Real Madrid wants to join the NBA, will meet with Adam Silver

[jzek]

http://www.abc.es/realmadrid/noticias/20150904/abci-florentino-realmadrid-201509041037.html

First European NBA team? Maybe we'll have three divisions now - East, West, and International/European.

NY to Madrid is only a 7-hour flight - https://www.google.com/maps/dir/New+York,+NY/Madrid,+Spain/@39.0297829,-57.8031423,4z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x89c24fa5d33f08 3b:0xc80b8f06e177fe62!2m2!1d-74.0059413!2d40.7127837!1m5!1m1!1s0xd422997800a3c8 1:0xc436dec1618c2269!2m2!1d-3.7037902!2d40.4167754

[Fallen Angel]

The travel will be hell. If the NBA does this then they'll have to reduce the schedule for players, which in term would lead to loss revenue to owners.

No way it happens.

[West-Side]

The travel will be hell. If the NBA does this then they'll have to reduce the schedule for players, which in term would lead to loss revenue to owners.

No way it happens.

Each of the local teams will only have to play in Real Madrid once or twice a season. The NBA could easy construct a schedule that follows a 5-5-5-5 etc. format. Meaning RM plays 5 games on the road and 5 at home. When they have a 5 game road trip they simply stay at hotels in American and use the facilities of the home team.

Real Madrid obviously won't have the luxury of having 2 home games - 1 road game - 3 home games - 2 road games type stretches because of travelling distance.

A flight from LA to Toronto is about 4 hours and 45 minutes. [2515 miles]
A flight from Toronto to Madrid is roughly 10 hours [6032 miles]
A flight from LA to Madrid is roughly 14 hours

I obviously don't think they'd make the Clippers play a home at 7pm and expect them to play at Madrid the next day.

[outbreak]

This has been the nbas plan for a long time. I imagine they will have a designated arena in the usa too as a defacto home too.

[macmac]

This has been the nbas plan for a long time. I imagine they will have a designated arena in the usa too as a defacto home too.

What's the point in that? You think season ticket holders in Spain are gonna be cool with a defacto arena?

The only way this works is if 4-6 teams in Europe join, otherwise Real Madrid is at a serious disadvantage and no one will want to play there.

[West-Side]

Imagine RM winning the title first year entering the NBA.
Now picture Euroleague logging on to ISH right after.

https://media.giphy.com/media/14urMYvFxIKEms/giphy.gif

[ArbitraryWater]

Euroleague boutta own this thread

[swagga]

Euroleague boutta own this thread

the zeus of ish trolls will come :oldlol:

[Hamtaro CP3KDKG]

They can be competitive in DLeague IMO

[hawksdogsbraves]

Imagine RM winning the title first year entering the NBA.
Now picture Euroleague logging on to ISH right after.

https://media.giphy.com/media/14urMYvFxIKEms/giphy.gif

They would obviously have to replace probably 90% of the roster immediately if they didn't want to be the worst team in the league.

[sportjames23]

Euroleague boutta own this thread


Euroleague gonna be like:

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma3ivvjRtW1qcq3ju.gif

[Kblaze8855]

I dont think people playing there will be thjat huge an issue. Personally...id go to Spain over a number of NBA cities. And guys are getting more and more mindful of their brand. A kobe, Bron, or Melo type being in Spain wouldnt shock me. You could build a solid NBA roster of internationals, guys on their rookie deals(who will then take the first max offer...like every single one other than Greg Monroe has), and vets who dont care.

Not like Real Madrid lacks for money. The Cowboys, Lakers, and Knicks combined dont match their yearly revenue(800 million in 2014). They have like 4-5 former NBA players right now...their arena isnt much smaller than the Pelicans though it may lack some of the features the NBA demands.

If anyone could pull it off its them.

A european division wouldnt be bad. Its gonna happen one day no matter what anyone thinks.

Real Madrid and Barcelona would be a good start. Have a rivalry built in....international fanbases to try to bring on board with the rest of the league. Maybe draw in some of the best europe has to offer....who dont generally come over.

Be interesting if nothing else.

Far as travel?

It will be absolute zero in hell before I give a shit that someone making 24 million a year to do something id do for free has to take a long flight twice a year. Give em a day off before and after. They will endure. Far as the players on the team...thats obvious. Long road trips and long times at home.

The world has figured out much more problematic issues than that.

And again...its happening eventually anyway. Anyone thinking travel just keeps it at bay forever just isnt seeing the big picture.

