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Message: [QUOTE="EricLA, post: 5332741, member: 26"] I don't know. I'm nowhere near an expert, and only know what I've read about it, which isn't a ton. Not sure if it was opinion pieces, or actually based in fact, but I did read that the WNBA didn't want the Sun to move to Boston BECAUSE they were not one of the 10 or so cities who originally submitted an expansion bid request that ultimately went to Golden State, Portland, and Toronto. My understanding was that IF Boston had been one of the teams to submit the expansion bid at the time the WNBA was considering offers, they they might have been allowed to purchase the Sun. But because they did not, the WNBA was going to block the sale to them in favor of selling it to one of the already established franchise bid cities. [LIST=1] [*][B]City Proposals[/B]: Cities vying for a franchise submit a detailed proposal or bid to the league. [*][B]In-Depth Evaluation[/B]: The WNBA conducts a robust evaluation of these proposals, assessing how well each city meets the key criteria. [*][B]Scoring and Selection[/B]: Cities that score highly across all the considered factors are selected. The most recent expansion, which added teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, exemplified this thorough process. [/LIST] GS was already given a team. Then came Portland and Toronto. For the next round, the deadline was January 30 and the following submitted bids (again, for the first 3 rounds, no bid from Boston) Austin - Group of former Bucks owner Marc Lasry (very deep pockets), Kevin Durant, Fran Harris of the Comets are involved. Will play at UT, but will build a practice facility if they win the bid. Charlotte - Erica Berman, part of Hornets ownership group leading this bid. [B]Cleveland[/B] - Bid by Dan Gilbert of the Cavs. Bid includes plan to build practice facility. Denver - Dimond family (any further details on who they are?). Plan is to play in a purpose-built arena. [B]Detroit[/B] - Tom Gores, Pistons, as well as HOFers Chris Webber and Grant Hill, Lions owner. Will play at Little Caesars (Pistons) but will build dedicated practice facility. Houston - Tillman Fertitta, Rockets. Will play at Toyota Center. No mention of practice facilities. KC - KC Current owners, Brittany and Patrick Mahomes. Will be anchor tenant at T Mobile Center and will build separate practice facility. Nashville - Predators owner. Would be called Tennessee Summit, in honor of Pat. Candace Parker, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Peyton Manning part of ownership. No other details [B]Philly[/B] - Sixers ownership group. City plans on new arena for Sixers/WNBA team. No mention of practice facility. For me, I think a team in Boston is a no-brainer, but maybe they need to do more homework and put more effort into following what the WNBA is asking for, instead of trying to circumvent and jump in with a purchase of a team who wants to sell... But if I have read everything correctly, the WNBA wants the sun to move to Austin, Charlotte, Denver, Houston, KC, or Nashville (please never Nashville). I'm rooting for Denver or Kansas City. One last note - now would be a great time for the WNBA to start laying down the law for current teams who are playing in ridiculously small arenas. Atlanta Dream - Gateway Center Arena (3,500 seats) and Washington Mystics - CareFirst Arena (4,200 seats). Both are a joke. Get a real arena or lose your franchise. [/QUOTE]

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