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Monday, March 5, 2001
Memphis making pitch for Grizzlies
Associated Press
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Vancouver Grizzlies are talking with
Shelby County and city officials about possibly relocating the
National Basketball Association team in Memphis.
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Sizing it up
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Memphis and Louisville still trail Anaheim and New Orleans as the prime
candidates to get the Grizzlies.
Memphis could be the NBA's favorite city
for the Grizzlies to move to, but getting The Pyramid ready (in terms of luxury seating) for NBA play for the 2001-02 season might be bit of a stretch.
With 24 days to go until the March 26 deadline, Anaheim has emerged
as the favorite – given that the facility is ready to go at the Pond.
However, if the lease – which gives the Mighty Ducks the majority of money
from advertising and luxury suites – is not restructured, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley will not
likely move there.
New Orleans has a beautiful 18,500-seat arena that could
be ready for NBA play, but the area's low per capita and lack of corporate money are big negatives.
Louisville would have a better chance if the city had a
ready-to-go arena. Forcing the team to play in Freedom Hall and Rupp Arena
for two to three years before an arena can be built makes it tough to
believe Heisley would move to Kentucky.
Staying in Vancouver for another
year is still an option. Heisley would lose more money, but unless he gets a
sweetheart deal from one of these cities, the money he'd be losing elsewhere
would come close to his losses in Vancouver. If Heisley can't move this year and
wants to sell, he might be able to work out something with the Vancouver
group, which has a meeting with NBA commissioner David Stern on March 16.
– Darren Rovell |
"I think they're very serious," said Shelby County Mayor Jim
Rout, who attended a hour-long meeting with Grizzlies senior
corporate counsel Stan Meadows Feb. 19. "It was a general
discussion, but we felt good about it."
Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has said he'll lose $40 million
operating in Vancouver this year. He faces a March 26 NBA deadline
to apply for relocation for next season.
Heisley, 63, has visited Anaheim, Louisville, New Orleans and
St. Louis -- all of which have buildings that are closer to NBA
standards than Memphis' Pyramid arena or have plans to build one.
He also has visited Las Vegas, which does not have a new arena plan
in place.
Officials who attended the Memphis meeting told The Commercial
Appeal newspaper there was talk both of improvements to the city's
arena and of a new one.
Reggie Barnes, chairman of the Memphis and Shelby County Sports
Authority, said the idea of a new arena was "not thrown down" by
the Grizzlies as a deal-breaker.
"I think with the improvements to The Pyramid, The Pyramid
would be fine," Barnes said.
Alan Freeman, general manager of The Pyramid, said it will need
"significant retrofitting to make it NBA ready."
"A typical NBA facility now has between 60 and 100 skyboxes,"
said Freeman, who was not at last month's meeting. "Our building
has 28 right now. In addition to that, a typical NBA arena has club
seats. They also have private clubs."
Freeman said The Pyramid meets NBA standards with a capacity of
about 20,000 for basketball, but it would mean "spending
significant dollars getting this building ready for the NBA."
Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton attended the meeting but said
Thursday, "I can't comment on the matter at this point. There's a
reason for that."
Also attending the meeting were Memphis-based sports agent Jimmy
Sexton, whose clients include NBA player Scottie Pippen; sports
authority managing director Tiffany Brown; other city and county
officials; and representatives of the Memphis Area Chamber of
Commerce.
The Province newspaper in Vancouver has reported, according to
unnamed league sources, that Memphis is the NBA's top choice for
Vancouver,
Barnes said he didn't get the sense from Meadows that Memphis
was being pushed by the league. But he said the Grizzlies are
"looking for the city that has the least amount of competition."
Memphis has no other major league pro franchise. The University
of Memphis basketball team is the primary tenant at The Pyramid.
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ALSO SEE
Source: Grizzlies narrow list to New Orleans, Anaheim
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