Here's what you had to say about the Grizzlies possibly leaving Vancouver:

'Failure' all part of the master plan
It was Michael Heisley's intention all along to get permission from David Stern to relocate the team. I can only believe that this was his sole intention, to buy the team, run it poorly, and beg the commissioner to relocate. What kind of a successful businessman hires an inexperienced president, (and one that's hated around the league) and a know-nothing type of GM to turn around a struggling franchise? Forget building a new practice facility in downtown! He should have hired a well-respected president and GM. What kind of transactions did Mr.Versace do when he took over? Traded for Ike Austin? Wow, that should improve the team a lot! He needed to revamp his roster before the start of the season. Any idiot could have figured that out.

Also, the ticket drive was really late this year and the Grizzlies haven't gotten to the large Asian population. They need to promote to the Asian community a lot more because that's where the money's at.

Kenji Nomura
Vancouver, B.C.

Vancouver just a symptom
The NBA has much bigger problems right now then worrying about the Grizzlies in Vancouver. They need to try to prevent what's happening in Vancouver from happening to a majority of teams in the league. It's time for the NBA to start enforcing its on court rules, and return to the high scoring, skills-oriented form of play that we saw in the eighties. Maybe if that were to happen, interest in cities like Vancouver would increase, and the financial concerns wouldn't be an issue.

Derek Blume
Middleton, WI

Stern getting what he deserves
This just proves that the NBA puts very little forethought into expansion. The Grizzlies have proven there is no support for pro hoops in Vancouver, the Hornets are looking for a new home, and the Heat cannot fill their beautiful, new arena. Real shame that David Stern is so greedy – he has built himself a watered-down league that no one cares about.

Chris
Chicago, IL

Keep 'em where they are
I think that the NBA and players should be ashamed of themselves. First off, they get paid millions of dollars to play a "game" and they still complain about playing in Canada because they are losing money. David Stern screwed both the Grizzlies and Raptors by not letting them get the first pick overall, which really hurt both teams. Also we get the worst GM in NBA history to screw our franchise. Michael Heisley is saying that he is losing 50 million dollars, which is impossible; they get 27 million in TV revenue and merchandise. I truly think that he wanted to move the team from the start, because he had the training camp in America and didn't promote his team worth (expletive). I really hope the Grizzlies stay because the NBA needs a different taste in the league.

Ravi
Vancouver, B.C.

Front office fat and happy
The Grizzlies went out and spent a lot of money on three guys this last summer – all three are executives. They really only made one trade and that was to take on Isaac Austin and his huge contract. No wonder they are going to lose a ton of money this year. How was the fan support the first few games of the season when they started out strong? They shouldn't think basketball in Vancouver won't fly until they put a more successful team on the floor and see what happens. The fans or the "weak Canadian dollar" should not be blamed, but the people who put the players on the court.

Scott
Boulder, CO

Why the double standard?
(The NBA) would not let Bill Laurie purchase the team and move it to St. Louis. It would be unfair to let Michael Heisley move it now. He knew they wanted someone who would keep the team in Vancouver. He made his bed, now he can lie in it.

Randy Bailey
Mt. Vernon, IL

Stern's ego in the way of progress
If Mr. Stern would have gotten off of his high horse and realized a year and a half ago that the Grizzlies was a troubled franchise, he would have had a prosperous franchise in St. Louis. But nooooooo … instead he stepped in for the "better interest of the NBA" and cracked down on the sale of the franchise to Bill Laurie, current owner of the NHL's St. Louis Blues and Savvis Center. Had he just swallowed his ego and looked at the bottom line, he would not have to worry about fixing a leaky ship. What a wonderful visionary you are, Mr. Stern. Another example of ego interfering with business acumen.

Jeff Torbit
St. Louis, MO

NBA does not know what it has in Canada
This is a true reflection of the current state of the NBA. Owners are seeking public funds to build cradles for their whining babies, jacking up prices to drive away fans, sucking corporate sponsors dry, and using creative accounting to display a loss while they waddle from city to city with their stuffed pockets. And the owners are the nice guys in this environment! The players are a thousand times worse. In the entertainment industry, Canada (especially Vancouver) is a haven for Americans. Yet the spoiled, uneducated NBA player is ignorant to the fact that Canada does not consist of igloos and that we are an established part of the North American media.

Players such as Tracy McGrady, Kenny Anderson, and Steve Francis have shunned Canada because of these factors. Yet, have they not noticed that the new NBA superstar, marketing machine and leading vote getter two years in a row is a player in Toronto? If the teams in Canada are in jeopardy, I can only hope that they are completely disbanded and a relocation draft is held. At least that way there will be 30 less jobs available and the players will realize that an opportunity to play and make ridiculous sums of money is worthwhile even in Canada.

Mark Skeggs
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

'Gramps' Heisley an evil dude
Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley has had plans to move right from the start, despite putting on a "caring grandfather act" saying how he cares for the city. He is pretty much running this franchise into the ground. There are many, many things going on behind the scenes that much of the public is not aware of until recently, such as, starting a season ticket renewal package six weeks before the season started, when most teams do it midsummer; no marketing done of the team towards the huge Asian population living in Vancouver; and unreturned phone calls to businesses interested in corporate sponsorship.

