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Orlando Magic interested in D-League basketball team for Jacksonville
Posted: October 8, 2013 - 9:06pm | Updated: October 8, 2013 - 11:55pm
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Magic coach Jacque Vaughn watches his team play against the San Antonio Spurs during a preseason game on Oct. 21, 2012, in Orlando. JOHN RAOUX/Associated Press
JOHN RAOUX/Associated Press
Magic coach Jacque Vaughn watches his team play against the San Antonio Spurs during a preseason game on Oct. 21, 2012, in Orlando.
NBA PRESEASON
Who: Orlando Magic vs. New Orleans Pelicans.
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Where: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
By Don Coble
The Orlando Magic will open their NBA preseason schedule Wednesday night at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena with a lot more than getting experience and winning an exhibition game in mind.
The team said it has long-range hopes of possibly making the First Coast the home of their minor league program.
The Magic, who will play the New Orleans Pelicans at 7, have an interest in moving its NBA Development League team to Jacksonville, team CEO Alex Martins said Tuesday.
"We've made it clear to the [NBA] league we'd like to make this happen," Martins said.
Joel Lamp, of Jacksonville University's business development and communications department, confirmed the city wants a D-League franchise and is working to make that happen.
The Magic have played two preseason games in the Veterans Memorial Arena, with the last coming in 2008. The Miami Heat also played preseason games in Jacksonville in 2008 and 2009.
While Orlando will start the process of working rookies, particularly guard Victor Oladipo, into the playing rotation, executives with the Magic, Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Giants hope they can continue to work together to give the team a permanent place for players to rehabilitate from injuries and for younger players to get playing time.
"When I started the Jacksonville Giants, the five-year goal was to make the Giants a premier ABA team and to become a D-League single-team affiliate," Giants owner Ron Sholes said. "We've talked with the city; they're behind it. But it's a process. It's just a matter of getting the talks going."
The Giants are two-time defending ABA champions. They are about to embark on their fourth season at the arena.
There currently are 17 NBA D-League cities. Fourteen NBA franchises have their own affiliate, while the Magic are one of 13 teams that share one of three minor league franchises.
Martins said Orlando wants its own "hybrid" franchise so it won't have to share players, coaches or administration personnel. He also wants his team's D-League franchise to be closer to home.
"Right now we're in [Fort Wayne, Ind.] and it's so far away," Martins said. "If we send someone there for rehab it's hard to monitor them. Distance is an issue. It's too far away."
Orlando was teamed with Miami, Minnesota and Philadelphia a year ago at Sioux Falls, S.D. last year. The Heat now have a single-team agreement in that city, forcing the Magic to find a new home in Indiana.
Sholes already has talked with the NBA about a D-League franchise in Jacksonville, but the league said it wants at least three teams in the Southeast, he said. The development league currently has five teams in the West, six in the center of the country and six in the Northeast, but no team closer to Jacksonville than Frisco, Texas.
Since New Orleans, Charlotte and Memphis all are sharing D-League franchises and the league is pushing all of its teams to have an exclusive arrangement with a city, Sholes hopes there is a chance he may be able to get two other teams to move south.
"Jacksonville is the next step," Sholes said. "We want to make this happen."
The D-League has become an important tool for the NBA. Currently there are 132 players on NBA rosters who've spent time in the minor leagues.
Several players in tonight's game are destined to wind up in the D-League since both clubs will have to start the process of trimming their rosters to 15 by opening day.
Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn is looking for players with a lot of intensity and energy.
"I'm an honest man. I don't try to get them to buy in," Vaughn said. "I tell them the truth. If I was lying, that means they'd have to buy into my lies. We're going to present ourselves as we are. We'll go out and play extremely hard and see what that yields."
The Magic will return five players who averaged double-digits in scoring last year – Tobias Harris, Arron Affalo, Glen Davis, Jameer Nelson and Nikola Vucevic, although Davis hasn't been medically cleared to play yet.
They also will try to work Oladipo, the second-overall pick in last June's draft, into the lineup.
New Orleans already is 2-0 in the preseason with wins over Houston and Dallas.
Guards Anthony Morrow, Austin Rivers, Brian Roberts and Jrue Holiday have helped the Pelicans win two close games – they beat the Rockets by one and the Mavericks by two – down the stretch.
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/basketball/nba/2013-10-08/story/orlando-magic-interested-d-league-basketball-team#ixzz2hC9jrQuc
That could be fun, hope it comes together. It would be cool if the D-League turns into a real farm system.
I agree. I think this would be great for the city. The interest is there and everyone is talking. This is good news and I dont even watch basketball LOL
What is the D-League exactly?? Do they have a championship? I read there is only 17 D league teams where do these other teams play? Ima do some research on this. I just hope Scratchabooty Mississippi doesn't have a team in this league like those other minor clubs.
