Diesel Power: Kansas City MYLeague.

[RMJH4]

Jordan joins Grizzlies front office.

Showing the command that allowed him to dominate the National Basketball Association for 13 years, Michael Jordan set the tone for his new job as president of basketball operations and part owner of the Vancouver Grizzlies yesterday, saying he would answer only to majority owner Michael Heisley, that his influence would be felt throughout the organization and that "until we get ourselves on track everybody is disposable."

After a five-month courtship, Jordan finalized a deal early yesterday morning that would give him five years to help transform the Grizzlies, who have not made the playoffs in their inaugural 4 years in the league, into a winner. Jordan said that Stu Jackson will remain with the team as general manager and that Susan O'Malley will continue as CEO and president of business operations.

"I'm going to have my imprints and footprints all over this organization," said Jordan, who will initally commute in his private jet between Vancouver and his home in Chicago. "I look forward to turning this thing around. Right now we're an underachieving team. I'll be moving to Vancouver full time soon, but for the moment I will commute. That will not effect my commitment to the job."

The deal gives Jordan a share of equity that could increase to 20 percent if new majority owner Michael Heisley ever decides to sell.

Jordan is the third black minority owner in the NBA – former superstar Magic Johnson owns a small piece of the Los Angeles Lakers; Edward and Bettiann Gardner are part owners of Jordan's former team, the Chicago Bulls. But Jordan's share, if it grows to the expected 20 percent, would give him a more substantial piece of an NBA team than any other black owner, a source said yesterday.

"This is new to me," said Jordan, whose duties will include drafting, trading and signing players and hiring and firing coaches. "Being in charge is something that I never had an opportunity to do. Maybe that's not the ingredient that may turn this team around. Then again, it may be. That's the beauty of trying.

"I won't be wearing the Grizzlies uniform. I have an attitude about the way I play. I have an attitude about the way I win, and my job and responsibility with this organization is to see if I can pass it on to the players in that uniform."

Heisley, who bought the team last week, has the majority ownership.

"He makes everybody better, I saw that first hand in the United Center all of those years." Heisley said of Jordan, who led the Bulls to six NBA championships. "He's a fierce competitor. He will not accept losing. He's going to get the best out of everybody. And that's why I've turned the basketball operations over to him."

Jordan's marriage to the Grizzlies comes months after his bid to purchase the Charlotte Hornets fell through. Jordan also has been linked to buying the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets. NBA Commissioner David Stern prompted his interest in owning a team; however Jordan's decision to get into the hands-on, day-to-day operations was a relatively new-found aspiration, Jordan said.

"A lot of it had to do with the relationships I had with the people on this podium," Jordan said. "Michael being generous enough to allow me to make decisions based on basketball. It's a great city. I've spent a lot of time here recently. It's the closest thing to North Carolina besides Charlotte."

The first meeting was arranged in November of 1999 in New York with Falk, Jordan, Heisley and Falk's partner, Curtis Polk. In April of 2000, Falk brought Jordan and Heisley together. Jordan subsequently had dinner at Heisley's house, where further progress was made about Jordan joining the team.

Jordan and Heisley eventually agreed to join the team as president of basketball operations, pursuant to Heisley's ownership being approved by the league office.

"[Falk] was instrumental in making this happen," Heisley said. "Without David, it would not have happened. David was the guy that started all this. David was the guy who contacted Michael in the beginning."

The newfound relationship allowed Heisley to bring Jordan in just one step below him in the Grizzlies chain of command. Jordan said Stu Jackson would report to him but that he hopes they will carry on a joint relationship.

"There's been a lot of stories that have said Stu is going to get kicked to the curb, not have any input with the team, and that's not the case," Jordan said. "I've always respected coaches like Stu that have been around the before the league for years. . . . If it wasn't for them, the league wouldn't have been my platform to excel."

Jordan went on to say that if he and Jackson disagreed on some issues, he had the authority to overrule Jackson.

"I'm okay with everything," Jackson said.

The status of Interim Coach Lionel Hollins and some of Vancouver's players seems more uncertain.

"If everyone is looking over their shoulders making sure their necks don't get chopped off that's good – you go out there and do your job," Jordan said. "If any players are worried about being traded, go out there do your job and you won't have to worry about it. If Lionel is worried about what's going to happen he's going to go out and do his job. I'm not saying I'm going to fire or hire Lionel Hollins. I'm going to evaluate everybody."

