Louisville attorney J. Bruce Miller is serious about getting an NBA team here. So serious that he met with NBA commissioner David Stern in New York and said afterwards, "I think it looks very good." Stern declined to comment.
This would be great for the state of Kentucky and the city of Louisville. With all of the renovation to the Waterfront and Fourth Street Live it makes sense to get a marquee attraction like an NBA team to lure businesses and other interests to Louisville in order to create jobs and revenue for the city.
There is only one problem; the new NBA team would play in a renovated Freedom Hall at the Fairground which is 15 minutes from downtown instead of at the Yum! Center, which is at the heart of the downtown Renaissance.
Indulge my conspiracy theories and ranting for a moment. I think it is preposterous that if we have an NBA team that they would be made to play in the second best arena in the city and the third best arena in the state. Guess what built the Yum! Center? My tax dollars and your tax dollars, not Rick Pitino's or Tom Jurich's personal accounts. It should be up to us, not them, where this team plays if we get it. I am sure there would be a way to work out a way to schedule the games. St. Johns and the Knicks, the Lakers and the Clippers, the Jets and the Giants do it every year. I firmly believe Pitino and Chavez Junior are behind this. Those two egomaniacs don't want their precious Cardinal Birds playing second fiddle to an NBA franchise.
Pitino has even been quoted as saying that an NBA team would not work in this city and it is a bad idea. Gee, I wonder why? I guess ole Ricky P really has the people of this city in his best interest and not the fact that his ego won't allow another basketball coach in this city that is as high profile as he is. He's already the second best basketball in the Commonwealth, another shot to his pride would surely do him in.
By the way, John Calipari is of the opposite opinion. He thinks it would be a great idea and the NBA team would also lure more recruits because they would be right in the thick of the NBA coaches, scouts and owners. He also wants what is best for the state.
I hope it gets done. I have always wanted to see a professional franchise in this city and I would be a huge supporter as would many people in the area.
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