Direct from the Target Center

haha!

Did Ricky take shots at his own basket for Crunch to slam home on putback slams?

that its just part of being such a gifted athlete. He said that the people who can’t heal quickly get weeded out before they get to the pros.

Have you seen the pics of the Gophers locker room at TCF? Or the locker rooms at the new Target Field? For that matter, ever been to the practice facilities of a major NCAA university? Newer facilities, particularly professional facilities, are far more luxurious than Target Center: more space, more amenities, a lot more areas for the players to lounge and hang out, state of the art meeting rooms, massive state of the art weight and training rooms, etc. As you might guess from my avatar and username, I’m an alumnus of the University of Miami, and I worked for the Athletic Dept for my work/study position as an undergrad. Even in the mid-1990s, the athletic complex at “the U” was far nicer and more sophisticated than what the Wolves have, and now they’re about to break ground on a new one. In the NCAA, it’s an arms race for recruits. But is the NBA much different? If you’re a player considering a free agency destination, or a draftee visiting with teams, what sort of impression are you going to get of the franchise when you compare say, the Bulls facilities (United Center, the Deerfield practice complex) with Target Center?

As for the fan experience, if you haven’t been to other NBA arenas, believe me, Target Center is woeful. I’m always torn on game nights (like tonight) as to what to do for food. I can’t leave work even earlier to get a bite beforehand, I can’t fathom the notion of eating the crap that passes for concessions at TC, and waiting till 9:30 or 10:00 to eat isn’t too appetizing (pun intended) a prospect either. As a contrast, I attended a Heat game at American Airlines arena last spring, and they had several fresh and healthy concessions: sushi, made to order deli sandwiches and salads, a really nice Mexican stand, etc. I really had hopes this situation would improve when Anschutz took over arena management, but nothing so far.

I believe you that Oracle Arena is a pit. But this doesn’t make Target Center nice. I have a feeling if we could arrange all 30 (is that the number of teams in the NBA? Two LA teams share Staples though…) NBA arenas on a continuum of luxury and fan amenities, Target Center would not be in the upper half. Subjective I know, but certainly compared to the two other NBA arenas I’ve been to in recent years (American Airlines in Miami and United Center in Chicago), Target Center leaves a lot to be desired. Doesn’t compare well to Xcel either, although I have zero interest in the Wild.

Thinking entirely locally, if the Vikes get their new stadium, which seems unavoidable, the Wolves will clearly be the poor step-sister of local franchises in terms of fan amenities and in-arena revenue streams, even potentially ranking behind Gophers football. This does not bode well for the future of the team and its ability to attract (casual) fans or corporate ticket holders. There’s only so much entertainment dollar to go around….