The NBA will "likely increase the number of regular-season games played overseas," according to Tom Hamilton of ESPN.com. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, "We hope to increase the number of international games that we play. We don't have any specific plans in place yet. It's a function of the quality of the arenas and the amount of interest in those markets. ... What we've done in the CBA is to add an extra week into the season and have the same number of games but an additional week. This will be helpful in allowing international play (at) midseason, as we can build in those extra days for rest for those traveling long distances." Silver added that the league "needs to do more to grow the game in the Middle East and the UK." He said that he can "see the league taking a preseason game to Australia" as well (ESPN.com, 1/12). Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Dan Bickley notes fans "whistled more than they cheered, especially when the Suns dancers took the court" during the Suns 113-108 loss to the Mavericks before an announced crowd of 19,874 in Mexico City (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/13). In Dallas, Eddie Sefko noted Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban "would be all for the NBA expanding, or relocating a team, to either Mexico City or Monterrey." Cuban: "I like it down here. I would love a team down here. It would really help the sport. And it's not all that far compared to Portland or Boston." At the very least, Cuban said that the NBA should "continue its strategy of having regular-season games in Mexico every year" (DALLASNEWS.com, 1/12).
