OT: Would The NBA Work In Montreal ?

[Habs10Habs]

The NBA is the most popular global sports league outside of the major soccer leagues. Even if the Mtl team was bad - all of the the raps games, celtics games, any time LeBron or Curry etc came to town would sell out. Even guys like Crosby/Ovechkin etc have such a small fanbase compared to the like of the NBA stars, so many kids would want to go watch Luka, Zion, or Ja Morant play etc.

I really don't think the city would have hard time getting people in the stands

Maybe in the beginning, but eventually the novelty would wear off. People would get bored of watching opposing teams super stars "Harlem Globe Trotter" them all over the floor. Also there's the aspect of keeping the young star players you draft.

 

[Tutu to]

pass

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

Maybe?

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

Garbage. Not a sport. Pass.

 

[Tetragrammaton]

The Montreal Ballers

They would literally sell millions of jerseys worldwide with that name

 

[OG6ix]

seeing some comments on here - the NBA isn't a gate driven league so even if there are down periods of attendance it does not affect a franchise like the NHL or all the other gate driven teams in Montreal. If you don't like basketball or think issues would be the same as the expos pre-major media deals than it's definitely opinion based. NBA would be a money maker anywhere they put a team including montreal and off the bat the team would be more valuable as an investment than the Habs.

 

[Redux91]

I hate saying this. But a basketball team in Montreal imo, would be the NBA's version of the Winnipeg Jets.

The THING is tho H10H

The jets are mostly the jets as in the stigma that it sucks there IS because its winnipeg itself lol, aka not much to do in a one horse town

However in MTL lol...

But , you ARE right that it wouldnt be a tier 1 or tier 2 place most basketball players would want to reside in, purely winter and tax related

 

[Doublechin]

No

Stars won't come here and they'd leave ASAP and this city is famous for not supporting losing organizations

I'd love for it, I have grown to enjoy NBA basketball more than Hockey but it won't

 

[themilosh]

The THING is tho H10H

The jets are mostly the jets as in the stigma that it sucks there IS because its winnipeg itself lol, aka not much to do in a one horse town

However in MTL lol...

But , you ARE right that it wouldnt be a tier 1 or tier 2 place most basketball players would want to reside in, purely winter and tax related

we attract decent European/Russian players in hockey, I imagine we could do well with Euro Basketball players too. but the American Stars (which is needed for NBA) would hate being in MTL.. They already have a rough time adjusting in Toronto, thinking it is some upside down world.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Maybe in the beginning, but eventually the novelty would wear off. People would get bored of watching opposing teams super stars "Harlem Globe Trotter" them all over the floor. Also there's the aspect of keeping the young star players you draft.

People complain the raps aren't able to get stars too , and they've been more successful than every franchise outside of LeBron led teams and GSW in the last decade.

It would come down to management as much as location

 

[DAChampion]

If Kent Hughes is the GM.

 

[Habs10Habs]

The THING is tho H10H

The jets are mostly the jets as in the stigma that it sucks there IS because its winnipeg itself lol, aka not much to do in a one horse town

However in MTL lol...

But , you ARE right that it wouldnt be a tier 1 or tier 2 place most basketball players would want to reside in, purely winter and tax related

lol Thank you, I should have originally pointed that out. Montreal is an awesome city.

That's pretty much what I was getting at. They could support a team, but the team would be at the level of the Jets. Weather, taxes and even language (ignorance) could/would all be factors.

 

[OG6ix]

People complain the raps aren't able to get stars too , and they've been more successful than every franchise outside of LeBron led teams and GSW in the last decade.

It would come down to management as much as location

This... A lot has changed thanks to Masai and company. He drafts well, pulls off trades when needed. The whole ppl don't stay thing is overrated. Vince Carter has a podcast and he went to bat for Toronto when some random American media type brought up this notion. DeRozan was pissed when we traded him, Scottie Barnes rookie of the year loves Toronto he actually loves Montreal too he was there during the off season. Kevin's Durant has vacationed in Montreal. If you have a crappy management like the raptors had, which was essentially hockey ppl running a basketball team, then no player wants to come.

 

[Habs10Habs]

People complain the raps aren't able to get stars too , and they've been more successful than every franchise outside of LeBron led teams and GSW in the last decade.