Most of the D league cities are a lot smaller than Jacksonville. I think Fayetteville, NC has a team and Rio Grande Valley, TX comes to mind. Roanoke used to have one. That said, the games can be fun to watch and the interest ought to be there.
after some research...I hope this team goes to Vero Beach or Sarasota instead. The league is filled with garbage cities. I hope Jax passes.
Quote from: duvaldude08 on October 09, 2013, 02:40:03 PM
I agree. I think this would be great for the city. The interest is there and everyone is talking. This is good news and I dont even watch basketball LOL
really...what interest?
JU plays pretty decent caliber college bball and something like 500 people show up to watch their games. And the Giants only get larger crowds by offering huge promo deals.
The same could be said for the Suns. Jacksonville is easily the largest city with a team in the Southern league.
If Jacksonville a D-League team I have no delusions of grandeur with it. However, you could get 5,000 people for $1 Beer Wednesday/BOGO ticket Thursday and maybe 7,000-8,000 on the weekend.
Quote from: tufsu1 on October 09, 2013, 03:03:43 PM
Quote from: duvaldude08 on October 09, 2013, 02:40:03 PM
I agree. I think this would be great for the city. The interest is there and everyone is talking. This is good news and I dont even watch basketball LOL
really...what interest?
JU plays pretty decent caliber college bball and something like 500 people show up to watch their games. And the Giants only get larger crowds by offering huge promo deals.
I don't disagree on the level of interest, but to clarify: JU's average attendance was 1,750 last year. The school has less than 4000 students and the conference average attendance was 1,845. They do pretty well all things considered.
All our sports teams do pretty well (yes, even the Jags, though I probably don't have to tell anyone here that :)
2008/2009 Jacksonville Attendance Comparison
Athletic Event Home Venue Attendance Dates Average
Jaguars Football Jacksonville Municipal Stadium 521,338 8 65,167
All Baseball Events Baseball Grounds 375,401 86 4,365
Suns Baseball Baseball Grounds 354,553 72 4,924
UF vs. FSU Baseball Baseball Grounds 6,241 1 6,241
JU Baseball John Sessions Stadium 15,903* 27 589
JU Men's Basketball Jacksonville V.M.A. 28,915 11 2,624
JU Football D.B. Milne Field 15,260 5 3,052
UNF Baseball Harmon Stadium 13,451 22 611
UNF Men's Basketball UNF Arena 12,389 12 1,032
Can someone tell me what a D team is?
The NBA's version of baseball's minor leagues. Think Jax Suns instead of Tampa Bay Rays or Atlanta Braves.
QuoteThe NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until the summer of 2005 as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001. In March 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern announced a plan to expand the NBA D-League to fifteen teams and develop it into a true minor league farm system, with each NBA D-League team affiliated with one or more NBA teams. At the conclusion of the 2010–11 NBA season, 23% of NBA players had spent time in the NBA D-League. Beginning the 2013–14 season, the league will consist of 17 teams, 14 will be either single-affiliated or owned by an NBA team.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Development_League
Is that like the Kathy Griffin of basketball?
Cities with D-League teams:
Canton, OH
Newark, DE
Erie, PA
Fort Wayne, IN
Portland, ME
Springfield, MA
Cedar Park, TX
Des Moines, IA
Hidalgo, TX
Sioux Falls, SD
Frisco, TX
Bixby, OK
Bakersfield, CA
Boise, ID
El Segundo, CA
Reno, NV
Santa Cruz, CA
Defunct Teams since league began in 2001:
Albuquerque, NM
Anaheim, CA
Little Rock, AR
Asheville, NC
Charleston, SC
Broomfield, CO
Columbus, GA
Bismarck, ND
Fayetteville, NC
Fort Myers, FL
Fort Worth, TX
Greenville, SC
Huntsville, AL
Mobile, AL
Roanoke, VA
Orem, UT
Thanks Ennis. Kind of like the Sun's in baseball?
Yes. It's about as close as Jax will ever get to having a real NBA team...
Thanks Ennis! I learned something new. :)
Quote from: tufsu1 on October 09, 2013, 03:03:43 PM
Quote from: duvaldude08 on October 09, 2013, 02:40:03 PM
I agree. I think this would be great for the city. The interest is there and everyone is talking. This is good news and I dont even watch basketball LOL
really...what interest?
JU plays pretty decent caliber college bball and something like 500 people show up to watch their games. And the Giants only get larger crowds by offering huge promo deals.
