By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Once more the idea of the NBA’s expansion to Europe was brought up during new commissioner Adam Silver’s presence at MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston on the 1st of March. Silver, as he also said during All Star Game, clarified that Europe is not yet a priority, but as he did during his visit in London, he suggested that there is a general plan about the future of the league in the old continent.
According to Silver it doesn’t make sense to locate just one NBA team in Europe, but to create a European division even if “Europe isn’t ready to support that yet, the arena infrastructure is just coming online”. However at least one owner, 35 years old Robert Pera of Memphis told to Silver that the NBA should be more interested in the expansion. “Look at the size of London and Paris, look at the opportunities”, was Pera’s words and when Silver told him about the logistics of intercontinental traveling, Pera’s reaction was that in some years traveling across the pond will be a lot more easy due to technological progress.
So as Silver said about Europe: “We’re open to it. Right now, putting aside logistical issues, I don’t think Europe is ready for it. They have some facilities and the arena situation is close to being in place, but we’re some ways off.”