New Franchises for 08-09???

[jjbballfan]

I think that to have 30 or more teams a few things will have to be done...

1. first you will have to raise pay and lower assignment pay.... What I mean is if a rookie is assigned he shouldn't be costing the parent club the $400,000 or whatever, and $18,000 just isn't much to get people to tryout

2. I think they need to try to control Europe.... I've suggested that to gain draft rights from a non university you would have to play in the Dleague for 1 year.. (high school, Europe, Africa, whatever/wherever)

3. Make it so you can control the rights in the Dleague without effecting your roster, you can currently do this with Europe..

I think if you do those 3 things it would help a lot with player quality and if the quality is good you can find as many markets that will work.....

[jjbballfan]

I have some updates....

Cedar Rapids..... Should know the fate of this by next week, apparently it is the RimRockers franchise that will be co-owned between the current Rimrocker owner and 5 locals

Erie/Youngstown..... Don't know much other then Erie's hockey team is throwing a fit and as far as I understand the Cavs have not heard whether or not they will have the operating rights to the arena in Youngstown (in other words WHO KNOWS)

Reno NV....... SouthWest basketball wants to put a team there probably the Fort Worth franchise for specifics.... they would play in the Reno Events Center but there are questions of whether they would be ready in time for 08-09 or if 09-10 would be a better fit

Toledo...... The Mudhens are exploring the possibility of putting a franchise in Toledo but it would most likely be in 09-10 to go in the new arena in town.....

Frisco...... WHO KNOWS from my research there are plans to put a team there whether its owned by the Mavs or not nobody knows my understanding is if its owned by the Mavs it will happen sooner if not owned it would happen later... 08-09 if owned by Mavs, 09-10 if owned by other people

Ft. Worth.... somebody mentioned the Flame moving there, I haven't seen anything about this.....

Omaha.... doesn't look good, don't know why I think it would work but what do I know?

Harlem...... Other then Stern talking I haven't seen anything about this, from what I understand it would be 09-10 at the earliest

Boston affiliate.... from what I have read, Manchester NH, and Portland ME have both applied with the understanding that they will become the Boston affiliate... The Dleague plans on looking at Hartford CT and a few cities in Massacussetts before making a decision....

Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Buffalo..... All of these cities are big enough that a Dleague team wouldn't bring much attention so I think if a franchise was to come up in one of those 4 cities or a city like it we would find out when the Dleague announced it......

so with what I have here are my updated odds....

Cavs.... 90% (08-09) 100% (09-10)
Reno NV..... 85% (08-09) 95% (09-10)
Toledo OH.... 10% (08-09) 85% (09-10)
Frisco TX...... 50% (08-09) 90% (09-19)
Omaha NE...... 5% (08-09) 50% (09-10)
Harlem NY...... 2% (08-09) 50% (09-10)
Cedar Rapids.....85% (08-09) 10% (09-10)
Boston affiliate locally owned..... 90% (08-09) 100% (09-10)

[jjbballfan]

Updates.....

Reno- In SW basketball L.L.C. owned.... Reno Events Center

I've heard 1 more expansion team and I have heard 3 more expansion teams but here is what I have.

Cavs- Erie- sounds like they aren't having the best of luck, the hockey team is saying that there lease allows them to have the best dates, there is now an Indoor Football team there in some crapshoot league and it just looks like a mess, maybe they should just go with Youngstown but I haven't heard anything accept for the 2 articles in each others local newspapers...

Raptors- they are considering 2 Canadian cities (Hamilton and Oshawa) the ABA team is on hold in Hamilton until the Raptors choose to start in 08-09 or more likely the 09-10 season

Toledo- still 09-10 when the arena is done

Cedar Rapids- No updates hear either side.... an article in late January said the ownership group expected a response from the NBA in early February and i havn't seen an article either way...

Portland, Harford, Manchester- all want to be affiliated with Boston, but from my understanding is that if it would happen 1 one be picked at it would be in 09-10

Frisco- I think there remodeling the arena or something sounds like 09-10

Here are 6 cities nobody is talking about well 5 nobody and 1 I here whispers about, and I think all would welcome and support Dleague ball very well

Rapid City SD (pop. 60,000), RC Rushmore Plaza Civic Center 2 arenas 8,500 and being built as we speak 5,700 with skyboxes
Sioux City IA (pop. 85,000) Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena 6,735
Colorado Springs CO (pop. 369,000) World Arena 8,100
Casper WY (pop.66,000) Casper Events Center 8,400
Wichita Falls TX (pop. 99,000) Key Yeager Colliseum 10,000

and then there is Omaha NE I wouldn't put a franchise in Qwest Center with Creighton and other city league stuff you would have hard fights for good dates and I would either go with the Omaha Civic Autotorium 9,300 or go across the river to Council Bluffs and play in the Mid America Center 7,000

[HKF]

The D-League expands to Erie, PA and will be the Cavaliers affiliate for sure solely. This brings the D-League up to 16 teams and possibly 17, if Cedar Rapids and Crain can get the dates squared away. So let's just say there are 17 teams next year. I think the divisions would look like this.

Southwest
Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Austin Toros
Tulsa 66ers
Albuquerque Thunderbirds
Colorado 14ers

Central
Ft. Wayne Mad Ants
Iowa Energy
Cedar Rapids *relocated Arkansas Rim Rockers*
Dakota Wizards
Sioux Falls SkyForce
Erie *expansion*

West
Bakersfield Jam
Reno *expansion*
Anaheim Arsenal
Los Angeles D-Fenders
Idaho Stampede
Utah Flash


http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art ... 1/SPORTS40
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art ... /803140366

This league is shaping up nicely. 09-10 will be about East expansion and then the last expansion will be in the Southeast.

[logoguru]

Florida was waiting for an arena to be built somewhere I can't remember where.

Hartford might lose the Boston affiliate (my greatest fear would be to Springfield), but the Nets or Philly would work as well and Knicks if Harlem never gets off the ground (MSG still has the Wolf Pack.)
________
Lezcutiess

[jjbballfan]

Is Erie going to be owned by the Cavs or is it going to be like the Utah situation where they aren't owned but are advised so to say by the parent club?

[LandRoverUT60]

What are the chances of a team being moved after this year? I know Tulsa's moving to another arena, but that they're staying in the Tulsa area. Is there anything else?

[Minor League Man]

[quote=""LandRoverUT60""]What are the chances of a team being moved after this year? I know Tulsa's moving to another arena, but that they're staying in the Tulsa area. Is there anything else?[/quote]
I think the most likely to move would be Bakersfield. They haven't been drawing too much, have been in the BASEMENT of the D-League for their whole existence, and the closest NBA team (the Sacramento Kings) will probably switch to the Reno team next year.

Anybody else see that happening?

[jjbballfan]

http://www.nba.com/dleague/erie/

its official however to the surprise of at least myself it is not owned by the Cavs which had been previously speculated....

As far as Bakersfield moving its tough to say, talk about a jammed arena they play in one, college basketball, themselves, and hockey along with arena football and i'm sure they probably get there fair share of events at the arena also. The question would be where would you move Bakersfield? Las Vegas? St. George, Rapid City, Omaha, Suburban Seattle?

[USBasket_EricE]

St. George might be a good location, since the city really isn't located near any NBA cities. The Jam would still be near the west coast and could possibly start up a Utah rivalry with Orem. I don't know how well Vegas would work out, but I'd like the idea. Rapid City would be nice, but for whatever reason, their former team didn't last. Omaha maybe. But I doubt they'd go to Seattle. Then again who knows. Broomfield hasn't done too bad being located near the NBA city of Denver.