It would come down to management as much as location

The Raptors also went through hell in the beginning. It took a long time for the team to become as popular as they are today. Even with their success, players aren't lining up to play there.

The Expos had incredible management. Yet they still became a glorified farm team, for the rest of the league. I just don't see the city of Montreal having the interest.

 

[OG6ix]

The Raptors also went through hell in the beginning. It took a long time for the team to become as popular as they are today. Even with their success, players aren't lining up to play there.

The Expos had incredible management. Yet they still became a glorified farm team, for the rest of the league. I just don't see the city of Montreal having the interest.

If Montreal kept the expos for a couple more season it would be a completely different story. The media revenues sky rocketed in 2006 and the league became less ticket gate driven. NBA, unlike the MLB, transcends sport into entertainment. I think one really surprisingly good story out of Montreal is the amount of good basketball players they have coming out of Montreal given it does not have the infrastructure that Ontario and BC has for basketball.

 

[Habs10Habs]

comparing Winnipeg to Montreal is ludicrous. and the NHL / NBA equivalency doesn't work

The comparison wasn't intended to be city to city. The comparison was made to show that I believed that if Montreal received a team. They would be at around the same level as Winnipeg. I could have picked another low level city if that fits the situation better.

 

[HabsCowboysOwn]

I love watching the dinosaurs panic every time someone mentions a sport that isn’t hockey lmao, never change people.

 

[Habs10Habs]

If Montreal kept the expos for a couple more season it would be a completely different story. The media revenues sky rocketed in 2006 and the league became less ticket gate driven. NBA, unlike the MLB, transcends sport into entertainment. I think one really surprisingly good story out of Montreal is the amount of good basketball players they have coming out of Montreal given it does not have the infrastructure that Ontario and BC has for basketball.

IMO...All that would have done is delayed the same results. Less people were going to the games. Less people were watching the games on TV. Eventually the sky rocketing media money would have dwindled away.

I will agree with that. It's amazing to see how many good players Montreal is producing. Especially when comparing the province to Ontario and BC.

 

[George Lebay]

Montreal should have more than one major league team...That's a shame.

 

[Toene]

I think it could happen: Québec is the blackest province of the country, it comes down to France's versus England's colonial past and how they spread their language. They would immediately garner an international following too.

This is false. Ontario has two times more black people in absolute numbers.

Edit : even though we have the Haitians mainly come to Quebec, the majority all the other (english-speaking, for example Jamaicans) black people from the carribeans go to Ontario.

 

[OG6ix]

This is false. Ontario has two times more black people in absolute numbers.

I'm not sure why this even matters - in Toronto it's not just black people who watch the game.

 

[Toene]

I'm not sure why this even matters - in Toronto it's not just black people who watch the game.

Some demographics are more drawn to the sport, it's a fact, but in the grand scheme of things it's not that significant to the potential success of a team in Montreal.

One thing is sure though is that Montreal/Quebec is a wide-open, unexploited market and one the biggest metro-area to not have a team yet. I'm sure the NBA has arleady looked at us real hard in recent years because the potential is huge. And younger generations are generally more drawn to the sport so it could really blow up if done well.

 

[Toene]

To make sure both Montrealers and people from Quebec City have equal access to the team, it should be based half-way, at the location of the late-Madrid hotel, playing at the future Normand L'Amour memorial arena

 

[peate]

Before the year 2000's, I would've said no. But today's population with many different nationalities, many of witch already know and practise the sport, I would say yes.

Sure, Jean-Guy Tremblay and Gino Cartier don't know the fist thing about the sport, they're hockey fans period. But attract all the new immigrants and you're already ahead. Make sure marketing is top notch and talented scouts. Money.

 

[JianYang]

The Grizzlies left due to a historically bad management team, a weak dollar, and a general perception of Vancouver being a siberian outpost.

Since the Grizzlies left, the league has become more cultured, and international, with a stronger econonic model that dwarfs the nhl.

Canadian teams will never be big players in the UFA market, but the raptors are a clear example that if you are managed well, you can make it work. The climate isn't as daunting as the late 90s when the Grizzlies died.