Early said the Pacers haven't threatened to leave, but the team would be forced to make some "very difficult decisions" if it remains saddled with the operating cost of the facility or if attendance continues to lag near the bottom of the league.
The Pacers have lost money nine of the past 10 years, were last in the league in attendance last season, and are only slightly better this season. Pacers fans will have a great deal of say in whether the team stays.
"Maybe the cost of keeping an NBA franchise in Indianapolis is more than the people of the city are willing to incur," Early said.
2010 we could see the Las Vegas Pacers playing in the NorthWest Division, while the Minnesota T-Wolves get moved to the Central division to play against natural rivals Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland. By then Detroit will be in shambles, Milwaukee will be buried under the contracts of Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, and Andrew Bogut who'll all have suffered career ending injuries, LeBron will have left for New York so Cleveland will be a mess, and Chicago can't string two good seasons in a row, so the Wolves will be the perennial division winner. Plus it's easier to get into the play-offs in the East.