Vancouver fans have seen the worst franchise in NBA history (with its best season ever of 22 wins) for five-plus years, with owners that haven't cared for the team. Yet the fans continue to come out and support them amazingly. It sure would be a shame for these fans to never see what winning basketball, heck , even .500 basketball was. Give this team an owner that actually cares, as well as 30–40 wins, and the fans would blow the roof of GM Place. Try switching the Lakers and Grizzlies for a year in their respective cities and see what kind of a response basketball would get here. Nice screw job by the NBA and Mr. Heisley.

Alan Chim
Kelowna, B.C.

Pull the plug

As a long-time suffering fan in Vancouver, I have to say that the NBA experiment in Vancouver has failed miserably and that the team has to go. Doomed from the very beginning: the franchise has gone through 3 ownership changes, too many bad draft picks, bad trades, failure to lure any significant free agents, signing Bryant "Big Country" Reeves to a 10-year $60 million dollar contract, and the constant bad rap NBA players give Vancouver.

How can Michael Heisley expect fans in Vancouver to support the Grizzlies when the product on the floor is never going to get better? And Commissioner David Stern has to take some blame too for overlooking the fact that the young and old star players in the NBA will never want to play in Vancouver.

Adrian
Vancouver, B.C.

Vancouver has had enough
Listen: The Raptors were a terrible team in their toddler years too. Anyone remember Damon Stoudamire's wriggling to get out of T.O.? However, their GM stood up at the end of one of their worst seasons, in front of the crowd, and promised that things would get better. I remember that speech, the home crowd was booing the hell out of him. Guess what? He made good on his promises, made smart draft choices (Steve Francis? When he expressly said he didn't want to come here?), and now Toronto is a force in the East.

Stu Jackson ran this franchise into the ground and it's a shame that it won't recover here in Vancouver, because we supported them through some stupid managerial decisions and all the lean years. Now, Vancouverites just don't care anymore - you can only be told things will improve for so long before your bluff will be called. Well, Grizzlies, Vancouver has had enough. We'll miss you, but we won't miss the machinations of inept management. And I'll go back to cheering for the Sonics.

Tim Lewinson
Vancouver, BC

'Siberia' or St. Louis
I can understand from a businessman's point of view why it would be necessary to move the Griz, but my question is why now? Did Bill Laurie not want to purchase the Griz and relocate them to one of the greatest sports cities in the country, St. Louis? This would have been ideal for the NBA to have an owner that owned the building and another winter sports franchise(the Blues). This is a bad move on the part of David Stern, and the NBA. Let the Grizzlies freeze in Canada, or move them to St. Louis, the only two viable options.

Ryan
St. Charles, MO

Why buy into Heisley's deal?
I think in all likelihood the Grizzlies will be moved and that was the Heisley's plan from day one. He made so few changes to the team after making many promises that he never kept. If he thinks that 8 months is a long-term commitment to Vancouver, then why should the fans buy a season ticket for a full year?

Mark Einarson
Port Coquitlam, B.C.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out
Stu Jackson spending millions on guys like Reeves? Heisley paying loads of cash to 3 men (Versace, Knight, Daly) for what? No marketing strategy of any kind. Just like all the other sports, give these clowns millions then whine when the average fan can't relate. Leave town, fold or just go away and take about 3 to 5 franchises in other sports with you. Then maybe reality for the owners/players/agents will set in. Who knows, they may actually have to get a real job.

Dave Mestdagh
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Come to your new Kentucky home
I originally thought Vancouver was an odd choice from the beginning. They should move the franchise to an area just south of Covington, Kentucky and draw some real basketball fans from both Cincinnati and Lexington areas. You may even draw some from the Louisville area. That's real basketball country. Tap in, NBA!

Don Oxley
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Who's left to take Grizzlies?
If they are going to move, that's fine. But let's go to a city that really could use and get behind a NBA team. That leaves out San Diego (two teams left there), St. Louis (lost the Hawks), New Orleans (remember the Jazz). Anaheim? The L.A. area does not need another team. Las Vegas? Can't get past the betting. Nashville seems to be the only city listed that might support a NBA team. Louisville might also be a good choice. When the ABA was there they drew quite well. I never will understand why the NBA did not keep that team when they merged.

Michael Reynolds
Carbondale, IL

Just another sign the NBA's sinking

To allow the Vancouver franchise to relocate would be a sin. The NBA has always promised to help those teams in need whether it be financial, personal or whatever. To abandon the Grizzlies is an admission by the league that the NBA is slipping in stature. Vancouver is a lovely place that has supported a hockey team for years. While hockey is the Canadian national pastime, it does prove that professional sports can exist and function in Canada. It is my recommendation that David Stern and the rest of the NBA powers that be get off their very fat asses and start doing something positive with the league.

Help the Grizzlies to remain in Vancouver. If the ownership is lacking, hold them to task to improve the team's stature. If it is the fans educate the on the few positive things the NBA has done. Get a local group who cares to invest in the franchise. What the league needs is more enthusiasm, a la Mark Cuban. Get people who care about the league and basketball to be apart of things. David Stern did some great things with the NBA in the late 70's and early 80's, but his vision is gone and so has the greatness of the NBA. Problems arise from the top down. Do not blame the fans of Vancouver, but rather the League should look at the top and then move its way down.

Robert W. LeBuhn
Mendham, NJ