NBA moving into India.

Dtown84 · Post #21 » by **Dtown84** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:29 pm

Basketball is a long way away from comepeting with Soccer, that said it can definitely make strides in Asia, Eurasia and the middle east. Expanding the game is always a good thing.

GJense4181 · Post #22 » by **GJense4181** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:32 pm

Please don't create an expansion team in India.

GIVE_WADE_THE_MAX · Post #23 » by **GIVE_WADE_THE_MAX** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:42 pm

DoctaJ wrote:Oh India, Chak De!

No sport is really that big in India other than Cricket and Field Hockey, bring in Basketball movements and it wouldn't be that difficult at all for it to become successful.

I really hope it does. I hope someday I can cheer for India's National Basketball team at the Olympics.

Ya Cricket is and will always be the end all sport in India, with tennis coming a far second. Indians have not excelled in major int'l sporting competition.

I think it would take years if not decades for India to form a competitive team. Right now they suck even in Asia. They have over a billion people and still lose to much smaller states in baskteball.

No one plays ball in India. You'd first have to build the infratstructure to play and then hope and pray the kids dont turn the ball courts into impromptu Crikcet fields.

You basically need a huge push by the NBA to have a lot of televised games in India. Beyond that you need homegrown players to really expand the sport internally.

With China, Yao Ming and his country already had a history playing basketball. India has no such history and it would take years just to teach kids fundamental dribbling and shooting.

I'm glad NBA has finally decided to capitalize on this market as its a wise business decision for them to enter a market with a bil+. It will still take forever for us to be proud of an Indian National Basketball team.

Yankee wrote:I think the population of India is like 500 million people but they win less olympic medals than small country like Bahamas and Jamaica. The last olympic in Athen the won something like 1 medal.

But you never know a giant is waiting to be discover.

you take the cake for ignorance. WTF. You think India has a population of 500 million. ARe you fn dumb? You know there is this site google that you could search India's population that couldve helped your analysis.

Even if the rest of your argument held any credit it was quickly dimissed by your complete ignorance of India's population.

GJense4181 · Post #24 » by **GJense4181** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:54 pm

I have only seen Indian kids play basketball, tennis, and wrestle, in that order. At least, in the rec centers at UofM, you'd be surprised at how many Indians are hooping it up.

TruSkool · Post #25 » by **TruSkool** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:55 pm

ohh bruuahhh NBA to india!!!

first of all, F.U. to da dude with the 4 arms remark.

secondly...

im in india.
i ball.
we have a college team.
and we have some decent players here.

so if people are saying basketball isnt big in india, they dont kno jack sh*t. basketball isnt as big as cricket, field hockey, and soccer, but its not that bad either..
india has a lot of potential in bringing a good basketball player. a lot of us are hidden.
find us, and we'll show u wat we got.

GIVE_WADE_THE_MAX · Post #26 » by **GIVE_WADE_THE_MAX** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 5:06 pm

GJense4181 wrote:I have only seen Indian kids play basketball, tennis, and wrestle, in that order. At least, in the rec centers at UofM, you'd be surprised at how many Indians are hooping it up.

i'm indian myself and play basketball. i lwas born in America however. Not many kids in India play basketball or any sport for that matter. A lot of govt spending isnt focused on athletics. India's youth is told to strive to be doctors and computer engineers. Basically education supercedes anything to do with athletics.

A large reason why you see more indians arrive in these countries as professionals in the business field and not in athletics.

Im not implying Indians are incapable of playing ball as I and other Indian-North Americans are living testiments that we indeed can ball it up.

India's a weird country with a lot of bueracracy. Once India becomes more economically viable with a big govt surplus you may see more govt spending on athletic endeavors. Until that time its unlikely the govt of India itself will make a push for athletic interests especially when India's intelligent elite have become so succesful in their respective fields.

Indians are still dependent on foreign investment. If the NBA wants to invest into India they will accept. Let the NBa build the infrastructure and sponsor games and leagues. India takes what the world is willing to give them and tries its best to make it better.

GIVE_WADE_THE_MAX · Post #27 » by **GIVE_WADE_THE_MAX** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 5:10 pm

iki4life wrote:ohh bruuahhh NBA to india!!!

first of all, F.U. to da dude with the 4 arms remark.

secondly...

im in india.
i ball.
we have a college team.
and we have some decent players here.

so if people are saying basketball isnt big in india, they dont kno jack sh*t. basketball isnt as big as cricket, field hockey, and soccer, but its not that bad either..
india has a lot of potential in bringing a good basketball player. a lot of us are hidden.
find us, and we'll show u wat we got.

I havent been to India in a while myself. What I do know mysel fi sthat India sucks in Asia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIBA_Asia_ ... nship_2007

Thank god we beat Indonesia. Im still quite upset we lost to Kazhikstan and Qatar however. India still has a real long way to go.

