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My understanding is that Charlotte could have an expansion team playing ball as soon as the 2003-04 season. Of course, we haven't heard anything about it for 2-3 months now.
Once the NBA gets that 30th team in place in Charlotte, will the NBA be done expanding? Maybe not. Keep in mind that David Stern isn't interested in whether or not the talent is "watered down," he's interested in making money. I think we could very well see 32 teams within 4-5 years. The top two untapped markets, in my opinion, are San Diego and St. Louis.
By the way, forget about Vancouver getting another NBA franchise, the Grizzlies were a disaster, blame it on Stu Jackson or Dick Versace all you want, but that city isn't getting another shot.
Louisville isn't a good candidate simply because there is already an NBA team (the Pacers) in that area. And St. Louis isn't all that far away from Louisville, either. St. Louis is a much better bet than Louisville.
Las Vegas? Well, that city's population has been booming over the past 10-15 years, but I think that Charlotte, San Diego, and St. Louis are all better bets.
Europe and Asia? Out of the question. NBA teams play 3-4 (sometimes 5!) games a week. There's no way that a single NBA owner would agree to adding a team on the Eastern Hemisphere for any number of practical reasons (travel costs, jet lag, lack of interest in a decidedly American product). I'm sure David Stern would like to tap into the overseas basketball market, but I think what he had in mind was a SEPARATE LEAGUE. Perhaps a couple of eight-team leagues--an eight-team NBA Europe and an eight-team NBA Asia.
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Roby G.
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