Re: Is the NBA back?
Attendance wasn't the problem. Heck Vancouver proved itself as having one of the most loyal fanbases in the league. It amazes me how the crowds didn't dip below 12,000 on a consistent basis. The team never won more than 23 games in a season.
The NBA screwed over the Grizzlies the moment they were granted a franchise. They told Arthur Griffiths to hire Stu Jackson to run the club because he would be successful. They put a stack of restrictions such as not being able to pick in the top 5 in the first year and not being able to pick number 1 for a couple more years. The team couldn't have full cap space for the first couple of seasons.
And then you have that bastard Bill Laurie who lied to the fans here. He actually had the balls to fly to Vancouver to speak to the media and fans about how if he bought the club he would keep it in Vancouver. Good thing the NBA found out about his real plan of moving it to St. Louis and didn't accept his bid. And then Vancouver fans dealt with another assclown in Michael Heisley. He actually bought the team and moved it to Memphis after one season. He came in saying how he was committed to keeping the team in Vancouver and even built a new practice facility. What the fans didn't know at the time was that he was already putting his plan in place of moving the team. He turned down corporate sponsorship behind closed doors. And then he justified his move by saying there wasn't enough corporate support and fans to support the team. He did a 180. He ****ed over all the basketball fans here. The NBA just sat back and watched it all unfold.
As a person that went to 7-10 games every season and spent a lot of money on merchandise, the NBA and Heisley basically spat on my face and called me a fool.
I respect Marc Cuban for being the only NBA owner to publically come out and say the NBA screwed over Vancouver.
Anybody that says Vancouver wasn't a viable NBA market or it was the fans fault that the Grizzlies left doesn't know what they're talking about.
Originally posted by jmood88
The NBA screwed over the Grizzlies the moment they were granted a franchise. They told Arthur Griffiths to hire Stu Jackson to run the club because he would be successful. They put a stack of restrictions such as not being able to pick in the top 5 in the first year and not being able to pick number 1 for a couple more years. The team couldn't have full cap space for the first couple of seasons.
And then you have that bastard Bill Laurie who lied to the fans here. He actually had the balls to fly to Vancouver to speak to the media and fans about how if he bought the club he would keep it in Vancouver. Good thing the NBA found out about his real plan of moving it to St. Louis and didn't accept his bid. And then Vancouver fans dealt with another assclown in Michael Heisley. He actually bought the team and moved it to Memphis after one season. He came in saying how he was committed to keeping the team in Vancouver and even built a new practice facility. What the fans didn't know at the time was that he was already putting his plan in place of moving the team. He turned down corporate sponsorship behind closed doors. And then he justified his move by saying there wasn't enough corporate support and fans to support the team. He did a 180. He ****ed over all the basketball fans here. The NBA just sat back and watched it all unfold.
As a person that went to 7-10 games every season and spent a lot of money on merchandise, the NBA and Heisley basically spat on my face and called me a fool.
I respect Marc Cuban for being the only NBA owner to publically come out and say the NBA screwed over Vancouver.
Anybody that says Vancouver wasn't a viable NBA market or it was the fans fault that the Grizzlies left doesn't know what they're talking about.
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