In his press release, Mr. Andre Levingston announced that the Rainmen have left the ABA effective immediately and are not participating in the playoffs. This was great news and the timing was a bit of a surprise, although not really when one thinks about the expense that travelling to Quebec for the playoffs would have been, especially when it was pretty much written on the wall that the ABA had let the Rainmen down so many times that it would be almost absurd for us to stick around.
Furthermore, Mr. Levingston informed the press that the Rainmen would be looking into joining the NBA D-League. You don't have to go too far into my blog to see that I have been hoping for this for some time.
I really think the Rainmen will be a good fit in the D-League, despite some potential obstacles. Why? Here is a quick SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis:
- Erie, Pennsylvania was just announced as the latest D-League expansion team for the 2008-09 season. The Erie metro area has a population of 281,000. The Halifax metro area has a population of about 385,000. I think we can support a D-League team if the owners in Erie think they can make a go of it, in a much smaller city than Halifax. Ron Sertz, the director of basketball ops in Erie, seems to be the man behind minor-league sports in Erie. From what I can tell, Mr. Levingston seems to be making connections with guys who are the Ron Sertz’s here in Halifax that are obviously crucial to a professional team’s success in a small market like ours. STRENGTH. The Rainmen front office has learned a lot from this year’s experience and the population of Halifax can and will support a brand name like the NBA.
- To get a sense of what ticket prices may be like in the D-League, here is a link to the Erie franchise.
The prices look to be about 50% higher than what our tickets were in Halifax this season. Erie will have eight different seating packages available, from “Hollywood Seats” and “Courtside Suites” to “Endzone” and “Corner” seats. I think slicing up the arena in so many categories is a smart way to provide the opportunity for fans of all economic means to enjoy the game. OPPORTUNITY. Here is a chance to really fill up the Metro Centre, with a variety of price points which create demand for premium seating and give more people a chance to afford bringing their whole family to a game with the lower-cost seating choices.
- I really like the Season Ticket Holder Privileges part of the Erie ticket price program and I really hope the Rainmen have something along those lines next year. OPPORTUNITY. There is so much that can be done in terms of promotion next season. While ticket prices may be higher than when we were in the ABA, the product will be better.
- I just realized that the Rainmen intro montage with the piano music and shots of the Rainmen is the same music and concept that the NBA used in their Where Amazing Happens campaign. Coincidence? Can’t be. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. STRENGTH. The NBA will have to be impressed with the Rainmen organization.
- In terms of players returning next year, that will likely depend on a few factors such as which league we will be in, who the coaching staff will be, how many roots the players have made here i.e. girlfriends, and of course pay levels. We can’t expect the players to put the rest of their lives on hold if the pay is not commensurate with the commitment to come to Halifax to work. THREAT, assuming we want at least some of our players to return. I think we know who we want back!
- NBA Commissioner David Stern stated in 2005 that he planned to expand the league to 15 teams and to develop it into an NBA farm system, with each D-League team would have 2 NBA affiliate teams. Recently announced expansion teams in Reno, Nevada and Erie, Pennsylvania make it 14 teams. WEAKNESS. If the NBA is not receptive to opening up the Northeast, we can’t make them. The NBA already closed down 2 of its teams in the southeast when they decided to expand the league westward. Does the Northeast fit into their plans?
I figure the NBA will not expand too quickly, they have a very valuable product and diluting it too much by expanding the D-League without strict control over who gets a team is risky for them. This ain’t Joe Newman’s ABA! A total of 11 D-League teams have either folded or moved in the league’s 7 seasons. Considering the nature of minor league sports teams, this is a pretty respectable retention rate. By comparison, here is the Wikipedia entry for the ABA.
Check out how many teams are in the league this year and how many are defunct or have left for other leagues. Interestingly, the Rainmen are already off the list of this year’s teams.
- I will repeat my concern over the lack of D-League teams in the Northeast US. Erie is only 93 miles from Cleveland, who appears to be their NBA affiliate. Erie will be the closest D-League team to Halifax and it’s over 500 miles away from Boston, let alone Nova Scotia. Unless the D-League expands into the Northeast in a meaningful way, our team’s travel costs will be exorbitant and so will our competition’s.
