N.Y.-based investment bank Wasserstein, Perella & Co.,
which is brokering the sale of Ascent Entertainment's sports
assets, "received four formal offers" for the Nuggets,
Avalanche and Pepsi Center yesterday, according to John
Accola of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS. Ascent's shareholders
"have placed" a $500M market value on its sports holdings,
and set a $400M minimum bid. While Saudi Princess Thara
Baselia Saud and the group led by Erik Borgen, George
Gillett and John Elway placed bids Wednesday, two other
investor groups -- one headed by CO billionaire Donald Sturm
and one by Triarc Chair Nelson Peltz -- "wouldn't disclose
... if they were bidders." Ascent could announce the group
with the superior bid on Monday (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/22).
HER AIR-NESS? Among the investors in Saud's group is
Ashland Capital Holdings Chair Valerian Smith III, who said
that Saud was "invited" by NBA Commissioner David Stern to
make a bid for the teams (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/22). In a
front-page story in today's DENVER POST, Mike Monroe reports
of Saud's bid for the properties. Group partner Charles
Grantham said of Saud, "She's in it to win it." Grantham
added that Saud met "personally" with Michael Jordan's reps
in order to gauge his interest in investing in the bid
group. Grantham: "It was something of interest to her to
see if Michael was interested in joining the group. We hope
to get confirmation of his interest" (DENVER POST, 7/22).
FSN's Kevin Frazier reported that David Falk told the net
that the N.Y. Post report on Jordan's possible involvement
in the group was "factually incorrect." Frazier: "He didn't
say which parts were incorrect" (FSN, 7/21). In Denver,
Woody Paige writes that Saud "may be a wonderful human
being, but she should go spend her money on baubles and
beads, not basketballs and pucks" (DENVER POST, 7/22).
