Rasho Brezec wrote:I didn't say that people don't like NBA here, just that it wouldn't get as much support in Madrid or Athens as it would in Paris or Berlin. Loyalty is a big thing, and I just don't see how could an NBA franchise succed in Madrid where you already have Real, or in Athens where you already have Olympiakos and Panathinaikos. I remember we had a discussion about this on Slovenian message board and a lot of posters were scared that bringing NBA to Europe would ruin European basketball and European leagues in long term.
I am not sure if I understand here where you are coming from, because all the clubs you have mentioned already have basketball teams, and they are sports clubs, so they have soccer, basketball, rugby, swimming, or some other sports. They work different that sports franchises in the US. To me the teams on the following list should be up in the queue for expansion....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euroleague#Titles_by_Team
It would definitely give a good shake and weaken the influence of the regional european leagues, yes, it would do bad to them. But for the NBA, it means big bucks. Believe me, if Real Madrid could host an NBA franchise, they would, and they would make a lot of money. There was a reason why LeBron James could be given around 50 million a year contract in Greece. There is the interest, and it can work.