The one-month anniversary of Allan Slaight's buyout of
John Bitove Jr.'s stake in the Raptors and its effect on
their relationship with the Maple Leafs, is examined by Neil
Campbell of the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL. After four weeks, "no
tangible signs of partnership exist and insiders say the
clubs are finding it more difficult than anticipated to
reach common ground." The Raptors "seem committed" to
building the Air Canada Centre, which the NBA has told them
to "get cracking on." Raptors President Richard Peddie: "if
we moved off that site, they'd want us to have a real good
reason why." Meanwhile, sources say the Leafs are about a
month away from reaching a deal to buy the land for a new
Maple Leaf Gardens. NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik
said the possibility of the Raptors reaching a deal with the
Leafs on an arena other than the Air Canada Centre is
"highly unlikely." Granik: "I don't think there's any way
that can be done on any timetable that would make any sense
to the NBA." Campbell notes the NBA is familiar with Leafs
Minority Owner Larry Tanenbaum, the "main player in the
current arena drama," since he was the favorite to land
Toronto's NBA expansion team. He had "well-heeled" partners
and had struck an arena deal with the Leafs and Campbell
adds if the NBA had not chosen Bitove over Tanenbaum, the
Leafs and Raptors "already would be sharing a building."
But there "remains a chance that Toronto will have two
expensive playpens for the turn of the millennium" One
insider told Campbell the likelihood that happening would be
10% "if everybody approaches this the sane way, 50-50 if the
NBA gets heavily involved" (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 12/13).