Lost Angel · Post #28 » by **Lost Angel** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 5:15 pm

i never understood why football (soccer) hasnt really caught on in the densely populated asian countries

KG1585 · Post #29 » by **KG1585** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 5:22 pm

Soccer is really growing in India, they even have a soccer league for it. Basketball is really growing in North of India, in Delhi and in the state of Punjab. There are a lot of basketball courts, they are not in the best shape, but when ever i go down there, I always see some kids playing.

When I was down there during Basketball season, I was hoping espn would show basketball games, but all they showed was soccer.

kooldude · Post #30 » by **kooldude** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 5:40 pm

DoctaJ wrote:Oh India, Chak De!

No sport is really that big in India other than Cricket and Field Hockey, bring in Basketball movements and it wouldn't be that difficult at all for it to become successful.

I really hope it does. I hope someday I can cheer for India's National Basketball team at the Olympics.

field hockey, really?

halfHAVOC · Post #31 » by **halfHAVOC** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 5:58 pm

pakistan is next!

The_Pope · Post #32 » by **The_Pope** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:20 pm

Yankee wrote:India is an extremely poor country. I've been there for a week a few years back. Most people in India are just trying to survive. However there are a few very, very rich people.

I think the population of India is like 500 million people but they win less olympic medals than small country like Bahamas and Jamaica. The last olympic in Athen the won something like 1 medal.

But you never know a giant is waiting to be discover.

Wrong, the population is over 1 billion. Countries like the Bahamas and Jamaica are also very poor, India's sporting failures are quite astonishing really.

Durbanfish4 · Post #33 » by **Durbanfish4** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:24 pm

Kobay wrote:i can't wait for players with 4 arms.

What the hell is wrong with you man? :banghead:

People like you will keep the world from progressing.

This is a very good move by the NBA. Of course, it's going to be very difficult for basketball to compete with cricket. However, with the way the national cricket team has been playing over the past decade or so...it may just be possible for Indians to try a different sport...in this case basketball.

I am Indian (however, I was born in South Africa), and I know plenty of Indians who are good at basketball.

As far as football(soccer) is concerned...I doubt that basketball will become as popular anytime soon. Maybe in the distant future...who knows.

thetennisyao · Post #34 » by **thetennisyao** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:31 pm

nashill wrote:i know a lot of indians and they dont even care about nba.. crazy basketball countries in asia are china, philippines, korea, japan and taiwan...

taiwan is not a country, get ur fact straight.

Post #35 » by **rsavaj** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:32 pm

I'm Indian but I was born in PHX so I guess I'm as "Americanized" as they come. Pretty much 99% of my Indian friends hoop it up. It'll be interesting though to see how this endeavor works out for the NBA...it's tough to get anything major done in India because of the corruption in the bureaucracy, and I know the the majority of my family members there don't really even get consistent electricity, so I'm guessing that they'll base it all in Mumbai or Delhi...

SabasRevenge! · Post #36 » by **SabasRevenge!** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:42 pm

iki4life wrote:ohh bruuahhh NBA to india!!!

first of all, F.U. to da dude with the 4 arms remark.

secondly...

im in india.
i ball.
we have a college team.
and we have some decent players here.

so if people are saying basketball isnt big in india, they dont kno jack sh*t. basketball isnt as big as cricket, field hockey, and soccer, but its not that bad either..
india has a lot of potential in bringing a good basketball player. a lot of us are hidden.
find us, and we'll show u wat we got.

Thanks for the insight! It's great to hear of more instances where basketball is flourishing or growing in other countries.

I've been harping on the NBA's need to get rid of the silly maximum 15 players under contract rule and expand the NBADL to one team for each NBA team. The NBA draft should also be expanded to more rounds with the growth of the international game.

Even more, I'd love to see several independent basketball leagues that are all fairly competitive with the NBA, kind of like soccer.

Bring on the international basketball club championship!

On a side note, I've enjoyed GIVE_WADE_THE_MAX comments. It's quite a triumph for India to be where they are right now, considering how their resources were plundered by the imperial British. I hope they are able to channel some of their newfound tax base into building better infrastructure to support a wider manufacturing sector to go along with the service industry. They certainly have the education and creativity to make it work.

Cruel_Ruin · Post #37 » by **Cruel_Ruin** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:10 pm

halfHAVOC wrote:pakistan is next!

But... first we need a legitimate government :banghead:

kcthekid · Post #38 » by **kcthekid** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:20 pm

Kobay wrote:i can't wait for players with 4 arms.

dont be ignorant

killacalijatt · Post #39 » by **killacalijatt** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:55 pm

WOw
I might go to India just to be a famouse Indian bball player

BROWN · Post #40 » by **BROWN** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:41 pm

I'm pakistani and .. every single paki guy i know in the area i live in either balls, or watches ball and loves it.

There's 3 pakistani guys on my college team and 1 indian...

we have so many leagues down here it's nuts.. in montreal, so yeh

even my cousin down in pakistan is saying that basketball is getting better down there, there are more people playing and stuff