Vancouver Grizzles Part Deux?!

[Tim Budong]

Aquilini has no plans to bring in the NBA, but if another owner decides to, ultimately CSE will be involved.

i believe the NBA sold the hornets for 350mil
thats already worth more than the Canucks franchise as a whole

[Mike Oxbig]

for 350mill i dont want to hornets but wouldnt mind the kings

[will068]

Originally Posted by darthchilli

Aquilini has no plans to bring in the NBA, but if another owner decides to, ultimately CSE will be involved.

i believe the NBA sold the hornets for 350mil
thats already worth more than the Canucks franchise as a whole

We're talking about the NBA here. Of course they're worth more. Even the Memphis Grizzlies are now worth $400m.

[surreyjack604]

Originally Posted by Big Earl

for 350mill i dont want to hornets but wouldnt mind the kings

Hornets have been sold to the Saints owner and will be staying in NO. If Kings move it'll be to Seattle. Stern has to make up for robbing the Sonics of a team before he retires in a few years. Why would Vancity get a team before Seattle when they have plans to build a new arena anyways.

[willystyle]

Originally Posted by surreyjack604

Hornets have been sold to the Saints owner and will be staying in NO. If Kings move it'll be to Seattle. Stern has to make up for robbing the Sonics of a team before he retires in a few years. Why would Vancity get a team before Seattle when they have plans to build a new arena anyways.

Article said the new arena in Seattle will not allow a NBA team, unless they get a NHL team as well.

[PiuYi]

hate to be a buzzkill, but realistically, the NBA in vancouver won't happen anytime soon

1) david stern won't come back. he fucked up here and he's not going to embarrass himself by returning
2) CSE has a beautiful balance sheet right now, profiting nicely... why risk that profit by adding a team that could sink your balance sheet?
3) Seattle is next in line to get a team, once they do, the pacific northwest is set

[Gh0stRider]

Vancouver may yet experience re-birth as an NBA city, but despite a recent report stateside that the city is the leading candidate as a potential relocation home for the revenue-challenged Sacramento Kings, there is no formal movement afoot to bring the league back to B.C.

Responding to questions that have arisen following comments Friday on ESPN Seattle radio that Vancouver is the “most viable” destination should the ownership group of the Kings exhaust their attempts to remain in Sacramento following a failed deal to construct a new arena, Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena owner Francesco Aquilini said he is not actively in pursuit of bringing the league back to the city the Grizzlies called home from 1995-96 through 2000-01.

While preferring not to address the Sacramento situation directly, Aquilini told The Province on Monday: “I can tell you we don’t have any plans to bring an NBA team to Vancouver.”

Yet Aquilini was quick to add that an NBA future for Vancouver isn’t far-fetched, as long as key questions regarding the ability of the market to support a franchise could be answered.

“I think if there was enough support, enough of a fan base, definitely the arena is ready to go,” Aquilini said. “There was a basketball team here before, the building is really plug-and-play. We could start tomorrow if we wanted to. But the question is always about market size. That really is the issue. The (Grizzlies) did leave Vancouver for a reason, because there just wasn’t enough market support. If there was, they wouldn’t have left in the first place. We’re continually doing work on that, to assess whether there is enough of a market for an NBA team in Vancouver.”

The Maloof brothers, owners of the Kings, appeared to have reached a non-binding agreement on a new arena deal back in late February which would have kept the team in the California state capital. But after it was voted on and approved by the city in early March, it began to unravel over the issue of pre-development costs.

Although the team is slated to remain in Sacramento next season, it’s anyone’s guess where they could be after that.

On Friday, ESPN senior NBA writer Ric Bucher told a radio audience on ESPN Seattle that he believes Vancouver is now the “most viable” destination should the Kings’ ownership group find itself unable to resolves its arena issues in Sacramento. Seattle, which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008, has been considered the front-runner as a possible home for the Kings, especially with a proposal on the table for an arena complex that would be home to both NBA and NHL franchises. However that deal is contingent on having commitments from franchises in both sports to relocate.

“If the Kings leave Sacramento, Vancouver is a very viable spot,” Bucher told The Kevin Calabro Show, “Maybe, quite honestly, the most viable spot right now among the places that gets the next NBA franchise that is on the move.

