Sports & Recreation

Canucks owner sets sights on moving NBA team back to Vancouver

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  • Feb 17th, 2011 9:36 am
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Canucks owner sets sights on moving NBA team back to Vancouver

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/b ... le1908929/

[QUOTE]For more than five years, Canucks Sports and Entertainment chairman Francesco Aquilini has eyed the NBA, looking for a portable franchise that could be bought for a bargain and moved to Vancouver.

Those sights are now set on the New Orleans Hornets.

Sources say Aquilini, whose family owns the NHL’s Canucks but was never involved with basketball’s Vancouver Grizzlies, is inspecting the Hornets, who are being sold by the NBA and could be relocated in the next few years. During an interview this week, commissioner David Stern said Vancouver is one of several markets interested in a relocated NBA franchise, and went out of his way to praise the strong business performance of the Canucks.

Aquilini did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. One source familiar with his NBA flirtations said Aquilini would require partners to finance a purchase, but that the NBA is impressed with the family’s stewardship of the Canucks.

“We’ve had visits from, believe it or not, Vancouver, where the Canucks are absolutely doing a spectacular job,” Stern told ESPN.

The NBA bought the Hornets last year for $310-million (all currency U.S.), but Forbes values the franchise at $280-million, or 26th among 30 clubs.

The NBA could be headed into a labour interruption after this season, but facing a similar situation in the NHL five years ago, Aquilini was undaunted. He first took a 50-per-cent gamble on the Canucks during the NHL lockout of 2004-05, before completing a full purchase from owner John McCaw in 2007.

Today, the franchise boasts a sellout streak of 337 home games and has gained $50-million in value, according to Forbes.

Stern referred to Seattle, which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008, as a “prime” market to get the NBA back once a new arena is built, but wondered whether that would happen in his tenure. He also said that three groups from Las Vegas and representatives from Anaheim have met with him regarding relocated franchises.

He listed Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Tampa/St. Petersburg as markets with NBA-ready facilities. Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, owned by the Canucks, would qualify as well.

“I have regrets about both Seattle and Vancouver,” Stern said.

The NBA purchased the Hornets when it became clear that owner George Shinn was no longer going to finance the club and when a proposed sale to a minority partner stalled. The club’s lease with the New Orleans Arena expires in 2014, but an escape clause could trigger in January, 2013 if attendance benchmarks are not met.

Stern re-iterated that his top priority is to find a buyer who would keep the team in New Orleans, but conceded that some NBA owners would prefer the club be contracted, and that other cities are circling.

“There [is] no shortage of suitors who have contacted us who want to buy the team and take it someplace else,” he said. “That would not be our first choice at all. That’s not why we stepped in and bought the team.”

The NBA’s Grizzlies left Vancouver for Memphis in 2001 after just six seasons, a brief existence that Stern has called his largest regret in 27 years as commissioner.

Aquilini’s interest in an NBA team dates to 2005, when the Hornets were temporarily displaced by Hurricane Katrina and eventually landed in Oklahoma City for two seasons. Within weeks of the disaster, discussions took place between the sides as Vancouver owned one of the few “plug-and-play” arenas at the time.

Shortly thereafter, when the Portland Trail Blazers were believed to be in play, the Canucks owner again looked at the possibility of returning the NBA to Vancouver. And in the spring of 2009, Aquilini was reportedly interested in purchasing and moving the Indiana Pacers, who were negotiating a new lease deal for Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis[/QUOTE]

With strong local ownership and a very strong Canadian dollar, this could definitely work.

To the people that are gonna say Vancouver couldn't support a team last time, go educate yourselves. Vancouver still drew decent crowds for an awful team. The real reason the NBA left Vancouver was because of a weak Canadian dollar and awful management plus an owner that didn't really care.
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Mar 18, 2008
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No doubt that the weak Canadian dollar had a part to play when the Grizzlies were there before. IMO, one of the biggest reasons why they shouldn't go back to Vancouver is because players simply don't want to play in Canada. Look at what's happened to Toronto. We can't attract the big superstars and the ones we draft always want to leave. I'm sure it's still profitable but the fans will be left with a team thats a non contender year in and year out.
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Indeed Vancouver is a tough sell for big talent but if anyone one can do it, it would be the Aquilini Group. The Olympic afterglow also helps.
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I would love to see vancouver support a team in post grizzlies era however I just don't think Vancouver can endure waiting for wins. Let's face it Vancouver has the right effen now attitude.
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hardness wrote: I would love to see vancouver support a team in post grizzlies era however I just don't think Vancouver can endure waiting for wins. Let's face it Vancouver has the right effen now attitude.
I don't know about that. I knew a few people who had season tickets for the Griz the entire time the team was here, win or no wins. Look at the Canucks. We've waited 40 damn years! :lol:
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Ever since Yao Ming came to NBA basketball has grown exponentially amongst the Asian community. I think that with GVR's large base of various asian ethnicities there'll be a bigger base of fans now coming to games and following the team. A lot of celebrities like Vancouver and many will show up to games due to all the movies and tv shows filming there. Plus I agree with Haz that Olympic success will put a more positive spin on this making it an easier sell.

As far as NBA'ers not wanting to come here, that's more an after-effect of the growing disparity between team and player power. Who wants to play in Utah with all the mormons? Be a third wheel LA team in Sacramento? Vancouver is one of nicest cities to live in North America, but players are gonna follow the Bosh-Wade-LBJ course and force the hands of many small market teams because of money and forming these super teams. The selfishness and their growing power is the only reason they wouldn't come to a place like Vancouver.

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