In the NBA, small-market teams are often thought be at a disadvantage in retaining players and making revenue in comparison to the more appealing, larger markets.
But according to NBA Commissioner David Stern, the small-market teams should have no problem being dominant themselves, just look at the San Antonio Spurs, he said.
"It is always a treasure to look at a well-managed team and to see how they do at the gate, as a matter of business. And to see how they look on the court," Stern said during an interview with ESPN radio. "I think that San Antonio, and I thing everyone could agree, is the model of how a team, you would hope if you owned it, would be ran. They have been competitive for a long time."
Stern does admit having one of the best players of the era in Tim Duncan does help the Spurs' case, however if you look at what the organization has surround him with, San Antonio would likely still be relevant year to year even if they didn't have him on the roster.
"As their competition would say, it sure helps to have Tim Duncan, but when you look at what they have surrounded him with and the way they have gone into the international market, they're very, very excellent at what they do," Stern said.
San Antonio, which is currently the 36th largest media market in the United States, isn't the only small-market team thriving lately. The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trailblazers also received some praise from the commissioner for the recent success of both teams.
"They (the Spurs) bring people into a building which is relatively new, but is continually updated," Stern said. "That makes me very happy, as does Oklahoma City, as does watching what Portland is doing this year. It's kind of fun."
Basically, whenever a team in a smaller city thinks they are at a disadvantage, Stern has a simple message for them-- "any market can compete in the NBA."
Follow Shawn Ramsey on Twitter: @ShawnPRamsey
