NEW ORLEANS – Armed with a new arena complete with luxury
boxes, New Orleans will make a pitch to land the Vancouver
Grizzlies of the NBA, which won permission from the league Monday
to explore a move to another city.
Doug Thornton, general manager of the New Orleans Arena, said
officials planned to contact Grizzlies' owner Michael Heisely to
gauge his interest in bringing his team to Louisiana.
Thornton said that because the arena does not have an NHL
franchise that would compete for major-league ticket dollars and
because the facility is "NBA-ready," New Orleans might move to
the top of the list of new locations.
"Sources tell us that he is interested in relocating the
franchise, rather than selling it," Thornton said during a news
conference called after NBA Commissioner David Stern announced the
Grizzlies would be allowed to explore a new home city. "That's the
challenge of a professional sports franchise, securing ownership."
Other cities mentioned as possible destinations for the
struggling team, which expects losses of $40 million this year,
include St. Louis, Las Vegas and Nashville, Tenn.
St. Louis and Nashville have NHL franchises.
The owner of the NHL St. Louis Blues, Bill Laurie, cut a deal 18
months ago to buy the team and move it to St. Louis, but that move
was scuttled by Stern who wanted to find an ownership to keep the
team in Vancouver. Stern now says that might have been a mistake.
Thornton said an NBA team would face the same financial
challenges cited by the New Orleans Saints, who want a new deal
with the Superdome – or perhaps a new stadium – in a small
major-league market.
"He (Heisley) will have to do his own evaluation to see if it
would work out for him in the long term," Thornton said. "It
might not. But this is an opportunity for New Orleans."
The New Orleans Arena, which opened in October 1999, currently
has 44 luxury boxes – an item high on the demand list of most
professional franchises – with the capacity to add 20 more,
Thornton said. The facility currently serves as the home of the
minor-league New Orleans Brass of the East Coast Hockey League.
The New Orleans Jazz played in the Superdome during the 1970s,
but left for Salt Lake City after the 1978-79 season, citing
conflicts in the middle of the NBA season with Mardi Gras. A
potential deal to move the Minnesota Timberwolves to New Orleans
several years ago was scuttled by the NBA because of financial
questions.
Over the past two years, arena officials have monitored the NBA
in hopes of nabbing a team, Thornton said. The Charlotte Hornets
also are threatening to leave if a new arena is not built.
The Grizzlies have had three owners during their 5 1/2 years in
the NBA. Despite consistently high draft picks, the team is 91-336
during its history. The team's losing record, coupled with high
Canadian taxes, has resulted in some players refusing to sign with
the club.
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