“They have the corporate infrastructure, they have a building that they can readily move in to,” continued Bucher, referring to Rogers Arena. “Believe me, when I first heard, it was like ‘Really, they’re (thinking of) going back to Vancouver? Didn’t they already try that?’ (But) the feeling was that the franchise was not handled correctly there. They also have a very hot hockey team there currently, and that it’s a place that the (NBA) do not want to give up on.”

In the decade-plus since the Grizzlies relocation to Memphis, Vancouver has remained on the front burner of hot stove talk whenever the discussion turns to franchise relocation. Most recently, a New Orleans Hornets team, which had been purchased by the league, was the franchise du jour. The Hornets, however, were purchased last week by Saints owner Tom Benson with the sole intent of keeping them in the Louisiana city.

Still, NBA commissioner David Stern said a few years back that the greatest disappointment of his long tenure has been the league’s failure in Vancouver. In 1999, billionaire Bill Laurie was unsuccessful in his attempts to purchase the team and relocate it to St. Louis. Soon after, Chicago-based industrialist Michael Heisley purchased the team and moved it to Memphis prior to the 2001-02 season.

In the decade since, Vancouver’s population and the NBA’s player base has grown substantially more international, and the Canadian dollar has risen from 65 cents to near par with the US dollar — both factors which would more easily sell and sustain the franchise in the city a second time around.

Bucher reiterated that he has heard the Vancouver talk more than once.

“I have heard it several times from several places,” he continued. “It was like ‘Why are you going back there?’ and it is one of those things on the NBA coconut telegraph that will not go away, as far Vancouver being far more attractive than Anaheim and even having the ability to elbow Seattle out of the way.”

Bucher added that his information regarding Vancouver is based on what he is hearing from his many contacts around the league.

“I can’t say that I have this from the Maloofs or I have it from a direct source, directly involved in this,” Bucher told the radio show. “I am giving you what has been the buzz from various people who keep track of where the ownership pieces are going, and have had people that have been involved in putting groups together trying to purchase franchises. They have made it a point of staying on top of where these teams might be going (and) what the most viable markets might be.

Yet one factor to consider in the big picture is the fact that the Maloofs have steadfastly refused to sell their team, meaning that a possible relocation to Vancouver would make them tenants in Rogers Arena, and thus have them competing for a share of the market’s dollars with the Canucks.

“The interesting element with the Vancouver angle is the fact that if the Maloofs are keeping the team, and they seem to be adamant in not selling,” said Bucher.

htsumura@theprovince.com

© Copyright (c) The Province


Read more: Nothing official on NBA coming to Vancouver: Aquilini

.

[DanHibiki]

If we can get a team I hope we get it before Steve Nash retires. His jerseys would sell like hot-cakes.

[wasabisashimi]

I dont think basketball would thrive in our city. Maybe in Seattle.

[TPMarko]

vancouver can play host for the kings (if they have to move) until seattle takes over after they build the arena. this way can test vancouver market but not be 100% committed to the team. this is similar to the new orleans and OKC situation after katrina so its not that far-fetched.

[Tim Budong]

Originally Posted by TPMarko

vancouver can play host for the kings (if they have to move) until seattle takes over after they build the arena. this way can test vancouver market but not be 100% committed to the team. this is similar to the new orleans and OKC situation after katrina so its not that far-fetched.

no
because then the fanbase wouldnt be able to support the team and it will fail if word gets out on this.

vancity is hockey first

[G-spec]

If you're really into basketball in this city you would already know that it's a complete turn around of what it was 10+ years ago when the Grizzlies were here . The sport of basketball has literally EXPLODED onto the scene even more so when we got the team, it was already on the map before but in the last 10 years (especially the last 5 or so) it has made leaps and bounds. And not just in Vancouver, but Canada as a whole, just one solid example of this change is last year's draft pick #4 Tristan Thompson highest Canadian player drafted ever, and this year's top 10 high school ranked players in North America, 2 of them are from the Toronto area, both are considered to be lottery (first 10) picks when they come out for the draft in 2 years or so. Actually Nike Summit is an annual game where the world's top high school players come play American top high schoolers and the US almost always wins. Well just the other week as it wrapped up, team World beat the team US behind the efforts of our two Canadians who basically won the game for the World team.

