Vancouver fans feel betrayed

On the day professional basketball moved closer to extinction in Vancouver, tennis was on the television at a local sports bar and the buzz over lunch was about the NHL Canucks signing their captain to a long-term deal.

Word that an NBA relocation committee had recommended Thursday that owners approve the Vancouver Grizzlies move to Memphis produced a shrug of resignation from patrons at Mahoneys Sports Grill.

Talk about the Grizzlies' recent trades and draft picks rekindled old scepticism about whether owner Michael Heisley ever was serious about keeping the team in Vancouver.

"They're cleaning house," said Niall Moore, as he noshed with pal Tom Whelan. "Over the past year, they didn't do anything.

"But now they're doing something, so you can draw you own conclusions."

Whelan voiced a common opinion in Vancouver.

"To me, it just gives more evidence that it really looks like this was his (Heisley's) original plan," he said.

The owners have until July 3 to cast their ballots on the relocation.

A three-quarters vote, or 22 teams, is required.

The Grizzlies moved their basketball operations to Memphis on June 23 and made their draft picks Wednesday night from temporary offices at The Peabody Hotel.

When the move is finally approved it will end a soap opera that has dragged on for months.

Instead of gasps of anxiety, the conclusion will probably bring sighs of relief from fans.

At the Grandville Sports Corner, hockey and soccer jerseys hung in the window.

There wasn't a basketball uniform in sight.

Sara Neumueller said there's been no stampede of fans buying Grizzlies stuff.

"Vancouver isn't a big enough basketball town," she said.

Everyone, including Heisley, knows the team is gone.

During the draft, commissioner David Stern had simply called the team the Grizzlies.

"I would be terribly surprised if the board of governors didn't vote to move," Heisley said in an interview from his Chicago office.

"It's been a very difficult process, so I would say I'm very relieved this is behind us."

The team that plays in Memphis will be very different than the squad that lost 359 games and millions of dollars over six seasons in Vancouver.

In a 36-hour period, the Grizzlies traded two of their best players, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Mike Bibby.

They also drafted Duke's Shane Battier, college basketball's player of the year.

In return for Bibby, the Grizzlies received Jason Williams and Nick Anderson from the Sacramento Kings.

In Abdur-Rahim, the Grizzlies sent their all-team leading scorer and rebounder to the Atlanta Hawks for centre/forward Lorenzen Wright, point guard Brevin Knight and the No. 3 pick overall in the draft, which was seven-foot Spanish centre Pau Gasol.

Would making those moves a year ago have helped keep the Grizzlies in Vancouver?

"You would be waiting to see what impact they will have," said Moore, recalling Vancouver picked second overall in three previous drafts.

"They've had high draft picks before."

Heisley, who bought the Grizzlies at the end of the 1999-2000 season, said he needed a year to evaluate the team.

"I always thought we'd do better than we did last year," he said about the 23-59 record, a franchise high for wins.

"When we didn't do better, then it was obvious things just weren't going to get better based on age and we had to shake things up."

Jay Triano, Canada's national basketball team coach who spent six years as a Grizzlies radio announcer, warned the Memphis fans not to expect much.

"Now Memphis is going to have to go through the same sorry (stuff) that we had to in Vancouver for six years," said Triano, who watched over 500 Grizzlies games.

"Those moves are crap. They had two legitimate stars in Shareef and Bibby and they didn't get value back."

Adding Battier was a smart move, but Triano questioned if Williams, noted for his flamboyant passes, will have any impact.

"Jason Williams sells tickets," said Triano. "But along with that ticket you have to keep your hands up because if you're sitting in the third row you might have to catch a pass."

Heisley first sought permission to move the franchise in February.

He said low season-ticket base and indifferent corporate support will result in him losing over $40 million US last season.

In Memphis, he'll have a new minority partner and a $250-million arena being paid for by the taxpayers.

By Jim Morris