"Maybe we shouldn't have done it there, maybe we should have only expanded into Toronto . . . that was a great disappointment to me," he said.
Stern is doubtful the NBA could ever return to British Columbia.
"I don't think we can go back," Stern said. "I think that was a great city, and I think we just didn't take advantage of the opportunity."
That was taken from an article written in 2008. On a recent Bill Simmons ESPN podcast, he spoke with NBA commissioner David Stern about the current state of the NBA, the CBA, possible contraction, and Stern's regrets about both Seattle and Vancouver.
He mention the interest coming from investors in cities like Las Vegas, Seattle, Anaheim and yes, Vancouver. He also praised the Vancouver Canucks on their spectacular success in the NHL.
Now this isn't the first time that investors from the area have expressed interest in the NBA. Francesco Aquilini, owner of the Canucks, was rumoured to be interested in purchasing the Indiana Pacers and moving the team to Vancouver, B.C back in 2009. Ofcourse nothing happened since the team is still in Indiana. But how viable is the current market and infrastructure if the NBA were to return to the area?
The current Rogers Arena, formerly known as the General Motors Place, isn't exactly the newest arena compared to the ones in Kansas City or Pittsburgh, but it's been extensively renovated since its 1995 construction with new luxury suites including renovations for the 2010 Winter Olympics and makes a lot of money for the Canucks, something that Mr. Stern likes.
Now the arena will obviously need some alterations to host NBA basketball however the facility is ready to go in terms for a prospective NBA team. And with rumours of Heisley willing to sell his Grizzlies, why not sell it to Aquilini and move the team back? Memphis is not a hotbed for NBA basketball and I'll admit that neither is Vancouver, however they are a better market right now than Memphis.
During their first stint, the Grizzlies also failed to draw in corporate sponsors and reach out to the city’s various ethnic communities. Basketball has now literally exploded in popularity in China and among Chinese-Canadians, so much so that Team China received most of the cheers than Team Canada when the two teams squared off in an exhibition match up in Vancouver last summer.
Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian will be free agents this summer and Jeremy Lin shouldn't be hard to acquire in a trade. And those moves would make sense position and roster wise for the Grizzlies when Zach Randolph bolts in the summer to whoever that pays him the most. With those 3, they should have no problems reeling in corporate sponsors and fans alike.
Steve Nash would be ideal choice however it seems like at his stage, he would be better off playing for a contender. Not to mention that there are more Canadians than ever before playing in the NCAA.
Something to think about.
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