And back to the local Vancouver scene, now from every angle you look at it we have made leaps and bounds here locally when it comes to the presence of the game of basketball, from the amount of basketball camps available to kids out there, to men's basketball leagues and just the plain old fashioned amount of people just playing the sport out there, the city landscape has changed significantly.
It's just ridiculous how far we've come along as a basketball city during this stretch, I was serious about basketball since the mid-late 90's and I remember outside of the school basketball team there was really only 1 program for youth development basketball and it was Nighthoops which wasn't even a development oriented program, it was just meant to be one of those things to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble, and the other was Basketball BC which at that time was actually just all star high school players, basically high school ballers only.

Now today, we have various local camps like for example the hugely popular Drive Basketball and many many other camps as well and they are FILLED with kids playing and learning the game. I don't remember one competitive men's league back in the day, now every city district has one with at least 10 teams, I don't remember anywhere for drop in Basketball in Vancouver to get a good run 10 years ago except saturdays at Bonsor and Friday nights at Champlain heights.... now every gym has them.... and all of this is pure interest in the game of basketball, it hasn't gone up a 100%, it's gone up more than that!

This city is ABSOLUTELY ready not just to support an NBA team, but to see it thrive and be profitable. So the guys who really think we aren't ready, or we can't.... bah, this would have made sense years ago and I would have agreed then, but it doesn't match up with the reality of today. We have a tremendous amount of people locally interested in the game of basketball, now combine that with the fact that our dollar is on par and we have an NBA ready arena, not to mention the typical excitement factor that comes with bringing not just a new team but a new sport to the city, all of this is a recipe for more than just success.

[will068]

Originally Posted by G-spec

If you're really into basketball in this city you would already know that it's a complete turn around of what it was 10+ years ago when the Grizzlies were here . The sport of basketball has literally EXPLODED onto the scene even more so when we got the team, it was already on the map before but in the last 10 years (especially the last 5 or so) it has made leaps and bounds. And not just in Vancouver, but Canada as a whole, just one solid example of this change is last year's draft pick #4 Tristan Thompson highest Canadian player drafted ever, and this year's top 10 high school ranked players in North America, 2 of them are from the Toronto area, both are considered to be lottery (first 10) picks when they come out for the draft in 2 years or so. Actually Nike Summit is an annual game where the world's top high school players come play American top high schoolers and the US almost always wins. Well just the other week as it wrapped up, team World beat the team US behind the efforts of our two Canadians who basically won the game for the World team.

And back to the local Vancouver scene, now from every angle you look at it we have made leaps and bounds here locally when it comes to the presence of the game of basketball, from the amount of basketball camps available to kids out there, to men's basketball leagues and just the plain old fashioned amount of people just playing the sport out there, the city landscape has changed significantly.
It's just ridiculous how far we've come along as a basketball city during this stretch, I was serious about basketball since the mid-late 90's and I remember outside of the school basketball team there was really only 1 program for youth development basketball and it was Nighthoops which wasn't even a development oriented program, it was just meant to be one of those things to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble, and the other was Basketball BC which at that time was actually just all star high school players, basically high school ballers only.

Now today, we have various local camps like for example the hugely popular Drive Basketball and many many other camps as well and they are FILLED with kids playing and learning the game. I don't remember one competitive men's league back in the day, now every city district has one with at least 10 teams, I don't remember anywhere for drop in Basketball in Vancouver to get a good run 10 years ago except saturdays at Bonsor and Friday nights at Champlain heights.... now every gym has them.... and all of this is pure interest in the game of basketball, it hasn't gone up a 100%, it's gone up more than that!

This city is ABSOLUTELY ready not just to support an NBA team, but to see it thrive and be profitable. So the guys who really think we aren't ready, or we can't.... bah, this would have made sense years ago and I would have agreed then, but it doesn't match up with the reality of today. We have a tremendous amount of people locally interested in the game of basketball, now combine that with the fact that our dollar is on par and we have an NBA ready arena, not to mention the typical excitement factor that comes with bringing not just a new team but a new sport to the city, all of this is a recipe for more than just success.

Nighthoops at Bonsor. Oh yeah!!!!

