I can imagine what most of you are thinking. Save us the heartache of watching “superstars” piddle around aimlessly and contract the New York Knicks! The Miami Heat are everything that’s wrong with today’s NBA, off with their heads! All jokes aside, if you haven’t been watching the NBA this season I can’t fault you. The league and the Players Association went through a drawn-out but ulitmately pointless lockout, leaving some fans disinterested in watching a shortened season with little training camp time. If you have been watching then kudos to you, because the display on the floor has left a lot to be desired.
The disparity between the haves and the have-nots has been stark this year, with each night seemingly providing multiple blowouts. The talent in the NBA isn’t enough to field 30 competitive teams, and that talent gets consolidated into fewer and fewer markets each year. On top of that, Commissioner David Stern claims the NBA lost $300 million last season, after losing $340 million the year prior. If that’s the case, isn’t it time to cut some of the dead weight? Here’s a list of teams that the league would be better off without:
Charlotte Bobcats – The first go-round in Charlotte was unsuccessful, but that didn’t stop the NBA from giving the city another shot. The Bobcats have made the postseason only once since joining the league in 2004, and probably have the least-talented team in the NBA. According to Forbes, they also had the lowest operating income last year at a whopping minus $25.5 million. Heading up their front office is Michael Jordan, the same man who made Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison top three draft picks. The only thing the fans have to look forward to is another decade of futility.
New Orleans Hornets – The NBA sunk $300 million to rescue this team from George Shinn in 2010, when he discovered it wasn’t financially viable to own a team in this small-market. Attendance issues already plagued the Hornets, and after superstar Chris Paul begged out and got his wish, the mess is only going to get worse. Good luck finding a prospective owner dumb enough to try and breathe life into this dead franchise.
Sacramento Kings – The Maloofs are all but ready to move the team to Anaheim next year, and it’s hard to blame them. The Kings have been in the bottom four in attendance each of the last four seasons. On the flip side, it’s easy to see why fans aren’t showing up. The team simply isn’t competitive. Their point differential of minus 11.7 is the second-worst this year. This team hasn’t been relevant since the Webber-Bibby days, and drafting an unlikeable malcontent in DeMarcus Cousins and an overrated player in Jimmer Fredette only hurts the rebuilding process. Something tells me the NBA isn’t eager to see a third team flood the Los Angeles market, either.
Yes, I know that eliminating three teams would leave an odd 27 remaining. That’s okay because it’s rather easy to find a fourth team to contract. Compelling arguments can be made for the elimination of the Bucks, Nets, Pacers, Hawks, and Grizzlies just to name a few. I wouldn’t miss any of these teams, and the product on-court and the NBA’s bottom-line would only benefit.