WEAKNESS. This may or may not be a problem, depending how many other Northeast teams are able to make the jump to the D-League. However, the answer to that question may be that no other teams can or will do it.
- A lack of nearby teams and therefore higher costs will translate into higher ticket prices. What is the magic price point for Halifax fans? I don’t know, but I’ll bet that a price any more than $20-25 for an average seat will be perceived as too expensive. THREAT. If prices are too high, the fans won’t come.
Hmmm, pretty even SWOT so far, with 2 of each category. The Strengths and Opportunities seem to be fairly well-identified items that relate to the Rainmen’s existing organization, while the Weaknesses and Threats arise from unknown factors such as what will happen with ticket prices, who will be our competition and can we afford to travel beyond the US Northeast to play? If details on these latter issues become known, then this analysis can be firmed up to show whether or not the D-League is viable for the Rainmen.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Rainmen Belong in the NBA D-League.
Chris Parsons recently posted on his blog Section 23 that the Rainmen's average attendance in this inaugual season was just over 1,800 fans per home game.
A couple of months ago, I speculated on the finances of the Rainmen as well as the possibilities that lie before us in terms of other leagues for next season.
I am certain that joining the D-League would propel the Rainmen to another level altogether. We would easily have a minimum of 1,000 more fans at games just from the association with the NBA. Haligonians need a brand name before they commit to anything and the NBA name would do the trick.
As for scheduling, I’ll bet the NBA wouldn’t take any mess from WTCC in terms of getting weekend games, which would probably make it a realistic goal to have an attendance average of 4,000+ fans.
By the way, I am still willing to join in any fractional ownership that is offered to the public, as my finances allow. I think it would be amazing to own a small fraction of a pro basketball team, especially one that is obviously so well-run as the Rainmen. However, Mr. Levingston is an entrepreneur (as I am) so I figure he would likely rather reap the benefits of his risk-taking and hard work, and I can appreciate and respect that.
By the way Chris, I can believe both of Mr. Levingston’s quotes that you mention. At the start of the season, the break-even may have been 2,000 fans. By the time we lost the Daily News and started flying in replacement players from California and Atlanta, I am sure those costs increased substantially.
Here the official website that summarizes the D-League Team Affiliation System.
The D-League teams are affiliated with one to three NBA teams. Most have 2 NBA teams who are “permitted to assign players in their first or second seasons to the D-League.”
From the NBADL official site, there are 65 players in the D-League who have NBA playing experience and there were 18 call-ups this season.
It seems like this league is a good chance for players to get to the big show and a chance for fans to see developing players before they go on to superstardom.
As I mentioned some time ago on this blog, a natural NBA affiliate team for us would be the Toronto Raptors, considering Mr. Levingston’s past association with someone from that organization as well as being the only Canadian team in the NBA. Since the NBADL typically has more than one NBA affiliate per team, I suggest our other affiliate team should be the Celtics.
Nova Scotia has long had a connection with New England, with generations of people moving back and forth over the past couple hundred years between here and “the Boston states”. Most hockey fans in Halifax who are more than 20 years old are either Montreal fans, Toronto fans or Boston fans. Boston’s proximity to Halifax makes it a good second choice as an NBA affiliate team, especially since we get a lot of our TV cable channels from Boston.
Plus, how exciting/potentially profitable would it be to have NBA exhibition games here in Halifax to kick off our season, like we currently have with the NHL hockey games? Just some food for thought.
Of course, all of this is predicated on the idea that we may someday join the NBADL.
A couple of months ago, I speculated on the finances of the Rainmen as well as the possibilities that lie before us in terms of other leagues for next season.
I am certain that joining the D-League would propel the Rainmen to another level altogether. We would easily have a minimum of 1,000 more fans at games just from the association with the NBA. Haligonians need a brand name before they commit to anything and the NBA name would do the trick.
