Milwaukee Bucks Potential D-League Locations Narrowed Down
By Adam McGee
La Crosse
A previous home for professional basketball teams via the CBA, La Crosse is another city hoping to secure a long-term deal for a Bucks affiliate.
An advantage to the La Crosse bid that many others do not have afforded to them comes in terms of the arena itself. The La Crosse Center has stood since the early 80’s and played host to countless professional basketball games, but is currently set for something of a facelift.
Prior to any interest in a D-League franchise, the La Crosse center had already received approval for a $45 million expansion and upgrade which will see improvements to seating among other changes.
The Center’s Director Art Fahey explained the coincidence to the La Crosse Tribune, while also noting the mayor has expressed an interest in bringing the D-League team to the city.
"La Crosse has a history with the Catbirds, then Bobcats, both of which the city supported. It is worth our effort to see where this goes. The timing (of the proposed expansion and the Bucks interest in a D-League team) is just coincidental. It just popped up just recently. They didn’t go hand-in-hand."
The distance between La Crosse and Milwaukee could prove to be a significant obstacle, but if the infrastructure is good enough, there’s no reason to suggest it couldn’t be overcome.
Next: Racine