Actually just as an FYI (not attacking yours or anyone else's opinion that has posted or may post) the games that I have been to at Veterans for the Jacksonville Giants usually fill between 3,500-4,000 seats and according to the NBA, the average attendance at a D-League game for the 2012-2013 season was 3,427 so not only is it a good fit, it can also be highly beneficial. Also, EVERY sports team offers promo deals for tickets so I don't think that will be a detractor. I think Jax stands a good chance at receiving a D-League team, and that attracts interest in itself.
Surprisingly, at least to me, when it comes to sports and concert events, more people consider them pluses because they can go, not because they will go. So this might attract more residents to Jacksonville, thus more businesses or vice versa. I really cannot see a negative side to this.
What were the reasons for the Fort Myers, Charleston and Greenville D-League teams folding over the last few years? For those familiar with these cities, what type of economic spin-off came as a result?
Greenville was contracted from the NBDL because they were a money loser that drew fewer than 1,000 people to a game (http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LS8fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=N9AEAAAAIBAJ&dq=greenville-groove&pg=6813%2C5927149)
Fort Meyers couldn't find a home court cheap enough to lease and I couldn't find anything on why Charleston left.
Looking more into the D-League it isn't even fair to compare that league with the Suns. If the D-League didn't have the NBA's blessing I wouldn't blame anyone for confusing with any other semi-pro league.
Quote from: FSBA on October 09, 2013, 03:46:37 PM
If Jacksonville a D-League team I have no delusions of grandeur with it. However, you could get 5,000 people for $1 Beer Wednesday/BOGO ticket Thursday and maybe 7,000-8,000 on the weekend.
I seriously doubt that
Actually the Suns drew over 4300 in attendance in 2012 per game, per their website for 60+ home games. The Giants drew on average about 2000 fans. I think the hockey teams, before both the Lizard Kings and Barracudas folded were drawing similar numbers.
The numbers from the one game on Wednesday night were almost 9000 people. Good, but the NCAA games are sold out at over 13,000. Yes, JU games get good turnout, but is 1500-2000 people enough to lobby for a D-league minor league basketball team? I leave it to the experts to debate.
Would be nice for the arena to get more use than just high school graduations and the every once in a while concert.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-magic-seek-to-bring-d-league-team-to-florida-20160106-story.html
Per the TU and Sentinel, Jacksonville is in the running for the Orlando Magic's D-League affiliate in 2017.
Jacksonville would be a great home for the team.
Cities in the running...
QuoteFour of the potential locations are in Central Florida: Daytona Beach, which has the Ocean Center arena; Kissimmee (Silver Spurs Arena); Orlando at ESPN Wide World of Sports (HP Field House) and Orlando at UCF (CFE Arena).
The others are: Lakeland (The Lakeland Center); Estero (Germain Arena); Fort Myers (Lee Civic Center) and Jacksonville (Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena).
Magic CEO Alex Martins said the team will consider stationing a team within Central Florida because having the D-League team nearby would be ideal in a basketball sense.
"We'll be looking for an opportunity that is in close proximity but also has the population base and the potential fan base to support the team," Martins said.
Basically another ABA team. #wouldbealateralmove
^A D-League Team is better - having a tie to a Top-League team is always a good thing.
Quote from: thelakelander on February 08, 2016, 11:14:24 AM
Cities in the running...
QuoteFour of the potential locations are in Central Florida: Daytona Beach, which has the Ocean Center arena; Kissimmee (Silver Spurs Arena); Orlando at ESPN Wide World of Sports (HP Field House) and Orlando at UCF (CFE Arena).
The others are: Lakeland (The Lakeland Center); Estero (Germain Arena); Fort Myers (Lee Civic Center) and Jacksonville (Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena).
Magic CEO Alex Martins said the team will consider stationing a team within Central Florida because having the D-League team nearby would be ideal in a basketball sense.
"We'll be looking for an opportunity that is in close proximity but also has the population base and the potential fan base to support the team," Martins said.
I don't get having one in Orlando or Kissimmee - If the team is having a down year, the minor league team could steal attendance.
I also don't see Lakeland (sorry thelakelander - after being down there a crapton for work, I don't see this happening)/Estero/Ft. Myers having the population to support. To me this is between Daytona or Jacksonville.
The Lakeland and Fort Myers MSAs are both significantly larger than Daytona's in population. However, being from Polk, I seriously doubt anyone there is going to spend money watching a minor league basketball team. Those interested in the sport will drive the 40 minutes to see the real D-League team that currently plays in Orlando's Amway Center ;). Same goes for Daytona. To me, on the surface, the most viable locations would be Jax and Fort Myers as a distant second.
