Clips might be evicted from Staples Center.

[NYCdog]

Its ironic that for the first time in a long time, W.O.W's favorite team, the Clippers, might actually have a better squad than the Lakers and yet, they are the ones possibly getting kicked out of Staples.

Its also kind of ironic that this comes on the heels of a flirtation with signing Kobe Bryant, who suggested he might sign with them if they moved to Anaheim, which is closer to his home. Now, they might actually have to move there, without Bryant that is.

Or could KC, STL or Vegas be there next stop?  

Staples Could Boot Clippers
by Jerry Crowe
LA Times

The Clippers' days in Staples Center could be numbered.

Owner Donald T. Sterling's team might be jettisoned when its lease runs out after this season, the chief executive of the company that owns the arena said in an interview published Monday in the Los Angeles Downtown News.

"We actually could make more money if, instead of 40 Clippers games, we had five concerts," Tim Leiweke, president of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, was quoted as saying. "So, those are some of the decisions we're going to have to make. The Clippers' issue is in negotiations now. Their lease is up after this year.

"And ironically, shockingly, we've got to make a decision as to whether we even want them back. We're not sure."

The Clippers, who charge a fraction of what the Lakers charge for tickets, sold out six of 40 games in Staples Center last season, two against the Lakers.

[Wolverine]

It'd be kinda cool to get a team here in St. Louis, but the Clippers?  Can't we do better than that?   :puke:

I honestly don't think that St. Louis would support a basketball team that doesn't do well.  The Cardinals will always rule the town, and the Rams and Blues have extremely loyal followings.  There's no doubt it's a great sports city, but if you add a fourth major sport and that team doesn't do well, it might not last too long.  Sterling better open up his wallet if he moves the team to St. Louis, and we all know how likely that is.

[spursfan101]

What's the population of St. Louis?

[Guest_Randy]

The problem with St. Louis is that St. Louis proper isn't that large in population.  It is one of those towns that has grown and swallowed many of the cities surrounding it.  There is also the additional problem (Kansas City also has this problem) in that when population figures are taken, they are usually connected with a state -- St. Louis is in both Missouri and Illinois.  St. Louis -- even proper, is still within one of the top 50 cities in the US -- but I have seen figures that say that the St. Louis area is around 2.5 million people.

There are some additional problems:  
1)  St. Louis is a BASEBALL town!  Even when they are bad -- this cities LOVES it's Cardinals -- this year trying to get a ticket was really tough (okay, trying to get comp tickets from my sister-in-laws dad who is big in the coca-cola bottling company here -- they are very good tickets -- that has been tough).
2)  St. Louis also has the Rams and the Blues -- both of which have commanded a pretty strong following.  They also have a soccer team but who cares, lol

I think St. Louis CAN support a basketball team and I would LOVE to see a team go to St. Louis -- that way I could score some tickets to some games (and I would like to see the Clips play -- I think the Clips have some GREAT young talent -- just wish Sterling was really interested in growing a great organization instead of just playing games and making money).  I think St. Louis CAN support an NBA team -- it just bothers me when teams move -- how many times are the Hornets going to move?  

Of course, the Clips should have NEVER been allowed to move to the same city as another NBA team -- there are too many cities that would like to have an NBA team.

[westkoast]

Im not complaining.  I'd love to be able to goto the Pond to see pro basketball.

The Donald has no one to blame about Staples thinking twice about letting them sign another lease but himself.  If he put more money into this team, managed it better, and had some better promotions for the team (other than a corny cup at Del Taco) then maybe they would be more successfull.

[WayOutWest]

I'd drop my season tixs if they moved to Anaheim.  Myself and lot of people from L.A. would do that for the sole reason of traffic.