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Tim Bontemps
Oklahoma City – Nba Commissioner Adam Silver Said Thursday Night That The Nba Will Discuss Expansion at Next Month’s Board in Las Vegas and Believes The League’s Oowners Will Recommend The topic be formally explored.
Silver, Speaking at his Annual News Conference AHEAD OF GAME 1 OF THE NBA FINALS BETWEEN The Oklahoma city thunder And Indiana PacersSaid he hopes to “take the temperater of the room” regical expansion at the july meting and believes are interested interesters to take the steps in the process.
“There’s be no lack of interest,” Silver sa. “I Essentially have said to people from Several Different Cities, ‘We just just not engaging in that process right now.’ I want to be everywhere and not other. Meetings and in address likely we would engage with outside advisors who would look at markets, look at economic opportunities, et cetera. “
Silver Has Said Several Times in Recent Months That The League is Beginning to Turn Its Focus to Expansion, which has been infermally discussed in League Circles for the post several year. But Thursday’s News Conference Marked the first time silver saad he exposed experience to become a formal discussion point at a meeting of the league’s owners.
Silver Did Caution, However, That Expansion isn a Certainty.
“I ‘say the carrent sense is we should be exploring it,” Silver sa. “I don’t think it is automatic, because it depends on your perspective on the Future of the League.
“As I’ve Said Before, Expansion in a Way is Selling Equity in the League. Markets in the United States and Else Markets that deserve to have nba teams, more than we can serve.
The last time the nba expanded was in 2004, when charlotte returned to the NBA. Seattle and las vegas are considered to get expansion tims if the process is agreed upon.
Silver Discussed a Few Other key issues at Thursday’s News Conference:
• The winner of this year’s nba finals will become the league’s seventh straight new champion, the longest the league has gone without a repeat champion. Some have attended this to the left in its cba to try the playing field, but silver meaning the point of them.
“I can say standing here that i’d environment we will be with seven different champions over seven years,” Silver Said. “I would only say the goal isnies to have a different champion every year. Well-Run Franchises, top to Bottom, that deserve to be here.
“Whichever Team Were to Win, if they would be to repeat, I would be able to say this there is a work because I don” System we wanted to create, as long as the process, not the outcomes. Are. “
• Silver reiterated that the nba will like shift to some sort of Team usa vs. The World Format for Next Year’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles-Like the Nhl Did this Past Season-but also the specified format hasn is bey decided yet.
“I don’t think a straight-up usa version world makes,” Silver sa, adding that international players make up 30% of the league while American players make up 70%. “That’s not what they do in the nhl eity.
Silver Added: “I think we can play off that nationalism. We are moving to nbc next year for the all-star game, where we use to be many years ago. We’ll be smack in the meddle of Winter Olympic Competition on NBC. Game. “
• Silver shot down the idea of reducing the nba’s 82-game regular season, say it would work for a number reasons.
“Money’s part of it, there’s no question about it,” Silver sa. “We’re a business. Having saad that, I do not really see the benefit to reducing the number of games. People use you should reduce then reduce then a reduction in a number Injuries to be suggered, you have more inwards. Playoffs than you do in the regular.