[Tim Budong]

Truth to that
if you can build a fanbase with youth camps and youth interest, you build a long term relationship with these kids

its true, its not like basketball doesn't exist, many kids still play. and its a game that is more affordable to put kids into

[GLOW]

i remember grizzlies tickets in the nose bleeds can go for under $30 back in the day when it was a special night...beats the cost of canucks tickets

[invader]

I think the new CBA has a lot to do with bringing a team. If they can't compete with the likes of the Lakers, Heat, Bulls, etc, in terms of salary, they won't have a winning product. That in turn will affect attendance and revenue.

[pure.life]

If the Grizzlies do come back, we'll probably have the most Asian players in the league

[mbrodie]

It's true, look at what a minority NBA fans are in GVRD.

I miss kareem abdul jabbar!

[Airtrackz]

Originally Posted by mbrodie

It's true, look at what a minority NBA fans are in GVRD.

I miss kareem abdul jabbar!

Did you mean shareef?

[Obsideon]

If they came back and the tickets were sold at respectable prices (not $100+ for nosebleeds like the Canucks) I would make every effort to attend the games! I am probably one of many that has just recently (within the last 10 years) started to get interest for the NBA. When the Grizzlies were in town I didn't go to a single game ... now I am itching to see a live NBA game ... I might make a trip down to Portland next season just to watch them play!... It would be great if Vancouver brought back a NBA team. I would support them as much as I can!

[G-spec]

^ tickets for nosebleeds to Grizzlies games I remember specifically were under $20, my team won the first 3 Nighthoops championships in a row and like I said in my last post Nighthoops was sponsored by the Grizzlies, so they used to give all the teams tickets to games. It was always roughly 10th row around either hoop area, and I remember my coach telling me even our 10th row tickets were around $200 only. I think pricing would be not super cheap in the beginning, but definitely would be better than the Canucks as it should be. You should pay a premium to watch a very good hockey team in a hockey town.

When an NBA team does come to Vancouver (yea I'm confident enough to say when) so when it does, they won't have a "minority fanbase"
In the first season alone they will easily beat out the Lions and Whitecaps, as far as fan support and revenues. They will be second to the Canucks never to surpass for obvious reasons unless something drastic happens like an NBA championship and even then it would be almost impossible, we love our hockey too much here.

But anyway just a few simple reasons for success would be

- raw star power NBA has to offer (would you rather see Kobe or LeBron or David Beckham or someone from the CFL)

- excitement of a new game (lifetime basketball fans in this city alone will be enough to keep the team profitable and well supported, but a significant amount of interest will come from typical sports fans and just regular people who don't know nothing about basketball and the whole curiosity factor is there for something new

- our dollar is on par with the US so players won't be getting jipped as far as payment, and since the Grizzlies were in town Vancouver has REALLY established itself even more as a top 10 (maybe even 5) world class city, so we won't be having cry babies like Steve Francis bitching about not wanting to play here



I'm very hopeful about a team coming, there are so many factors involved in us getting the team especially over Seattle that I really won't get into becaue it would take another paragraph I don't wanna write, but I'll put it to yall this way if David Stern (NBA commissioner) had only two choices to relocate an NBA team too (Seattle or Vancouver) he would without a doubt put it in Vancouver.

and as far as the Sacramento Kings, remember they are owned by the Maloof's and these guys own Casinos in Vegas, so Vancouver being somewhat of a Casino city I'm pretty sure these guys are seeing dollar signs on some level, because they know exactly how to deal with casino cities

[Tim Budong]

When you say $30 back in the day, think about inflation and all that haha
$30 was a tank of gas lol

whatever it may be... Tickets wont be cheap to begin with.

[G-spec]

^ yea in the late 1990's nosebleeds were around $20, I'm sure it will be a bit more today if they were to start like you said.

But still in the first year or so I'm sure they would be doing like introductory prices just to try getting people out to the games.
I would be going to a game a month, a good game too with teams I like, monthly Grizzlies budget would probably look something like $200-$300 lol

[G]

I remember when I went courtside to griz games like 3-4 times. Fuck those were the good days. I even shook shareef's hand and shot around prior to the game. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

[DanHibiki]

Steve Francis in "Vancouver gets the last laugh" - YouTube