Jordan's considerable power as a drawing card was in evidence yesterday. His late-afternoon news conference drew the largest media gathering at General Motors Place since the Grizzlies were launched a little more than four years ago.

O'Malley, president of Vancouver Sports and Entertainment, said the Wizards sold about 200 season-ticket packages before yesterday's news conference even began.

"The rumor has been building all week and we have been selling seats," she said. "We haven't been selling a lot for tonight. But, what we have been selling are season tickets. A couple of hundred today. Who knows tomorrow when they believe it? We expect a big hit."

District Mayor Anthony Williams said Jordan's arrival will have a positive effect on the entire city.

"This clearly is a big day in our city," Williams said. "We have someone here who not only is a great athlete, but he can show our children what it means to be an executive as a role model. Show what it means to make a commitment like it already has. It really is going to electrify our city and probably Canada too."

[RMJH4]

NBA Owners block relocation of Grizzlies, Heisley to sell team to Francesco Aquilini and Magic Johnson for $200 Million.

May 15th - Vancouver, BC -- NBA officials announced today the Grizzlies would be remaining in Vancouver. The NBA Board of Governors moved to reject the relocation in April. The NBA owners today voted against the relocation. With the proposal to reject the relocation expected, Michael Heisley will now move forward with the sale of the team.

Vancouver businessman Francesco Aquilini and his business partner Magic Johnson are at the front of the queue to buy the Grizzlies. AIG and Johnson have been purchasing shares in Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment group in recent months. AIG are also trying to regain the Canucks franchise into the Orca Bay Group.

In light of the NBA Owners vote, The Vancouver Grizzlies announced that controlling owner Michael Heisley has sent a formal notice to the NBA that he will be selling his controlling interest in the basketball team.

17 Months after Heisley bought the controlling interest in the team, he is in negotiation to sell the team for $200 million. A profit of $40 million, which allows Heisley to break even on his initial investment. It's amazing that Heisley didn't just wait it out another season and a half to relocate the team. The Board of Governors found documentation stating that a franchise could not be relocated until ownership had held the team for 3 years minimum. Thus putting Heisley in a predicament. Heisley lost $40 million dollars in the last year, and previous owner John McCaw Jr lost the same in the previous season.

There are a lot of questions to be asked and answered now if Aquilini and Johnson's proposed sale goes through. The Grizzlies finished in the bottom 4 in the standings with a 23-59 record. They are slated to probably pick between #2 and #6 in the NBA Draft in June. Bryant Reeves has been battling injuries, and with Sidney Lowe being fired, the franchise is in real turmoil. Its up to Aquilini and Johnson to steady the ship here, and quickly.

[RMJH4]

Grizzlies sold to Aquilini Investment Group and Magic Johnson.

May 22nd 2001

Vancouver, British Columbia - A group including former NBA player Magic Johnson has agreed to purchase Vancouver Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley's majority share in the team.

Heisley announced Monday that he will sell his 70 percent interest in Hoops, LP, the parent company of the Grizzlies and operator of the General Motors Place, to AIG Investment Group and Johnson.

A billionaire based in Chicago, Heisley bought the Vancouver Grizzlies for $160 million in 2000 and seventeen months later is selling the team after a failed relocation to Memphis Tennessee.

Magic Johnson famously played point guard for the Lakers for 13 seasons. After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA draft by the Lakers. He won a championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in his rookie season, and won four more championships with the Lakers during the 1980s. Johnson retired abruptly in 1991 after announcing that he had contracted HIV, but returned to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP Award. After protests from his fellow players, he retired again for four years, but returned in 1996, at age 36, to play 32 games for the Lakers before retiring for the third and final time.

Johnson was a member of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team "The Dream Team", which won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. After leaving the NBA in 1992, Johnson formed the Magic Johnson All-Stars, a barnstorming team that travelled around the world playing exhibition games. Johnson was honored as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. Getting Johnson on board with this bid was vital, as the franchise needs some positive PR to get back on track.

The remaining 30 percent of the Grizzlies belongs to a local ownership group that includes a range of local businessmen. The group has 60 days to decide whether to match the terms of the agreement between Heisley, AIG and Johnson.