There's probably also a question of how much they need to derive revenue from the team versus how close they want their developing players to be. Apparently, a number of NBA teams keep their D-league teams in their own city or suburbs. The Atlanta Braves do that with their AAA affiliate, the Gwinnett Braves, who they moved down from Virginia for that purpose. They don't get much in the way of attendance, but it's closer for their staff to be able to go out and evaluate players. I guess it's good for developing the big league team, though it's terrible for building the sport.
Quote from: thelakelander on February 08, 2016, 02:36:19 PM
The Lakeland and Fort Myers MSAs are both significantly larger than Daytona's in population. However, being from Polk, I seriously doubt anyone there is going to spend money watching a minor league basketball team. Those interested in the sport will drive the 40 minutes to see the real D-League team that currently plays in Orlando's Amway Center ;). Same goes for Daytona. To me, on the surface, the most viable locations would be Jax and Fort Myers as a distant second.
I grew up in Fort Myers. It's a great MSA, but the Lee Civic Center (the proposed home for the team) is a total dump. Makes the Lakeland Center look like MSG in comparison. Last major renovation took place in the late 80s (my Dad managed the project). Plus, it's way out in the boonies. Aside from some epic WWF house shows in the 1980s, the place has basically been gun shows and rodeos for most of its life.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Lee_County_Civic_Center%2C_Florida.jpg/800px-Lee_County_Civic_Center%2C_Florida.jpg)
Estero (Germain Arena) would make more sense in that region, as it would draw from the wealthier portions of both Fort Myers and Naples.
Seems like Jax has by far the most upside both strategically and in terms of revenue potential, assuming they get a good rate from the city for the 26-home games.
Yeah, on the surface it seems to me that Jax would be a great location! Im also from Lakeland and if I still lived there I would definitely just drive to the real thing. Unlike in Jax where it is just too far and I'm even a pretty big Magic fan. I would go and watch their D league team though for the right price! I think many in Jax would feel the same way. Mix that with our population and arena I think we are the perfect secondary market!
Actually what I missed was the Magic having their training camp over at UNF back in the day. That should have been a great tool for them to increase their footprint but given this area's football roots plus the Orlando's area contempt for North Florida made that an uphill battle but the city's attainment of it's very own major league professional sports franchise really took up a lot of the oxygen for the support of other franchises not in the region.
On top of those barriers, I think the biggest hindrance for Jacksonville (or other cities of similar size without NBA teams) getting and keeping a D-League team is the "One-N-Done" nature of college basketball since much of any regular season college basketball interest is with programs with these players but much of the D-league is typically filled with these star's teammates who stuck around - players fans may not be familiar with since most college fans nationally stopped paying attention to the teams once their star left which leaves a smaller chance your D-League team will have enough players or anyone that can draw significant enough crowds for bigger venues like the Veteran's Arena.
Compare that too what the arena and the city of a much smaller venue could offer a D-League team. Chances are the area has no other pro sports team, the college teams most residents root for are too far away for any of them to see regularly, and they have an indoor venue that's only used sporadically. And chances are the idea that they could have 26 games a year drawing 1,000-2,000 fans each would be enough for the arena owners and the city to practically throw the owners the keys. While you'd never confuse the Veteran's Arena with the L.A. Staples Center, there's a limit how far the people who run the Arena or similar venues that size would go to attract this kind of team team.
That's why I think Daytona Beach in this scenario would have the best chance. Given the Ft. Myers arena is an outdated dump, at least the newer one in Estero gets its fair share of events while the Ocean Center is practically concert flyover country for venues in Orlando and could offer a more desperate deal.
^Sports' version of tax incentives for corporate relos
Jacksonville made the short list, per the T-U:
QuoteJacksonville is one of four sites being considered for the Orlando Magic's new NBA Development League affiliate.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Magic has narrowed the list of locations to Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, ESPN Wide World of Sports' HP Field House, Kissimmee's Silver Spurs Arena and The Lakeland Center, according to Magic CEO Alex Martins.
Each venue will submit proposals to the Magic by the end of March.
Most likely going to Disney
I feel like this isn't really worth the city/arena's effort as far as any big concessions go, but we might have a chance if the Magic consider this an opportunity to expand the fan base and brand.
Via the TU:
QuoteCity won't be Magic D-League team
Jacksonville will not be the site of the Orlando Magic's NBA Development League team.
The Magic said Thursday it narrowed its choices the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee and The Lakeland Center. Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena and ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista also were considered. The new team will begin play in 2017.
It seems to be a trend with basketball and baseball to move their development league teams closer to their primary team. The OKC Thunder recently relocated their D-League team from Tulsa to an arena directly across the street from the Thunder's home court. If the O-Rena was still standing I imagine it would be the new home already. Atlanta moved their AAA team to metro Atlanta several years ago and the Texas Rangers have been doing the same thing.