The Athletic last month is a period of uncertainty in basketball on the continent. There has been discontent among even some top European teams about a lackluster financial situation.
“No one was waiting for the NBA to come in but at this point, there’s a certain need to structure the markets and the competitions in a certain way,” a EuroLeague team president told The Athletic. “There is one brand that has proven they can do that.”
Silver said Tuesday that one thing the league must figure out is how to come into that region in a way that is not hostile to the existing infrastructure. It has been working with FIBA to learn more about that area and would involve it in the possible new league.
“Where we are in terms of the level of interest in basketball is not commensurate with the level of commercial activities,” Silver said. He added: “The way all of us see it, it’s not just about a basketball opportunity. We’ve been in this position in our league before where if you can’t demonstrate to the market that you can’t run a successful business it’s not sustainable.”
Expansion possibilities?
Silver said the NBA has not yet created a committee to examine expansion and there was not much talk of it at the BOG meeting Tuesday. The league, he said, is not yet ready to decide if it will expand, let alone which markets. He believes that process will be addressed later this season.
“It get a bit complicated in terms of selling equity in the league,” he cautioned. “What that means for the existing television relationships, etc. What we’ve told interested parties is, ‘Thank you for your interest, we’ll be back to you.’”
Silver had no updates on the Minnesota Timberwolves sale and arbitration process or the Boston Celtics sale. With the Timberwolves, Silver said their dispute resolution “exists independent of the league.”
Celtics controlling owner Wyc Grousbeck outlined a sale process for the franchise that would include a step transaction that would sell the franchise in parts and allow him to retain control of the franchise for years before the new ownership group takes over. Silver had signaled his aversion to step transactions once the league got done with the Timberwolves dispute.
“In terms of the composition of ownership and any potential step transaction, what we’ve said to them present to us what you’re considering and we’ll look at it on a unique basis,” Silver said. “I think every one of these situations presents itself differently. It remains the case of what I said philosophically about step transactions but the devil’s in the details there.”
Out-of-bounds replay reviews
The NBA board of governors approved the use of instant replay in reviewing out-of-bounds violations this season. If a coach’s challenge leads to a review of an out-of-bounds violation, referees and the league’s replay center will now be able to decide if a foul “proximate to the violation should have been called,” according to the NBA.
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(Photo: Roy Rochlin / Getty Images for Fanatics)
Source link : https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5758737/2024/09/10/adam-silver-media-rights-expansion-board-of-governors-meeting/
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Publish date : 2024-09-10 07:00:00
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