Raptors smiling all the way to the bank

MICHAEL GRANGE

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

October 1, 2007 at 9:37 PM EST

TREVISO, ITALY — At one end of the gym, a cheer went up as Jay Triano's team beat Anthony Parker's in a shooting contest. At the other end, Sam Mitchell was throwing around-the-back passes — normally frowned upon — and high-fiving his partner when he got one in return.

In the middle, T.J. Ford and Chris Bosh were putting on ball-handling clinics. There were smiles in every corner.

The Toronto Raptors have been practising diligently at their European training camp. Last night was their fifth practice in three days. But they found time for a clinic with NBA Cares, the league's community outreach program.

The session yesterday afternoon was on behalf of a local chapter of the Special Olympics and a highlight for 70 people aged eight and up, and their families.

As sincere as the smiles and cheers were and as engaged as the Raptors players and staff were, the time spent was part of a broader strategy by the league to expand its brand beyond North America, home to its 30 franchises.

This is the second season for NBA Europe Live, in which four teams — the Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies and Boston Celtics are the others — fan out across Europe to spread the word.

Raptors president Bryan Colangelo was supposed to take part in the 2006 version, but lost out when he jumped from the Phoenix Suns to the Raptors in March of 2006.

With their retooled and internationally focused roster, the Raptors were a natural choice to make the trip this year.

"There is so much international interest in the Raptors' brand right now," Colangelo said yesterday. He cited surges in traffic on the team's website and the connection between the team's international stars and their native countries — in particular, Andrea Bargnani to Italy, and Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa to Spain.

"Which teams participate is decided at the league level," Colangelo added, "but I certainly let the league know we would be interested if the opportunity was there."

There was some concern about logistical challenges. Head coach Sam Mitchell said he'd prefer training camp be in Waterloo, Ont., but he's come around since the club hit the ground in Italy. He'd be wise to be happy because Colangelo is open to taking the Raptors on the road more in the future. One possibility is Israel, where Euroleague powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv could be their host. Another is China, where the league's business interests are growing.

"We haven't expressed an interest yet, but it could happen," Colangelo said.

The benefits of international experience are both immediate and long term.

The NBA reduces the financial risk by underwriting most of the cost of the trip. The league pays the commercial travel expenses for a party of 40, and pays participating teams an appearance fee for each game (typically between $75,000 and $150,000 when they play on the road in exhibition season; the average is about $85,000).

The Raptors brought more than 50 people on a private jet rented from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, which added to the cost.

"But the whole thing is a wash," Colangelo said. "We may not make money on the trip, but it's not a money-losing venture, and there's the big picture to think about also."

The NBA has long had an international focus, but it has intensified in recent years. There were 83 international players on opening-night rosters last season. With Bargnani second in voting for rookie of the year, Dirk Nowitzki of Germany the most valuable player, and Tony Parker of France the most valuable player in the final, their impact has been enormous.

The impact on the league's bottom line has been considerable also.

A Wall Street Journal report pegged the league's revenue from international television deals, licensing and merchandising at $300-million, with total revenues of $3-billion. That pool is shared among the 30 franchises, but the Raptors aren't taking one for the league by playing three games in two countries on this trip and keeping the door open for more.

Another possibility is expanding the club's sponsorship portfolio — the revenues would flow directly to the team — to include European interests, much in the way the Houston Rockets leveraged the popularity of Yao Ming in his native China by signing sponsorship agreements with Chinese companies.

Colangelo didn't want to comment on any specific opportunities, but he allowed that spending 10 days in Italy and four in Spain with a team featuring an Italian star and two Spanish stars "couldn't hurt."

The broader implications of the Raptors' trip to Europe couldn't have been further from the minds of the Special Olympians yesterday. They were delighted to have their moments with the stars, but in the NBA, the connection struck by a friendly bounce pass can find its way to the bottom line.

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