15 Cities That Should Have NBA Teams

At thousands of water coolers nationwide, there exists a void in conversation that simply cannot be filled by fantasy sports, video games, or ESPN highlights.

The men and women subject to this void yawned heavily the day LeBron James made his decision to go the Miami Heat. They sighed drearily when the World Cup ended early July.

These people suffer from a rare disorder, an unfortunate geographical malady of which New York and Los Angeles residents have only heard in ghost stories.

It's called Not-having-an-NBA-in-your-hometown...um...syndrome.

NHANIYHS (pronounced "Nonnies") affects millions of people all over the U.S. It forces parents to cling to their kids' little league soccer matches, and urges bachelors to play Wii Sports like there's no tomorrow.

These home remedies have little impact on NHANIYHS.

But luckily, certain cities have established the wherewithal to possibly support NBA teams in the future. Said cities would undoubtedly eradicate the rampant NHANIYHS that has taken a toll on their inhabitants.

The following is an analysis of the cities that are most inclined to be home to NBA teams in the future.

VIrginia Beach-Norfolk

Virginia Beach-Norfolk has not been without basketball in history: The city is home to the Old Dominion University Monarchs, and it used to be home to the Virginia Squires, a short-lived ABA team that existed 1967-1976.

Virginia Beach-Norfolk has a large television market and a relatively large population—the East Coast town could easily support a major basketball team.

The Norfolk Scope arena is a decently sized space for a budding or transferred sports program. It holds 12,600.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Norfolk Ninjas

Norfolk Narwhals

Virginia Beach White Rhinos

Birmingham, Alabama

Football, schmootball.

Alabama doesn't have to be a college football state. Its largest city, Birmingham, could easily be home to an NBA franchise.

The Birmingham Metropolitan Area is home to over 1.2 million, yet boasts not a single major sports team.

The highest profile sports club in Birmingham is the UAB Blazers basketball team, which has made 13 NCAA basketball tournament appearances.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Birmingham Kings

Birmingham Steelers

Port St. Lucie-West Palm Beach, Florida

Port St. Lucie plays second, nay, fifth or sixth fiddle to some of Florida's more prominent cities.

Miami and Orlando have their NBA teams, so why can't Port St. Lucie? The city has a large population, and an even larger television market.

Florida has plenty of room for another NBA team. Port St. Lucie would be a perfect location.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Port St. Lucie Storm

Port St. Lucie Gulls

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids has a large television market, but no major sports team.

Detroit has its Pistons, its Red Wings, its Lions, and Tigers. Why can't Grand Rapids get in on the fun?

Grand Rapids is famous for its furniture production. Western Michigan should have something more interesting about which to brag. An NBA team would help.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Grand Rapids Desk Chairs

Grand Rapids Traders

Columbus, Ohio

LeBron James sucked the life out of Cleveland.

What's going to keep people in Cleveland now?

Here's a solution for Cleveland residents: move to Columbus and lobby for an NBA team.

Columbus is the largest city in Ohio—it already has the Ohio State University media market, and would be a fine home to an NBA franchise.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Columbus Cavaliers

Columbus Indians

Las Vegas, Nevada

Sin City has just about everything recreational, but it doesn't have a major-league sports team.

What could be better than seeing Celine Dion live? Seeing an NBA game in one of America's glitziest cities.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Las Vegas Gamblers

Las Vegas Vultures

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City is famous for jazz and barbecue.

The city has its Royals, Chiefs, and Wizards, but none of them play basketball. Kansas City needs its missing piece: an NBA team.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Kansas City Short Ribs

Kansas City Jazz (Sorry, Utah—you can be the Mormons or the Tumbleweeds.)

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville has a large population and an even larger television market. Tennessee's second-largest city, Nashville, is home to the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators.

An NBA team would suit Nashville, and its large Bridgestone Arena.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Nashville Noise

Nashville Kneelers

PIttsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is a storied sports city, but it lacks an NBA team. The Philadelphia 76ers could use an in-state rival. Pittsburgh could easily be the home of this opponent.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Pittsburgh Warhols

Pittsburgh Pitts

Pittsburgh Porpoises

Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida

Who says Florida can't have another NBA team? Tampa has an enormous television market, and is home to over 2.7 million.

Like Pittsburgh, Tampa is missing its fourth piece in major league sports. An NBA team would complete the foursome, and would expand the landscape of Florida professional sports.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Tampa Manatees

Tampa Stogies

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati has the Bengals and Reds, but it could also use an NBA team. A large population and a sizable media market makes Cincy a great place for basketball.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Cincinnati Proctors

Cincinnati Gambles

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford has a large television market, but it lacks a major league sports team.

It's time for that to change.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Hartford Minutemen

Hartford Horsemen

Baltimore, Maryland

Since Cal Ripken Jr. retired from the Baltimore Orioles, there has not been much reason to watch professional sports in Maryland.

An NBA team would surely increase sports viewership in Baltimore.

Possible names for an NBA team:

Baltimore Pink Flamingos

Baltimore Giants

San Diego, California

California has enough room for several more NBA teams. San Diego has a large population and a large media market, so the addition of an NBA team would make sense.

San Diego has the Chargers and the Padres—now, it needs a few basketballers.

Possible names for an NBA team:

San Diego Wildfire

San Diego Conquistadors

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louisans would likely call their city a baseball town, but the Midwestern city also has hockey and football. St. Louis leans heavily on Albert Pujols and the Cardinals, but an addition of an NBA team would be well-received.

St. Louis is large in terms of both population and media market—it could easily support an NBA franchise.

Possible names for an NBA team:

St. Louis Brewers

St. Louis Clydesdales