VANCOUVER — The Jazz most likely paid their last visit to Vancouver on Sunday, and after doing so they left a happy bunch.
Utah is 11-0 all-time in Vancouver following Sunday's 92-73 victory against the Grizzlies, who have applied to the NBA for permission to relocate to Memphis.
The pending move will leave Jazz players with a void, and it's not just because of all of the easy wins they've had.
"I'm going to miss coming here," said Karl Malone, adding he will most miss the seafood ("I had some great scallops for dinner last night") and "the rain."
There is a slim chance, though, that Malone and the Jazz may be back.
Last Thursday, a local newspaper reported that David Radler, a media mogul with strong ties to Vancouver, is working to line up possible buyers who would keep the franchise at GM Place arena.
On Friday, the same day the league appointed Jazz owner Larry H. Miller to a committee that will review potential-move-to-Memphis applications from both the Grizzlies and the Charlotte Hornets, the league's Board of Governors approved a Canadian currency assistance program. According to plan, both the Grizzlies (if they stay in Canada) and the Toronto Raptors would be eligible next season for a payment of up to $3 million (U.S.) to help offset the weak Canadian dollar.
Sunday, a group of individuals and corporate sponsors calling themselves "Grizzlies Loyalists" planned to pledge both support and money to the Vancouver Investor Group, which is working to purchase the Grizzlies and keep them from moving.
Locals, however, seem to consider it quite a long shot possibility that the Grizzlies will stay. And league officials have suggested the door to that happening remains open, but it's only by a crack.
"My first choice would be for Charlotte to stay in Charlotte and the Grizzlies in Vancouver," NBA Commissioner David Stern told the Province, a Vancouver daily. "After that it gets a little more complex, with layers.
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