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ClayK



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 1:07 pm    ::: San Francisco's team? Reply Reply with quote

Reading the tea leaves after an excellent interview with Rick Welts, Warriors' president.

He said that the Chase Center (the new arena) will open in September or October 2019, with the Warriors' season starting very soon afterwards. This margin seems pretty thin to me, and so I'm guessing that the SF WNBA team won't arrive until 2021.

Two reasons:

1) The franchise will be totally focused on getting the Chase Center ready all through 2019, and thus have little time to think about a WNBA franchise, much less setting up the infrastructure, selling tickets, etc. Really, you'd want to start promoting your new team the day after the previous season ended, which in this case would be right in the middle of the final days of getting Chase ready.

2) The Warriors themselves. The Dubs are really good, but an aging roster will require more and more attention next summer, as decisions will have to be made about length of contracts and how to transition from the present core to the future.

Of course, filling the Chase Center in the summer of 2020 is important, and may push the Warriors into moving more quickly, but my sense -- based on zero inside info -- is that those 17 dates will have a lower priority than proper preparation and dealing with the Warriors' future.

I certainly hope I'm wrong, as I would be excited to have a team nearby again. (Here, however, is the irony: I live in Walnut Creek, a suburb 25 miles east of SF. It will take me just as long, if not longer, to get there than it did for me to drive to Sacramento, which is 70 miles away.)



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#Occasionalwnbafan



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 1:16 pm    ::: Re: San Francisco's team? Reply Reply with quote

ClayK wrote:
Reading the tea leaves after an excellent interview with Rick Welts, Warriors' president.

He said that the Chase Center (the new arena) will open in September or October 2019, with the Warriors' season starting very soon afterwards. This margin seems pretty thin to me, and so I'm guessing that the SF WNBA team won't arrive until 2021.

Two reasons:

1) The franchise will be totally focused on getting the Chase Center ready all through 2019, and thus have little time to think about a WNBA franchise, much less setting up the infrastructure, selling tickets, etc. Really, you'd want to start promoting your new team the day after the previous season ended, which in this case would be right in the middle of the final days of getting Chase ready.

2) The Warriors themselves. The Dubs are really good, but an aging roster will require more and more attention next summer, as decisions will have to be made about length of contracts and how to transition from the present core to the future.

Of course, filling the Chase Center in the summer of 2020 is important, and may push the Warriors into moving more quickly, but my sense -- based on zero inside info -- is that those 17 dates will have a lower priority than proper preparation and dealing with the Warriors' future.

I certainly hope I'm wrong, as I would be excited to have a team nearby again. (Here, however, is the irony: I live in Walnut Creek, a suburb 25 miles east of SF. It will take me just as long, if not longer, to get there than it did for me to drive to Sacramento, which is 70 miles away.)


Bart is always a good option
ClayK



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 2:19 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Except BART doesn't run to Mission Bay, and doesn't connect to Cal Train, which does have a stop there.

And as with a lot of public transit, BART doesn't run that often late at night, and with 20,000 people leaving Warriors' games at the same time, not only are the trains crowded, you have to leave early and sprint just to get on one. (And the sprint would come after the mile walk to the station, or relying on the notoriously unreliable Muni system.)

In short, a nightmare ... with not nearly as much nearby parking as the Oakland Coliseum.

It will be better for the WNBA, of course, with smaller crowds, but still far from ideal. If you live in SF or on the Peninsula, that's great, but the bulk of potential fans do not.



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myrtle



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 2:46 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Are there plans for a BART extension? I can't imagine them building a Warrior's home without a way for all the East Bay fans to get there.



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#Occasionalwnbafan



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 3:13 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

myrtle wrote:
Are there plans for a BART extension? I can't imagine them building a Warrior's home without a way for all the East Bay fans to get there.


Yes you can take Bart to the city, and then maybe Uber or take a bus/Muni to the new Arena.
Admiral_Needa



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 3:48 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

#Occasionalwnbafan wrote:
myrtle wrote:
Are there plans for a BART extension? I can't imagine them building a Warrior's home without a way for all the East Bay fans to get there.


Yes you can take Bart to the city, and then maybe Uber or take a bus/Muni to the new Arena.




Take Bart to the city, then take one of those famous electric scooters to the arena... Idea Arrow

    <iframe width="320" height="240" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9lGr7-rEVcU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe> Laughing



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Shmermerer1



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 4:08 pm    ::: Re: San Francisco's team? Reply Reply with quote

ClayK wrote:
Reading the tea leaves after an excellent interview with Rick Welts, Warriors' president.