[Akrazotile]

I dont think people playing there will be thjat huge an issue. Personally...id go to Spain over a number of NBA cities. And guys are getting more and more mindful of their brand. A kobe, Bron, or Melo type being in Spain wouldnt shock me. You could build a solid NBA roster of internationals, guys on their rookie deals(who will then take the first max offer...like every single one other than Greg Monroe has), and vets who dont care.

Not like Real Madrid lacks for money. The Cowboys, Lakers, and Knicks combined dont match their yearly revenue(800 million in 2014). They have like 4-5 former NBA players right now...their arena isnt much smaller than the Pelicans though it may lack some of the features the NBA demands.

If anyone could pull it off its them.

A european division wouldnt be bad. Its gonna happen one day no matter what anyone thinks.

Real Madrid and Barcelona would be a good start. Have a rivalry built in....international fanbases to try to bring on board with the rest of the league. Maybe draw in some of the best europe has to offer....who dont generally come over.

Be interesting if nothing else.

Far as travel?

It will be absolute zero in hell before I give a shit that someone making 24 million a year to do something id do for free has to take a long flight twice a year. Give em a day off before and after. They will endure. Far as the players on the team...thats obvious. Long road trips and long times at home.

The world has figured out much more problematic issues than that.

And again...its happening eventually anyway. Anyone thinking travel just keeps it at bay forever just isnt seeing the big picture.


A couple things: when you talk about big stars being willing to go over there, I feel that it's much more conceivable if youre talking about 1 or 2 year commitments. But most contracts are four or five years, and I think many American players will be wary of making such a commitment to spend that kind of time on unfamiliar soil.

Not to mention, what about drafting? Signing players as free agents is one thing, but when it comes to drafting you will have one or two players every year who are selected by a foreign country's team and told they either have to uproot themselves to another continent or sit out a year. Again, I understand the challenge of moving to a place with another culture, and learning a new language, and seeing a different part of the world, etc is something many players would embrace. But I do think for many it would be a source of anxiety and trepidation, and potentially unhappiness even if they do give it a shot. To pick one kid out of every draft class and tell him thats his only choice seems problematic to me.

[bdreason]

I'm fine with it as long as no NBA teams have to travel to Europe, and of course Real Madrid has to abide by NBA transaction and salary cap rules.

[StephHamann]

Imagine RM winning the title first year entering the NBA.
Now picture Euroleague logging on to ISH right after.

https://media.giphy.com/media/14urMYvFxIKEms/giphy.gif

:roll:

[T_L_P]

Logistical nightmare, and there are already too many NBA teams. A lot of players are hesitant about playing in Toronto. Could you imagine Europe?

[fiddy]

Make it happen, i will move to Spain :bowdown:

[Euroleague]

It won't happen though. Real has filed NBA franchise papers like 3 times now and the NBA has denied it every time.

They met with Stern numerous times also.

They have tried this several times before, and nothing came of it.

[outbreak]

It won't happen though. Real has filed NBA franchise papers like 3 times now and the NBA has denied it every time.

They met with Stern numerous times also.

They have tried this several times before, and nothing came of it.

The NBA want to do it but they want it done on their terms. I think the most recent rejection wasn't anything to do with Real but that they couldn't get the teams they needed to form a full division there for various reasons.

[Euroleague]

The NBA want to do it but they want it done on their terms. I think the most recent rejection wasn't anything to do with Real but that they couldn't get the teams they needed to form a full division there for various reasons.

The NBA keeps insisting on forming teams from Paris, London, Berlin, Munich, and then either Rome or Milan.

And they want to exclude teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, CSKA Moscow, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Fenerbache.........

The bottom line is that this simply isn't feasible and it will never work. The Euroleague will bankrupt the NBA Europe in a single season if the NBA tries this.

But the NBA is too stupid to figure that out.

The fact that clubs like Real Madrid, and also for example, Panathinaikos several times also filed the papers to join the NBA and was also denied, just showed how out of touch with reality the NBA is on how a European division would have to work.

The NBA could never compete directly with the Euroleague in Europe to put it out of business, which is what they think they are going to do. The only way it would ever work, is for them to work jointly with the big clubs that already exist in Europe, but every time this has come up before, in the end, the story was that the NBA rejected the European clubs, except for ones in those above locations.

