Columbus wants NBA team

[Huber.]

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus mayor Michael Coleman has sent an overture letter to NBA commissioner David Stern that Ohio's capital city would love to have an expansion or relocated team play in its downtown arena along with the NHL's Blue Jackets.

In the letter sent earlier this month and made available to The Associated Press, Coleman makes his pitch for a team in Columbus, citing the publicly owned Nationwide Arena and the city's largest-in-the-state metropolitan population of nearly 2 million. He also wrote Columbus had a strong economic climate featuring 15 Fortune 1000 companies.

A spokesman for the Cleveland Cavaliers, located just 120 miles away from Columbus, declined to comment on Coleman's letter and Columbus as a possible NBA city.

In an email, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said, "At the moment, we have no plans to expand and no teams have applied for relocation so it wouldn't be prudent to comment on the possibilities of another market."

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/79...-love-nba-team

[ZCM93]

Smart move getting their name in the hat now so when the Blue Jackets move in a few years they will not be new to the list of citys wanting a team.

[Huber.]

Smart move getting their name in the hat now so when the Blue Jackets move in a few years they will not be new to the list of citys wanting a team.

when is the lease up for the Blue Jackets?

[Pyro]

Seattle gets the Sonics back first.

[The Voice]

Smart move getting their name in the hat now so when the Blue Jackets move in a few years they will not be new to the list of citys wanting a team.

They're moving? I thought their attendance is good.

[Huber.]

Seattle gets the Sonics back first.

They don't have an arena which is why they moved in the first place.

[ZCM93]

They're moving? I thought their attendance is good.

Yes, only a matter of time. Attendance was great but the past few season's it's down and fans have given up on the joke of the NHL.

[NoTitleTown]

Seattle gets the Sonics back first.

Yeah, but they'd probably need to add an East team as well to keep things even.

They'd be stupid to put a team in Columbus. There's only one real franchise in Columbus that people care about -- OSU.

Although, if you're a conspiracy theorist, a Columbus NBA team would be a great way for LeBron to return to Ohio, without having to team up with Gilbert again.

[The Voice]

Yeah, but they'd probably need to add an East team as well to keep things even.

They'd be stupid to put a team in Columbus. There's only one real franchise in Columbus that people care about -- OSU.

Although, if you're a conspiracy theorist, a Columbus NBA team would be a great way for LeBron to return to Ohio, without having to team up with Gilbert again.

Or he could join the Canton Charge... oh wait Gilbert owns that too.

[Pyro]

They don't have an arena which is why they moved in the first place.

One recently got approved.

Yeah, but they'd probably need to add an East team as well to keep things even.

Not if the team is already in the West.

[NoTitleTown]

One recently got approved.



Not if the team is already in the West.

That makes absolutely no sense. If they added a team in Seattle, they'd want to add in one in the East to keep things even. Thus Columbus as an option if Seattle gets another team.

[Huber.]

That makes absolutely no sense. If they added a team in Seattle, they'd want to add in one in the East to keep things even. Thus Columbus as an option if Seattle gets another team.

He means if a team that's already in the West (Sacramento) moves to Seattle they will stay in the West and keep things even.

[NoTitleTown]

He means if a team that's already in the West (Sacramento) moves to Seattle they will stay in the West and keep things even.

Ah, ok. I need to go to sleep.

[NorthCoastKid]

Ohio State basketball can't even sell out and they've been an elite team the last 2 years. The support just isn't there.

[ImWithDan]

I'm trying to think of another "college city" that has been home to a professional sports team.

Can't think of one off the top of my head.....

Doesn't seem like fit to me. Too much overlap between the Ohio State BBall and NBA seasons. I just don't see it as something that makes sense, in terms of gate / draw.