the_process wrote:Pickled Prunes wrote:the_process wrote:We know the two cities.
LBJ will be given the time to retire and get his ownership group together.
We also know the league wants the Celtics sale to up the expansion fee.
I think we're looking at '28-29 or '29-30. But Seattle is pretty much ready to go I believe? Maybe it's just Seattle in '27-28 and then Vegas follows in '28-29? Back to back expansion drafts.
I hope the NBA surprises us... Vegas will be a tragic home court.
The NBA isn't working on Lebron's timeline... and he would have no trouble getting an ownership group together today if that's what it took.
The purchase price of BOS is irrelevant to the expansion fee. BOS is one of the most storied franchises in sports. 30 years from now, and with all the luck the town has to offer, the Las Vegas "Flops" will still be a joke. They will never be worth what BOS is worth. SEA is a bit different because of their market size and established fan base.
I think they will do them both at once, and three years is plenty of time to get it done.
It's been reported multiple times that the league is interested in Boston getting sold before setting their expansion fee price. So Dave Silver seems to disagree that the sale of the Celtics has nothing to do with expansion.
Also the league has bent over backwards for LeBron. They aren't going to stop now. They want him around and involved. It draws attention for the league. More attention, more bloated TV deals.
As far as whether the new team survives in Vegas? Don't really care. i think there's a decent (>10%) chance we get a massive gambling scandal though.
Dave Silver... is that Adam's brother?
Anyway.... I heard the "speculation" that some call "reporting." The NBA (and Adam Silver have been talking about expansion for half a decade. BOS came on the market unexpectedly a few months ago. The NBA expansion timeline has nothing to do with the sale of the Celtics. But my bigger point was that no rational person is going to see BOS sell for $6b and think that a new franchise in Vegas will hold the same value. And if BOS does sell for $6b, will the NBA start the expansion on that day, in a frantic rush to accept bids before POR sells for $2.4b?
Yes, the NBA would like Lebron involved. He could be involved today. They aren't waiting for him and they know better than any of us that... as soon as he's gone it will be next man up. The NBA made him, not the other way around.
I expect that a team in Vegas will survive, and even thrive financially. I just think the home court is going to suck. Casino's will fill the seats by comping tix to tourists, half of whom won't show up. Eventually players won't want to play there. A pimple on the ass of the NBA. It won't matter if Lebron is their governor. (He may find it hard to outbid the big money in Vegas, but maybe the let him act as governor as minor stakeholder.)