The NBA only wants,

London (either a new NBA team or for Arsenal to open a basketball section)
Paris Saint Germain to open a basketball section in Paris
Bayern Munich (current basketball section)
Olimpia Milano or Virtus Roma (new club would be combined with AS Roma football)
Alba Berlin

Which is really strange, considering for example that Real Madrid and Barca are the two biggest and richest sports clubs in the world, so you would think that the NBA would actually want them, instead of trying to close their basketball sections down by stopping Euroleague.

But it seems that the NBA isn't too bright.

[kennethgriffin]

how the hell can every team fly accross the ocean to play them?


theyel have to play 90% of their games on the road to make it work

[Rooster]

They can be competitive in DLeague IMO

Good idea. NBA should expand their Developmental League to Europe and used teams like Real Madrid, CSKA, Barcelona, PAO and Maccabi as a minor league affiliates. It's always been that way but this time make it a formality. No max salary though, when a player get called up, NBA franchise just pay a transfer fee.:applause:

[outbreak]

The NBA keeps insisting on forming teams from Paris, London, Berlin, Munich, and then either Rome or Milan.

And they want to exclude teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, CSKA Moscow, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Fenerbache.........

The bottom line is that this simply isn't feasible and it will never work. The Euroleague will bankrupt the NBA Europe in a single season if the NBA tries this.

But the NBA is too stupid to figure that out.

The fact that clubs like Real Madrid, and also for example, Panathinaikos several times also filed the papers to join the NBA and was also denied, just showed how out of touch with reality the NBA is on how a European division would have to work.

The NBA could never compete directly with the Euroleague in Europe to put it out of business, which is what they think they are going to do. The only way it would ever work, is for them to work jointly with the big clubs that already exist in Europe, but every time this has come up before, in the end, the story was that the NBA rejected the European clubs, except for ones in those above locations.

The NBA only wants,

London (either a new NBA team or for Arsenal to open a basketball section)
Paris Saint Germain to open a basketball section in Paris
Bayern Munich (current basketball section)
Olimpia Milano or Virtus Roma (new club would be combined with AS Roma football)
Alba Berlin

Which is really strange, considering for example that Real Madrid and Barca are the two biggest and richest sports clubs in the world, so you would think that the NBA would actually want them, instead of trying to close their basketball sections down by stopping Euroleague.

But it seems that the NBA isn't too bright.

I heard some of the first teams you mentioned being included but the problem the NBA were citing was the infrastructure there. I'm guessing they mean more than the stadiums because some of those teams have great set ups.

i don't think they want to bankrupt the euroleague, I think they are trying to pick the cities that have a large NBA fanbase rather than just basing it on which cities have good euroleague teams, it'll be something different to euroleague and it'll go after cities that are big tourist areas already.

[FKAri]

Would they be a part of the Atlantic division? :oldlol:

[Euroleague]

I heard some of the first teams you mentioned being included but the problem the NBA were citing was the infrastructure there. I'm guessing they mean more than the stadiums because some of those teams have great set ups.

i don't think they want to bankrupt the euroleague, I think they are trying to pick the cities that have a large NBA fanbase rather than just basing it on which cities have good euroleague teams, it'll be something different to euroleague and it'll go after cities that are big tourist areas already.

Every single one of those cities has enormous infrastructure and arenas. So the NBA is just making up bullshit, as usual.

Those are also bigger markets than all but a handful of current NBA markets.

[Clifton]

Interesting.

It's easy to think "But the travel..."

But flying to California from NY takes 6 hours. A flight from NY to Rome is 8 hours. It's not that different, and teams fly to Cali several times a year.

But Cali teams (which are several) flying to Spain? That's the iffy part. If this happened player would start signing with EC teams to avoid the 12 hour flights. You'd see the balance of power shift.

[TripleA]

I think it could work if they have a arena in the U.S and then play a certain portion of the games in Madrid.

[Akrazotile]

Interesting.

It's easy to think "But the travel..."

But flying to California from NY takes 6 hours. A flight from NY to Rome is 8 hours. It's not that different, and teams fly to Cali several times a year.

But Cali teams (which are several) flying to Spain? That's the iffy part. If this happened player would start signing with EC teams to avoid the 12 hour flights. You'd see the balance of power shift.


Well as it is now dont teams only play 1 home and 1 away game against out of conference teams per year? WC teams would only have to make the trip once annually I'm pretty sure.

[Akrazotile]

But for real, the NBA should just build a city-sized island halfway across the Atlantic Ocean. I think that would solve a lot of logistical problems.

[fiddy]

But for real, the NBA should just build a city-sized island halfway across the Atlantic Ocean. I think that would solve a lot of logistical problems.
Absolutely, the fans would love it