There is blood in the water and somebody is getting ready to jump overboard . .

[Randy]

That's correct, nba fans, the Spurs are on a losing streak and Spurs bandwagon president, Reality, is about to jump off what he sees as a sinking ship.  So, it's time to get your wagers in -- several betting pools will be spawned by this event (which happens every four or five years) such as:    1) how long before Reality pledges allegiance to another team;
2) how long before Reality fains remembering EVER being a Spurs fan;
3) which team will have the privilege of Reality's bandwagon allegiance.

Make your wagers now -- betting is closed at the beginning of the playoff season!

[WayOutWest]

Make your wagers now -- betting is closed at the beginning of the playoff season!

If you are suiting up a bandwagon for Reality isn't it obvious you wait until AFTER the playoffs?

[Randy]

See, I disagree -- I think Reality jumps ship now so that he can jump on the bandwagon of whoever WINS the championship this year (providing it isn't the Lakers -- it's the one team that we know he WON'T jump to).

Perhaps, I should have made this issue a betting pool as well.

[Reality]

Sorry, but I'm still on the ship and Spurs will title in 2008.
But i did call Houston as the biggest West threat.  

Keep em comin FRAN*s

[Randy]

Ah, I see -- trying to straddle two bandwagons, huh?  Still pathetic though!

[WayOutWest]

Ah, I see -- trying to straddle two bandwagons, huh?  Still pathetic though!

You underestimate Reality's bandwagon jumping abilities.

[Lurker]

See, I disagree -- I think Reality jumps ship now so that he can jump on the bandwagon of whoever WINS the championship this year.

It is difficult to give much weight to the thoughts of a person who believes that Philadelphia is a small market team.

 

[westkoast]

See, I disagree -- I think Reality jumps ship now so that he can jump on the bandwagon of whoever WINS the championship this year.

It is difficult to give much weight to the thoughts of a person who believes that Philadelphia is a small market team.

 

So what is it then?  A medium market team?

Not to ride for Randall here but you guys still consider SA a small market team lol

[WayOutWest]

See, I disagree -- I think Reality jumps ship now so that he can jump on the bandwagon of whoever WINS the championship this year.

It is difficult to give much weight to the thoughts of a person who believes that Philadelphia is a small market team.

 

So what is it then?  A medium market team?

Not to ride for Randall here but you guys still consider SA a small market team lol

Maybe we need to adopt the S, M, L, XL or XS, S, M, L?

[Lurker]

See, I disagree -- I think Reality jumps ship now so that he can jump on the bandwagon of whoever WINS the championship this year.

It is difficult to give much weight to the thoughts of a person who believes that Philadelphia is a small market team.

 

So what is it then?  A medium market team?

Not to ride for Randall here but you guys still consider SA a small market team lol

Yes SA is still a small market team.  And the usual definition is based on how a metropolitan area ranks for advertising purposes.  Last time I checked (a couple years ago) SA was in the mid-30s in terms of "market size".  I think Portland and Indianapolis were the two smaller markets.  Philly was top 10 and maybe even top 5.  If I remember correctly the top five were NY, LA, Chicago, Houston, Philly.

[Lurker]

http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t29/tab03a.pdf

This is the link to a 29 page PDF from the census bureau that lists 922 various "cities".  It is from the 2000 census.   It starts with the NY MSA (Metropoiltan Statistical Area) which includes 4 metropolitan divisions.  The top 10 MSAs are:

NY
LA
Chicago
Philly
Dallas
Miami
DC
Houston
Detroit
Boston

The largest MSA without a NBA team: #13 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

Other medium (by NBA standards) markets without the NBA: #17 San Diego, #18 St Louis, #19 Baltimore (considered separate from DC)

Ten smallest NBA markets:
Portland #25
Sacramento #27
SA #29
Orlando #30
Indy #34
Milw #35
Charlotte #37
NO #38
Memphis #41
and in last place....


Salt Lake City #50 and the only city under 1 million in population.

[JoMal]

See, I disagree -- I think Reality jumps ship now so that he can jump on the bandwagon of whoever WINS the championship this year.

It is difficult to give much weight to the thoughts of a person who believes that Philadelphia is a small market team.

 

So what is it then?  A medium market team?

Not to ride for Randall here but you guys still consider SA a small market team lol

Yes SA is still a small market team.  And the usual definition is based on how a metropolitan area ranks for advertising purposes.  Last time I checked (a couple years ago) SA was in the mid-30s in terms of "market size".  I think Portland and Indianapolis were the two smaller markets.  Philly was top 10 and maybe even top 5.  If I remember correctly the top five were NY, LA, Chicago, Houston, Philly.

 

San Antonio is 29th in U.S. market size, with these NBA metro areas being smaller: Indianapolis, Charlotte, Milwaukie, Memphis, Salt Lake City, and New Orleans, in that order. In terms of NBA cities, San Antonio is ranked 22 in size. But as you well know, some of these NBA teams have a much broader appeal then just the immediate metropolitan area, such as the Jazz, the Spurs, the Kings, the Nuggets, the Hornets and the Grizzlies.

However, the Spurs are ranked 10th in team valuations ($405 million), and 11th in net operating income (15.5 million).

BTW, the franchise that has the highest team valuation combined with a high operating income? That would be the Bulls. They are third in value, but first in operating income as of last year, with a total of 59.3 million. Compare this to the Knicks: first in value, last in operating income (-$42.2 million)

Team value:

New York Knicks - $608 million
Los Angeles Lakers - $560
Chicago Bulls - $500
Detroit Pistons - $477
Houston Rockets - $462

Team Operating Income:

Chicago Bulls - $59.3 million
Detroit Pistons - $39.2
Phoeniz Suns - 37.3
Cleveland Cavaliers - 31.9
Los Angeles Lakers - 31.8

This information comes from Forbes.com

[rickortreat]

For a thread that started out as a taunt, this one has turned into a wealth of information.  Great job!

[Randy]

Actually, I made my comments based on rankings on team worth and team revenue. 

I think there are teams that are in smaller markets (i.e. Utah, Portland, SA, etc.) who are great basketball towns that I think overcome some of that small market feel.  Some of that is based on a couple of factors:  1) some are the only game in town (only pro team) and 2) some because of excellent traditions and history.

[westkoast]

Thank you JoMaL.  Pretty much summed up what I was getting at with some stone cold facts.  Props on the numbers.

SA may not be as big as Philly in sheer number of people but out of the past 5 years what team gets more coverage, has more fans, sells more merchandise, and has the more faithful fans?  You couldn't watch NBA basketball for any extended amount of time with out hearing about the Spurs.  I guess they are a big fish in a small pond...still a big fish tho.

Atlanta has to be climbing up the ranking as a bigger market but I still somewhat consider them a small market team for all the reasons mentioned by JoMaL.  They just don't have the same appeal that a Spurs squad does.  Sacramento was a good example of a small market that looked much bigger then it really was due to fan support, media coverage, and success.