RSCD3_ wrote:Doctor MJ wrote:Green Chile wrote:Apparently the Rockets owner is putting in a bid to bring the W back to Houston.
Who knows where all this ends up, but when the musical chairs stop, it seems like it'll feel right if Houston and Detroit get a seat back at the table.
I wish that none of the champion teams (Houston, Detroit, Sacramento) had ever lost their team, but if forced to champion one, it's Houston for me unquestionably. They won the most and they are in a huge market.
Swapping out Detroit for Toronto, and Sacramento for Golden State, just feels logical at this point.
Granted, it's not like the WNBA only consists of big markets (see Indiana & Connecticut for extreme examples), but when small markets lose teams it doesn't strike me as weird the same way it does when big markets do.
I think they have a huge amount of untapped potential in the southeast so I think Orlando or Charlotte has a good chance too
I can understand believing that based on the strength of college basketball programs and where they draw their talent from, but it is an uphill battle by market size.
Looking at one ranking of NBA team markets, here are the largest markets in the NBA that are not in the WNBA:
4. Philadelphia
9. Houston
11. Boston
14. Detroit
15. Denver
Makes sense then to mention which smaller markets have or will have WNBA teams:
un. Connecticut
22. Indiana
20. Portland
(Note that at this moment neither Seattle nor Vegas have NBA teams, but this seems likely to change in the near future.)
Looking at this list, my thoughts:
* I wouldn't swear by those specifics numbers. Weird that Philly is ranked in that list so much higher than Houston when Houston has a larger metro area. Doesn't make it wrong, but for all I know it could have some interpretation to it.
* I think clearly that if the owners of the 76ers or Celtics had been on board with the WNBA they'd have had teams from the jump, so it's less about whether a team should be in those cities, and more about why the relevant parties have not been interested previously.
* I honestly don't know how to classify Connecticut as a market. The western part of the state is seen as a suburb of NYC, but that's not where the Sun are based. Surely part of the theory of the team is that the success of college ball in the state will make people want to support, but while I'd call the history of the Sun a success, I can't speak to how replicable it would be elsewhere.
* I think we should always remember that Indiana has a unique history with the sport.
* Portland, honestly, I'm surprised they're trying another team there. If one of the new franchises ends up failing - which I'd guess would mean moving to another city rather than folding in this state of play - I'd expect it's that one. I say this as someone who has always loved the city of Portland, and who certainly wants the new team to be a success.
