Possibilities for Louisville NBA Team

With the newest addition to downtown Louisville, the KFC Yum! Center (no that’s not a joke), the talks have sparked up again of Louisville possibly attracting an NBA team to the city. After having nearly grabbed the Charlotte Hornets (now the New Orleans Hornets), the NBA-to-Louisville movement has been very quite.

So if this move did go down, which franchises would be in the bidding to be the first professional basketball team in Louisville since 1976? Well here’s my top 5 candidates.

1. New Orleans Hornets

An odd selection for a team that might be moving here, but the recent events that have led to the Hornets now being under the control of the league raises a very high white flag. Though the Hornets are successful and, unlike other teams on this list, have actually made decent playoff runs in recent memory, the fact that they currently cannot support themselves opens the team up to the jurisdiction of the league. Not helping their case to stay in New Orleans, is the low attendance they’ve been recording this season, despite their great start. Needless to say, the Hornets could realistically be on the move in the very near future.

2.Sacramento Kings

This struggling franchise is seeing interest fall rapidly, which is to be expected when you’re trying to make yourself relevant to Lakers fans. The Kings are currently last in the league in home and overall attendance thus far in the 2010-2011 season. Not to mention, this team has struggled to remain competitive in a division that consistently is putting 3 or more teams into the playoffs. However, the team does have young talent, and a change of venue just might be what they need. That said, this is a very realistic choice, as of now, since there has already been a push started to bring this team to Louisville. You can search the group on Facebook for more information.

3. New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets have had a struggling last two seasons to say the least. With a team that flirted with having the worst season in NBA history last year, and then being denied the #1 overall pick via the lottery, Nets fans have fallen on hard times. New Jersey is showing falling fan interest, sitting at 27th in attendance this season, after being dead last a season ago. The move wouldn’t be cross country like the Kings would, which would not make realignment a issue if the move went down.

4. Memphis Grizzlies

As much as this hurts me to say, the Grizzlies haven’t had the fan support that the league thought it would when it brought the team in. After a solid start after the move, and making the playoffs (but never winning a game in a series) things were really looking up for the Grizz. However, there have been recent talks of the team moving to Nashville or possibly out of the state. Like the first three teams, the Grizzles have shown improvement in attendance this season, after finishing only 5 games out of the playoffs a season ago. Depending on the outcome of the next couple of seasons, Memphis might be a legitimate candidate.

5. Los Angeles Clippers

Possibly the biggest stretch on the list here with the Clippers. However, the Clippers have been living in the Laker’s shadow since the two teams have shared the city. A new location could possibly give the team the spark that it needs to get to a legitimate contender’s status. With a group of young, talented players the Clippers could be on the way to a playoff spot this season, but nevertheless, the Clippers would definitely benefit from a change of scenery.