As for scheduling, I’ll bet the NBA wouldn’t take any mess from WTCC in terms of getting weekend games, which would probably make it a realistic goal to have an attendance average of 4,000+ fans.
By the way, I am still willing to join in any fractional ownership that is offered to the public, as my finances allow. I think it would be amazing to own a small fraction of a pro basketball team, especially one that is obviously so well-run as the Rainmen. However, Mr. Levingston is an entrepreneur (as I am) so I figure he would likely rather reap the benefits of his risk-taking and hard work, and I can appreciate and respect that.
By the way Chris, I can believe both of Mr. Levingston’s quotes that you mention. At the start of the season, the break-even may have been 2,000 fans. By the time we lost the Daily News and started flying in replacement players from California and Atlanta, I am sure those costs increased substantially.
Here the official website that summarizes the D-League Team Affiliation System.
The D-League teams are affiliated with one to three NBA teams. Most have 2 NBA teams who are “permitted to assign players in their first or second seasons to the D-League.”
From the NBADL official site, there are 65 players in the D-League who have NBA playing experience and there were 18 call-ups this season.
It seems like this league is a good chance for players to get to the big show and a chance for fans to see developing players before they go on to superstardom.
As I mentioned some time ago on this blog, a natural NBA affiliate team for us would be the Toronto Raptors, considering Mr. Levingston’s past association with someone from that organization as well as being the only Canadian team in the NBA. Since the NBADL typically has more than one NBA affiliate per team, I suggest our other affiliate team should be the Celtics.
Nova Scotia has long had a connection with New England, with generations of people moving back and forth over the past couple hundred years between here and “the Boston states”. Most hockey fans in Halifax who are more than 20 years old are either Montreal fans, Toronto fans or Boston fans. Boston’s proximity to Halifax makes it a good second choice as an NBA affiliate team, especially since we get a lot of our TV cable channels from Boston.
Plus, how exciting/potentially profitable would it be to have NBA exhibition games here in Halifax to kick off our season, like we currently have with the NHL hockey games? Just some food for thought.
Of course, all of this is predicated on the idea that we may someday join the NBADL.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Disappointing end to the Rainmen's regular season
Well, we lost to the Atlanta Vision, 131-126. We joined the ranks of the Georgia Gwizzlies and the Bahama Pro Show as the only teams that Atlanta has beaten this season.
Last night’s game reminded me of how our team played at the start of the season: letting themselves get boxed out when a few simple drives to the hoop would shut that mess down fast. It was almost as if a different team played this game, compared to Friday’s game as well as the last few games.
Coach Lewis must have found the single-offensive-play coach’s manual that he used before March. I wish whoever hid it on him would have burned it, instead.
Leaving the 2 ABA All-Stars on the bench for the final part of the game is senseless. Giving the ball to the player with a 21.9% 3-point ratio — the lowest on the team except for Dipp, but I won’t drag him into this — when you are down by 10 and need three-pointers is ridiculous. How about Brian, who is on fire the last couple of games and is 39.4% on the season for 3-pointers? How about Akeem the Dream? He is only shooting 55.6% from beyond the 3-point line, so I can see why we wouldn’t feed him the ball. Come on!
Speaking of Dipp, I feel sorry for the opportunity that was wasted in having a young local player being left to rot on the bench, even behind the 13th player in some games. The humiliation of that is still sour in my mouth, I can’t imagine how Dipp and his parents feel. I suggest we look back in the news story archives from last autumn, when Dipp was signed. The photos and stories were filled with so much hope for the future. Now I suspect Dipp has more regret than hoop dreams because of this season. It is really too bad that he wasn’t given the game time to learn how to play at this level, especially when we were playing games that weren’t close, either winning or losing. That is when you give your learning players their playing time, not 60 or 90-second shifts at the end of the game. I would be surprised if Dipp returns next year. It would be really sad to see Dipp on another team who plays against us next year, as a reminder of what could have been. Maybe Dipp won’t make it to the NBA, but his potential was not touched this year.
