(Basketnews) EuroLeague CEO Chus Bueno admitted that talks with the NBA remain far from an agreement, warning that a standalone NBA Europe project would face major execution and reputational risks without EuroLeague's established clubs, markets, and fan bases.

It looks like Adam wants to go to Europe and start and NBA 2 but he doesn't seem to understand that just won't work. It's shocking to see that he wants to do that after seeing how spectacularly the European Super League failed trying to do the exact same thing.

Here is the Euroleague CEO talking about it. Full interview here but basketnews summarized the most important bits

Speaking on the StreamTime Sports Podcast, Bueno explained that both organizations would need to alter their proposed models before a partnership could become realistic.

"I think that if I had come earlier, we would not have today two models that are very different. So let's be honest, they have a model that does not match our model, or our model does not match their model; we both have to make changes," Bueno said.

"And I think that the goal is: how we're going to do it in a way that we both win. And I think that realistically speaking, we're not there yet. And we need to sit down more times and more time to think about this."

.....

The EuroLeague executive rejected a potential scenario in which the existing competition would be expected to abandon its project and simply join the NBA's proposed franchise model.

"We have to both be generous in the approach. If they're saying 'Okay, come to me and shut it down and come to my franchise model,' then it's not our work. So we both have to be flexible," Bueno said.

.......

According to Bueno, working with EuroLeague would immediately provide the project with established clubs, fan bases, markets and a proven track record.

"For me, the right approach would have been to do a deal with the EuroLeague and then go to the market and find more money to go. Because you have certainty, you have the biggest IPs, the biggest clubs, the biggest fan base, the biggest cities," he explained.

"And then you show the market and investors certainty, a track record. Already the baseline is huge because you have the best of the best. And how you go from there and how can they support it as well. For me, that would be the best path."

......

"For me, it would be easier if we have 13 teams, we add 5-6 markets that they are talking about where we don't have teams, whether it's Manchester, Lyon, Berlin, or Rome, and we add those teams to the existing franchises," Bueno said. "They become franchises; we're already doing that. And then we have these 13 teams, plus these five, six markets."

"We can still do that. We can still do a partnership and then complement this with the cities that there is not an existing EuroLeague," he continued.

........

Although he said EuroLeague would be prepared to compete if necessary, he believes creating two rival competitions would damage the wider European basketball market.

"If we had two leagues, yes, we have to compete. Fine, we will. But it's going to be fragmentation in the market, and fragmentation not only dilutes value, but fragmentation also creates destruction," Bueno said.

"And when we're competing, you know that things are going to happen that you're not going to like."

Source: Basketnews