Golden State Warriors: 3 Reasons the Dubs Need to Escape Oakland

With three cities reportedly vying to be the home of the Golden State Warriors, it's clear that new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber are open to moving the team from its home at Oracle Arena (via the Mercury News.)

Whether or not the club's image will change with a new home seems to be a forgone conclusion in ownership's eyes: There's little reason to look elsewhere if there's confidence in staying put.

Lacob has done his part to change the culture of the franchise by overhauling the organization's infrastructure both on the court and in the front office.

Gone are the names of Warriors past, namely Don Nelson, Keith Smart and Monta Ellis.

In just over the past year, those names have been replaced by the likes of Mark Jackson and Klay Thompson. Other strong, well-regarded basketball names (assistant coach Michael Malone, assistant GM Bob Meyers and consultant Jerry West) have been added to the front office and sideline.

But it's become increasingly clear (at least to Lacob and Guber) that internal changes will only go so far in changing the team's league-wide perception. A sloppy offseason of swinging wildly at every available big name free agent was a stark reminder that the team struggles to attract even second-tier free agents.

A change of scenery may work wonders for the team's image and, in time, the team's conference standings.

3. The Economic Boost

For a Warriors team that struggles to compete in the merchandise market, moving the team across the Bay could provide a short-term boost. Fans would restock with the new jerseys (again), and it would provide a long-term boost with the greater potential for corporate sponsorships and luxury boxes.

Between its numerous Fortune 500 companies (via CNN) and high profile financial institutions, San Francisco could provide a financial market that the industrial-driven Oakland area could never match. Filling up balcony seats for a regular season game says a remarkable thing about fan loyalty, but those aren't the type of dollars that can make the difference between landing a Tyson Chandler or settling for a Kwame Brown.

And it's not just San Franciscans that can add to the Warriors already deep fanbase.

As one of the premier destinations in terms of world travel (the 33rd-most visited city in the world according to the San Francisco Travel Association), San Francisco could provide a nearly endless pool of tourism dollars to help bolster those mediocre merchandise sales.

San Franciscans also travel well to the Oracle Arena, so the single-game ticket sales to Oaklanders should not be lost by a trip across the Bay. With a solid public transportation system in place, Warrior fans will find ways to the game.

2. A Free-Agent Destination City

Despite being the only basketball franchise in the country's sixth-largest TV market according to Nielson the Warriors have yet to be included in the "major market" group of the NBA.

And with player free agency continuing to trend toward bigger markets, it's time that the club re-brands itself as one of the power players in the league.

One of the biggest downfalls of this franchise has been the marketing (or lack thereof) of the organization. Go to any Warriors away game outside of the "Golden State" and be prepared to be asked one question all night: "Where is this team from?"

The Warriors need a national face-lift.

The "We Believe" Warriors dominated the national basketball scene not only for their upset of the Dallas Mavericks, but for the raucous crowd that packed the Oracle Arena.  But without any successes since that 2007 playoff push, the Warriors (and their fans) have largely been forgotten by the national media.

With basketball legends on both the sideline and the executive staff, the Warriors shouldn't be the NBA's forgotten ones. But short of finding the next Kevin Durant in the draft (next to impossible considering the team's uncanny ability to never bottom out), the Warriors will be forgotten as long as they stay in Oakland.

1. The Prospects of a National Fanbase

Nothing breeds fans faster than winning. But winning teams don't automatically become national favorites.

A move to San Francisco (and the chance to piggyback on the national appeal of the 49ers and Giants) could accelerate the team's possible rise to national relevance.

The Warriors are a forgotten franchise in today's NBA and rightfully should be. They have just two winning seasons and one playoff berth since 1994.

But the recent struggles of the A's (just one .500 finish in the past five seasons) and the Raiders (without a winning season since 2002) have done little to grab media attention to Oakland sports.

San Francisco, meanwhile, boasts one of the most popular teams in major league baseball (thanks to the eclectic personalities on their improbable 2010 World Series championship run) along a resurgent 49ers team that dominated a chunk of the past 30 years.

Lacob does not want to be the little brother of the Giants (evidenced when he turned down an offer to build a new arena next to AT&T Park), but he'd clearly welcome that fanbase with open arms.

Oakland's fans have been some of the most loyal in the league, and that's gotten them nowhere. It's time for this franchise to enter the national arena.