If it is true that some key players won’t return if Rick Lewis is the coach next year, I think the decision of who to keep is a fairly easy one. There are plenty of ex-players in Halifax who could easily coach this team. I mean, we only have some of the best university teams in the country here in Nova Scotia. We saw some of the opposition’s player-coaches out-coach Rick Lewis in home games this year. There aren’t any university alumni who could use their actual playing experience on a high-level basketball team to help the Rainmen next year? How about Shannon and Daniel? I wish I knew how much input they had this year. I’ll bet it wasn’t as much as it could or maybe should have been.
Anyway, enough venting. Let’s give the Rainmen a standing “O” for the season and the efforts of the team as well as the front office. Best of luck in Quebec, I wish I could be there to cheer you on.
Last night’s game reminded me of how our team played at the start of the season: letting themselves get boxed out when a few simple drives to the hoop would shut that mess down fast. It was almost as if a different team played this game, compared to Friday’s game as well as the last few games.
Coach Lewis must have found the single-offensive-play coach’s manual that he used before March. I wish whoever hid it on him would have burned it, instead.
Leaving the 2 ABA All-Stars on the bench for the final part of the game is senseless. Giving the ball to the player with a 21.9% 3-point ratio — the lowest on the team except for Dipp, but I won’t drag him into this — when you are down by 10 and need three-pointers is ridiculous. How about Brian, who is on fire the last couple of games and is 39.4% on the season for 3-pointers? How about Akeem the Dream? He is only shooting 55.6% from beyond the 3-point line, so I can see why we wouldn’t feed him the ball. Come on!
Speaking of Dipp, I feel sorry for the opportunity that was wasted in having a young local player being left to rot on the bench, even behind the 13th player in some games. The humiliation of that is still sour in my mouth, I can’t imagine how Dipp and his parents feel. I suggest we look back in the news story archives from last autumn, when Dipp was signed. The photos and stories were filled with so much hope for the future. Now I suspect Dipp has more regret than hoop dreams because of this season. It is really too bad that he wasn’t given the game time to learn how to play at this level, especially when we were playing games that weren’t close, either winning or losing. That is when you give your learning players their playing time, not 60 or 90-second shifts at the end of the game. I would be surprised if Dipp returns next year. It would be really sad to see Dipp on another team who plays against us next year, as a reminder of what could have been. Maybe Dipp won’t make it to the NBA, but his potential was not touched this year.
If it is true that some key players won’t return if Rick Lewis is the coach next year, I think the decision of who to keep is a fairly easy one. There are plenty of ex-players in Halifax who could easily coach this team. I mean, we only have some of the best university teams in the country here in Nova Scotia. We saw some of the opposition’s player-coaches out-coach Rick Lewis in home games this year. There aren’t any university alumni who could use their actual playing experience on a high-level basketball team to help the Rainmen next year? How about Shannon and Daniel? I wish I knew how much input they had this year. I’ll bet it wasn’t as much as it could or maybe should have been.
Anyway, enough venting. Let’s give the Rainmen a standing “O” for the season and the efforts of the team as well as the front office. Best of luck in Quebec, I wish I could be there to cheer you on.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Rainmen burn Atlanta 134-118
Actually, the game was closer than that score indicates, until the Rainmen opened it up in the fourth quarter.
I am pretty impressed that Atlanta made the trip up here. I wasn't sure how good they would be, considering they have only played a couple of handfuls of games, and most of those against the weak sisters of the South division - Georgia and Bahamas.
Even though Atlanta's bags got lost in the flight, the players still showed up, wearing Team Canada hockey T-shirts with makeshift numbers made from masking tape on their backs. Before long, the tape starting peeling off, until we had to take the referee's word on which number player had fouled later in the game since only one or two players still had their numbers by half-time.
The Atlanta coach was very professional, introducing himself to the front table before the game and being the best-dressed coach we have seen in the ABA (sorry, Rick; you came a close second in coach’s wardrobe last night). So thanks Atlanta Vision, you helped the Rainmen finish their season and raised yourselves in my books, too.