He said that the Chase Center (the new arena) will open in September or October 2019, with the Warriors' season starting very soon afterwards. This margin seems pretty thin to me, and so I'm guessing that the SF WNBA team won't arrive until 2021.

Two reasons:

1) The franchise will be totally focused on getting the Chase Center ready all through 2019, and thus have little time to think about a WNBA franchise, much less setting up the infrastructure, selling tickets, etc. Really, you'd want to start promoting your new team the day after the previous season ended, which in this case would be right in the middle of the final days of getting Chase ready.

2) The Warriors themselves. The Dubs are really good, but an aging roster will require more and more attention next summer, as decisions will have to be made about length of contracts and how to transition from the present core to the future.

Of course, filling the Chase Center in the summer of 2020 is important, and may push the Warriors into moving more quickly, but my sense -- based on zero inside info -- is that those 17 dates will have a lower priority than proper preparation and dealing with the Warriors' future.

I certainly hope I'm wrong, as I would be excited to have a team nearby again. (Here, however, is the irony: I live in Walnut Creek, a suburb 25 miles east of SF. It will take me just as long, if not longer, to get there than it did for me to drive to Sacramento, which is 70 miles away.)


I want a team here now. I live in SF!! Please please!


ClayK



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 5:10 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

The idea was that CalTrain would extend to the TransBay Terminal in downtown SF, making it easy to transfer from BART to CalTrain. But CalTrain isn't going to reach the Terminal and BART won't expand.

For me to get to Chase at 7 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. game (you have to allow at least 30 minutes in case something happens), I'm leaving no later than 5:30. Which means I pretty much have to eat in the arena, which is not a good plan (I don't know if they're going to allow you to bring in food, but I'm guessing no). So make it a 5 p.m. departure to allow time to eat somewhere along the way.

7:30 game ends at 9:30, say. An hour to get home (car means battling the traffic to get to the Bay Bridge; BART means waiting for trains), so it's 10:30, if all goes well, which it often doesn't.

Again, I live 25 miles away, a couple miles from a BART station. What about East Bay people who don't have things that easy ... how long will it take them?



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myrtle



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 7:52 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

yeah, it's sounding almost as bad as Westchester for those in the East Bay, which is a large proportion of the Bay Area population. ugh.



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Randy



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 8:47 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

This SF team should be called the SF Mirage because they are always seen off in the distance but you can never actually get to them.


myrtle



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 9:17 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Randy wrote:
This SF team should be called the SF Mirage because they are always seen off in the distance but you can never actually get to them.


perhaps the Bay Fog?



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Mojo



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 9:27 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Any other SF team name suggestions?


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PostPosted: 08/31/18 9:28 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Randy wrote:
This SF team should be called the SF Mirage because they are always seen off in the distance but you can never actually get to them.

Love it



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toad455



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PostPosted: 08/31/18 9:49 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

San Francisco Lady Warriors.
San Francisco Valkyries.
San Francisco Troopers.
Golden State Monarchs. Wink



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awhom111



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 12:02 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

myrtle wrote:
yeah, it's sounding almost as bad as Westchester for those in the East Bay, which is a large proportion of the Bay Area population. ugh.


Almost every part of the Bay Area is difficult to get to from everywhere else. There's the inconvenient body of water in the middle, intentional poor freeway design, and too many competing bodies controlling public transportation. Plus the people who live between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley have refused to allow more people to live there for decades, leaving even more dead space between population centers. The first proposed arena site would have been the best location in the whole Bay Area for an arena, but building there became untenable. The Warriors tend to draw from all over the Bay Area (if you believe them, their East Bay fan base is supposed to be proportionate to the population of the East Bay compared to the whole Bay Area population) so the new site will be easier access for some and worse access for others.

I am six miles away from the arena site, but it would probably be a 35 minute drive even when there's no traffic and no parking issues because more than half of the city has no ready freeway access. Public transportation is pretty poor at night so that's not a fun weekday option either.

I vote for San Francisco Warriors to keep the same general branding as the Golden State Warriors and Santa Cruz Warriors.
Admiral_Needa



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 12:45 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

awhom111 wrote:
myrtle wrote:
yeah, it's sounding almost as bad as Westchester for those in the East Bay, which is a large proportion of the Bay Area population. ugh.


