The Toronto Raptors have had the title of Canada’s team ever since the Grizzlies move to Memphis. But is it time for Canada to make a run for another NBA team?

 

There is no doubt that basketball is more popular than ever since the NHL lockout, as the Raptors have consistently sold out games.

 

The former Vancouver Grizzlies, suffered being crushed by a lockout, as the bad timing created money loss and lost patience. With the Raptors gaining a league known star in Vince Carter, Steve Francis just didn't cut it in Vancouver.

 

But with the recent success of Toronto FC in the world of soccer, Vancouver was awarded a team. With that in mind, it is easy to see why the Vancouver Grizzlies failed having two Canadian teams, rather than one being known as “Canada’s team”.

 

So should the NBA move another team to Canada?

 

Here are some pros and cons:

 

Canadian markets offer large number of fans compared to small American cities like Charlotte and Oklahoma City. While population doesn’t equal financial success, it sure doesn't hurt during these tough economic times.

 

Another positive is that more Canadian teams, equal more money back into Canadian basketball. With the Canadian program in limbo of success and failure, more money and attention is needed to help create better basketball players; much like Canada has done in baseball and in hockey.

 

While the questions linger about Toronto signing any NBA talent due to higher taxes and bad weather, the Raptors recently signed star free agent Hedo Turkoglu to a long term contract, and are currently looking to lock up star forward Chris Bosh.

 

While the NBA may not want to be in Canada, here’s a list of the top six cities the NBA should take a look at north of the border.

 

Montreal, Quebec.

 

With the loss of the Expos and the miss of Major League Soccer (MLS) with the Impact, Montreal has the recipe for success for an NBA team looking for a new home.

 

On a list of the most populated cities in North America, it ranks 7^th with 1,620,693 people living in the city, which also ranks it second in Canada.

 

Montreal’s main facility is the Bell Centre where the Montreal Canadiens currently play. The building can hold 21,700 for a basketball game, which is almost 2,000 more than the Air Canada Centre can hold for Raptor games.

 

Currently, Montreal has an ABA team called the Montreal Matrix which is a part of a league that has had financial trouble, and has taken a beating from the rise of the Development League, which is run by the NBA.

 

While many know about the sucsess of the Canadiens in Montreal, their (Canadian Football League) CFL team also gains big crowds in the summer as they hold 14 out of the top 20 attendance records in CFL history; resulting in a two sport town, but is that enough to gain an NBA team?

 

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