Our team is firing on all pistons and at the right time too: as playoffs approach. Whatever the coaching staff have changed with the new lineup is working, especially for Brian. He is getting a lot more chances to put up uncontested threes and we are seeing his talent shine at last. While it helps that we are playing weaker teams lately, I think we have a good chance in Quebec, even against teams that have previously given us trouble on the court.
However, my pessimistic side is already thinking about how many/few players will be back next year. Just when we get the team we have been waiting for all season, it will be 9 months before we see them in action again. Given the pay levels for the players, I will not be surprised if a lot of them do not return next year, as life continues in the off-season and other opportunities — basketball-related or not — arise for our veterans.
I just want to say to the Rainmen, whoever reads this: thanks for a great season, you are all gentlemen and it was nice to meet you and cheer you on from the front row, behind RS Smooth. I hope to see you all again next season and in particular, I will keep putting up KD boxes for Kadiri’s blocks as long as he is in Halifax.
Best of luck tonight and in Quebec!
I am pretty impressed that Atlanta made the trip up here. I wasn't sure how good they would be, considering they have only played a couple of handfuls of games, and most of those against the weak sisters of the South division - Georgia and Bahamas.
Even though Atlanta's bags got lost in the flight, the players still showed up, wearing Team Canada hockey T-shirts with makeshift numbers made from masking tape on their backs. Before long, the tape starting peeling off, until we had to take the referee's word on which number player had fouled later in the game since only one or two players still had their numbers by half-time.
The Atlanta coach was very professional, introducing himself to the front table before the game and being the best-dressed coach we have seen in the ABA (sorry, Rick; you came a close second in coach’s wardrobe last night). So thanks Atlanta Vision, you helped the Rainmen finish their season and raised yourselves in my books, too.
Our team is firing on all pistons and at the right time too: as playoffs approach. Whatever the coaching staff have changed with the new lineup is working, especially for Brian. He is getting a lot more chances to put up uncontested threes and we are seeing his talent shine at last. While it helps that we are playing weaker teams lately, I think we have a good chance in Quebec, even against teams that have previously given us trouble on the court.
However, my pessimistic side is already thinking about how many/few players will be back next year. Just when we get the team we have been waiting for all season, it will be 9 months before we see them in action again. Given the pay levels for the players, I will not be surprised if a lot of them do not return next year, as life continues in the off-season and other opportunities — basketball-related or not — arise for our veterans.
I just want to say to the Rainmen, whoever reads this: thanks for a great season, you are all gentlemen and it was nice to meet you and cheer you on from the front row, behind RS Smooth. I hope to see you all again next season and in particular, I will keep putting up KD boxes for Kadiri’s blocks as long as he is in Halifax.
Best of luck tonight and in Quebec!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
ABA stands for Asinine Basketball Association
So now the excuse for why the Rainmen have to go to Quebec to see if they can go to Quebec is that the Halifax Metro Centre is not available on the required date. Is this the fault of the ABA or the Rainmen?
This is totally the league’s fault. The idea of a league is that there is is some central organizing body that handles little things like PLAYOFFS!
Surely, the teams who are still around were viable months ago when the playoff schedule should have been set up. A playoff schedule could have been made earlier than the same month as the playoffs are to be held.
As I have said before, if there was some minimum number of games that must be played to be eligible for the playoffs, like say 50% or 67% of a 36-game schedule (or whatever the schedule would work out to be, depending on the number of teams in each division and the overall league), then teams who do not meet that minimum don’t play after the regular season. This would get rid of the teams with a 10-1 or 1-7 record getting the chance to maybe beat teams that have played a full (or fuller) slate of games.
At the very least, the method of getting to the playoffs should be consistent. I suggest that there should be 2 conferences in the ABA: East and West. The top 4 teams from each conference who have played at least the minimum number of games go to the playoffs. Voila! The playoffs are set up!
Instead, the ABA makes each division up at the last minute (remember Boston was originally in the North division, not the Northeast?) because their original divisional plan collapsed with so many teams going under during the season. Then they devise a Machiavellian method of multiple-level preliminaries for each different division and include such powerhouses as 4-23 Maywood and 1-7 Georgia.