I am six miles away from the arena site, but it would probably be a 35 minute drive even when there's no traffic and no parking issues because more than half of the city has no ready freeway access. Public transportation is pretty poor at night so that's not a fun weekday option either.



I live near the Golden Gate Bridge/Presidio, and it takes 70 mins by bus for $3 to get to the proposed arena, but only 20 mins by car. Uber/Lyft takes the same amount of time but costs ~$25 each way. So, I will likely drive unless they do like the SF Giants do and charge $100 for gameday parking... Razz

On the bright side, when I drove to the SAC Monarchs games, it was over 110 miles away and 130 minutes of driving... 160 minutes on Fridays and holidays... but only $20 parking Twisted Evil Did I mention that my Mercedes SUV gets ~9 mpg? Twisted Evil I did that drive for every game for 9 years Shocked Exclamation

In short, it could be worse, and if it's that bad, I'd suggest just going to the weekend games, and looking back, I'm glad I went Idea



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Randy



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 7:06 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

So how about the Bay Area Gridlock?


zune69



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 7:59 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Is SF really going to get a WNBA team or is this just Wishful/Hopeful thinking?


myrtle



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 10:24 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

zune69 wrote:
Is SF really going to get a WNBA team or is this just Wishful/Hopeful thinking?


at this point of course it's just wishful thinking, but if the stars align correctly, etc... they at least look like there will be infrastructure in place and an interest from potential ownership, so that's a start.



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ClayK



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 11:05 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

myrtle wrote:
zune69 wrote:
Is SF really going to get a WNBA team or is this just Wishful/Hopeful thinking?


at this point of course it's just wishful thinking, but if the stars align correctly, etc... they at least look like there will be infrastructure in place and an interest from potential ownership, so that's a start.


I'm pretty sure there will be a team. There are three large Bay Area arenas competing for summer dates, so having 17 WNBA games on the schedule will be a major plus.

And Joe Lacob supports women's basketball, the team should draw well if it's any good, and Northern California has a healthy high school scene. All the pieces are in place, really ...



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toad455



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 11:54 am    ::: Reply Reply with quote

myrtle wrote:
zune69 wrote:
Is SF really going to get a WNBA team or is this just Wishful/Hopeful thinking?


at this point of course it's just wishful thinking, but if the stars align correctly, etc... they at least look like there will be infrastructure in place and an interest from potential ownership, so that's a start.


hoping them plus maybe the Orlando wishful thinking comes through for 2021. Bring teams back to Portland & Houston as well by 2022.



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PRballer



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 1:15 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

ClayK wrote:
myrtle wrote:
zune69 wrote:
Is SF really going to get a WNBA team or is this just Wishful/Hopeful thinking?


at this point of course it's just wishful thinking, but if the stars align correctly, etc... they at least look like there will be infrastructure in place and an interest from potential ownership, so that's a start.


I'm pretty sure there will be a team. There are three large Bay Area arenas competing for summer dates, so having 17 WNBA games on the schedule will be a major plus.

And Joe Lacob supports women's basketball, the team should draw well if it's any good, and Northern California has a healthy high school scene. All the pieces are in place, really ...


The team would have been more successful in Oakland where you have more families, lesbian women, and African American families. All better demographics for the league than San Francisco. I would worry about a new team drawing in this "new" SF market.

I feel like the time for the Bay Area to get in on a team and franchise was the early days - SF is not the same city it was in 1997, nor even 2007. You have young white tech kids with disposable income who don't care as much about women's basketball and weren't even born when Stanford was winning national championships down the peninsula.

Love the Warriors org and Lacob family, and if they get involved in the league at this point it's definitely a "good thing" - but the WNBA could have been a huge hit in the Bay Area had they pushed for a franchise in the late 90s IMO. Now, it's definitely more of a gamble, even with a splashy new arena in San Francisco.


GlennMacGrady



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 1:43 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

Wow, this transcends even the Liberty fans: Whining about the commute to an arena not yet built for a team that doesn't exist!
Force10rulz



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 1:47 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

toad455 wrote:
San Francisco Lady Warriors.
San Francisco Valkyries.
San Francisco Troopers.
Golden State Monarchs. Wink


I love Valkyries.



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toad455



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PostPosted: 09/01/18 1:55 pm    ::: Reply Reply with quote

The San Jose Lasers of the ABL drew well. There would likely be a ton of publicly if the Warriors are heavily involved. I think they'd do quite well in the beginning, even as an expansion team without any names.



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