How To Run An NBA Team
Just win, baby…or at least act like you’re trying.
It seems pretty clear to me that there’s a proper way to own an NBA team, and there’s also an improper way to do it, specifically when you’re the new kid on the block.
As for the wrong way, check out the new owners of the Seattle Sonics. Based in Oklahoma City, this ownership group headed by Clay Bennett has been quoted talking about how they’re committed to staying in Seattle, but nobody really believes them. Why not? Because they’ve set a limit on their attempts to keep the team in Seattle (one year) and when asked if the team will stay in Seattle, they won’t give a straight answer.
Contrast this with what’s going on in Memphis. Grizz owner Michael Heisley announced last week that he’s reached a deal to sell his majority stake in the Grizzlies to a group headed by former Duke Blue Devil and NBA also-ran Brian Davis. Check out this story in today’s USA Today — Davis says all the right things, and even if you’re not a Grizzlies fan it’s hard not to feel excited about what he’s attempting to do. (Or at least talking about attempting to do.)
“We want to elevate what is going on downtown,” Davis says. “To bring in more hotels … more retail and residential areas and fill in the dead spots. Regionally, Memphis has the opportunity to be the epicenter of the entertainment world. Hopefully, jobs will go up, pay will go up and that is the full cycle.”
And regarding the current NBA owners, Davis notes, “I’m figuring that a lot of these guys are not interfacing with a lot of young black guys. I can say ‘I can go places you can’t go and you can go places I can’t go, and this is an opportunity for us to come together.’”
(An interesting side note: In the sidebar to the Brian Davis story, there’s a mention that one of the current minority owners of the Grizzlies is Elliott Perry, former Memphis St. and Phoenix Suns point guard who was one of the first to rock the high-sock look. I interviewed him a few years ago about his art collection, which is specifically African-American art, which he was introduced to by Darrell Walker. EP is a really bright guy, and I hope he’s able to stay involved.)
A few years ago, my favorite team, the Atlanta Hawks, went on the market. They almost went to a car salesman from Dallas with the melodic name David McDavid, until at the last moment they were bought by a group called Atlanta Spirit that included several Atlantans. This group pledged to keep the Hawks in Atlanta, to make the Hawks a contender once again. Since then they’ve spent more time in a court of law than on a basketball court. The man they’ve stuck with at GM, Billy Knight, refuses to speak straight to the media, which has left a lot of fans frustrated and confused.
Really, as fans, all we want from our owners are people who we are sure are committed to winning a championship. Sure we want to see progress, but it’s almost more important to see owners that are willing to spend money, even when it occasionally doesn’t work out. Owners who will shake up the front office when progress isn’t imminent. Owners who are fans of their teams.
Think about the Sixers. When Pat Croce was running things, he was all over the place, giving interviews, hanging with the fans, cheering on his team and mobilizing the fan base. These days nobody’s sure what’s going on. Croce might not have really known anything about how to run an NBA team, but we knew that he was giving it his all. At least, it sure sounded that way.
Talk can be cheap, but after comparing the Memphis situation with the Seattle situation, it’s pretty apparent that sometimes a few positive words might be all we fans needed to begin with. You like us, we’ll like you.
13 Responses to “How To Run An NBA Team”
Oct.11 at 4:43 pm
Nads says:
So is Mark Cuban a good owner or not?
Oct.11 at 5:00 pm
kjo says:
So is the mark of a good ownership one that wants to keep the team where it is when they take possession of the team?
And Pat Croce is now doing what? giving play by play at slamball games in his backyard? I wouldn’t consider him an example of good ownership simply because he gave it his all and worked hard at PR…
Oct.11 at 5:18 pm
Darksaber says:
In my eyes, Cuban is one of the best. Too hands on, egomaniacal and a bit bored but things have been happening in Dallas since he got there. The high point, even though Dirk, Avery and co. are still sobbing over their loss, was reaching the finals last season. And the team even does sensible trades now, instead of renewing the roster after every tough season. Can’t wait to see Anthony Johnson and Croshere on that team.
Oct.11 at 6:02 pm
illydiva says:
We sure do miss the days when Pat Croce was running the team. I wish he would consider buying it since it’s allegedly up for sale. It’s obvious that Ed Snider’s true love is hockey.
Oct.11 at 6:50 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Unlike saber, i CAN wait to see Austin Croshere on any team. While Pat Croce is undeniabley dope, he’s waaaaaay to into pirates for my liking.
1
Oct.11 at 8:06 pm
Darksaber says:
Sure you do, well totaly irrelevant for this posting, but a healthy and motivated Croshere is worlds better than lanky van horny, especially if the starting PF is gonna play 39+ minutes like überstar Nowitzki. Hey, but you are entitled to your views Boing.
Oct.12 at 12:00 am
Mike says:
As a Knicks fan, I feel that no one on the planet gets to hate their team’s owner/front office more than I do. They’ll waste money on pure stupidity (Jerome James), mediocrity (Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford, Jared Jeffries) and make godawful trades (Steve Francis, Jalen Rose) and fire the wrong guy (Larry Brown). And we’re to believe that this year will be better? I can’t wait to see what ridiculous move Isiah pulls with Jalen Rose’s expiring contract. Is it possible to fire an owner? I need a strong drink.
Oct.12 at 1:56 am
MD Shuai says:
Yeah, the Knicks are screwed. But I’ve been a Bulls fan since I was 8, so it doesn’t bother me; though I was pretty pissed at the Bulls front office for a number of years, until John Paxson showed up and the sun came back up. But he’s not an owner.
Mark Cuban is though, and I think he’s the best owner in the NBA; he may be a bit arrogant and brash and annoying, but he knows how to play the masses. One of his first moves was to sign Dennis Rodman to that 12 day, 4 game contract; the Worm got kicked out of all 4 games. But they all sold out. The Mavericks went from a crappy team with a young, lanky german kid looking to be one of their best players, to arguably the best team in the western conferance last season; and all because Cuban cared about the team. Plain and simple, he cares about the record, not the check book. Of course when you’re a billionaire, I suppose you can afford to do that every once and a while…
Oct.12 at 5:05 am
Boing Dynasty says:
Yeh Jalen’s a nice dude, but gotta thank the Knicks for takin that trade. Dont even remember who we got for him, and dont care.
Saber, trust me i dont want to see KVH any more than A.C.
Oct.12 at 9:38 am
H to the izzo says:
What if Mark Cuban was President?What would the world be like?
Oct.12 at 10:56 am
BluEagleDaKing4 says:
worst front offices are philly, seattle, atlanta and new york.
Oct.12 at 12:26 pm
albie1kenobi says:
Cuban is too liberal for the america. but i’m pretty sure we wouldn’t be hated as much globally as we are right now.
Oct.14 at 5:22 am
ziad bastami says:
ha! if cuban was president, you shall see the first world wide president wearing a jersey in the UN! like it matters! since he would be the deceider in the ball room, maybe later Kofey shall wear the same, a zidane france jersey, and then we shall see agame between the IDF and NASRALLAH in jersulam, a best of 7 game, where the winner shall gain all, and gambling is on, i mean on! seriously, i think that the only team that were doing the right stuff are the Spurs, look at their draft picks, Parker, Manu and co, they were all low picks,and now are twice world champions, they had a franchise player in Tim Duncan, and they knew how to keep him, they made 3 titles, dominated the west for as long as TD started in the league, they made some serious trade that brought in some quality role players that contributed to the team more than others, last year “early” exit was due to a simple twist of fate! they lost for the 1st time to a team not called the Lakers or the Jazz in the playoffs, but beware they could be back!