NBA in Europe? I wouldn't bet on it...

David Stern recently stated that he thinks an NBA team could be in Europe as soon as ten years from now. He's also gone on record that he envisions a five-team European division being a serious possibility in a decade as well.

If you're in Birmigham and you're psyched that NBA is coming to town, don't be. Forget about it. It's not happening in ten years, it's not happening in twenty years. There are just too many logistics to work out with a continent that's at least seven hours away by plane. Just think how grueling an East coast trip would be for the Lakers or Kings -- they'd be on a plane for half a day.

What about the players? Making someone move from Minnesota to Boston is a rough transition by itself, but imagine being traded to Düsseldorf or Dublin. Or what about the American television ratings for the European teams? If you think there's a disconnect with the San Antonio Spurs, what until the Paris Pipesmokers play in the NBA Finals.

Each major sport has talked about expanding to other countries for years and years. The NFL has done out-of-country games for twenty years and baseball has done them for at least seventy years. There's nothing wrong with trying to expand the league, but the idea of putting one team -- let alone a whole division -- in Europe is a pipe dream. The fact is that it can't happen until intercontinental flying becomes less of a chore. And seeing as American Airlines just cancelled 300 flights because the planes we have today have issues, NBA Europe is in the way distant future.