Californian Bidding for Denver Nuggets - NBA: A La Jolla businessman is negotiating for the team after two Chicago investors failed to meet a purchase deadline.

A California businessman is negotiating to buy the Denver Nuggets, one of a few potential buyers who have expressed interest in the NBA team since investors Peter Bynoe and Bertram Lee failed to meet a purchase deadline this week.

Lee and Bynoe still hope to buy the NBA franchise, and Nuggets owner Sidney Shlenker still hopes to sell it to them, said Andy Shlenker, Sidney’s son and Nuggets part-owner.

But news reports about snags in the sale served to drum up interest in other quarters as well.

One of those expressing interest in the Nuggets is Dana Brewer, who owns Global Petroleum in La Jolla. Brewer has attended recent league meetings because he is interested in buying an NBA team.

“We’re interested in purchasing the team. Denver would be the place the Nuggets would play. We’re looking to get into the NBA, not to buy a team and move it,” Mike Ornstein said Thursday after confirming that Brewer is trying to buy the franchise.

Ornstein, a senior administrator with the Raiders until resigning in March, said he would be Nuggets president should Brewer’s bid be successful.

Another potential buyer being mentioned is David Wolff, a Houston real estate developer and friend of Sidney Shlenker’s who was among the bidders for the San Antonio Spurs last year.

“David and Sidney are friends. I am sure they have talked, but how long, I don’t know,” said Andy Shlenker. “I don’t know if they have even talked about the Nuggets.

“There are a lot of people in this country with money. And they look at Denver and see a growing city, and they look at the NBA and see such good cash flow. I imagine the board of governors (owners) has ways of informing people about (the Nuggets) . . . that there have been meetings about this, albeit private ones. . . . If I had to guess, I’d say two, three or four (potential buyers have surfaced). I think it’s all very recent.

“I’d be very surprised if Sidney lowers the price. I don’t think he needs to. I think Sidney is moving on all fronts.”

In July, Sidney Shlenker announced the Nuggets had been sold for $65 million in a transaction that would make Lee and Bynoe the first black owners of a major league sports franchise.

“Sidney is driven by that,” said Andy Shlenker. “He wants to be a part of history. He is not a patient man. Normally, he would have run out of patience long ago. But I’m quite proud of him because he wants to contribute to social advancement in this country.”

The Chicago businessmen missed three closing deadlines while searching for ways to strengthen their financing, and on Tuesday they allowed the contract of sale to expire.