LeBron James and the Cavs land another Sports Illustrated Cover
May 26, 2015Make Way for the Bad Guys
May 26, 2015Dan Gilbert would love to have an NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland, but the NBA says that the Humongotron is not enough when it comes to upgrading Quicken Loans Arena. According to Chris Haynes of NEOMG, the only thing that would prevent the city from hosting an NBA All-Star game is failing to make required improvements to The Q.
“They’ve expressed interest in it and we’re waiting for them to get the additional work done on the building,” Silver told Northeast Ohio Media Group during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. …
“We’re very excited about returning to Cleveland at some point for an All-Star game,” Silver said. “We know [Cavaliers’ owner] Dan Gilbert would very much like it to happen and I think it’s just a function of when. Making sure that the timing is right in terms of the upgrades to the building.”
The Cavaliers have been in the mix for an All-Star weekend for some time, but have been passed up for areas like Toronto. According to Haynes, Silver would not address specific enhancements, but Quicken Loans Arena is the ninth-oldest venue in the NBA. Though drastically improving the in-arena sound system, Wi-Fi capabilities and adding a massive, new jumbotron above center court, there are additional changes that need to be made if the Cavs desire to keep up with modern amenities. The team, for instance, is reportedly proposing a multimillion-dollar renovation project that would enlarge the facilities’ footprint to increase the maximum occupancy which currently stands just shy of 21,000.
Arena aside, the City of Cleveland will also have plenty of work to do if it plans to compete with recent NBA All-Star weekends. Traveling to New Orleans in 2014, it became evident that similar accoutrements could not be obtained if Cleveland were to host in present-day form.
I have faith that Cleveland, one day, will be ready to house countless celebrities, NBA groupies and tourists, all of whom are willing to spend extravagant amounts of money on consumables, all for the sake of celebration. I know that there were some who were despondent when word came down that Cleveland fell just short of winning the bid for 2016, but having witnessed what NBA All-Star weekends are supposed to be, this may have been a blessing.
A lot has changed since Cleveland hosted the mid-year festivities back in 1997. Silver stated that he has “no doubt” that an All-Star weekend, and all of the celebrity fan fare it brings, will be back in Cleveland. It appears that it will just be a matter of time.
6 Comments
Maybe they could just cover up 10,000 seats? similar to what the Indians did…
Let’s build a Land Bridge to the All Star Game!
Considering the Q is used year round, the upgrades are understandable.
Two story bar baby!!!
That’s all fine and dandy. I’ll be voting no for this tax increase when it comes, to pay for whatever millions of dollars of “understandable” upgrades they decide on.
I sure hope the league noticed that confetti drop last night! #quality