Politicking the Grizzly Move

The campaign to bring the Vancouver Grizzlies to Anaheim added a political dimension Tuesday, when City Manager James Ruth said his staff had solicited letters of support from 20 elected officials.

Although the city is the only public entity expected to help pay to land the Grizzlies, the city has asked Gov. Gray Davis, Sen. Barbara Boxer, all five Orange County supervisors, plus congressmen and state legislators representing the county to write Vancouver owner Michael Heisley and encourage him to move his NBA team to the Arrowhead Pond.

As Pond executives continue to negotiate with the Grizzlies, Ruth said he hoped the letters would demonstrate broad-based community support and help sway Heisley to make a return visit to Anaheim before March 26, the deadline for Heisley to tell the NBA where he would like his team to play next season.

Heisley is expected to visit Louisville again and also is considering New Orleans, Las Vegas and Memphis. A spokesman for Steve Perry, chief of staff to Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster, said the Associated Press had misquoted Perry Monday as saying New Orleans and Anaheim were the two finalists. On Tuesday, Perry said, “At the end, we think we will have one of the top two proposals, along with Anaheim. That’s just what I see.”

When Heisley visited Anaheim last week, he expressed concern that the Grizzlies would be the secondary tenant at the Pond to Disney’s Mighty Ducks, in particular because the Ducks’ lease would divert revenues from Grizzlies’ games into Disney’s pocket. Disney has agreed to share an undisclosed portion of the estimated $5 million to $7 million it would control from premium seating for NBA games, advertising and naming rights.

Heisley did not meet with Disney officials when he visited Anaheim. He has yet to accept an invitation to return, Ruth said.

“If I were in his shoes, I’d have the same concern,” Ruth said. “Once he has a chance to meet with the people from Disney, I’m sure they’ll be able to work together and work something out.”

Officials in New Orleans this week launched a pledge drive, asking fans and businesses to call a toll-free number or click onto a web site and promise to purchase luxury suites and season tickets should the Grizzlies move there. No money is required; officials simply hope to demonstrate to Heisley that he could sell out the 44 suites and sell at least 12,000 season tickets in the 18,500-seat arena there.

Pond General Manager Tim Ryan said he saw no need for a similar drive in Anaheim. The 82 suites at the Pond are sold out, and Ruth said suite holders all had indicated interest in paying more to keep the suites for NBA games. In recent years, Pond executives have discussed building six to 12 additional suites.

“With the NBA, the demand would be such we’d probably have to do it,” Ruth said.

Ryan said he has received “numerous unsolicited letters” from fans and companies willing to buy season tickets for Grizzlies’ games, though he declined to say how many.

“If we felt setting up season-ticket pledge campaigns was the right way to go, I would probably have that done in the next few hours,” Ryan said. “That’s not something I feel is critical at this point. We’re very fortunate to have a proven track record of support for the NBA.”

The Clippers averaged 14,830 as part-time tenants at the Pond from 1994 to 1999. The Utah Jazz averaged 10,010 in New Orleans from 1974 to 1979, then moved to Utah.

Heisley is believed to have asked each of the interested cities to build the Grizzlies a training facility and pay an estimated $16 million to buy out the four years remaining on the team’s lease at the GM Place arena in Vancouver. Perry said the New Orleans bid would include public money to pay for the training site but would require private funds to pay for the buyout.

In Anaheim, Ruth said, the city would provide free land for the training site, worth up to $2 million, and would pay construction costs he estimated at $6 million. He said that Chapman University had offered the Grizzlies use of its campus gym while the training facility was under