Portland Press Herald Editorial Supports D-League Effort ...

This ran in today's Portland Press Herald:


Basketball franchise proposal has ingredients for success
Minor-league sports teams with a strong brand and good management do well in Portland.


January 25, 2008


— The history of professional sports in Portland makes clear the
prospects for a minor-league basketball team here: When run
well, minor-league franchises do well in this city.

While not every minor-league endeavor has made it in Portland,
the Portland Pirates hockey team and the Portland Sea Dogs
baseball franchise have found success here. In both cases, the
teams created a recognizable brand, have achieved decent
success in terms of winning and losing, and have owners
committed to make the investments necessary to put out a good
product.

Organizers of a potential NBA development league franchise in
Portland appear to be headed down the same path.

Bill Ryan Jr., owner of the Oxford Plains Speedway, and his
father, Bill Ryan Sr., who transformed the Peoples Heritage Bank
franchise in Portland into what is today TD Banknorth, have
taken a leadership role in trying to bring a "D-League"
basketball franchise to the city.

They are seeking to have the Portland team be an affiliate of the
NBA's Boston Celtics. The Ryans are working with Jon Jennings, a
former Celtics assistant coach and executive, as well as K.C.
Jones, a former player and head coach of the Celtics.

Owners with good business sense and an affiliation with a locally
popular major league team make this proposal a far more viable
option than previous attempts to establish minor league
basketball in the city.

It's not clear whether the team would play in the Cumberland
County Civic Center or the city's Portland Expo. In either case,
given scarce tax dollars, it wouldn't be appropriate for the
county or city to offer up a subsidy to the team. However,
favorable lease terms to help such a team get started would
make good long-term business sense for either the city or the
county.

Portland fans have proved they'll support well-run teams, and
this endeavor shouldn't be any different.