"You have to engage the community and the city of Vancouver to believe in what you're trying to achieve," Aquilini said. "What I'm trying to achieve is to have a fantastic team that wants to win championships. The second thing you have to do is sit down with local leaders and municipalities and make this our team."

Listed among Forbes magazine's 400 richest Americans, Heisley was looking to relocate the team because it was losing money. When the NBA rejected the relocation, he felt he had no choice but to sell. Aquilini and Johnson were waiting in the wings to swoop in and buy the team.

Magic Johnson is now also rumored to take the role as President of Basketball Operations in Vancouver.

"Owning an NBA team has been one of my goals in my professional life," Johnson said. "I will be forever grateful to the people of AIG and Francesco for allowing me to come on board with this project. I am especially excited to connect with our great Grizzlies fans. I am sure they will support us from the very beginning. I am proud that we managed to keep this team in Vancouver and we are both confident that our future ownership will start building some success. We want to bring a new exciting and winning brand of basketball to the people of Vancouver."

[lazershow]

Like the shaq signing

Sent from my SM-N920V using Operation Sports mobile app

[RMJH4]

Grizzlies Front Office and Coaches handed walking papers.

June 1st, 2001

In a move that surprised many within the NBA, Francesco Aquilini has informed the Grizzlies front office and entire coaching staff that their contracts have been bought out. General Manager Billy Knight and Head Coach Sidney Lowe, who are both highly regarded in the NBA, would also be among those released.

“It’s a bold if not a dangerous move,” said Bill Simmons of ESPN “When you buy a team you generally want to surround yourself with people who know what they’re doing, which usually means holdovers from the last ownership group. This seems to fly in the face of that, but when you're one of the worst teams in the league year after year, heads are gonna roll.”

The news has been met with mixed reactions from around the league, notably from current front office executives. “I think doing it now, so close to the NBA Draft, is short-sighted,” said one Western Conference GM. “It’s disrespectful to have this done so soon in his tenure as owner. It’s going to make hiring replacements harder I think; no one wants to work for someone who won’t even give you a chance.”

One Eastern Conference executive disagreed. “Oh, no doubt some will hate this but this is a business that encourages taking risk, jumping on opportunities … there are plenty of young talents out there for the Grizzlies to reap. They drastically need to reshape how that franchise is being run, the bleeding needs to stop. Look at the Raptors, what a contrast. There is no reason why the Grizzlies can't be profitable.”

The Grizzlies have let it be known to the entire team that there will be some roster reshaping, be prepared to be moved. “It’s a relief to a lot of guys that we are staying in Vancouver, well at least for the moment” said Shareef Abdur-Rahim "It'll be a long offseason.”

[lazershow]

With cle and gs the powerhouses they are for the forseeable future the long approach is best. Load up on high picks and be ready in 3-5 seasons.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Operation Sports mobile app

[RMJH4]

Grizzlies hire Byron Scott as Head Coach, Appoint Magic as President of Basketball Operations.

The dust has barely settled with the ownership changeover in Vancouver, but that hasn't stopped the new ownership group putting their stamp on the franchise. As expected part owner Magic Johnson has been appointed President of Basketball Operations. It is unknown if Johnson will appoint a General Manager to work under him to navigate the muddy salary cap waters. However that did not hold Johnson back in making his first hire. Byron Scott, former teammate of Johnson with the Lakers has been given a bounce-back opportunity to re-start his coaching career with the Grizzlies.

Byron Scott began his NBA coaching career in 1998, when he began the first of two seasons as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings. He specialized in teaching perimeter shooting during his tenure with the Kings and helped to lead the team to an excellent three-point shooting percentage during a pair of playoff seasons. Scott took-over the New Jersey Nets as Head Coach this past season, but after a poor showing and a 26-56 record, Scott was fired.

"Obviously I have known Byron for years as a teammate. This is not just me hiring a friend for a get together. I believe Byron can be an excellent coach, and I wanted to hire him before any other franchise could snap him up. He never got a fair shot with the Nets, so I was quick to right that. He has always been a High IQ player, and knows what it takes to be successful, how to make sacrifices and how to lead others. It is going to be a pleasure to work with Byron, and I know he will get the most out of our roster."

[Slyone14]

Really liking this bro. Both teams picked up good guys. So looking forward to the draft. Do you know if your coaches rating actually matter?