That's 60,000 LESS than last year.

...and you're only 42 years old. I thought you were much older. You're just a pup.

[wasteland]

Originally Posted by Ken, Steelheads fan

Plus, the whole D-League/Rockford thing is a pipe-dream of Joe Stefani. I read the article (somewhere). He doesn't have any money. He's looking for investors.

Doesn't that already make he smater than many minor league start=ups, use other peoples money? If you don't already know, he has done this before on a smaller scale with the Rockford Forestors. He was able to get a number of people to invest, including Craig Drecktrah. Craig as you know is a former part owner of the Icehogs, current owner of the Chicago Hounds, bussinessman, and lottery winner. I assume Joe and Craig met when Joe was with the Chicago Shamrox. A long shot? Sure. But if he can secure some backers and a decent lease with the Metrocentre's new management company, who will be looking to book the place solid, you never know.

[wasteland]

Well, I must admit, after listening to former Lightning Coach Daleo on WXRX radio this afternoon, I'm starting to become a believer in that not only could this happen, but it could suceed. According to coach, things are actually moving along with this. It was interesting how he pointed out that Corey Pearson is long gone from the mEtrocentre, something tells me he was hard to work with and just not that good at his job. With SMG coming in to handle management, I'm sure a workable lease and dates could be worked out. There's no reason why the Icehogs and a D-league couldn't co-exist. There are many weekend nights the arena sits empty while the team is in Texas, Milwaukee, Peoria, etc. With the Raptors looking like they'll never come back and the MISL team for sale, I'm sure SMG will be more then willing to get another tenant in the box. Things are actually changing in downtown Rockford, and for the better for a change. The next couple years could be exciting times.

[Buffalo Super Fan]

Originally Posted by Ken, Steelheads fan

Buffalo Super Fan,
The rust belt in general had a shrinking economy in the past 40 years. It's not just Buffalo. The recession of 2008 was the worst since the Great Depression, so it is difficult to compare the past four decades with now. Also, the media isn't causing the economic problems. They simply report on it. Ironically, you mentioned teams in Arizona and Florida with severe problems. These are the very states with the nation's highest glut of housing inventory. A housing glut means the recovery has stalled until people start buying houses to reduce inventory. Problem is, so many jobs were lost that there aren't enough people to buy the homes. I'm a very positive type of person, but there are a lot of realities out there. I don't have the kind of vision to see the country avoiding a Double-dip recession (IMO). BTW, did you check out the attendance for the Brickyard 400? 140,000 fans announced. That's 60,000 LESS than last year.

...and you're only 42 years old. I thought you were much older. You're just a pup.

Thank you Ken no I am only 42 years old. But I am a super sports fan from the 1970's as a kid. I was always aware we had two major hockey, basketball leagues etc. Plus I was a huge fan of the old World Team Tennis and still follow it today with the new WTT. My grandmother use to call lines at West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills for the US Open when it was held there in the 1970's she is 87 years old now soon to be 88 in the fall.

That is where I got my love of tennis and why I bring up WTT from time to time. Good league WTT today something that minor league basketball might want to model there league after because they have sponsors and survive with teams mostly intact year after year? I realize it is apples and oranges just thought I would mention. Let's Go Buffalo