2 NBA Teams That Need to Switch Conferences

[Frank Breakfast Styleham]

Here is an article I wrote. I wasn't sure how to post it on the article section so I'm going to post it here.

2 NBA Teams That Need to Switch Conferences
By Frank Breakfast-Styleham

For a long time I have been at a total loss to understand the geographical discrepancies in NBA conferencing.

The fact that there are east coast teams placed within the Western Conference strikes me as absolutely absurd and something the league should sit down and reconsider.

How fair is it when your headquarters are legitimately based in an east coast state and yet you have to face the likes of San Antonio, Denver, Portland, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston and the LA Lakers four times a year?

Realistically, that’s more than 20 defeats a year right there. 20 defeats. Just those teams - and that’s before the Cavs and the Magic and the Hawks and the Celtics come pimping into town because their eastern conference schedule is so easy!

You may as well just throw up your hands and quit before the season even begins.

This isn’t fair! This is ridiculous.

Anyone who looks at a map of North America must concede that there are two teams that are erroneously placed within the Western Conference.

Those teams are the New Orleans Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Memphis is by far the most blatant and farcical example.

When Memphis plays Atlanta and Charlotte it’s only an hour flight. But no…unlike the Lakers and Spurs they don’t have the luxury of taking a casual slipshod 20-minute flight 12 or 13 or 14 or 15 nights a year. They have to fly cross-country every other day.

Do you realize how exhausting that is traveling to Portland and to Oakland and to Denver (and back in the day, to Seattle!?!?!?!?) when you are so much closer to Atlanta and Charlotte and Cleveland?

No wonder New Orleans has performed so poorly in the postseason - take a look at their itinerary!

No wonder Memphis hasn’t done anything. Check their itinerary. They’ve got 8 zillion frequent flyer miles. They’ve got more sky miles than Sydney Bristow. They have to do this for 8 months a year.

This is preposterous.

New Orleans isn’t quite as obvious because it’s so close to Houston but again, if you look at the U.S. map you will see that Louisiana is an east coast state and thus does not belong in the Western Conference!!!

I understand the reason why Memphis and New Orleans are in the western conference (to have 15 western conference teams and 15 eastern conference teams) but I’m not amused.

Since these teams have been at such a deliberate disadvantage, again, I think the league should sit down and talk about this and correct this mistake.

There are at least four alternatives to this madness:

Option Number One: Keep Memphis and New Orleans in the Western Conference and reward them a guaranteed lottery pick every draft in addition to their pick(s) that year.

Option Number Two: Move the Hornets and Grizzlies to the Eastern Conference and create two expansion teams in true Western-Conference cities.

There’s plenty of cities that would enthusiastically and financially support an NBA Franchise: Las Vegas…Nebraska…Hawaii…New Mexico...possibly another Arizona team the way that state is growing...and if Seattle can get the right people on the right page I can even see the Seattle Supersonics making a comeback.

Option Number Three: Contract and terminate the Memphis Grizzlies (with a first-round playoff exit leading the charge this franchise has been a complete non-factor ever since they came into the league).

Move the Hornets east and terminate a team such as Charlotte or Indiana as well.

Option Number Four: Place Memphis and New Orleans in the eastern conference and place two of the eastern conference teams closer to the west in the Western Conference.

Geographically, those teams are the Milwaukee Bucks and our Chicago Bulls.

Can anyone envision the Bucks and Bulls moving to the Western Conference?

Do you think this should happen?

I do.

What are your thoughts?

Should the NBA move the Grizzlies and Hornets?

Any use of this composition being reproduced, copied or used without the express written consent of the NBA or Frank Breakfast-Styleham is prohibited.

 

[B1LLIONAIREKR3W]

hmmmmmm who knows

 

[clonetrooper264]

If the Bulls got moved to the Western conference they would be getting lottery picks every single year.

 

[TheStig]

Never gonna happen. And if you are going to include NO, then you have to include Minny. They are just as far east.

 

[Shakes]

TheStig wrote:

Never gonna happen. And if you are going to include NO, then you have to include Minny. They are just as far east.

Minny is about 3 degrees further west than NO. However the Wolves being up north where as the rest of the conference is miles away probably rack up the most flying miles per year.