The ABA is nothing more than what the people on OSC say it is: a money grab for Joe Newman, who makes up the rules as situations arise. That is no way to run a league, or a business. A pox on the ABA!
This is totally the league’s fault. The idea of a league is that there is is some central organizing body that handles little things like PLAYOFFS!
Surely, the teams who are still around were viable months ago when the playoff schedule should have been set up. A playoff schedule could have been made earlier than the same month as the playoffs are to be held.
As I have said before, if there was some minimum number of games that must be played to be eligible for the playoffs, like say 50% or 67% of a 36-game schedule (or whatever the schedule would work out to be, depending on the number of teams in each division and the overall league), then teams who do not meet that minimum don’t play after the regular season. This would get rid of the teams with a 10-1 or 1-7 record getting the chance to maybe beat teams that have played a full (or fuller) slate of games.
At the very least, the method of getting to the playoffs should be consistent. I suggest that there should be 2 conferences in the ABA: East and West. The top 4 teams from each conference who have played at least the minimum number of games go to the playoffs. Voila! The playoffs are set up!
Instead, the ABA makes each division up at the last minute (remember Boston was originally in the North division, not the Northeast?) because their original divisional plan collapsed with so many teams going under during the season. Then they devise a Machiavellian method of multiple-level preliminaries for each different division and include such powerhouses as 4-23 Maywood and 1-7 Georgia.
The ABA is nothing more than what the people on OSC say it is: a money grab for Joe Newman, who makes up the rules as situations arise. That is no way to run a league, or a business. A pox on the ABA!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tribute theme to Rainmen owner Andre Levingston
We need Isaac Hayes to record these lyrics to the "Theme From Shaft"! If Isaac isn't available, how about a great local band like The Metric System or The Mellotones?
Who's the dapper man
That rocks a fedora at all the games?
(Andre!)
You're damn right.
Who is the man
That would risk his neck for his team The Rainmen?
(Andre!)
Can ya dig it?
Who's the cat that won't cop out
With ABA madness all about?
(Andre!)
Right on!
They say this cat Andre is a bad mother--
(Shut your mouth)
But I'm talkin' about Andre!
(Then we can dig it)
He's a complicated man
But no one understands him but his woman
(Andre Levingston)
Who's the dapper man
That rocks a fedora at all the games?
(Andre!)
You're damn right.
Who is the man
That would risk his neck for his team The Rainmen?
(Andre!)
Can ya dig it?
Who's the cat that won't cop out
With ABA madness all about?
(Andre!)
Right on!
They say this cat Andre is a bad mother--
(Shut your mouth)
But I'm talkin' about Andre!
(Then we can dig it)
He's a complicated man
But no one understands him but his woman
(Andre Levingston)
Curiouser and curiouser
I am feeling a bit literary today. The above quote from Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" seems appropriate to the ABA Playoff SNAFU. Apparently, Joe Newman didn’t want the NCAA to have the most March Madness. I have personally set up playoffs that weren’t this complicated or ridiculous.
At least the Rainmen get to go to Quebec, at least for one game. I am sure they would have rather hosted that game for the revenue and not have the travel costs for a game that may be their only one in the playoffs.
I truly wonder who gets paid to make these decisions. Perhaps Maywood’s owner paid someone a bit extra to get his playoff game. Another literary quote, from George Orwell's "Animal Farm", “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
P.S. Congrats to Eric Crookshank for being named to the league All-Star team. Only the ABA would play an All-Star game the week before the playoffs, risking injury to their self-described All-Stars.
At least the Rainmen get to go to Quebec, at least for one game. I am sure they would have rather hosted that game for the revenue and not have the travel costs for a game that may be their only one in the playoffs.
I truly wonder who gets paid to make these decisions. Perhaps Maywood’s owner paid someone a bit extra to get his playoff game. Another literary quote, from George Orwell's "Animal Farm", “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
P.S. Congrats to Eric Crookshank for being named to the league All-Star team. Only the ABA would play an All-Star game the week before the playoffs, risking injury to their self-described All-Stars.
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