ChumpDumper
05-06-2007, 12:33 AM
Team out as lease at Alltel takes toll
RimRockers give Wisconsin a look
By Chris Givens
Arkansas RimRockers owner Larry Crain is spending today in La Crosse, Wis., meeting with investors interested in moving the NBA Development League franchise to La Crosse.
Even if the proposed move to Wisconsin does not play out, Crain said, the RimRockers’ three-year reign in Arkansas is over.
Crain said financial problems with the organization, largely due to an expensive lease with Alltel Arena, are the main reason the RimRockers are leaving Arkansas.
“It just could not work,” Crain said. “If I’m going to spend that kind of money, well, there are other ways I could that would be more productive to the community and other organizations. It’s a little bit heartbreaking to remove it, but I just don’t think there’s any other alternative.”
The RimRockers just concluded their third season, and second as an NBA Development League franchise. They played all three seasons at the 18,000-seat Alltel Arena, which is significantly larger than nearly every other league arena.
http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2007/may/03/team-out-lease-alltel-takes-toll-brief/?sports
Probably not the last move this offseason. Anaheim never even bothered to list attendance after awhile, for example. The solid success of the former CBA teams in tiny bergs like Bismark, Sioux Falls and Boise might have the league rethinking its midsize market strategy.
As for the Toros, I don't think attendance was spectacular but all the Southwest Basketball, LLC teams (Austin, Albuquerque, Tulsa and Fort Worth) appear to have really low operating costs with leases in older and smaller facilities than the RimRockers were trying to fill. I'd be surprised if any of those teams moved at this point, but you never know.
It sucks that the RimRockers are still hawking their season ticket packages for Alltel in 07-08.
RimRockers give Wisconsin a look
By Chris Givens
Arkansas RimRockers owner Larry Crain is spending today in La Crosse, Wis., meeting with investors interested in moving the NBA Development League franchise to La Crosse.
Even if the proposed move to Wisconsin does not play out, Crain said, the RimRockers’ three-year reign in Arkansas is over.
Crain said financial problems with the organization, largely due to an expensive lease with Alltel Arena, are the main reason the RimRockers are leaving Arkansas.
“It just could not work,” Crain said. “If I’m going to spend that kind of money, well, there are other ways I could that would be more productive to the community and other organizations. It’s a little bit heartbreaking to remove it, but I just don’t think there’s any other alternative.”
The RimRockers just concluded their third season, and second as an NBA Development League franchise. They played all three seasons at the 18,000-seat Alltel Arena, which is significantly larger than nearly every other league arena.
http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2007/may/03/team-out-lease-alltel-takes-toll-brief/?sports
Probably not the last move this offseason. Anaheim never even bothered to list attendance after awhile, for example. The solid success of the former CBA teams in tiny bergs like Bismark, Sioux Falls and Boise might have the league rethinking its midsize market strategy.
As for the Toros, I don't think attendance was spectacular but all the Southwest Basketball, LLC teams (Austin, Albuquerque, Tulsa and Fort Worth) appear to have really low operating costs with leases in older and smaller facilities than the RimRockers were trying to fill. I'd be surprised if any of those teams moved at this point, but you never know.
It sucks that the RimRockers are still hawking their season ticket packages for Alltel in 07-08.