 

[dag123]

While I do agree with fact that Memphis and New Orleans need to become Eastern Conference teams it is preposterous that you would even suggest that Hawaii could be an Western Conference expansion team. I mean really??? Not only is it 6 hours from any continental US state via flight...... obviously your debate had some ground, however, it was all lost with this lunacy.

 

[Frank Breakfast Styleham]

Several years ago when Shaq and Kobe were on their way to their third "championship" (the year Donaghy fixed the Lakers-Kings game and just GAVE it to the Lakers) Minnesota actually made a case to the league in an attempt to go to the east.

This to me was just an attempt to have a lighter regular season and playoff and then face the Lakers in the playoffs on more rest. It never happened because they're further west than New Orleans.

TheStig wrote:

Never gonna happen. And if you are going to include NO, then you have to include Minny. They are just as far east.

 

[Frank Breakfast Styleham]

Why is this lunacy? Stern wants to put teams in Spain and France.

Wouldn't Hawaii be closer and better (I'm just saying as an alternative to going to Europe which I think would completely mess up the league).

dag123 wrote:

While I do agree with fact that Memphis and New Orleans need to become Eastern Conference teams it is preposterous that you would even suggest that Hawaii could be an Western Conference expansion team. I mean really??? Not only is it 6 hours from any continental US state via flight...... obviously your debate had some ground, however, it was all lost with this lunacy.

 

[Frank Breakfast Styleham]

Perhaps Option One is the most fair and realistic for the time being.

 

[Bullsman24]

no, that's crazy. they're not going to just give away a top of the line player because they won't take the time to re-align conferences.

 

[Frank Breakfast Styleham]

bullsman24 wrote:

no, that's crazy. they're not going to just give away a top of the line player because they won't take the time to re-align conferences.

Not very likely but then again wouldn't that be fair?

The Lakers are near to about 6 or 7 teams and they actually GET to play in the same conference as those teams and have the luxury of taking short flights to those places.

The Grizzlies are just as close to Atlanta and Charlotte but they are in the same conference AS the Lakers when they're on the other side of the country.

That's ludicrous.

And who says a lottery pick is automatically going to be a top-tier player.

Do I need to evoke the names of Jerome Moiso, Trajan Langdon, Ed O'Bannon, Eric Montross, Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer, Eddie Griffin and Chris Washurn just to name a few.

The chances you are getting a SUPERSTAR at the 12th or the 13th or the 14th pick has happened before but at best, you're going to get a decent guy.

 

[Kush77]

I don't know what goes into changing a team from one conference to another. Do owners vote? Does Stern make the decision? I'm not sure.

But as far as the Grizzlies are concerned, they chose to move from Vancouver so too bad if the travel to the west coast is too much. You were right there but you chose to leave Vancouver.

As for the Hornets, they were in the east, then got moved to the west when they went to N.O.. Can you send them back to the East again?

The way it is right now is fine I think.

When teams move it messes things up. Remember when the St. Louis Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988? Before the realigned the divisions in 2002 Arizona was playing in the NFC East. And they were there for almost 15 years. that's much worse than what N.O. and Memphis have to go through.

 

[Frank Breakfast Styleham]

Wow those are excellent points Kush.

You're right in saying they started OFF in the west and then chose to move shop to Memphis so shame on them is on.

I know a thing or two about the Cardinals because I was raised in Phoenix and lived through dreadful season after dreadful season after dreadful season.

Thanks for offering these viewpoints - they have swayed me.


Kush77 wrote:

I don't know what goes into changing a team from one conference to another. Do owners vote? Does Stern make the decision? I'm not sure.

But as far as the Grizzlies are concerned, they chose to move from Vancouver so too bad if the travel to the west coast is too much. You were right there but you chose to leave Vancouver.

As for the Hornets, they were in the east, then got moved to the west when they went to N.O.. Can you send them back to the East again?

The way it is right now is fine I think.

When teams move it messes things up. Remember when the St. Louis Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988? Before the realigned the divisions in 2002 Arizona was playing in the NFC East. And they were there for almost 15 years. that's much worse than what N.O. and Memphis have to go through.