Cities Lining Up to Court Vancouver Owner

The owner of the Vancouver Grizzlies visited St. Louis Tuesday and plans to meet with New Orleans officials today.

Michael Heisley, owner of the Grizzlies, met Tuesday with Bill Laurie, who owns the St. Louis Blues of the NHL and controls the local arena. Heisley bought the Grizzlies last year, after the NBA rejected Laurie’s bid to buy the team because he planned to move it to St. Louis. The NBA last week granted Heisley permission to explore a move.

New Orleans wants to lure Heisley to its new arena, where the absence of an NHL team would allow Heisley to control arena revenue.

Officials from the NBA and the Grizzlies have had preliminary discussions with representatives of the Arrowhead Pond and the Walt Disney Co. The Mighty Ducks’ lease forces any NBA team playing at the Pond to share millions in revenue with Disney, although Disney has expressed its willingness to renegotiate to accommodate an NBA team.

Heisley must apply to the NBA by March 1 if he wishes to move the Grizzlies after this season. Heisley previously visited Nashville, but officials there said they could not prepare a viable proposal by March 1.

Also Tuesday, Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello asked Heisley to consider his city, though Masiello acknowledged Buffalo was probably “a longshot” in a derby that also includes Louisville, San Jose and Long Island, N.Y, with Las Vegas interested but eliminated as long as casinos allow betting on NBA games.