The NBA’s achilles heal is the players. When the players are likable, viewers watch. When the players aren’t, viewers tune out. The NBA’s PR machine has been blaming the players for the labor impasse and planted negative impressions of them in the casual fan.

Franchise price is a bubble. Valuations keep rising although there are no opportunities for most small market teams to compete and make money.

Europe and Asia are starting to become competitive markets for NBA talent. Right now it’s cast-offs and past their primer’s, but that may change with…

Cost controls will eventually put the NBA at a disadvantage with non-cost controlled leagues. Europe’s system is more free market oriented (bad teams perish, good teams rise) than the American professional sports landscape. Therefore, they mostly operate uncapped and can spend freely to attract top quality talent.

Basketball is becoming an international sport, there’s little stopping the NBA from becoming like England is in the soccer world.