Why is our market/location so terrible when it comes to NBA

[Calinks]

Yet when you talk about the Vikings, Twins, other sports, it doesn't seem nearly as hard as a sell? How come when Adrian Peterson was drafted, people weren't up in flames? Obviously we don't pull in the superstars left and right but the perception by the media doesn't seem nearly as bad for our other major teams.

[bri]

Wolves suck.. simple as that if they start winning they won't have an issue attracting players
Twins have been successful, Vikings success recently, and the Wild.. well what do you expect when everyone in the NHL is used to the cold.

[revprodeji]

We kept KG too long. When we should have sent him to Chi for crap.

[Calinks]

I'm not talking about the wolves. I'm talking about Minnesota which is supposedly such a horrid and undeserving place all the sudden.

[Devilzsidewalk]

it'd be one thing if we had a reputation as a well-run franchise, but we're basically the Knicks of the Isiah era, except smaller and colder w/ no history

first step is to start getting improving the franchise credibility. OKC should be the black sheep of the NBA, but the organization is drafting well and made a couple of shrewd signings, they're coming up now

[hijacktheparade]

I went to Minnesota once. It rules.

[bri]

I'm not talking about the wolves. I'm talking about Minnesota which is supposedly such a horrid and undeserving place all the sudden.

.... where you hearing this from ? i call bs on this
it's all been about rubio.. no stories about any other team

[tvwolves7]

NHL- As you stated majority of the players are used to living in a colder region.
NFL- Teams hold the power since they can terminate contracts at any time. Plus the Vikings have usually been successful and only half our season is during the winter.
MLB- They play during the summer so any issues of weather do not really count.
NBA- We have not been a very storied franchise. Our season starts when it gets cold and ends when its just warming up. Players never see a MN summer.

[NO-KG-AI]

It isn't, certain fan and media groups downplay any city when they want certain players.

When you are rich, you can find anything in any city.

[bman]

I agree that it comes down to the organization much more than the weather. When the team was winning games with KG, more people wanted to play here. I think that players want a chance to play and win, or at least see that opportunity in the near future much more than they care about the weather.

[old rem]

I'm not talking about the wolves. I'm talking about Minnesota which is supposedly such a horrid and undeserving place all the sudden.

Well...lets be frank.....3/4 of NBA players did not grow up with an affinity for ice fishing. These 25 yr old Millionaires are thinking of Bling...lapdances....Mai-Tais by the poolside....lapdances....

Mention January in Minnesota and they think there's....like... polar bears chasing penguins down the main street (which looks like Mayberry and has no strip clubs or bling.

Older players may note that a house in Minny won't cost $10 million( and has ACRES) and the locals won't steal the wheels off your car in the middle of the day.

[jade_hippo]

there are places just as cold yes, NY/NJ/Philly/Boston are all just as bad as Minnesota. Portland and Seattle are some of the dreariest, most miserable places in the planet as far as weather. and as far as night life, at least Minneapolis has one. Memphis you lock your door at 8pm unless you want to be murdered, Sacramento is in bed after supper at 2pm, in Chicago i got mugged twice on my cabride to the police station to report a mugging... and well the only place i've seen with hotter strippers is Houston and maybe Miami... they also have some of the nastiest tramp-iest strippers around too so its hit or miss. PS we have moose not polar bears, who incidentally kill more people than polar bears annually.

[RussellandFlow]

It could be due to weather and the lack of team success, coupled with how it has been portrayed and stereotyped by players.

[jade_hippo]

we have been a terrible team for most of our history

[Devilzsidewalk]

there are places just as cold yes, NY/NJ/Philly/Boston are all just as bad as Minnesota. Portland and Seattle are some of the dreariest, most miserable places in the planet as far as weather. and as far as night life, at least Minneapolis has one. Memphis you lock your door at 8pm unless you want to be murdered, Sacramento is in bed after supper at 2pm, in Chicago i got mugged twice on my cabride to the police station to report a mugging... and well the only place i've seen with hotter strippers is Houston and maybe Miami... they also have some of the nastiest tramp-iest strippers around too so its hit or miss. PS we have moose not polar bears, who incidentally kill more people than polar bears annually.

plus we have the light rail, so for those that live downtown and work at the airport or mall of america (or vice versa), boom, you're there

[PeeDee]

NY, Philly, Boston and Chicago laugh at our puny light rail. I wonder if an NBA player ever takes public transportation...

[Devilzsidewalk]

puny light rail? but we can get to downtown, lake st, the VA medical center, and the airport AND the mall of america? What else is there? Thats like 5 places, don't get greedy

[PeeDee]

Don't forget Fort Snelling.

[shrink]

Remember too that when NBA players come here for games, its the worst time of the year. Our beautiful lakes are snow-covered, and most NBA players didn't grow up with Minnesotans enjoyment of winter activities.

If I was an evil GM, when my team played MIN or other cold weather locations, I'd make sure that after the game that players had to walk 4-5 blocks outside to get to the bus to get them back to the cushy hotel. It might remove a few teams from being legit financial competitiors for their services down the line.

It should be noted though that when we have gotten players here, many times we've had more problems getting them to leave (Cassell and Spree, for instance). I think those guys get to see what living here is like for a full year, with the terrific Summer and Falls, the spectacular lakes, and the great livibility the city provides for players and their families, and it turns into an asset.

Bottom line though is that you a successful team makes even cold winters seem a little warmer. However, "horrible free agent destination" is overblown by the big market (NY, LAL) media, and we won't know if its true until we actually have big money to throw at a free agent for once, not the ubiquitous MLE.

[vincecarter4pres]

How cold is it in Minny during the winter?
It gets pretty brick in NJ, I know this much.