A-Rod Buys T-Wolves?

[Vanimal46]

 

The T Wolves will be relocated by 2025. Book it.

[TheLeviathan]

I don't think the league wants to move teams.  I think most of them have figured out that there is far more money in charging boat loads for expansion franchises.  Only markets that don't warrant teams (like Oakland) will see movers.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I don't think the league wants to move teams.  I think most of them have figured out that there is far more money in charging boat loads for expansion franchises.  Only markets that don't warrant teams (like Oakland) will see movers.

And even in that case, it makes more sense to move them down the road to San Jose than relocate them entirely out of the area. The Bay Area is big enough for two teams but I think a little geographic distance would create more balance between the franchises.

[TheLeviathan]

 

And even in that case, it makes more sense to move them down the road to San Jose than relocate them entirely out of the area. The Bay Area is big enough for two teams but I think a little geographic distance would create more balance between the franchises.

 

Right.  I didn't articulate that point well, but it was across the board in sports.  Oakland's football team moved to Vegas but that's a clear upgrade.  The Twin Cities are the 14th largest market.  It's just highly unlikely they can find a better situation.  And the league will want to keep a team in the upper midwest.  They stepped in once before and I expect they would again.

 

Plenty of money to be made here with competency.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Right.  I didn't articulate that point well, but it was across the board in sports.  Oakland's football team moved to Vegas but that's a clear upgrade.  The Twin Cities are the 14th largest market.  It's just highly unlikely they can find a better situation.  And the league will want to keep a team in the upper midwest.  They stepped in once before and I expect they would again.

 

Plenty of money to be made here with competency.

Basically, their only better option is Seattle and *maybe* San Diego (which is basically the same market as the TC, though with less competition in sports).

 

And it makes more sense to award Seattle a new franchise whenever they sort out the issues they have between the league and city. As for San Diego, the citizens there have shown to be somewhat hostile to paying for stadiums (good on them) and adding a franchise there will likely anger the LA teams.

 

In short, moving the team will likely pay short-term dividends but is probably a bad long-term play. A better solution is to make the Wolves stop sucking so hard that they finish at the bottom of the division every year.

[Vanimal46]

Y’all are hopeless romantics. Being an owner of a sports team is one of the greatest investments in the world of course. However, I can’t imagine A-Rod and his biz partner bought this team without bigger dreams in mind.

[Mike Sixel]

It is hard to see them not moving, but the Vikings are still in MN.....

[TheLeviathan]

Y’all are hopeless romantics. Being an owner of a sports team is one of the greatest investments in the world of course. However, I can’t imagine A-Rod and his biz partner bought this team without bigger dreams in mind.

Where would they move and make more money?

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Y’all are hopeless romantics. Being an owner of a sports team is one of the greatest investments in the world of course. However, I can’t imagine A-Rod and his biz partner bought this team without bigger dreams in mind.

What did I say that was so romantic and unrealistic? That a move might be a good short-term play but probably a bad long-term play unless they moved to Seattle?

 

I better let my wife know about that because that seriously changes the way we talk dirty. She may not be on board but I'll point to this thread and scream "ROMANNNNTIIICCCCCCCC!!!!"

[TheLeviathan]

At this point isn't believing the Wolves are bound to stay more of a masochistic conclusion rather than romantic?

[Vanimal46]

Where would they move and make more money?

There’s not a lot of revenue that isn’t shared already in the NBA. So I don’t think market size is as big of a deal as the actual location of your franchise.

 

We have 20+ years of data showing players do not want to play in Minnesota unless they are vastly overpaid. Drafted players typically leave ASAP. Pretty much every top free agent over the last 20 years heads to a warm environment to play.

 

Nashville, Louisville, San Diego, Las Vegas, of course Seattle, which already has a brand new stadium ready to go, would all be better than keeping it in Minneapolis.

[TheLeviathan]

 

There’s not a lot of revenue that isn’t shared already in the NBA. So I don’t think market size is as big of a deal as the actual location of your franchise.

We have 20+ years of data showing players do not want to play in Minnesota unless they are vastly overpaid. Drafted players typically leave ASAP. Pretty much every top free agent over the last 20 years heads to a warm environment to play.

Nashville, Louisville, San Diego, Las Vegas, of course Seattle, which already has a brand new stadium ready to go, would all be better than keeping it in Minneapolis.

 

Nashville and compete with Memphis which already doesn't draw?  Vegas, where the entire state is full of transplants?  (I live in the 6th largest metro area in the country and there are more Cubs fans than D-backs.  And it ain't close)  Plus, Vegas will almost certainly be Seattle's expansion partner anyway and they make more money off of that.  Seattle is going to be an expansion team.  San Diego will not build them a stadium.  

 

That leaves the luscious confines of....Louisville?  I mean, c'mon.  

 

Oakland and Cleveland were free agent destinations for a bit.  New Jersey is right now.  Maybe it's less about climate and more about not sucking.  I've now lived in four different major markets and they all have their excuse for why they can't land a big player.  Ours is always climate.  You hear that BS here too.  Yet, once we started winning and offering substantial money we landed big fish targets.  

 

Money and winning talk.  The Wolves have been too terrible for the money to even matter.  The business side is super easy to see by the way: They see a team in the bottom third of value with 20 years of terrible ownership and performance that still gained 10 times it's value in the last fifteen years.  They'll be getting two fat expansion checks.  They are buying into one of only two leagues not dying off with the young fans.  They are in a top 15 market in the country.  This is basically guaranteed to multiply their investment by several large factors with even competent management.  Moving them will do nothing to add to that.

[KirbyDome89]

 

It is hard to see them not moving, but the Vikings are still in MN.....

Football breeds a different type of fan? Enduring a decade or relocation threats and then shelling out $500K public dollars to fund a racketeering billionaire owner's stadium likely doesn't happen if it had been the Wolves.

[PseudoSABR]

Taylor supposedly conditioned the sale upon keeping the team in Minnesota, which is an enforceable covenant/provision of a contract.  

 

Good run down here: https://www.awolfamongwolves.com/who-is-marc-lore-and-what-is-his-plan/