David Stern gives a take on contraction candidates – NBA Update
NBA Commissioner David Stern recently spoke about the possibility of reducing the number of teams in the NBA and gave his views on the possible candidates that could face the cull. The Commissioner has said that contraction is
on the table after the league revealed it has lost money for many years now.
Stern said the topic can only be discussed in earnest after the NBA players and owners come to a resolution over the labour dispute. Once the two sides decide on a new CBA and the lockout is lifted, contraction could really come
up on the agenda.
That however did not stop questions from being asked about the teams likely to face the axe if the NBA decides on contraction in the near future, and Stern admitted it would be a difficult process.
"If you look for volunteers," Stern said. "There aren't many teams raising their hand."
Analysts consider three teams as prime candidates to be dissolved if the matter comes to it. Stern though was his usual diplomatic sense and did not give an indication as to what he had in mind in terms of a contraction.
He was first asked about the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets recently relocated from Charlotte and are currently without an owner. The franchise is run by the NBA itself, so it is naturally a prime candidate as there wouldn’t
be any owner to buy out. Stern said he had other ideas,
"New Orleans is actually going to be a top-15 grossing team when it has its 10,000 season tickets and the like," Stern said. "Together with an expression of support from the state [of Louisiana], it's going to be an interesting
team that I'm not sure is a candidate for contraction."
Sacramento Kings is another franchise in trouble. The Kings have been uneasy in Sacramento for years due to a lack of support for their new arena. They planned to move to Anaheim this offseason but failed and are stuck in Sacramento
for at least another year.
Stern though said the NBA was working with mayor, and former NBA player, Kevin Johnson to get the community and businesses involved to help out the Kings and things were moving in the right direction.
That left the Charlotte Bobcats on the table. Struggling financially and perennially on outside of the playoffs, the Bobcats have not made much of an impact in the NBA. Their owner though is a certain Mr. Michael Jordan, and Stern
doesn’t want to take him on.
"We have a long-term lease of a brand new building and we have a very unfortunate launch of that expansion franchise," Stern said. "Michael Jordan is leading... what's the opposite of an excavation? He is digging out, but he's
building up the franchise. Sponsorships are up, tickets are up”
When push comes to shove, it will be interesting to see whether David Stern still has the same views as today.
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