Q&A With the Owner

Q&A With the Owner

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">In a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with The Commercial Appeal, Heisley expressed regret over putting the franchise in a sorrowful state and called himself "re-energized" toward running the franchise.

Q. What happened where you no longer believe Brian Davis can finalize the deal and you're ready to run the team again?

A. We never gave up rights to run the team. I'm the guy that basically felt that it wasn't appropriate for me to make significant decisions while Davis was trying to put together his purchase. The second decision I made was to remain in the background rather than me going down to Memphis and being the focal point. Davis still has a contract that runs through Jan. 15. Our point is that Davis has missed a couple of milestones. If he still raises the money I will sell him the team. There's no ill feelings here at all. If you talk to Davis he'll say we've been supportive. But after the league made its statements and with all of the articles that have been written, this became a major distraction. And when it became obvious that it would be very, very difficult for Davis to make the date, we took the action of saying he's in default of the contract.

Q. You've worked with Davis on this for nearly a year. Why not give him more time, and what milestones did he miss?

A. It's getting to a point where I can't continue to go along this line. I hope for his sake that he can do what he still thinks he has a chance to do. He's put a lot of time and money in this thing. I'm not making a judgment on that. He missed a requirement to put additional money in. I think he could have done that. He has the wherewithal to have done that. I think the issue is he's not there yet with buying the team and it's getting tight. Probably what he'll try to do is demonstrate to me that he's got the people. If they can present to us that they have the money without any question and they're willing to put down a deposit that's a substantial amount of the purchase price, then I would be willing to give them more time to get league approval. But I'm not going to give them more time to raise the money. It really would take them having the money on Jan 15.

Q. How do you feel about this process as it stands?

A. If I'd known it was going to turn out this way I wouldn't have done it. But it's a process you have to go through to sell something as complex as a basketball team. I don't have any ill feelings at all towards Davis. I feel sorry that he's spent the time and money and may get nothing for it. I've done the same thing in my career and when you're starting out, it's painful. I still feel that Davis would be good for the city of Memphis. He's made some mistakes in public relations.

Q. Do you realize that you're being blamed for this mess?

A. For whatever the reason it's been interpreted by people in Memphis and the media that I've just thrown in the towel and given up on Memphis and everything else. I'm almost 70 years old. I've owned the team for several years. When I came there, the first morning I met with the press the first thing I said is my hope is that this team will be Memphis' team and owned by the people in Memphis. That's what my intention was. I wasn't going to relocate to Memphis. My wife wouldn't do it no matter what. Does that mean I'm all of a sudden down on Memphis and down on the Grizzlies? I don't understand it. I also don't understand why everything we've done doesn't matter. We brought a team to Memphis, made the playoffs three of the five years. We've spent a huge amount of money. So today we're spending and people are acting like we're doing it on the cheap. Why aren't we going out and getting players? What do they want me to spend, a $100 million? The point is we're out-spending San Antonio and we're out-spending Phoenix. So the point is whether you're spending money means squat.

Q. What is your response to the notion that you've tied Jerry West's hands?

A. That's just pure, unadulterated BS. I did not tie his hands. Would someone tell me who is this person Jerry wanted to get and I wouldn't let him? Jerry West hasn't been restricted on any player he's ever brought in here. I've had conversations with him. But Jerry would tell you that he has more autonomy than any (team president) in the NBA. I've never turned Jerry down on a deal. I didn't tie his hands when he traded Shane Battier. He didn't come to me for approval. I didn't tie his hands when he traded Jason Williams and James Posey. I didn't tie his hands when he traded Bonzi Wells. Whoever is writing this stuff is making it up. What I decided was that we wouldn't make significant decisions with the team. For example, I wasn't about to trade Pau Gasol. I wasn't about to go out and get Allen Iverson and add $40 million to the payroll. What would you do if you had someone buying the team?

Q. Could West have fired (coach Mike) Fratello if the team wasn't for sale?

A. Jerry West and I had a discussion on Fratello after last season. The reality is I didn't think it was right for us to fire Fratello after the guy won nearly 50 games. Then people were saying what is wrong with Fratello after he played like five games (this season). Does making the playoffs the first two years you coach the team buy you anything on your third year? What was he supposed to do? Every fan has a right to say they don't like the way Fratello coaches or the way the team is. I think people are just speculating why attendance is down. I believe that when you're losing like we're losing, that's the reason. I'm not so sure that when you're winning and have the sixth-best record in the NBA, that in most locations that people are down on you because you're not playing Phoenix's basketball. When Detroit wasn't winning, they were giving seats away. Then all of sudden the team jelled and became contenders and the place is sold out. They sure as hell don't play an up-tempo game.

