Bill and Nancy Laurie's acquisition of the Grizzlies is
expected to be voted on at this week's NBA league meetings
in N.Y., and in Vancouver, Greg Douglas wrote that two "very
different issues" regarding the purchase will be addressed.
One issue is that the Lauries "will need" 75% approval "from
the governors for the ownership transfer." Also, 50%
approval "will be required to re-locate the franchise."
Douglas noted "it is quite possible the re-location matter
won't even appear" on the meetings' agenda. Douglas added
that earlier published reports were "dead wrong" about the
NBA receiving $50M from Laurie "upon completion of the
ownership transfer." However, Laurie will owe Orca Bay CEO
John McCaw an additional $45M "if the franchise is re-
located." Douglas noted that Blues President & CEO Mark
Sauer was "spending considerable time in the Grizzlies front
office these last couple of weeks" (VANCOUVER SUN, 10/23).
A GENERAL ASSESSMENT: Also in Vancouver, Greg Mason
questioned why "a group of wealthy business people from B.C.
want to pool their money to save" the Grizzlies. Mason:
"The answer may lie, partially, in an economic impact
assessment of GM Place, the Canucks and Grizzlies that was
done for Orca Bay last year by the accounting firm KPMG."
The assessment reported that GM Place and the two teams
"provide 2,090 full-year equivalent jobs in B.C., of which
2,015 were in Greater Vancouver" (VANCOUVER SUN, 10/23).
