There are basically 3 models of G League teams that currently exist. 1) the NBA team puts their G League team in the same city, which makes commuting for the players easy, but doesn't expand the fan base or create much interest. 2) the NBA team puts the G League team in a smaller city not too far from the NBA team, which gives the smaller city a connection to the NBA and helps widen the fan base footprint. 3) The NBA team doesn't put the G League team anywhere near the NBA city. See Heat, Miami.
Oh yeah I almost forgot, there's a 4th model.
If you're the Denver Nuggets, you have no G League team at all and are forced to send your 2 way players all over the place. I'll save my breath for why this is troublesome and make the case for why I think option 2 would serve the Denver Nuggets best when they finally decide to announce a G League team.
The Boston Celtics have their G League team in Portland Maine which is about 2 hours north of Boston. This arrangement has worked fantastically well for the Celtics. Portland is a small coastal city that doesn't have any professional sports or division 1 basketball. Having a minor league basketball team is a source of pride for the city and state. The Maine Red Claws play in a renovated high school gym that holds about 3,000 people. They sell out almost every game, making it a great atmosphere to watch a basketball game. The Red Claws are clearly one of the most successful teams in the G League as they have been in Portland for 10 years now.
The Nuggets have a great opportunity to set up a very similar arrangement. Cheyenne Wyoming is less than a 2 hour drive from Denver. Wyoming is also more of a basketball state than Colorado. Growing up our high school team usually went to camps at CSU, Wyoming and Gold Crown. The Wyoming camp always drew the most teams and interest, but that was in Laramie. Just like Portland, Cheyenne has no major college team and thus very little competition. Cheyenne opened their third high school in 2009, South High school, their gym would be perfectly suitable for a G League team. I'm sure some necessary upgrades could be made.
This would be an amazing opportunity for the Nuggets and the city of Cheyenne. You're adding interest by giving a team to a city that doesn't have a connection to pro sports. You're expanding the fan footprint of the Denver Nuggets, and you're adding a much more inexpensive way to go watch some pro basketball if you live in the northern Colorado or southern Wyoming area. I feel like the Nuggets have been taking their time with a G League team because they don't want what happened to the 14ers to happen again. This would be a great way for the Nuggets to 1) have their G League team close by 2) Create an atmosphere where teams get to play in a full gym 3) Expand the footprint of Nuggets Nation. If you have a better idea I would love to hear it! Anywhere at all is better than what we currently have.