Q. Where is this team headed on the basketball court?

A. We're rebuilding. We weren't going to get there with what we had. We've got to start looking to the future. That means you've got to start bringing in young players and let them play. Quite frankly, they make lots of mistakes and without our No. 1 guy, then the team doesn't look as good. That's reflected in people's attitude toward the Grizzlies right now. We're going to go through a rebuilding period with this team and we're going to suffer. People say if we just get an up-tempo team, people will come out. Well, if you have an up-tempo team that gets beat every night, then we're going to struggle with attendance. We've got a tough period ahead of us while we try to build another competitive team. We've got decisions to make. And having a small fan base means that we've got to be careful about how we spend our money. No one in their right mind would spend the kind of money we've been spending with the revenues we're generating. You've got to get that in line. And I intend to get that in line. Our strategy has got to be to build on the young players we have and build in the draft. If something else comes up, then we'll look at it. But I want to make sure that this doesn't come across as I'm dictating policy for this team. This is my opinion. Jerry will have input. He'll make the basketball decisions. I've got to make some financial decisions. I'm getting energized to operate the team.

Q. What does it mean for you to get more involved?

A. I've got to get down there. I've got to talk to the press. I've got to talk to the fans. I've got to be at the games. I've got to give people a chance to vent. I've got to get re-engaged with the players and coaches. But the last time I was there, I walk in the arena and I never heard someone say a negative word. About 25 people came up to me and thanked me for bringing the team to Memphis and said please stay on as the owner.

Q. It's Jan. 16, and Brian Davis goes away. Do you believe Jerry West will return?

A. I haven't had that conversation with Jerry. He signed up for this year with our option for next season. This is a traumatic situation. We've got to do a rebuilding and so I've got to talk to Jerry.

Q. It's Jan. 16, and Brian Davis has gone away. Is the team still for sale?

A. Is the team actively pursuing a sale? No. If someone wanted to buy the team, would we talk to them? Yes. If I thought they would be good for Memphis, then I'd do it. But no one else has seriously come to us about buying the team.

Q. What will you do differently in another potential sale?

A. I'd probably not get myself into a situation where I'd give someone an extended period of time to raise the money. They would have to have the money. We would look for a much larger deposit. Certainty would be the key. The next time it's announced, it'll be done.

Q. Is the price still $350 million or will you come down?

A. I'm not going to drop the price at all. No. Not at all. We've got a great arena and a lot of things working for us.

Q. So the local group would have to agree to your price to buy the team?

A. If the local group came to me with a proposal, then I will entertain the proposal. Do I think the minority group would be good for Memphis? Absolutely. They'd probably be the best. I would probably consider selling to them for less than I would anybody else because they're the ideal candidate. I'll be happy to sell it to them. All they have to do is come up with a realistic price.

Q. What does less mean?

A. Less means less than $350. That's all it means. But not a lot less.

Q. How would you describe your relationship with the local group?

A. Until recently, my relationship with the local group has been fine. They basically run the foundation. I've tried my best to let people know that Staley (Cates) and Pitt (Hyde) are bigger than I am in the major contributions made in the name of the Grizzlies. I don't keep that a secret.

Q. What ultimately do you want Memphis to know about this situation?

A. Both Jerry and I are on the same page. We feel we have to rebuild this team. We're extremely happy about last year's draft. And obviously, we'll have a lottery pick and a high-level lottery pick. People are saying this is the best draft in 10 years so that means we'll get another good player. That's the start of building. We've got the makings of a good team. We may suffer attendance decline. But we have to stay the course, and that's my course of action for us. Look at Philadelphia. They're doing exactly what we're doing. And they've unloaded their star player. We're keeping ours. Look. I'm the guy who said we're going to Memphis over Louisville and New Orleans. That basketball team is there because I put it there. I wouldn't trade my time in Memphis for the world. It's been a fantastic experience. I'm not getting out of Memphis because it's bad. I'm saying somebody can do a better job than I can with the franchise. I'm being very honest with myself. Unlike a lot of NBA owners, I'm not putting in 100 percent of my time. I'm almost 70 years of age so I'm not likely to get more of it. </div>

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